WHO:       

Ben Vereen
                                                
PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES and PRESENTATIONS

MONDAY, OCTOBER 19:

UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII DANCE PROGRAM from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
KAHALA NUI from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20 
       

CASTLE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
ARMY COMMUNITY THEATER on Ft. Shafter from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
BASE ACCESS: For more information contact Brett Harwood at 469-1407.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21

TRIPLER ARMY MEDICAL CENTER from 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
BASE ACCESS: For more information contact Jan Clarke at 433-2809.

Honolulu – Tony and Emmy Award-winning Broadway, television and film star Ben Vereen will join Maestro Matt Catingub and the Honolulu Symphony Toyota Pops to open the spectacular 2009-2010 Toyota Pops season on Friday, October 23 and Saturday, October 24 at the Blaisdell Concert Hall.   Wanting to reach out into the community while in town, Mr. Vereen will be visiting several community-based programs while in the state, including the Castle Performing Arts Center and the Army Community Theater on Tuesday, October 20 to speak to students, military families and groups involved in the Children’s Theater of Oahu.

Vereen, who is in Honolulu to open the Honolulu Symphony Toyota Pops Series, will appear with Matt Catingub and the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra on Friday, October 23 and Saturday, October 24.  Mr. Vereen’s acting credits include an unforgettable performance as Chicken George in Roots and as Louis Armstrong in Louis Armstrong - Chicago Style, was recently nominated for an NAACP award for his performance in the Emmy nominated Hallmark feature An Accidental Friendship, starring opposite Chandra Wilson. Other recent credits include guest starring roles on Grey's Anatomy and Law and Order: Criminal Intent. Vereen has also guest starred in OZ, Touched By An Angel, New York Undercover, The Nanny, Star Trek - The Next Generation, The Jamie Fox Show, and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as well as recurring roles on Silk Stalkings, Webster and Booker. His own network specials are Ben Vereen: His Roots (recipient of seven Emmy Awards), Tenspeed and Brown Shoe, and You Write the Songs.

The lecture circuit has become an integral part of Vereen’s career; as he has become one of the Nations’ most requested speakers among audiences of all ages. His strong sense of social consciousness has enabled him to reach out to his audiences and convey to them a deep feeling of understanding. His topics range from overcoming adversity, arts in education, Black history, motivational topics, recovery through physical and occupational therapy, and the importance of continuing education - to name a few.

Vereen’s gift of time has benefited many organizations. He has served on Ballet Florida’s Board of Directors, The American Red Cross and The American Diabetes Association. In addition, he has served as chairman of several renowned organizations including The American Heart Association and the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Association. In 1989, he spearheaded his own organization “Celebrities for a Drug Free America”; which raised more than $300,000 for drug rehabilitation centers, educational programs and inner city community-based projects. The Community Mental Health Council awarded Ben with their 2004 Lifeline Celebration Achievement Award.

For his humanitarian contributions, he has received a number of awards including Israel’s Cultural and Humanitarian Awards, three NAACP Image Awards, an Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award and a Victory Award. He has received honorary doctorates from the University of Arizona, Emerson College, St. Francis College, and Columbia College in Chicago. In 2001, Medgar Evers College created the Ben Vereen Scholarship for the Performing Arts and in 2004 he received an Achievement in Excellence Award from his alma mater, the High School of the Performing Arts. He serves, or has served, on the boards of Ballet Florida, American Red Cross, American Heart Association and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Association.

In addition to philanthropic work across the country, Vereen is leading an ongoing diabetes awareness campaign called “Taking the Stage for Diabetes” in partnership with Sanofi-Aventis pharmaceuticals. For his humanitarian contributions, Vereen has received a number of awards including Israel’s Cultural and Humanitarian Awards, three NAACP Image Awards, an Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award and a Victory Award. He has received honorary doctorates from the University of Arizona, Emerson College, St. Francis College, and Columbia College in Chicago. In 2001, Medgar Evers College created the Ben Vereen Scholarship for the Performing Arts. In 2004, he received an Achievement in Excellence Award from his alma mater, the High School of the Performing Arts. For more information, visit www.benvereen.com.