Tom Stoppard at 71

Although his works seem completely English, you may be surprised to learn that Tom Stoppard was born in Czechoslovakia in 1937. His works, including such plays as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and Arcadia are both intellectually challenging and emotionally intense. I remember when Rosencrantz opened on Broadway in 1966, but I didn't see it until the 1990's at Lost Nation Theater., where I've also seen Arcadia. A great way to spend a weekend, and to really get into the work, is to rent Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet and Rosencrantz and watch them on consecutive nights.

He's also been a human rights activist since the mid-1970's.

Today is Stoppard's birthday.