(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- Vanguard Theater Company has announced an all-star team of instructors for The Lion King Experience, including workshops in African Drumming, Dance and Mask-Making. Beginning rehearsal on September 30 at the Montclair Cooperative School, Vanguard’s workshop seeks to bring its mission of D.R.E.A.M., Diversity, Reciprocity, Education, Awareness and Mentorship, to young students grades 2 - 6, culminating in two performances in January 2019.
Janeece Freeman-Clark, Artistic Director and Co-founder of Vanguard, and her husband Dwayne Clark are co-directing the program. Mr. Clark is a veteran of 12 Broadway shows, most recently the Tony Award winning Broadway revival of The Color Purple. Yah’Ya Kamate, an African dance and drumming instructor with Alvin Ailey, joins Patrisha Gibson, Hairspray National Tour, as co-choreographers. Because a variety of indigenous African languages are spoken throughout the musical: Swahili, Zulu, Sotho, Tswana, Congolese and Xhosa, also known as the “click language,” Bonita Hamilton, who plays Shenzi in Broadway’s The Lion King, will serve as a mentor for the workshop, and bring aspects of the Broadway production to the young participants.
“I believe all education should be centered around excellence, including the arts. The team we have assembled is no less than that - with numerous Broadway and professional credits to their name,” says Freeman-Clark. “The instructors, who are all so accomplished at their craft, still feel it is their duty and responsibility to guide our very youngest thespians.”
Disney’s The Lion King Experience, is based on the wildly successful Broadway musical The Lion King and the animated film classic of the same name. Set in Africa, Disney’s The Lion King Experience, is the coming-of-age story of Simba, a lion cub, who must come to terms with the tremendous responsibility of becoming King of the Pride Lands. Along the way, the young lion encounters a colorful cast of characters including spunky lioness Nala, charismatic meerkat Timon, and loveable warthog Pumbaa. To claim his rightful place on the throne and save his beloved Pridelands, Simba must find his inner strength and confront his wicked Uncle Scar. The Lion King Experience features classic songs from the 1994 film such as “Circle of Life,” "Hakuna Matata" and the Academy Award winning "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," as well as additional songs penned specifically for the Broadway production.
Open to all students grades 2 - 6, Vanguard’s The Lion King Experience still has spots available. More information and registration available at https://vanguardtheatercompany.org.
Vanguard Theater Company (VTC), founded in 2015, addresses the lack of diversity in traditional theater casting and training. VTC produces original and reimagined theater driven by D.R.E.A.M: Diversity, Reciprocity, Education, Awareness and Mentorship. VTC’s MainStage productions, educational programs, collaborations with e.g., Montclair Film, NJ Pride, and Everytown for Gun Safety, engage varied communities in the performing arts and social issues. Vanguard Theater Company's year-round programming is made possible through generous support from TeeRico by Lin-Manuel Miranda; the New Jersey State Council on the Arts; The New York Community Trust; Seton Hall University; Investors Bank, NJ Council of the Arts, and many individual donors.
