Greensboro College Alumnus Justin Weaks Wins Helen Hayes Theatre Award
GREENSBORO, N.C. – A graduate of Greensboro College’s 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 ’12 had been nominated for the James MacArthur Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play for his performance in “The Christians” at Theatre J and for the same award for his performance in “Word Becomes Flesh” at Theatre Alliance. He won for “Word Becomes Flesh.”
Weaks is believed to be the first Greensboro College graduate ever to be nominated for a Helen Hayes Award, said David Schram, dean of the college’s School of the Arts, chairman of the Department of Theatre, and Jefferson-Pilot Professor of Theatre.
“Word Becomes Flesh” is a hip-hop production focusing on one African American man’s hopes and fears for his unborn son. The character is voiced at different times by different cast members, including Weaks. DCTheatreScene.com called it “both intensely personal and surprisingly universal.”
The Helen Hayes Awards are divided into two categories: the “Helen” category for productions, typically smaller, that use relatively few union actors; and the “Hayes” category for productions, typically larger, that employ 51% or more union actors. Weaks won for “Word Becomes Flesh” in the “Helen” 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 region’s 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 Greensboro College Theatre productions as the Tony Award-winning musical “Passing Strange,” the first musical production by the college to feature an all-African American cast.
Greensboro College’s 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.
Greensboro College 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 Greensboro, 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 master’s 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.
###
Media Contact:
Lex Alexander, Director of Communications
lex.alexander@greensboro.edu
Greensboro College
815 W. Market St.
Greensboro, NC 27401
336-272-7102, ext. 5398
Cell: 336-707-6617
www.greensboro.edu
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GreensboroCollege
Twitter: @GCPride
Instagram: www.instagram.com/greensborocollege
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/gbocollege
Tumblr: greensborocollege.tumblr.com
The Collegian: TheGCCollegian.wordpress.com
