This is exciting news!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE
PROJECTS WITH JASON
LAUNCHES NEW
“ARTISTS IN CONVERSATION”
LIVESTREAM SERIES WITH
“ARTISTS IN CONVERSATION: KEVIN KLINE
STUDENTS, SHAKESPEARE, AND A WHOLE LOT OF KEVIN!”
ON SATURDAY, APRIL 11 AT 8:00 P.M. (EDT)/5:00 P.M. (PDT)
SPECIAL EVENT WILL FEATURE A LIVE CONVERSATION WITH
THE ACADEMY AND TONY AWARD-WINNING ACTING LEGEND
AS WELL AS A SELECTION OF CLASSIC SHAKESPEAREAN MONOLOGUES
PERFORMED BY CALIFORNIA PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
New York, NY (April 9, 2020) – Projects with Jason (PwJ) is launching its new livestream series, “Artists in Conversation”, with a special live event featuring Academy and Tony Award winning actor Kevin Kline on Saturday, April 11, at 8:00 p.m. (EDT)/5:00 p.m. (PDT). The evening will also include California public high school students performing a selection of classic Shakespearean monologues. “Artists in Conversation: Kevin Kline” will be available to stream, free of charge, via the Projects by Jason YouTube Channel.
Projects with Jason founder and veteran Broadway stage manager, J. Jason Daunter, will moderate a live Q&A with Kline about his legendary career on stage and screen. Peppered throughout the evening will be a selection of classic Shakespearean monologues performed by students from the Drama Teachers Association of Southern California (DTASC). Now in its 100th year, the DTASC provides two festivals a year that allow over 2500 middle school and high school students the opportunity to work on contemporary and classic material for the stage.
“I am so grateful that Kevin has agreed to participate in our inaugural outing for this new series,” Daunter said in a statement. “Giving students compelling, interactive, virtual outlets for their talent and creativity is more important now than ever, because school musicals, senior plays, and concerts have been cancelled from coast to coast. This would have been devastating to me as a high school student. Theatre was the only outlet that allowed me to feel accepted. So, we are building a variety of virtual programs and platforms to give these students a chance to shine, even in the age of social distancing.”
Projects with Jason Executive Producer, Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Educational Theatre Foundation, and veteran entertainment executive Matt Conover added, “As someone who benefited from theater education, I know first-hand the power that these programs can provide young people. It is so very heartening to have this group of professionals from all disciplines come together to produce events like this and harness the power of technology to share it with so many.”
Projects with Jason was established by theater arts advocate and professional stage manager J. Jason Daunter in order to bring working professionals together to share their time and talent with high school students. In addition to the “Artists in Conversation” series, PwJ recently launched “Virtual Cabaret,” which allows students to perform musical numbers in an online cabaret setting, with Daunter serving as host and emcee. A different school is featured each week, and students are paired with a professional performer. Prior to the livestream, a series of online technical rehearsals provide students the opportunity to hone their skills with the support of professional talent. Educators who want their schools to be considered should contact info@ProjectsWithJason.com. For additional information, please visit ProjectsWithJason.com.
BIOGRAPHIES
Kevin Kline (Actor). Over the course of his distinguished career, Kevin Kline has been the recipient of numerous awards including an Academy Award, a SAG Award, three Tony Awards, four Drama Desk Awards, and two Obie Awards. He has also been nominated for two Emmy Awards, two BAFTAs and five Golden Globes. In 2003, he was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.
Kline is set to star in the upcoming feature films The Starling, directed by Ted Melfi and opposite Melissa McCarthy, and The Good House, directed by Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky and opposite Sigourney Weaver. He also voices the role of ‘Mr. Fischoeder’ on the popular Fox animated series Bob’s Burgers.
Notable film credits include Sophie’s Choice, The Big Chill, Silverado, Cry Freedom, A Fish Called Wanda, I Love You To Death, Soapdish, Grand Canyon, Dave, French Kiss, The Ice Storm, In & Out, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Anniversary Party, Fierce Creatures, Wild Wild West, The Emperor’s Club, Life as a House, De-Lovely, A Prairie Home Companion, As You Like It, The Extra Man, Queen to Play, The Conspirator, Darling Companion, Last Vegas, My Old Lady, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and the Tribeca–winning indie Dean.
Kline’s Broadway career includes starring roles in Present Laughter, Cyrano de Bergerac, Henry IV, Ivanov, Arms and the Man, The Pirates of Penzance, Loose Ends, On the Twentieth Century, Edward II, The Robber Bridegroom, The Beggar’s Opera, and The Three Sisters. Kline’s Off-Broadway credits include King Lear, Mother Courage and Her Children, The Seagull, Measure for Measure, Hamlet (which he also directed), Much Ado About Nothing, Henry V, and Richard III.
Drama Teachers Association of Southern California is celebrating its 100th year as an organization. They have been holding area-wide festivals since their inception. Each year, students from all over the Southern California area gather to compete. The participants come from five counties: San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, and Ventura. This year the Shakespeare Festival has a format with three classifications: A—Junior High and Middle School (6th-8th grade); B—Middle School, Jr. High & Sr. High (8th & 9th graders); C— High School Competition (10th–12th graders). Approximately 50 schools and about 800 students enter the Senior High Shakespeare Festival and 700 students from 25 schools enter the Junior Festival.
J. Jason Daunter (Founder and Host). Jason’s Broadway credits include To Kill A Mockingbird; Meteor Shower; A Doll’s House, Part 2; Wicked; Shuffle Along; Cyrano de Bergerac (Kline).
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