Maurice Hines Holds Auditions And Master Classes In D.C. With Arena Stage

Star of stage, television and film Maurice Hines makes a special, week long visit to D.C. this October to lead two FREE master classes and hold an open dance audition to kick off work as the choreographer and lead performer in Arena Stage's musical revue Sophisticated Ladies, running April 15 - May 30, 2010 at the Lincoln Theatre. These opportunities provide D.C.-area dancers a unique chance to dance with, and for, one of the original leading men in Broadway's Sophisticated Ladies. During this time Hines will also conduct research with the show's director, Charles Randolph-Wright. Together they plan to delve into the roots of Duke Ellington, jazz music and the Harlem Renaissance on U Street, NW through a walking tour of the neighborhood. They will also view the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History's extensive Duke Ellington collections of artifacts and memorabilia, donated to the museum by friends and members of the Ellington family.

"I am so excited to visit the district to hold master classes and an early dance call, because there is no place like D.C. in discovering new untapped talent," shares Hines. "These open auditions for Sophisticated Ladies should be fabulous! I also can't wait to rediscover the impact Ellington had on jazz music right in the heart of D.C., including at the Lincoln Theatre, where I'm thrilled we'll be performing."

FREE Advanced Jazz & Hip-Hop Master Classes, October 13, 2009
For dancers with an advanced background in jazz, hip-hop and tap, Hines will teach two free classes Tuesday, October 13. He will teach from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. at Howard University (2455 Sixth Street, NW) and from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. at the Duke Ellington School for the Arts (3500 R Street, NW). To register for a class, e-mail résumé & headshot to Amrita Mangus at amangus@arenastage.org or call (202) 554-9066, ext. 286. Space is limited.

Open Dance Audition for Sophisticated Ladies, October 14, 2009
Hines will hold open dance auditions Wednesday, October 14 at the Lincoln Theatre (1215 U Street, NW). Men and women of all ethnicities with strong jazz, ballet and tap background are welcomed to audition. Registration for men begins at noon with auditions from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., and registration for women starts at 2:00 p.m. followed by auditions from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Individuals interested in pre-registration may e-mail résumé & headshot Jamil Jude at jjude@arenastage.org or call (202) 554-9066, ext. 284. Walk-ins welcome.

About Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies at Arena Stage at the Lincoln Theatre
April 9-March 30, 2010
Concept by Donald McKayle based on music by Duke Ellington
Musical and dance arrangement by Lloyd Mayers
Vocal arrangements by Malcolm Dodds and Lloyd Mayers
Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright
Choreography by and starring Maurice Hines
STORY: The Duke comes home to the Lincoln Theatre with Sophisticated Ladies, the award-winning musical revue that explores the legacy of our local jazz hero, starring Broadway legend Maurice Hines. This glorious re-creation of the big band sound features some of the most memorable music from the Roaring Twenties to the Swing Era, including such classic songs as "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing," "Take the ‘A' Train," "Satin Doll" and the haunting "In a Sentimental Mood." With one show-stopping number after another, this stylish and brassy retrospective travels through a history of American song and dance, from Charleston to swing to virtuosic tap dancing. It's an abundance of riches from the most sophisticated and sassy jazz king of all.

Images and further information are available upon request. Please e-mail press@arenastage.org.

Maurice Hines (Choreographer and Performer) is a star of stage, screen and television. He started his career at age five, studying tap under Henry LeTang, who began choreographing numbers specifically for Maurice and his brother Gregory. Soon the brothers appeared on Broadway and toured as the opening act for such headliners as Lionel Hampton and Gypsy Rose Lee. Their father joined the act and shortly after Hines, Hines & Dad was performing to rave reviews in New York City, Las Vegas, Europe and many television shows, including The Pearl Bailey Show, Hollywood Palace and 35 appearances on The Tonight Show. Hines pursued a solo career and was chosen to star as Nathan Detroit in the national touring company of Guys and Dolls. Broadway beckoned, and Hines created a sensation during the 1978/79 season with his singing and dancing in the hit musical Eubie!. He followed this performance with Bring Back Birdie, also featuring Chita Rivera and Donald O'Connor, and then starring in Sophisticated Ladies. Next, Hines made his screen debut in Francis Ford Coppola's The Cotton Club. As the film hit theaters across the country, so did the dance company Ballet Tap USA, which he created with Mercedes Ellington. Hines then conceived, directed and choreographed the musical Uptown... It's Hot!, which played for 17 sold-out weeks in Atlantic City. He joined the cast when the show moved to Broadway and received a 1986 Tony Award nomination as Best Actor in a Musical. He followed this by co-directing and choreographing the national tour of the musical Satchmo (produced by Kenneth Feld) and then directed, choreographed and starred in the national tour of the musical Harlem Suite, with successive leading ladies Jennifer Holliday, Stephanie Mills and Melba Moore. Hines has directed The Radio City Spectacular (the first African-American director for Radio City Music Hall). In the 1994/95 season, Mr. Hines starred as Jelly Roll Morton in the national tour of the musical Jelly's Last Jam. He returned to the role of Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls at Arena Stage, which soon after went on a national tour. Internationally, Hines has directed and choreographed the musicals Havana Night in Cuba and an all-Latin version of The Red Shoes in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He has also created such new shows as Broadway Soul Jam, inaugurating an entertainment complex in Holland. Hines' critically acclaimed jazz albums Maurice: I've Never Been in Love Before and To Nat "King" Cole with Love are on the Arbors label.

Charles Randolph-Wright (Director) is a writer, producer and director for the theater, film and television. He returns to Arena Stage, where he directed Oak & Ivy, Anthems, Señor Discretion Himself, Cuttin' Up, and Guys and Dolls (starring Maurice Hines), which was selected by the Loesser estate to become the 50th anniversary national tour. He wrote the plays Blue and Cuttin' Up, which had sold-out runs at Arena and have been produced at theaters around the country. His theater directing credits include They're Playing Our Song in Rio de Janeiro (in Portuguese), Brian Stokes Mitchell in Love/Life (Lincoln Center), Tough Titty (Williamstown), Tartuffe (ACT), The Diva Is Dismissed (with Jenifer Lewis in L.A. and NYC) among other productions at The Roundabout Theatre, New York Shakespeare Festival, New York Theater Workshop, Manhattan Theatre Club, Carnegie Hall, the Mark Taper Forum and Pasadena Playhouse. Randolph-Wright wrote and directed the soon-to-be-released film Mama I Want to Sing and directed the award winning feature Preaching to the Choir. Television credits include directing Lincoln Heights, South of Nowhere, and the Nike Freestyle Soccer campaign starring superstar Ronaldinho. He also produced and wrote Showtime's critically acclaimed series Linc's. His website is www.Randolph-Wright.com

TICKETS: Tickets for Sophisticated Ladies range from $25 to $74 plus applicable fees. Discount tickets are available for patrons purchasing tickets for multiple shows, students and groups. A limited number of $10 tickets for patrons ages 30 and under go on sale beginning each Monday for performances that week. (All patrons must present valid ID.) HOTTIX, a limited number of half-price, day-of-performance tickets, are available 90-30 minutes before curtain prior to every performance. Tickets may be purchased online at www.arenastage.org, by phone at (202) 488-3300 or at the Arena Stage Sales Office at 1800 S. Bell Street, Arlington, VA 22202.

ABOUT ARENA RESTAGED
With construction well underway on the 48-year-old Southwest D.C. theater campus, Arena Stage has launched ARENA RESTAGED, a two-year festival celebrating the rich mosaic of our nation's voices. ARENA RESTAGED, which will lay the foundation for a new home for theater artists and audiences, will take place throughout the time it takes to finish the expansion of the new theater complex, Arena Stage at The Mead Center for American Theater. At the Center, the two existing performance spaces-the Fichandler Stage and the Kreeger Theater-will be fully renovated and a new 200-seat space dedicated to premiering American theater, The Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle, will be added. Arena Stage at The Mead Center is scheduled to open for the 2010/11 season.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Molly Smith and Managing Director Edgar Dobie, Washington, D.C.-based Arena Stage is the largest theater in the country dedicated to American plays and playwrights. Founded in 1950 by Zelda Fichandler, Thomas Fichandler and Edward Mangum, Arena Stage was one of the nation's original resident theaters and has a distinguished record of leadership and innovation in the field. With the opening of the new Mead Center for American Theater in 2010, Arena Stage will be a leading center for the production, presentation, development and study of American theater. Now in its sixth decade, Arena Stage serves a diverse annual audience of more than 200,000. For more information please visit www.arenastage.org.

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