UW-Parkside Theatre Arts to Feature Stellar Line-Up of Celebrity Guest Artists; Coincides with Arts and Humanities Visit Week

SOMERS – At a time when most theaters nation-wide are closed due to the Coronavirus, at UW-Parkside, the show is going on! The Department of Theatre Arts has invited a stellar line-up of celebrity guest artists to teach and inspire students through virtual talks and workshops.

Jay Duckworth, prop master for Hamilton on Broadway and the Public Theatre in New York, will be featured for two talks. He will be featured in an Artist Talk and a Prop Workshop on October 17. These talks are aimed at UW-Parkside students.

Next up is Jeremy Tardy, an actor featured on the Netflix series, ‘Dear White People’ and other TV series, along with off-Broadway and other Regional Theatre credits. Tardy’s visit will also coincide with Theatre Arts Visit Day. Theatre Arts Visit Day will be held on Friday, October 23, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Viewers will be able to see scenes from two of UW-Parkside’s most recent productions and attend an Artist Talk featuring Tardy. Tardy will discuss his career on stage and in television with high school students, who are exploring the theatre major for college. Area high school students are invited to register for this amazing opportunity that will take place on October 23 from 3:30 to 5:30.

In November, musical threatre actress Cassie Okenka will come to UW-Parkside. Her Broadway/national tours include School of Rock (Patty), Wicked (Glinda), Bonnie and Clyde (Bonnie), and Wizard of Oz (Dorothy). Lastly, Andrew Layton and Ryan Grossheim, Scenic Designer and Art Director, respectively, on the Amazon Prime Series UTOPIA will be coming to UW-Parkside. Layton and Grossheim will talk about how their theatre education contributed to their commercial success, as well as their process of working on UTOPIA. These November visits are also aimed at UW-Parkside students.

For more information about upcoming programs, visit uwp.edu/therita.

Anyone interested in attending Arts and Humanities Week can RSVP on the website. Information about Arts and Humanities Visit Week can be found here.

Theatre Arts Visit Day is part of Arts and Humanities Visit Week, which will be held from October 19 through October 23, virtually. Viewers will get to tour the Rita Tallent Picken Regional Center for Arts & Humanities facilities, engage with faculty, and learn about scholarship opportunities.

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Media Contact:

Lesley Heins-Walker
Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities
University of Wisconsin-Parkside
Lwalker@uwp.edu | 262-595-2349