Will Power
A veteran of theatre, film and television, has won multiple awards for his work, which bridges the gap between the spoken word of hip-hop and traditional theatre. His searing drama Fetch Clay, Make Man, starring Ben Vereen, had its world premiere at the in Princeton, N.J., in January 2010 under the direction of Tony Award-winning director Des McAnuff. Power’s adaptation of the Greek tragedy Seven Against Thebes, retitled The Seven, enjoyed a successful Off-Broadway run at the New York Theatre Workshop in 2006 and The La Jolla Playhouse in 2008. His solo show FLOW was featured in New York’s Hip Hop Theater Festival before touring nationally and internationally to critical acclaim. Power was the 2010-2011 AETNA New Voices Fellow at , where he is also under commission.
His numerous awards include a , a for Best Musical, the , a Jury Award for Best Theatre Performance at the HBO US Comedy Arts Festival, a nomination, and the Trailblazer Award from . Power’s numerous film and television appearances include (Comedy Central) and (PBS). Originally from the Fillmore District in San Francisco, Will Power currently resides in Beacon, New York, with his wife Marla and their two children.
Power's work in Dallas is a partnership between the Meadows School and the . For his SMU residency in fall 2011, Power and a group of theatre students created a new play, , which was presented at the Meadows School. He also conducted workshops for Pinkston High School students. In addition, Power has given several public talks in Dallas about ways artists can engage with their communities. He is currently writing and developing a new theatre piece, , intended for production at the Dallas Theater Center.
Video: Will Power discusses his project Stagger Lee.