BOONE—Famed actor Ben Vereen will lead a master class on musical theatre for three theatre majors at Appalachian State University at 3 p.m. Nov. 11 in the Valborg Theatre on the university campus.

The class is the first collaboration between the City of Morganton Municipal Auditorium (CoMMA) and Appalachian’s Department of Theatre and Dance. It is open to the general public. Tickets are $10 for students and $15 for adults.

The three students who will work with Vereen in the master class are sophomore Roy Dale Cox of Birmingham, Alabama; sophomore Elizabeth Mason Moore of Raleigh; and sophomore Sabrina Palazzo of Cary. All have musical theatre experience. They were chosen by Derek Gagnier, an associate professor of theatre and the coordinator of the Bachelor of Arts Performance Degree, and Keith Martin, the John M. Blackburn Distinguished Professor of Theatre. Martin teaches courses on musical theatre at Appalachian.

“Appalachian takes pride in offering a complete undergraduate experience,” said Kevin Warner, the chair of Appalachian’s Department of Theatre and Dance. “Our department frequently brings in professional guest artists in both theatre and dance to provide first-hand knowledge and encouragement for our students.”

As for the collaboration, CoMMA is presenting Vereen’s one-man show, “Steppin’ Out with Ben Vereen,” on Nov. 12.

Appalachian’s Department of Theatre of Dance “offered to provide a place for the master class and all support needed by the artist, select the participants, and sell tickets to students and the general public,” Martin said. “Ergo, they added an education rider to their existing contract with (Vereen), something we could not do since he is not performing here in Boone. In exchange, we are also promoting the show in Morganton within our department and to all participants in the master class.”

Martin called the collaboration a “win-win for both of us.”

“It’s … a relationship we hope to continue whenever they bring in a prominent theatre or dance luminary who has real world skills and experience to offer to our students,” he said.

Dr. W. Jim Smith, the director of CoMMA, said that master class is an example of the partnerships formed to extend their programmatic reach beyond the Morganton and Burke County region.

“Education is at the core of both institutions, and what better academic partner could we have in Boone than Appalachian State University,” Smith said.

Few entertainers today are as accomplished or versatile as Vereen, and his first love and passion is the stage.

“The theater was my first training ground,” he said. “It taught me discipline, dedication and appreciation of hard work and values that will stay with me a lifetime. The stage sharpens the creative instrument and encourages you to go deeper inside and try new things.”

On Broadway, Vereen has starred in “Wicked”; “Fosse”; “I’m Not Rappaport”; “Hair”; “Jesus Christ Superstar”; “Pippin”; “Grind”; “Jelly’s Last Jam”; and “A Christmas Carol.” His performance as the Leading Player in “Pippin” garnered him both the prestigious Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award for Best Actor in a Musical.

Vereen’s other acting credits include the role of Chicken George in “Roots” and Louis Armstrong in “Louis Armstrong – Chicago Style.” On television, he has made guest appearances in several shows, including “How I Met Your Mother”; “Grey’s Anatomy,” for which he won a Prism Award; “Hot in Cleveland”; “NCIS”; and “Law and Order: Criminal Intent.” He has also appeared in “Star Trek – The Next Generation”; “The Jamie Fox Show”; and “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”

On Oct. 20, Vereen appeared on television in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and recently concluded filming a recurring role on “Sneaky Pete,” a new Amazon series with Brian Cranston. His own network television shows are “Ben Vereen: His Roots” (seven Emmy Awards); “Tenspeed and Brownshoe”; and “You Write the Songs.” In the early 1990s, he released a number of well-received children’s sing-along musical videos.

The Valborg Theatre is located on campus at the north side of Chapell Wilson Hall on Howard Street in Boone. The theater entrance faces the back of the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts on King Street. Parking is available after 5 p.m. on campus in faculty/staff lots and after 5:30 p.m. in the College Street parking deck near Belk Library and Information Commons.

To purchase tickets for the master class or for more information about it, call toll-free at 800-841-ARTS (2787) or visit http://theatreanddance.appstate.edu. For tickets to “Steppin’ Out with Ben Vereen,” call 828-433-SHOW or 800-939-SHOW, or visit the City of Morganton Municipal Auditorium’s website at http://www.commaonline.org.

About the Department of Theatre and Dance

The Department of Theatre and Dance is one of seven departments housed in Appalachian’s College of Fine and Applied Arts. Its mission is to facilitate transformative experiences for students and the public, which cultivate compassionate, creative and collaborative communities through theatre and dance. The department also offers coursework for integrated learning through the arts to the general university student population. Its dynamic co-curricular production program provides exemplary theatre and dance experiences to departmental students, the university community and the region.

About the City of Morganton Municipal Auditorium (CoMMA)

In 1986, CoMMA opened its doors to a full house for the performance of “The Tap Dance Kid”. Since then, the theater has hosted more than 600 events including national tours of Broadway musicals, big band concerts, and ice ballets. In 2004, CoMMA unveiled the Ben Long fresco, “Sacred Dance and the Muses”, and the Etta Baker Exhibit was unveiled in 2014 giving Baker a place of tribute in her hometown auditorium. CoMMA is the envy of many cities across western North Carolina and has brought affordable entertainment to Morganton residents that they otherwise may never had the chance to enjoy.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, cost-effective education. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.

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