The Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program is a ground-breaking national program to serve regional-theatre actors and the future of American Theatre. Every year, ten of the most accomplished regional-theatre actors in the country will be invited to participate in an intensive week-long master class and retreat at Ten Chimneys with a world-renowned and respected master teacher. Each of the selected actors will receive a cash fellowship and will participate in an intensive week-long master class and retreat at Ten Chimneys with a world-renowned master teacher. After their week at the inspirational National Historic Landmark, Ten Chimneys, Lunt-Fontanne Fellows will return to their home communities across the country, bringing with them everything they gained artistically as part of the master class, along with renewed energy and a deepened commitment to mentorship.

With ten Lunt-Fontanne Fellows a year, all actively working at theatres and in communities throughout the U.S., the Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship program will have a deep and meaningful impact, as Ten Chimneys reassumes its historic role as a powerful national resource and inspiration for American theatre.

Acclaimed actress Lynn Redgrave will be the very first master teacher in the Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program. In addition to a prolific award-winning career on Broadway, in London, and in film and television, Miss Redgrave was actually named in honor of Lynn Fontanne – making her a particularly meaningful choice to launch this important program. Ms. Redgrave and the selected Lunt-Fontanne Fellows will focus on Shakespeare during the inaugural week-long master class and retreat. For more on Ms. Redgrave, please see the sidebar or visit www.redgrave.com.

For much of the 20th century, Ten Chimneys was the center of the theatrical universe – an important place for the luckiest of artists to retreat, rejuvenate, and collaborate. The Lunts were known for their dedication to the “next generation” of actors. They reveled in mentoring young actors. Legends such as Laurence Olivier, Uta Hagen, Montgomery Clift, and Julie Harris proudly considered themselves protégés of the Lunts. The Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program continues that tradition of mentorship at Ten Chimneys.

Defining what it takes to become a Lunt-Fontanne Fellow developed out of the question, Where do the mentors go to be mentored? There are actors in great theatre cities across the country who are – in essence – the “master actors” of their communities. They have 20+ years of experience as professional actors. They are widely respected by audiences, directors, and fellow actors for their talent, dedication to craft, attention to detail, and passionate pursuit of excellence – the qualities for which Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne were so revered. These extraordinary artists have few, if any, opportunities to be protégé rather than mentor – to work with a world-renowned and respected master teacher. (This void of opportunity is particularly deep outside of New York and Los Angeles.) These theatre artists are the best of the best – widely considered the top actors in their cities. They are their communities’ theatre mentors. These are the actors who will be named as Lunt-Fontanne Fellows.

Each year, Ten Chimneys Foundation will select ten of the most prestigious and accomplished regional theatres in the country to partner with us on this program. Each of these theatres will nominate three actors they feel should be considered for recognition as Lunt-Fontanne Fellows. A National Advisory Council will help Ten Chimneys Foundation select one actor from each of the Partner Theatres.

There are, of course, more than ten “prestigious and accomplished regional theatres” nationwide. Therefore, the participating theatres will vary and rotate every year. The following are the Partner Theatres for the inaugural year of the Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program:

Summer 2008: Leadership at each Partner Theatre nominates three actors they feel should be considered for recognition as Lunt-Fontanne Fellows. A National Advisory Council works with Ten Chimneys Foundation to select the actors who will be named as Lunt-Fontanne Fellows.

Fall 2008: Ten Chimneys Foundation announces the full “class” of ten Lunt-Fontanne Fellows – with one Fellow selected from each Partner Theatre.

Fall 2008 – Summer 2009: From the time the inaugural Lunt-Fontanne Fellows are selected through the start of the inaugural master class and retreat at Ten Chimneys, Ten Chimneys Foundation will help the selected Lunt-Fontanne Fellows connect with each other from across the country, so that their identity and interaction as a group begins before they meet together for the first time at Ten Chimneys. Lunt-Fontanne Fellows will also receive regular updates and additional details regarding the developing content of the master class component of the week at Ten Chimneys, including information about anything the master teacher (Ms. Redgrave) might ask Lunt-Fontanne Fellows to prepare before July 13, 2009.

July 13-19, 2009: The inaugural week-long master class and retreat, with Lynn Redgrave, will take place at Ten Chimneys.

Ten Chimneys has been widely hailed as one of the most inspirational historic sites in the country – for people from all walks of life. But it is particularly inspirational for actors. The Lunts specifically and meticulously created Ten Chimneys to be a retreat that would simultaneously rejuvenate theatre artists and inspire them to do extraordinary artistic work together. The Lunts created Ten Chimneys to be a place that nurtured their personal devotion to mentoring the next generation. This historic context and inspiration makes Ten Chimneys the perfect setting for this unique artistic opportunity.

The intensive week-long retreat and master class will include:

INTENSIVE MASTER CLASS: The content and structure of the daily master class activities will be shaped by the expertise of the master teacher. Ms. Redgrave and the 2008-09 Lunt-Fontanne Fellows will focus extensively on Shakespeare; this exciting and challenging work will take place at the historic Ten Chimneys estate and in the state-of-the-art Lunt-Fontanne Program Center.

INSPIRATIONAL RETREAT: Significant time will be set aside for Lunt-Fontanne Fellows to explore the historic estate and grounds, rest, rejuvenate, work with each other between master class “sessions,” and take in the extraordinary spirit and inspiration of Ten Chimneys. On the first evening at Ten Chimneys, the Lunt-Fontanne Fellows and master teacher will have a private behind-the-scenes tour of the Lunts’ beloved home and retreat. The tour will conclude in the stunning and beautifully-restored Dining Room, where the entire group will sit down to a gourmet dinner, served at the table where Lynn and Alfred regularly welcomed Noël Coward, Helen Hayes, Laurence Olivier, Katharine Hepburn, Alexander Woollcott, and the like. This highly-coveted, “magical” experience is offered fewer than 2-3 times a year; it is reserved for our most distinguished guests – like the inaugural class of Lunt-Fontanne Fellows.

HOSPITALITY: Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne were passionate about their hospitality. For them, it was about more than “good manners”; making guests feel truly comfortable and sincerely welcome was the foundation for meaningful rejuvenation, inspiration, and substantive work. Ten Chimneys Foundation will offer the same care to Lunt-Fontanne Fellows that the Lunts did for their illustrious guests: first-rate air travel on Midwest Airlines, deluxe accommodations at the luxurious Delafield Hotel near Ten Chimneys, delicious and ample meals, comfortable local transportation, and other amenities – all included as part of the Fellowship.

DOCUMENTATION: Much of the week-long master class and retreat will be captured on film, for use in a future documentary and/or educational series.

The week of July 13-19, 2009 will also have special programs for the local actors and the community at large.

PROGRAM FOR LOCAL ACTORS: In addition to her work with the Lunt-Fontanne Fellows, Ms. Redgrave will offer a half-day workshop, or “mini-master-class,” for a gathering of local actors. More details about this opportunity will be available as the date comes closer.

CONVERSATION AT TEN CHIMNEYS: Friday, July 17th, at 8:00 PM Celebrated actress Lynn Redgrave will share anecdotes about her extraordinary theatrical family and life in the theatre. This gracious, engaging, award-winning actress will also answer questions from, and have a conversation with, the gathered attendees.

CONCLUDING LUNT-FONTANNE FELLOWSHIP PRESENTATION: Saturday, July 18th, at 8:00 PM On the final night of the 2009 Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program, Ms. Redgrave and the ten Lunt-Fontanne Fellows will offer a glimpse of what took place during their week at Ten Chimneys. Ms. Redgrave will explain how she and the actors approached their work, and why. To illustrate the work that was accomplished, the Fellows will share pieces of the scenes and monologues on which they worked with Ms. Redgrave. This is the first (and, most likely, only) time that these ten nationally acclaimed actors will share a stage together.

When the on-site program is completed, the Lunt-Fontanne Fellows will return to their home communities across the country, bringing with them everything they gained artistically as part of the master class, along with renewed energy and a deepened commitment to mentorship. Through a private page on the Ten Chimneys website, regular written updates, and other communication efforts, Ten Chimneys Foundation will help Lunt-Fontanne Fellows stay connected with each other and to connect with subsequent years of Lunt-Fontanne Fellows. In particular, Ten Chimneys Foundation will actively encourage Lunt-Fontanne Fellows to engage in mentoring activities in their communities, with students and with younger actors. As Lunt-Fontanne Fellows engage in these mentoring activities, Ten Chimneys Foundation will share their stories and successes with other Lunt-Fontanne Fellows – further encouraging continued mentorship and educational outreach in communities across the country.

We anticipate that a good deal of post-Ten Chimneys interaction will be driven and shaped by the growing community of Lunt-Fontanne Fellows. Ten Chimneys Foundation is well-suited to be an effective liaison and facilitator, and is prepared to meet the needs and requests of Fellows that have returned to their home communities.

This exciting new program will reap extensive benefits – both direct and indirect – for individual actors, for participating regional theatres, and for the communities both call home.

DIRECT BENEFITS: Actors participating directly in the Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program will grow artistically, renew their passion for their art, form a national community of Lunt-Fontanne Fellows, and deepen their commitment to mentorship.

INDIRECT BENEFITS: Direct participants will then exponentially expand the impact of the program when they return to their home communities. Highlights of the “indirect benefits” to communities, individuals, and Partner Theatres include:

• Other actors (particularly younger actors) who work with Lunt-Fontanne Fellows will grow artistically from the results of the participants’ transformative experiences.
• Audiences will benefit from the artistic results of the growth and passion of actors at the Partner Theatres (both direct participants and other actors being indirectly affected).
• Individual theatres will benefit from the artistic results of their actors’ growth and passion (both direct participants and other actors being indirectly affected), from the media attention this national program will generate, and from increased donor and community enthusiasm.
• Students in these communities will benefit from the Lunt-Fontanne Fellows’ deepened commitment to mentorship.

More broadly, American theatre as a whole will benefit from an inspirational program fulfilling a critical and deeply-felt need. Many of the most accomplished and dedicated regional-theatre actors in the country are desperate for this level of opportunity for mentorship and rejuvenation. And it simply hasn’t existed for them… until now. The Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program will have a profound and immediate impact – improving the vitality of American theatre and the art-form’s dedication to nurturing the next generation.

The Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program is made possible by the generosity of insightful and engaged donors. Ten Chimneys Foundation is actively seeking support to fund this important, unparalleled program. The program costs in excess of $100,000 per year. To help us meet that critical goal, all contributions will be matched dollar-for-dollar by a generous grant from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation. This combined generosity makes it possible for us to serve actors, theatres, and communities across the country – as well as the overall vitality and strength of American Theatre – at no cost to actors or Partner Theatres. To contribute to Ten Chimneys Foundation and support the Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program, click here.

	Matching every contribution to the Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program dollar-for-dollar.
	The official airline of the Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program.
	The official hotel of the Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program.