Award-winning Broadway actor André De Shields ’70 eloquently describes the creative process as “Dream — epiphany — action.”
This “order of operation” serves as the guiding spirit of the newly created André De Shields Fund: from the spark of an artistic dream to the epiphany of how it can come to life to the action it may inspire.
Founded in recognition of the outstanding achievements of the indomitable UW–Madison alumnus and Broadway star, the André De Shields Fund honors his 50-plus-year career as an artist and activist and offers grants to historically underrepresented students to develop, design, produce, and perform artistic works that inspire social impact. Grantees will have access to mentors, teachers, and professionals to support them along the way and chance at having fully-developed work presented as part of the annual performing arts season at the Wisconsin Union Theater.
Your gift will signal that underrepresented students belong in the Wisconsin Union Theater and the arts on campus. It will ensure students have access to opportunities denied to André De Shields and create a safe and welcoming environment for them to learn, develop, create, and perform on their college campus. Your support for this fund will enable students to bring their vision to life, supporting De Shields philosophy: “You must imagine it to manifest it.”