Waterwell Announces Summer Theater Lab

Waterwell announces the launch of its Summer Theater Lab at the Professional Performing Arts School (PPAS) in Manhattan, under the leadership of Victor Maog. The program has two sessions: Monday-Friday, July 1 - August 3, and August 5 - 24, 2013. For more information about classes and enrollment, visit www.waterwell.org/summer.

The Waterwell Summer Theater Lab @ PPAS offers dedicated middle and high school students from across the country the opportunity to engage in a focused three-week training program with world-class practitioners in the heart of New York City's fabled Theater District. Over the course of an NYC summer, the artistic community at the Summer Theater Lab will showcase brave new works by some of the American theater's rising voices. They will premiere just steps from Times Square and, through publication, build upon the catalogue of quality age-appropriate material for theaters and schools world-wide.

Victor Maog, known for his innovative stage productions and award-winning training models, is leading this new Waterwell program. He has collaborated at theaters such The Public Theater, Hartford Stage, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Second Stage, and directed/taught for NYU/Tisch, UPenn, Fordham and others. He's the former Director of Theater for Perry-Mansfield, the oldest performing arts school in the country, and is the current Artistic Director of Second Generation (2g) in NYC. His multi-disciplinary collaborations and groundbreaking education programs have attracted world-class faculty artists and top-tier student talent. Allyson Morgan serves as his Associate Director.

"We couldn't be more excited to be welcoming Victor to the Waterwell family and collaborating with him on the Summer Theater Lab," said Waterwell Artistic Director Tom Ridgely in a statement. "For years he's been offering some of the strongest, most innovative and holistic theater training in the country, and now students will have the chance to take advantage of that surrounded by arguably the most vibrant theater scene in the world. It's at once a natural extension of the Drama Program at PPAS and a revolution in the way we're nurturing and preparing the next generation of artists and entertainers."

"The Waterwell Summer Theater Lab @ PPAS is about what theater is and can be, led by master educators and professionals who are shaping the field. I'm thrilled to work with Waterwell to bring my process-centered, playmaking program to the heart of Times Square," said Maog. "People like Alicia Keys, Claire Danes, Britney Spears and Jesse Eisenberg have all trained in this building. We know it's a place where big dreams can come true. Across the years, I've devised theater training that's balanced artistry with real-world needs and now my artistic family - collaborators, faculty, and students alike - are working all over the world. In terms of craft, industry access, and life experience - it's priceless."