Aaron Sorkin Joins Kristin Chenoweth For Masterclass

Academy Award and four-time Emmy Award winner Aaron Sorkin will join Tony and Emmy Award winner Kristin Chenoweth to present a master class for the newly created Master's Program in Screen Acting degree from Oklahoma City University (OCU) and London's Academy of Live and Recorded Arts (ALRA), it was announced today by OCU School of Theatre Dean Mark Parker and ALRA Principal Adrian Hall.

The two-year program, taught in Los Angeles in year one and in London in year two, will feature master classes led by industry professionals, including Sorkin and Chenoweth, OCU's most famous alumna. The program, which will prepare graduates to work professionally in film, television and other recorded media, will begin in January 2021. Applications are being accepted at this time. Details for submission of an audition and materials can be found at www.okcu.edu/mfa-screen-acting.

"I am so thrilled to have Aaron Sorkin join OCU's invaluable Master's in Screen Acting program," Chenoweth commented. "With his incredible success writing for stage, screen and television, I know he can provide students with his unique perspective on adapting to the very different skills required for each format."

OCU has also partnered with Jesse|James Films, the production company headed by Jesse Murphy and James Sears Bryant. Under the pact, the University works with the production entity to provide first-hand experiences for the students with industry professionals.

Academy Award-winning writer and renowned playwright Aaron Sorkin made his Broadway debut with A Few Good Men. His subsequent film adaptation was nominated for four Academy Awards and five Golden Globes, including Best Screenplay and Best Picture. Sorkin won the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, BAFTA and Writer's Guild Awards for The Social Network and received Academy Award nominations for his screenplays for Molly's Game and Moneyball. His other films include Steve Jobs (Golden Globe Award), Charlie Wilson's War, The American President and Malice. Acclaimed across mediums, Sorkin created and produced "The West Wing," which won 26 Primetime Emmy Awards, "The Newsroom," "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" and "Sports Night," and the stage adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird, now the highest grossing American play in Broadway history. His newest film, The Trial of the Chicago 7, is available on Netflix beginning October 16.

Kristin Chenoweth's career spans film, television, voiceover and stage. She is an Emmy Award winner for "Pushing Daisies" and a Tony Award winner for You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and Tony-nominated for Wicked and On the Twentieth Century. She has been nominated for two Emmy Awards and a People's Choice Award for her role on "Glee." Her additional television credits include "The West Wing," "The Music Man," "GCB," "The Good Wife," "Hairspray Live!" "Trial & Error," "BoJack Horseman," "A Christmas Love Story," and Food Network's upcoming "Candy Land." Her film credits include Running with Scissors, Stranger than Fiction, The Pink Panther, RV, Hard Sell and the upcoming The Witches and Holidate.

Additional guest speakers include Krystal Joy Brown, currently playing Eliza Hamilton in Hamilton on Broadway; Emma Ago, Director of Development at MadRiver Pictures; Austin Leshay, Talent Agent at Hyperion; Mark Morikawa, Manager at MGMT Entertainment; Dia Frampton, Recording Artist and Actress; Siena Oberman, Producer at Artemis Pictures; Aaron Brown, Manager at Avalon Management; Nora May, Manager at 3 Arts Entertainment; McCrae Dunlap, Manager of Development at FanFare; Sean Woods, Manager at Fourward; and Erin Dicker, Producer at BrooklynWorks Films.

Year one of the program will start with hands-on learning in Los Angeles' historic Culver City, including internship opportunities at LA film industry companies. During the second year of the program, students will study in London at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts.

Students will learn how to develop, pitch, and produce their own content and gain invaluable experience working alongside and networking with industry professionals (actors, directors, casting directors, agents, and producers) in both LA and London.

For more information, contact ocutheatreauditions@okcu.edu or visit www.okcu.edu/mfa-screen-acting.