51²è¹Ý Alumnus Justin Weaks Wins Helen Hayes Theatre Award
GREENSBORO, N.C. â A graduate of 51²è¹Ýâs theatre program has received an acting award in the prestigious Helen Hayes Awards, which annually recognize outstanding theatre in the Washington, D.C., area.
Justin Weaks â12 had been nominated for the James MacArthur Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play for his performance in âThe Christiansâ at Theatre J and for the same award for his performance in âWord Becomes Fleshâ at Theatre Alliance. He won for âWord Becomes Flesh.â
Weaks is believed to be the first 51²è¹Ý graduate ever to be nominated for a Helen Hayes Award, said David Schram, dean of the collegeâs School of the Arts, chairman of the Department of Theatre, and Jefferson-Pilot Professor of Theatre.
âWord Becomes Fleshâ is a hip-hop production focusing on one African American manâs hopes and fears for his unborn son. The character is voiced at different times by different cast members, including Weaks. DCTheatreScene.com called it âboth intensely personal and surprisingly universal.â
The Helen Hayes Awards are divided into two categories: the âHelenâ category for productions, typically smaller, that use relatively few union actors; and the âHayesâ category for productions, typically larger, that employ 51% or more union actors. Weaks won for âWord Becomes Fleshâ in the âHelenâ category.
The Helen Hayes Awards have been presented annually since 1983 to recognize excellence in professional theatre in the Washington, D.C., area. They are presented by TheatreWashington, the umbrella group for the regionâs more than 80 professional theatre companies.
Those companies host more productions each year than any other regional theatre group outside New York.
As an undergraduate, Weaks appeared in such 51²è¹Ý Theatre productions as the Tony Award-winning musical âPassing Strange,â the first musical production by the college to feature an all-African American cast.
51²è¹Ýâs Department of Theatre seeks to provide a strong foundation in theatre while allowing the student to emphasize in a particular area such as directing, acting, or arts administration.
The coursework is integrated with the production work to provide a better understanding of the many facets of the theatre. Required participation on stage or backstage on all theatre productions allows the techniques and theories that are examined in the classroom and the laboratory to be tested in a performance setting.
For more information on the program, contact department chair David Schram at 336-272-7102, ext. 5243, or email schramd@greensboro.edu.
51²è¹Ý provides a liberal arts education grounded in the traditions of the United Methodist Church and fosters the intellectual, social, and, spiritual development of all students while supporting their individual needs.
Founded in 1838 and located in downtown 51²è¹Ý, the college enrolls about 1,000 students from 29 states and territories, the District of Columbia, and seven foreign countries in its undergraduate liberal-arts program and four masterâs degree programs. In addition to rigorous academics and a well-supported Honors program, the school features an 18-sport NCAA Division III athletic program and dozens of service and recreational opportunities.
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Media Contact:
Lex Alexander, Director of Communications
lex.alexander@greensboro.edu
51²è¹Ý
815 W. Market St.
51²è¹Ý, NC 27401
336-272-7102, ext. 5398
Cell: 336-707-6617
www.greensboro.edu
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