Premiere Stages and Kean University Theatre Department Offer A Master Class with Theatre Legend, Woodie King Jr.

Renowned theatrical producer and director Woodie King Jr. will teach a master class at Kean University, November 23rd at 3:30 in the Little Theatre, located in Kean's University Center, 1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ, as part of the 2009 Premiere Artists Series.

Mr. King, a pioneer of the Black Theatre Movement, is one of the most prolific and prestigious African-American theater producers in the United States. He is the founder and artistic director of the New Federal Theatre in New York City, now in its 34th season. He has produced and directed off-Broadway, on Broadway, at U.S. regional theatres, and around the world. Also a writer, actor, and filmmaker, his publications include several anthologies of plays, including Black Theatre Present Condition and Impact of Race: Theatre and Culture. Among numerous other awards and honors, Mr. King was awarded an Obie Award for Sustained Achievement and an Actors' Equity Association Paul Robeson Award.

Mr. King will be offering a combination master class and lecture based around Kean students' presentations of monologues, songs, or scenes. The student presentations will be a catalyst for larger discussions with Mr. King about the craft of directing and producing, in which all attendees will be involved. While slots to present scenes are limited to Kean University Theatre Majors, the event is open to the public and will offer the opportunity to meet and talk with Mr. King about his life, career, and current projects.

The Premiere Artists Program is a collaboration between Premiere Stages, the professional theatre in residence at Kean and the Kean University department of Theatre to bring world-class theatre professionals to campus for master classes, lectures, and networking with students. These events often lead to internships, assistantships, and jobs with the visiting artists.

Past visiting artists who have participated in the Premiere Artists Program include Daphne Rubin-Vega, Norbert Leo Butz, Olympia Dukakis, John Lee Beatty, Rick Sordelet, and Lee Blessing.

Premiere Stages is made possible in part through funding from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, TD Bank, The Provident Bank Foundation, The Turrell Fund, Continental Airlines, and through the generous support of patrons.

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