Lawrence Cohen Discusses the Adaptation of Carrie

Lawrence Cohen, successful writer for film, television, and stage joins members of the cast of Carrie in a post screening talkback on October 28 hosted by the School of Communication and Media.

 In celebration of The Department of Theatre and Dance’s fall production of Carrie, based on the best-selling novel by Stephen King, The Montclair State University Film Institute will screen the 1976 film version. Cohen will discuss his work on the horror classic, which won several awards including two Academy Award nominations for its stars Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie.

Cohen has had numerous successes across screen and stage, including two adaptations of King novels for television. In 1990, his teleplay for It, starring Tim Curry as Pennywise the clown, was touted by People Magazine to be “the year’s strongest, scariest miniseries.”

His sensational musical adaptation Carrie, which continues its run at Memorial Auditorium this weekend, opened on Broadway in 1988. It was met with strong but varied reactions from critics and audiences alike, earning it a reputation as one of the most controversial musicals.

In 2011, a revised production was mounted by MCC Theatre in New York, and the piece found its cult following. Matt Williams, director of Montclair State’s current production, served as choreographer, and that production went on to win the Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Musical.