McCarter Theatre’s artistic engagement manager Paula Alekson presents pre-performances workshops to students at Princeton Day School to prepare them for the performance of August Wilson’s Fences.
Princeton Day School partnered with McCarter Theatre Center to give its students an enhanced presentation of Fences.
McCarter’s artistic engagement manager Paula Alekson visited PDS to present a series of pre-performance workshops in each of the Upper School’s English classes. Students are scheduled to attend the matinee performance of August Wilson’s Fences on Jan. 30.
Alekson gave students from ninth to 12th grade insights into Wilson’s early life, education, and influences. Students learned about how Wilson’s first love was poetry and how he transitioned into playwriting.
Additionally, Alekson pointed out that through his love of Blues music, Wilson was able to find the poetry in the everyday conversations of African-Americans, leading him to pen Fences as well as the rest of his Pittsburgh or Century Cycle of ten plays.
The McCarter Theatre production of Fences, a Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning drama which chronicles the African-American experience in the 20th century, is directed by Phylicia Rashad. Performances are scheduled to run Jan. 10 to Feb. 9.
