Doing Oral History

Join oral historian and author Mark Larson for an inside look at how he collects and shapes oral histories. Drawing from his books Ensemble: An Oral History of Chicago Theater and Working in the 21st Century—released for the 50th anniversary of Studs Terkel’s Working—Larson will share his creative process, from interviewing to editing and storytelling, with video clips from his interviews. He’ll also reflect on being interviewed twice by Terkel and preview his work in progress, A Thing That Is True: A Year in Conversation with John Kander, which explores the life and career of the legendary composer behind Cabaret, Chicago, and more.

Mark Larson is author of Ensemble: An Oral History of Chicago Theater for which he interviewed over 300 Chicago theater artists, past and present. His new book, Working in the 21st Century, was released to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Studs Terkel’s classic, Working. Esquire magazine named it one of the “best non-fiction books of 2024,” and it received an honorable mention in the 2025 Midland Authors Awards. He is currently working on “Something That Is True,” a book-length interview with Broadway composer, John Kander, whose work includes Cabaret, Chicago, The Scottsboro Boys and New York, New York” among many others.

Free and open to the public. Donations are welcome!
To live stream this program, visit our website.  A recording will also be available from the website one week later.
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