FSC Professor’s Play Wins 10 Broadway Awards

February 25, 2019

Scene from Folk City

Professional Communications students know Robbie Woliver as one of their professors. Theater goers know him as a playwright and best-selling author.

The play is Folk City: The Musical, based on his New York Times bestseller, Bringing It All Back Home. The big news is that Folk City has just swept the Broadway World Theater Awards for its recent debut at the Brunish Theater in Portland, Oregon. The play, which debuted in Manhattan, won “Best Musical,” “Best Ensemble,” “Best Director,” “Best Costumes,” “Best Set Design,” “Best Lighting,” and awards for all four acting categories. Quite a feat.

Folk City, which follows the lives of six fictional characters interwoven with musical greats who came out of the Greenwich Village music scene, is a journey through three decades of musical, political, and social upheaval, as lived through the iconic music of the times. Starting in the ’60s, the play takes place in Folk City, the legendary music venue owned by Woliver. It was home to a number of artists, from Bob Dylan to Elvis Costello. Comedians such as Adam Sandler and Robin Williams performed there, as did actor Steve Buscemi.

The play’s music is its centerpiece, and features only songs by Folk City alumni such as Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Mamas & Papas, the Byrds, and the Doors.

Folk City has completed its run in Portland and is on its way back to NYC.