Center Stage Welcomes New Director of Education

Center Stage has announced Michael Wiggins will join the theater's leadership team as Director of Education. Wiggins is a veteran teaching artist, administrator, curriculum writer and program developer.

Wiggins joins Center Stage after spending five years at New York-based Urban Arts Partnership, where, as Director of Education and Special Projects, he supervised the development and implementation of arts and technology-integrated educational programs designed to close the academic achievement gap.

"Michael is a dynamic leader in arts education, and he embodies the values central to our theater's mission," said Center Stage Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah. "He is a skilled teacher with the soul of an artist-the perfect combination to inspire young imaginations and cultivate creative potential in students. We're thrilled to have him join the Center Stage family."

Wiggins previously served as Education Program Consultant and Teaching Artist Trainer for The Public Theater in New York, where he designed and led Shakespeare in the Boros, a summer workshop and performance program, and wrote, directed and co-produced the Shakespeare Shakeup, a day-long festival of performances, workshops and games for New York City public school students staged at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park.

Wiggins also spent several years as a Teaching Artist at New Victory Theater, acted as Managing Producer at Continuum Theater Company at the New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts and served as Artistic Director and Producer of Mud/Bone, a people of color-led theater company. He is the author of The Teaching Artist Sutras and has taught as an adjunct professor at The Graduate Program in Educational Theatre at The City College of New York (CCNY) and The Program in Educational Theatre at NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development. He is an alumnus of the NYU Graduate Acting MFA Program.

"We were impressed with Michael's extensive education experience, creative vision and passion for bringing theater into the community," said Center Stage Managing Director Michael Ross. "Most people know Center Stage for our Mainstage productions, but education is a cornerstone of our programming. We're excited to welcome Michael to the team, and we can't wait to see how he takes our education initiatives to the next level."

Each year, more than 13,000 Maryland students visit Center Stage through its Student Matinee program, 150 kids become a community of artists at the Camp Center Stage summer program and more than 600 students receive feedback on their writing through the Young Playwrights Festival. For more information about Center Stage's education programs, visit www.centerstage.org/Education.

Center Stage is a professional, nonprofit institution committed to entertaining, engaging and enriching audiences through bold, innovative and thought-provoking classical and contemporary theater.

Named the State Theater of Maryland in 1978, Center Stage has steadily grown as a leader in the national regional theater scene. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah OBE and Managing Director Michael Ross, Center Stage is committed to creating and presenting a diverse array of world premieres and exhilarating interpretations of established works.

Center Stage believes in access for all-creating a welcoming environment for everyone who enters its theater doors and, at the same time, striving to meet audiences where they are. In addition to our Mainstage, Off Center and Family Series productions in the historic Mount Vernon neighborhood, Center Stage ignites conversations among a global audience through our digital initiatives, which explore how technology and the arts intersect. The theater also nurtures the next generation of artists and theater-goers through the Young Playwrights Festival, Student Matinee Series and many other educational programs for students, families and professionals.

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