CECA Will Welcome Award Winning Erica Weiss For A Week Of Workshops And Special Events

From Monday, March 2nd - Thursday March 5th, the APSU Department of Theatre and Dance and the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts (CECA) will welcome award winning director/playwright/showrunner Erica Weiss to campus for a series of workshops and public events. Ms. Weiss is visiting APSU as an Acuff Chair of Excellence with the support of CECA.

Ms. Weiss is one of five artists-in-residence in the areas of theatre and dance who are visiting APSU this year through the endowed Acuff Chair of Excellence. The Roy Acuff Chair of Excellence was established in 1985 by the legendary country music star and rotates between APSU's four creative arts areas - Creative Writing, Music, Theatre/Dance, and Visual Art. The Acuff Chair has been filled each year with residencies by nationally and internationally known artists since its inception.

Erica Weiss is a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University and an ensemble member of the Gift Theatre in Chicago. She was the recipient of the prestigious Michael Maggio Directing Fellowship at the Tony Award winning Goodman Theatre. She is the co-creator and co-showrunner of CBS's The Red Line, produced by Warner Brothers, Greg Berlanti, and Ava DuVernay. Erica is a longtime and frequent collaborator with writer Caitlin Parrish (Red Line, Supergirl, Under the Dome) directing their smash-hit world premiere productions The Burials at Steppenwolf Theatre and The Downpour for Route 66 Theatre Company (Joseph Jefferson Nominee for Best Production, Best Director, Best New Work, and Best Lead Actress) as well as their first feature film The View From Tall with their company Teleporter Productions. She and Parrish co-wrote the original pilot for The Red Line, based on their play A Twist of Water (Route 66 Theatre, off-Broadway at 59E59). Other theatre directing credits include the world premiere Twilight Bowl by Rebecca Gilman (Goodman Theatre), Vigils and The Grapes of Wrath (The Gift Theatre). Her primary passions lie in the development of new work and bringing female voices to the stage and screen.

Throughout the week, Ms. Weiss will be a guest lecturer in APSU classes such as Playwriting, and Acuff Seminar. She will also lead a masterclass on transitioning from Theatre to Film/TV. The residency will culminate with a public lecture/Q&A moderated by APSU Associate Professor of Acting/Directing Talon Beeson, followed by a reception in the Margaret Fort Trahern Lab Theatre. For a complete schedule, visit: https://www.apsu.edu/theatre-dance/acuff/spring_acuff.php

More information is available on the Theatre & Dance website https://www.apsu.edu/theatre-dance/acuff/spring_acuff.php. All events are free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Talon Beeson at (931) 221-6259, email beesont@apsu.edu, or visit theatredance.apsu.edu.