Not many student actors and filmmakers can say they spent their Spring Break learning about the entertainment industry from one of Hollywood’s hottest writer/producers. Twelve students in the College of Visual and Performing Arts did so thanks to a generous alumnus.
In March, Aaron Sorkin, a 1983 graduate of the college’s Department of Drama and the award-winning creator/executive producer of NBC’s “The West Wing,” made it possible for 10 drama students and two film students from the college’s Department of Transmedia to spend Spring Break in Los Angeles, the heart of the film and television world. “Sorkin Week” featured workshops and meetings with professional actors, writers, agents, producers, and directors, many of whom were SU alumni. Among the other Sorkin Week activities were an acting workshop with Sorkin at Warner Bros.; the opportunity to sit in on a script reading with the cast of his upcoming NBC show “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip”; a VPA student film showcase at the Silent Movie Theater in Hollywood; and a dinner with Sorkin at his home.
The weeklong program was coordinated by VPA, SU’s Office of Alumni Relations and Syracuse University Los Angeles, which maintains a multi-service satellite office offering a wide range of social and educational activities engaging alumni, friends, parents and future students. “Aaron Sorkin gave our students a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn what it takes to succeed in the entertainment industry,” says VPA Dean Carole Brzozowski. “That so many of our West Coast alumni and friends joined in this effort shows how strongly the SU community wants our students to succeed and flourish as professional artists.”
Sorkin’s “The West Wing” has won more than 20 Emmys, a Golden Globe for Best Television Drama Series, two consecutive Peabody Awards for Broadcast and Cable Excellence, and two Humanitas Prizes and Television Critics Awards. In 2001, Sorkin was named Writer of the Year by the Caucus for TV Producers, Writers and Directors. He received the Outer Critics Circle Award as Outstanding American Playwright for “A Few Good Men,” and his screen adaptation of the play was nominated for four Academy Awards and five Golden Globes. He has received awards for the films “The American President,” “Malice” and the television series “Sports Night.” In 2001, he was a recipient of SU’s George Arents Pioneer Medal, the highest alumni honor awarded by the University.
Comments about this story? E-mail us at chimes@syr.edu.