Actor Taye Diggs To Teach Musical Theatre at Mizzou

The University of Missouri announced that actor Taye Diggs will be the Department of Theatre's first Artist in Residence.

According to the University's announcement Diggs will be on campus in May working with students who are minoring in musical theatre. Additionally the actor will be working with students in the Advanced Musical Theatre Performance class and will visit with students in various settings.

IMDB says Diggs was born in Newark, New Jersey and raised in Rochester, New York. He received his BFA degree in musical theater from Syracuse University.

He's known for his roles in the Broadway musicals 'Rent' and 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch'; the TV show 'Private Practice', and the films 'How Stella Got Her Grove Back', 'The Best Man', 'Chicago', and 'Brown Sugar'.

The University of Missouri's Artist in Residence is a program of the College of Arts and Science and collaboration of several of the departments. The program's mission is "inviting established and emerging artists to MU to celebrate the arts and cultivate creativity across disciplines."

The University wants it's artists in residence to reach as many students as possible, regardless of their major. According to their FAQ on Artists in Residence, the University goes out of it's way to find AIR's who can serve those students who don't self identify as arts interested.

The program is rather new, having just been established in 2019. Arguably, Diggs may be the biggest name join the University as an Artist in Residence. And he's certainly the most well known.