A Meaningful Life with David Rothenberg

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"A Meaningful Life" features an interview with David Rothenberg. From the glamour of Broadway as a press agent and producer to prison riots, civil rights sit-ins, politics, and criminal justice reform, David has led a multi-faceted life. 

He has been involved with over 200 Broadway and off- Broadway productions and represented some of the most successful works in theatre including the original production of Hair, Richard Burton’s Hamlet, Beyond the Fringe, Tony and Tina’s Wedding and Blue Man Group. David worked with Alvin Ailey, Bette Davis, Peggy Lee, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and many others. He co-created, wrote, and produced the play The Castle, which has been performed Off-Broadway, on college campuses, and in prisons throughout the country.  David is a former member of the New York City Human Rights Commission and was appointed as Advisory Counsel to the New York State Commission on Human Rights in 1984. 

The letter David wrote to his mother on being gay was so beautiful that it was included in Andrew Carroll’s NY TIMES Bestseller, Letters of a Nation, a collection of extraordinary American letters spanning more than 350 years.  

In this Episode I ask David about many topics including his production of John Herbert’s prison drama called Fortune and Men’s Eyes that led to his life's work with  the non-profit advocacy and re-entry organization called The Fortune Society. For more than 50 years, Fortune has helped tens of thousands of formerly incarcerated people through a wide range of holistic services for successful reentry into the community.  

Now in his late-80s, David continues to highlight the issues and needs of the formerly incarcerated and social injustice. He has two radio shows on WBAI and volunteers at Fortune.  His memoir, "Fortune in My Eyes," was published in 2012. 

Elizabeth Taylor, once said of him, “David can lift the chains from your soul.”