Stephen Mckinley Henderson Will Lead The 2024 Lunt-fontanne Fellowship Program At Ten Chimneys
The Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program has brought the nation's top regional theater actors to Ten Chimneys to work with a world-renowned Master Teacher.
By: A.A. Cristi Jun. 07, 2024
Ten Chimneys Foundation has announced Stephen McKinley Henderson as the 2024 Master Teacher for the nationally acclaimed Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program at the Historic National Landmark, Ten Chimneys.
Since its groundbreaking inception in 2009, the Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program has brought the nation's top regional theater actors to Ten Chimneys to work with a world-renowned Master Teacher. The 2024 program will occur the week of July 21st through the 28th and will include specially chosen American theater actors from the nation's top theaters to work with Mr. Henderson in an intensive Master Class at the estate of theater legends Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne in Genesee Depot, Wisconsin.
Through this groundbreaking program, the top actors in the country are given a rare and special opportunity to grow artistically, renew their passion for their art form, deepen their commitment to mentorship, and form a national community of Lunt-Fontanne Fellows. This year's class will focus on acting against type. The 2024 Lunt-Fontanne Fellows are:
Pascale Armand - Yale Repertory Theatre
Orlando Arriaga - Alley Theatre
Tracey Bonner - Arizona Theatre Company
Andrew Borba - Pasadena Playhouse
Jeanne Paulsen - Milwaukee Repertory Theater
Brad Raymond - Alliance Theatre
Luisa Sermol - TheatreWorks Silicon Valley
Bethany Thomas - Milwaukee Repertory Theater
About Stephen McKinley Henderson
Stephen McKinley Henderson's glowing performances have appeared in film, television, and on stage throughout the United States and abroad.
Mr. Henderson's film work includes performances in six Oscar nominated films: Dune, Lady Bird, Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, Denzel Washington's Fences, Manchester by the Sea and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Other film credits include Tower Heist, Marie, Keane, If You Can Say It in Words, and Native Son.
Noteworthy television work includes Halle Berry's directorial debut, Bruised (Netflix), the series Dev (FX/HULU), Wu Tang: An American Saga (HULU), The Newsroom (HBO), PBS American Playhouse film, A Raisin in the Sun, starring Danny Glover and Esther Rolle. He also had a reoccurring role as a judge for 15 seasons on NBC's landmark series Law and Order and was a co-star on the FOX series, New Amsterdam. In addition, you will see his work on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Tyler Perry's House of Payne, Third Watch and Blue Bloods. Recent works include Beau is Afraid, Causeway, and Civil War.
He is recognized as a veteran performer of August Wilson's oeuvre with his signature role as the gossipy Turnbo in Jitney, for which he won a Drama Desk Award. He received an Obie and Lucille Lortel award in the Outstanding Lead Actor category for his work as Pops in Stephen Adley Guirgis' Between Riverside and Crazy, the play which received the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. He revived the role in 2022-23 and was nominated for a Tony as Best Actor. He also received a Tony nomination as Featured Actor for his work in the 2010 Broadway revival of August Wilson's Fences, starring alongside Tony Award winners Denzel Washington and Viola Davis. In 2023, he received the Lucille Lortel Award for Lifetime Achievement and the Harold Prince Lifetime Achievement Award from the Drama Desk Awards. The Acting Company honored Mr. Henderson with the John Houseman Award in 2024. Mr. Henderson is a Distinguished Alumnus of Purdue University Graduate School (MA), College of Liberal Arts.
"Being a Ten Chimney's Fellowship Teacher is an honor and a challenge. Actors who have served the American Theatre for twenty years on stages throughout the country quickly form an ensemble that is truly inspiring. I have seen the magic before. Sharing with them enriches me.
Ten Chimneys is a magicians' workshop of Théâtre. The practitioners who come there from across America return to their alchemy with renewed dedication. I am proud to be one of the Fellowship Teachers who gets to stir the cauldron."
Mr. Henderson is in residence at Ten Chimneys, joining the illustrious list of Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Master Teachers including Lynn Redgrave, Barry Edelstein, Olympia Dukakis, Joel Grey, Alan Alda, David Hyde Pierce, Phylicia Rashad, Jason Alexander, Alfred Molina, Tyne Daly, and Jerry Zaks.
PUBLIC OPPORTUNITIES
On Friday, July 26th, Ten Chimneys Foundation will present A Conversation with Stephen McKinley Henderson, an intimate evening during which Mr. Henderson will share stories about his life and career. On Saturday, July 27th, Mr. Henderson and the 2024 Lunt-Fontanne Fellows will take the stage together for a Concluding Presentation, a rare look highlighting the remarkable Fellows and the work they explored during their week at Ten Chimneys.
"Congratulations to all the actors, Partner Theaters, and Stephen McKinley Henderson for continuing to carry out the work of the Lunts. They represent the best of American Theater, and we as an audience are the beneficiaries. I wait with excitement to see what Stephen and the actors will create with 'acting against type'. That spirit and energy provides comedy, seriousness, and thoughtful engagement." Randy Bryant, Ten Chimneys Foundation President & CEO
More information, including ticket prices and program details, can be found at www.tenchimneys.org, or by calling (262) 968-4110. Seating is limited, with various sections available.
TEN CHIMNEYS FOUNDATION - PROGRAM HOST
Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne constructed Ten Chimneys to be the perfect working retreat for themselves and a circle of friends comprising the best-of-the-best in American theater. This historic context and the inherent inspiration of Ten Chimneys is why Ten Chimneys Foundation's inaugural Master Teacher, Lynn Redgrave, said that "this program simply couldn't happen anywhere else," and why participating Fellows have all talked about the experience being "transformative." Today, Ten Chimneys is open to the public as a House Museum.
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