Private Jokes, Public Places

Oren Safdie’s Private Jokes, Public Places,
a new comedy about architecture, inaugurates the
Theater at the Center of Architecture. Directed by Maria Mileaf.

Capturing the full character of architectural discourse, Private Jokes, Public Places offers a disturbing and humorous glimpse inside the contemporary world of architecture. Margaret, a young Korean-American student, presents her thesis for a public swimming pool to an all-male jury of famous architects. This simple premise is a jumping-off point for a facile examination of academia, intellectual pretension and the failure of postmodernist culture. The play asks compelling questions about the state of the male-female power struggle, fears of disrupting the status quo, and ultimately, the importance of challenging tradition.