LeAp's 8th Annual New York City August Wilson Monologue Competition Set for 3/3
By: Tyler Peterson Feb. 25, 2016
This competition is the culmination of LeAp's August Wilson Program, a part of a nationwide initiative, which introduces new generations of high school students to the works of renowned playwright August Wilson, while exploring African-American history.
On Thursday, March 3, 2016, LeAp students from nine New York City high schools will inhabit Wilson's characters and bring them to life by performing one to three minute monologues from Wilson's Century Cycle, ten plays chronicling the African-American experience in the twentieth century. A panel of celebrity judges will rank the performers based on a variety of criteria-from energy and physical presentation to emotional connectedness. The night will include a performances by Carmen Ruby Floyd and The Brooklyn School for Music and Theatre- Advanced Choir. Student finalists from the following schools will perform:
Edward R. Murrow High School (Brooklyn)
Hillcrest High School (Queens)
Marta Valle High School (Manhattan)
Repertory Company High School for Theatre Arts (Manhattan)
Murray Hill Academy (Manhattan)
Belmont Preparatory High School (Bronx)
Brooklyn School for Music and Theatre (Brooklyn)
Secondary School for Law (Brooklyn)
EBC High School for Public Service - Bushwick (Brooklyn)
The two winners of LeAp's NYC competition will advance to the National August Wilson Monologue Competition to compete against students from Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Greensboro, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Portland, and Seattle on Monday, May 2, 2016 at 7:00 pm at the August Wilson Theatre on Broadway. The competitors will have the opportunity to attend two Broadway shows, and to work with director Kenny Leon and dramaturg Todd Kreidler, two of Wilson's closest collaborators.
LeAp's August Wilson Program: Now in its eighth year, this year-long program presents students with the opportunity to study the work of renowned playwright August Wilson. Led by LeAp's theater professionals, students explore Wilson's life, influence, and work, and examine important social issues and historical events. Students strengthen their acting skills and performance techniques and present scenes from various Wilson works. Ultimately, students select a monologue to perform at school-wide competitions. Three winners from each school participate in LeAp's New York City August Wilson Monologue Competition, and finalists advance to the National August Wilson Competition to compete against students from other cities. As part of the program, students attend an August Wilson play and meet with professional actors, directors, and designers. This program has been developed in partnership with Jujamcyn Theaters and Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company. It has been generously funded by the New York State Council on the Arts, the Axe-Houghton Foundation, and the New York City Department of Education.
Learning through an Expanded Arts Program (LeAp) is committed to improving the quality of public education through a unique hands-on, arts-based approach to teaching the core curriculum. For 38 years, LeAp has provided more than two million NYC students in kindergarten through 12th grade with nationally recognized music, dance, theater, film, and visual arts programs that are integrated into academic instruction. LeAp offers in-school residencies, afterschool activities, teacher trainings, parent workshops, and assembly programs to schools citywide, conducts programs in hospitals, shelters and cultural institutions and develops educational materials. LeAp empowers students to reach their full potential.
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