Saint Mary’s College continually provides its students with interactive, hands-on education. The theatre program is no exception—what better way to learn than from an award-winning female performer? On September 26, the Saint Mary’s College Theatre Program will welcome actress Sigourney Weaver as the 2011/2012 Margaret Hill Endowed Visiting Artist.

Weaver, known for starring roles in films including Aliens, Gorillas in the Mist, and Avatar, will conduct a master class with Saint Mary’s College theatre students in the morning and hold a public lecture that evening.

“In the past four years, Saint Mary’s theatre students have worked with the likes of Broadway director Hal Prince, actress Glenn Close, and actress and comedian Lily Tomlin, said Katie Sullivan, associate professor of theatre at Saint Mary's College. “Now students will have the opportunity to learn from Sigourney Weaver. It is amazing to think that our fourth-year theatre students will leave here having worked with four high-profile masters of the theatre.”

Over the years, Weaver has captivated audiences and won acclaim as one of the most esteemed actresses on both screen and stage. She made her motion picture debut in Ridley Scott’s blockbuster Alien, and later reprised the role of Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley in James Cameron’s Aliens, which earned her Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for best actress.

Following Alien, Weaver starred in three back-to-back hit movies: Gorillas in the Mist, in which she portrayed primatologist Dian Fossey, Working Girl, and Ghostbusters II. Weaver received her second and third Academy Award nominations and was awarded Golden Globes for her performances in Gorillas in the Mist and Working Girl. Weaver’s recent films include the Academy Award-winning movie Avatar, her first collaboration with James Cameron since Aliens, and the comedy You Again.

"An Evening with Sigourney Weaver” will be held at 7:30 p.m., September 26 in O’Laughlin Auditorium. The event is free to Saint Mary’s College, University of Notre Dame, and Holy Cross College students, faculty and staff, but tickets are still required and available at the box office in Moreau Center for the Arts. The general public may purchase tickets beginning September 6 by going to www.moreaucenter.com, by calling (574) 284-4626, or by stopping by the box office. Admission is $13.

The Margaret Hill Endowed Visiting Artist program is made possible by the generosity of Hill, a Saint Mary’s College alumna and a Broadway producer.

—Alexandra Davin ’12