By Delinda Lombardo on
Academy-Award winning actor, Kevin Spacey, has announced plans to start a theater arts academy in the Middle East to promote theatre culture in the region.
The actor and theater producer made the announcement via a news conference on his way to host the 2011 Laureus Sports Award show.
According to reports, the Middle East Theater Academy would be a joint project of the Kevin Spacey Foundation and Badr Jafar, executive director of Crescent Petroleum and chief executive officer of Crescent Investments.
“My mentor, Jack Lemmon, had a phrase that he used all the time, which I’ve now adopted as my own,” said Spacey, “He believed that if you’ve been successful in your chosen path, then ‘sending the elevator back down’ is your obligation, that’s why I’ve set up The Kevin Spacey Foundation. I am thrilled to be able to be developing this Academy for the Middle East Region for this purpose. I personally admire the talents found in this region as many shifts are happening, to be precise I enjoyed watching the ‘City of Life’ movie and ‘The Kite Runner’, as you can observe those stories and learn from other cultures from different parts of the world.”
Jafar added: “Using existing venues and facilities wherever possible, The Middle East Theatre Academy, with the Kevin Spacey Foundation and supported by the private-sector in our region, will strive to bridge any geographical barriers and offer our youth and budding artists an otherwise elusive opportunity to explore all aspects of theatre.”
Mr. Spacey is currently the artistic director of the Old Vic theater in London.
The Kevin Spacey Foundation is a non-profit venture founded in 2010 by American actor Kevin Spacey to help advance and promote creative arts for public benefit through the training and education of writers, actors, producers and directors.
Copyright © 2011 Look to the Stars
