Alums debut new projects this fall

Ph.D alumna Theresa Rebeck '89 has quite the season approaching.  Three of her stage shows (Poor Behavior; Dead Accounts; and Seminar) will debut over the next few months, with Seminar landing on Broadway in November.  Ms. Rebeck –– primarily known for her playwriting –– also writes novels and for television.  Her new series Smash, a musical drama about the production of a Broadway show, debuts on NBC in February 2012.  Smash stars fellow Brandeis alumna Debra Messing '90, former American Idol finalist Katharine McPhee, and acclaimed actress Anjelica Huston.  More information is available in The New York Times.

Meanwhile, a Bachelor's alumnus has "made good" as well: Christopher Boucher '97, who specialized in Creative Writing, debuted his first novel in August.  How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive has been touted by critics as "wildly imaginative" (Publishers Weekly), "addictive" and "beautiful" (Time Out Chicago), "an impressive, moving debut" (author Sam Lipsyte), "a series of absolutely human and recognizable truths" (The Millions), and "an instruction manual for the human heart" (Time Out New York).  The novel chronicles the relationship between a single father and his young son, who also happens to be a 1971 Volkswagen Beetle.  More information on Boucher's whimsical, affecting novel can be found on his website.