Artist Masterclass
JPAS Provides Artist Masterclass to NOCCA Musical Theatre Students
Stogie Kenyatta in The World Is My Home: The Life of Paul Robeson
Performances at Jefferson Performing Arts Center | January 23-24
One Man Show Actor Shares With The Next Generation
“The reason I do theater is that it gives you hope and joy and enthusiasm and the dream of a brighter tomorrow.”— Stogie Kenyatta
NOCCA was honored to host a virtual artist-masterclass provided by the Jefferson Performing Arts Society.
Actor and star of the current production The World is My Home: The Life of Paul Robeson, Stogie Kenyatta took time out of his production preparation to talk with students in the Musical Theatre Department of NOCCA. He generously shared his insights on writing and creating work, choosing roles and how he got started in the performance business.
Making its New Orleans premiere, The World is My Home: The Life of Paul Robeson is written by Los Angeles actor and playwright Stogie Kenyatta, who portrays 12 characters in this tour de force solo show. The remarkable genius of Robeson comes to life as Kenyatta takes audiences on an energetic journey of Robeson’s accomplishments as Broadway bass-baritone, actor, orator, athlete, lawyer, author, scholar, activist and linguist, set to a soundtrack of jazz, be-bop, big band, and gospel.
For tickets for the January 23-24 performance at Jefferson Performing Arts Center, visit Shows and Tickets | Jefferson Performing Arts Society Jefferson Performing Arts Society (jpas.org).
NOCCA Musical Theatre student Romell Johnson shared, “Stogie gave him new insight on how to approach art confidently. ‘Stogie said that you must learn before you leap and fear.’”
“Learn before you leap truly speaks to me,” Romell continued. “I’m sure I still have a lot to learn and even when I grow up. You never stop learning. There is always something you can learn something you didn’t know.”
Some poignant words of wisdom from Stogie include, “I grew up in one of the worst ghettoes in New York…. I was just a tough street kid and most of the kids in my class were afraid of me. When I started acting, they saw a different side of me…I wasn’t just this big mean guy…I was a likeable person. What it does, it exposes your soul! When the curtains closed and everyone hugged each other…I realized you got share humanity with others.”