Stephen Mckinley Henderson Will Lead the Nation’s Top Actors as Master Teacher for the 2018 Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program at Ten Chimneys
Ten Chimneys Foundation is proud to announce Stephen McKinley Henderson as the 2018 Master Teacher for the nationally acclaimed Lunt-Fontanne FellowshipProgram at the Historic National Landmark, Ten Chimneys. Since its inception in 2009, the Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program has brought the nation’s top regional theatre actors to Ten Chimneys to work with a world-renowned Master Teacher. The 2018 program will be held July 15-22. It will include ten specially chosen American theatre actors from the nation’s top regional theatres to work with Henderson in an intensive Master Class at the estate of theater legends Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne in Genesee Depot, Wisconsin. The 2018 class will focus on fortifying each actor with justified reality; reflecting that they are coming from an experience to an experience, to do something immediate, important and compelling.
ABOUT STEPHEN MCKINLEY HENDERSON
Stephen McKinley Henderson’s glowing performances have appeared on stages throughout the United States and abroad, on Broadway and off, as well as in television and film. He has received Obie and Lucille Lortel awards in the Outstanding Lead Actor category for his work as Pops in Stephen Adley Guirgis’ Between Riverside and Crazy, which received the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. And, he received a Tony nomination as Featured Actor for his work in the 2010 Broadway revival of Fences.
Henderson’s additional film work includes performances in five Oscar nominated films: Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird, Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, Denzel Washington’s Fences, Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester by the Sea and Stephen Daldry’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. He also recurred as a judge for 15 seasons on NBC’s landmark series Law and Order. In addition, he received a 2017 Virtuoso Award from the Santa Barbara International Film Festival for his work as Bono in Paramount’s Academy Award Nominated film of August Wilson’s, Fences.
He regularly teaches Master Classes for Juilliard Drama Division’s Third Year students and was the 2016 Denzel Washington Endowed Chair at Fordham University. Henderson delivered the commencement address and received Juilliard’s Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts in May of 2017. Recently, Henderson retired as Professor and former Chair of Theatre and Dance for The State University of New York at Buffalo. He is a member of the LAByrinth Theatre Company, a Fox Foundation Fellow, and Distinguished Alumnus of Purdue University Graduate School, College of Liberal Arts.
“In all my years of joy and anxiety in the American theatre I have never been more thrilled about the potential for sharing within this ensemble of actors,” said Henderson.
Henderson will join the illustrious list of Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Master Teachers including Lynn Redgrave, Barry Edelstein, Olympia Dukakis, Joel Grey, Alan Alda, David Hyde Pierce, Phylicia Rashad, Jason Alexander and Alfred Molina. Through this groundbreaking national program, the top actors in the country are given a rare and special opportunity to grow artistically, renew their passion for their art form, deepen their commitment to mentorship, and form a national community of Lunt-Fontanne Fellows.
PUBLIC OPPORTUNITIES
On Friday, July 20, Ten Chimneys Foundation will present A Conversation with Stephen McKinley Henderson, an intimate evening during which Henderson will share stories about his life and career. On Saturday, July 21, Henderson and the ten 2018 Lunt-Fontanne Fellows will take the stage together for a Concluding Presentation, a rare look highlighting the remarkable Fellows and the work they explored during their week at Ten Chimneys,
Tickets go on sale on May 8. More information, including ticket prices and program details, can be found at www.tenchimneys.org, or by calling (262) 968-4110. Seating is limited and designated by the best available within your chosen section at the time of the reservation.
TEN CHIMNEYS FOUNDATION – PROGRAM HOST
The one-of-a-kind Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program takes place at Ten Chimneys—the National Historic Landmark estate created by theatre legends Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, widely considered the greatest acting couple in the history of American theatre. This beguiling Wisconsin landmark offers a one-of-a-kind environment for the work of the Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program.
Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne constructed Ten Chimneys to be the perfect working retreat for themselves and a circle of friends comprising the best-of-the-best in American theatre. This historic context and the inherent inspiration of Ten Chimneys is why Ten Chimneys Foundation’s inaugural Master Teacher, Lynn Redgrave, said that “this program simply couldn’t happen anywhere else,” and why participating Fellows have all talked about the experience being “transformative.” Today, Ten Chimneys is open to the public as a House Museum and a national resource for American theatre.
PRESS OPPORTUNITY
Henderson is making himself available to the press during his week at Ten Chimneys (July 15-21). To be part of the week, please contact Randy Bryant at 262-968-4161, ext. 206 or rbryant@tenchimneys.org.