Please join us for a very special Q&A with Shanice Williams and Director Kenny Leon of The Wiz Live!
Moderated by BroadwayWorld.com's Richard Ridge of "Backstage with Richard Ridge!"
The evening’s discussion will focus on Shanice’s breakout role and her incredible journey from a nationwide open casting call to portraying the iconic role of Dorothy LIVE on television. We will also hear from Director Kenny Leon on his experiences with this critically-acclaimed production and what goes into casting and producing a live musical television event of this magnitude.
Please note this event will not include a screening .
PANELISTS BIOS
Shanice Williams- Actor
Shanice Williams was selected out of thousands of applicants nationwide who auditioned to portray the iconic role of Dorothy in NBC’s production of The Wiz Live!
With five years of musical training that also includes extensive dance and piano, Williams has co-starred in several local productions, including West Side Story, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, 42nd Street,Seussical and Pippin.
Last year Williams was nominated for best leading actress in a musical at the Paper Mill Playhouse’s annual Rising Star Awards.
Kenny Leon- Director
Kenny Leon served as director of NBC’s holiday production of The Wiz Live!
Leon is the artistic director of True Colors Theatre Company in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as a Tony Award-winning Broadway and film director. Other television work includes In My Dreams, The Watsons go to Birmingham and the Sony and Lifetime TV adaptation of Steel Magnolias.
His Broadway credits include Holler if Ya Hear Me and the recent revival of A Raisin In the Sun starring Denzel Washington, which earned Tony Awards for Best Director, Best Play and Best Featured Actress (Sophie Okonedo). He also directed August Wilson’s Fences (which garnered ten Tony nominations and won three Tony Awards including Best Revival), Gem of the Ocean and Radio Golf.
Additional Broadway credits include The Mountaintop starring Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett, Stick Fly (also by Lydia Diamond) and the 2004 revival of A Raisin in the Sun with Audra McDonald, Phylicia Rashad and Sean P. Diddy Combs.
Leon is a graduate of Clark Atlanta and is an honorary Ph.D. recipient of Clark Atlanta and Roosevelt Universities.
