Winners Announced for 7th Annual August Wilson Monologue Competition
Contact:
Rick Miramontez / Michael Jorgensen / Patrick Lazour
rick@oandmco.com /michael@oandmco.com / patrick@oandmco.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE
WINNERS ANNOUNCED
FOR THE
7TH ANNUAL AUGUST WILSON
MONOLOGUE COMPETITION
New York, NY (May 6, 2014) – Jujamcyn Theaters and True Colors Theatre Company (Kenny Leon, Co-Founding Artistic Director) have announced that Moyè Light from Atlanta has won first place at the 7th Annual August Wilson Monologue Competition held on Monday, May 4th at the August Wilson Theatre (245 West 52nd Street). Cameron Southerland from Atlanta was the runner-up, and an honorable mention went to Jonathan German from New York City. The event, which was free and open to the public, featured high school students from Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Pittsburgh, Portland and Seattle performing monologues by the late, legendary American playwright.
Actor Anthony Chisholm received the first ever Wilsonian Soldier Lifetime Achievement Award for his dedication to the legacy and work of August Wilson.
Judges for the 2015 Annual August Wilson Monologue Competition included Crystal Dickinson (actress), Brandon J. Dirden (actor), David Gallo (scenic designer) and Pauletta Washington (actress). The evening also included a special performance by musician Guy Davis. The evening was sponsored by Delta Air Lines and Time Warner.
The top three contestants from the national competition receive monetary awards. Thanks to a special donation by Delta Air Lines, the original cash prizes were doubled, with the first place winner receiving a $3000 cash prize, the runner-up receiving a $2000 cash prize and the honorable mention receiving a $1000 cash prize. Each of the winners also became eligible for college scholarship opportunities and all finalists recieved the gift of TCG’s Century Cycle collection.
Founded in 2007, the Annual August Wilson Monologue Competition aims to expose a new generation of creative minds to the life’s work and artistic legacy of this seminal American playwright. Program participants in cities across the country encounter Wilson’s ten-play cycle and receive coaching from teaching artists as they prepare their monologues for local, city-wide and national competitions.
This year's competition afforded students from these cities around the country the opportunity to attend the Broadway musical Something Rotten!, have a discussion on August Wilson with Kenny Leon and Condola Rashad, and explore popular Manhattan attractions before making their Broadway stage debuts. The top two contestants from each regional city competed in the National Finals on the August Wilson Stage on Monday evening, May 4th.
The Monologue Competition is also featured in “The Start of Dreams”, a documentary directed by The Horne Brothers. Featuring A-list actors like Denzel Washington, Samuel L. Jackson and Phylicia Rashad, “The Start of Dreams” is packed with Hollywood’s elite weighing in on this important art form and what it means to the United States. The documentary has been screened at 9 festivals across the country including the Atlanta Film Festival, the Pan-African Film Festival in Los Angeles, and the UrbanWorld Festival in New York. A trailer for the film is available at the link listed below.
The national August Wilson Monologue Competition is presented by Delta Air Lines with additional funding support from Publix Supermarket Charities, Massey Charitable Trust, Bank of America, The Imlay Foundation, and Macy's.
For more information, visit www.AugustWilsonMonologue.com.
About Jujamcyn Theaters: Jujamcyn Theaters, founded in 1956, is widely recognized as a Broadway innovator, championing shows that push theatrical boundaries and delivering service and hospitality that redefines both the theatergoing and theatre-making experiences. The company owns and operates five Broadway theatres including the St. James, Al Hirschfeld, August Wilson, Eugene O'Neill, and Walter Kerr. The dynamic leadership team is led by Jordan Roth, Paul Libin and Jack Viertel, the company's President, Executive Vice President and Senior Vice President, respectively. Jujamcyn presents some of the most influential and successful musicals and plays on Broadway today. Current and upcoming productions include The Book of Mormon, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Jersey Boys, Kinky Boots, and Something Rotten!. Past productions include American Idiot, Angels in America, Big River, Caroline or Change, Clybourne Park, Fela!, Grey Gardens, Guys & Dolls, Hair, How to Succeed in Business, Into the Woods, M. Butterfly, The Producers, Proof, Smokey Joe's Cafe, Spring Awakening and 6 plays by August Wilson. In addition to its core theatre business, Jujamcyn operates Givenik.com and Red Awning. Givenik.com is a unique service allowing theatergoers to buy discounted tickets and give 5% of their ticket price to the charity of their choice. The program currently supports over 500 charitable organizations from major national agencies to local PTA groups. Red Awning provides executive producing services to a variety of Broadway and touring productions.
True Colors Theatre Company is a national theatre company based in Atlanta, GA. Founded by Artistic Director Kenny Leon, and Managing Director Jane Bishop, True Colors mission is grounded and centered in the rich canon of African American classics with a strong commitment to diverse new voices. True Colors strives to be an important voice in the American discussion of diversity including plays and playwrights from various times, cultures and perspectives. True Colors' next shows are Kevin Ramsey's Chasin' dem Blues: The Untold Story of Paramount Records in July 2015 and Lydia Diamond's Smart People directed by Kenny Leon in October 2015.
Photos can be downloaded from the following link:
http://www.oandmco.com/clients/national-august-wilson-monologue-competition
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