Tony Award-winning actress Katie Finneran will conduct a workshop Thursday at UF, where she will discuss her career and give several students feedback on their acting.
The master class will be held at the Nadine McGuire Theatre and Dance Pavilion at 3 p.m.
The Florida Players, a student-run theater company, will host Finneran, an acclaimed actress with experience in film, television and theater. She received a Tony Award in 2002 for her performance in the play "Noises Off."
Master classes, similar to guest lectures, are workshops in which professionals in a given field discuss their viewpoints of the "business," said Josephine Huang, director of development and special events for the Florida Players.
This is the first master class the group has held this academic year. It hosted Tony-nominated actor Manoel Felciano last spring, said George Salazar, director of publicity for the Florida Players.
Salazar said it's difficult to host actors in the fall because that's when most shows open.
Finneran will discuss her career, and a short question and answer session will follow. Afterward, Florida Players members and other students previously chosen through auditions will perform for Finneran and receive feedback.
It's important for performers to get an outsider's perspective of their work, Salazar said.
Though the group expects mostly theater and music majors at the event, Huang said admission to the master class is free, and all are welcome to hear Finneran and watch the performances.
The master class will be held at the smaller Black Box Theatre to increase the intimacy of the workshop, Salazar said. The space is prepared for up to 100 people.
The workshop will allow attendees to learn about the newer aspects of show business from a younger point of view, rather than just from their professors, he said.
"It's important to bring young talent in because the younger talent knows what it's like," Salazar said. "The business changes so quickly."
Gaining a perspective of the "real world" is what's most important from these master classes, said Danny Sharron, the artistic director for the Florida Players. It's refreshing for actors to hear professionals so they remember there's a world outside of Gainesville.
Salazar said hearing a young, professional actor like Finneran gives insight to what these students can achieve after graduation.
"She's in her mid-30s, and she's already done so much," Salazar said. "It boggles my mind. She has the resume of a 68-year-old."
