Eddie George, who amassed more than 10,000 yards during his nine-year career as an NFL running back, made his Broadway debut as Billy Flynn in the hit musical Chicago during a seven-week run at the Ambassador Theatre in January. George, who lives in Nashville, recently played the lead in a Nashville Repertory Theatre production of The Whipping Man. He has also played the title roles in Nashville Shakespeare Festival productions of Othello and Julius Caesar. (See “NFL Pros Come to Kellogg,” winter 2009.)
A successful producer and club owner, Peter Shapiro recently promoted the Grateful Dead’s 50th anniversary tour. Shapiro’s gig with the band’s “Fare Thee Well” shows held special significance for the longtime Deadhead — he followed the band and made the documentary And Miles to Go: On Tour with the Grateful Dead while studying film at Northwestern. The anniversary shows were attended by more than 360,000 fans. Shapiro, who lives in New York City, produces concerts for many bands, in addition to owning popular music venues in New York, such as the Brooklyn Bowl and the Capitol Theatre. He is also publisher of the music magazine Relix. (See “Lights, Camera: Access!” fall 2001.)
ESPN broadcaster Mike Greenberg and his Mike & Mike co-host Mike Golic will be inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters’ Broadcasting Hall of Fame in April. Greenberg and Golic have co-hosted the weekday morning show on ESPN Radio for more than 15 years. Greenberg, a 20-year ESPN veteran who lives in Westport, Conn., has written three books, including his second novel, My Father’s Wives (William Morrow, 2015). (See “At the Top of Their Game,” spring 2008.)
After experiencing a year of losses, ArLynn Leiber Presser wrote Remembrance, which was performed to sell-out crowds last April at the Community House in Winnetka, Ill. The play explores concepts of love, sacrifice and the fear of being forgotten after death. Since its debut, the interactive play has been purchased by four other venues in Chicago. This is Presser’s seventh play. (See “Face to Facebook,” fall 2012)
Award-winning author Leslie Pietrzyk (see “The Write Way,” spring 2014) has told personal stories of loss and grieving through her work. Inspired by the death of her first husband, Robert Rauth Jr. ’82, her latest book is This Angel on my Chest (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2015), a collection of short essays about moving on after an intense loss. It won the 2015 Drue Heinz Literature Prize. Pietrzyk returned to Northwestern in November as part of the English department’s “Return Engagement” series. Her next novel is set at the University.
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