June 26, 2013
In Austin to deliver the commencement speech at the university-wide ceremony, award-winning actor and Department of Theatre and Dance alumna, Marcia Gay Harden visited her alma mater to lead an intensive acting workshop with selected participants from the Department of Theatre and Dance.
Held in the Oscar G. Brockett Theatre on Thursday afternoon, the workshop with Harden invited twelve undergraduate acting students to perform rehearsed scenes and receive criticism and advice from the acclaimed actor. In addition, an audience of students and faculty provided feedback and encouragement to those on stage.
Among the workshop participants was recipient of the Marcia Gay Harden Endowed Scholarship in Theatre and Dance, senior, Joey le Page.
"I was extremely nervous about performing in front of her…within fifteen minutes of the class starting, all of that melted away. Marcia was so kind, open, and warm that one couldn't help but feel at ease around her," le Page said of his initial experience with Harden. "Her technique, though she continuously humbled herself…was perfect for getting exactly what was needed out of each actor."
Marcia Gay Harden earned a B.A. in Theatre from the University of Texas at Austin, and an M.F.A. in Theatre from New York University. Accomplished on both stage and screen, Harden recently garnered a Best Actress Tony Award for her starring role in God of Carnage, and is noted for her Academy Award-winning portrayal of Jackson Pollock's wife, Lee Krasner, in the 2000 film, Pollock. A Department of Theatre and Dance endowed scholarship in her name was established in 2002 and supports the development of acting students at UT.