Huntington, Ind.—Hollywood actress Maura Knowles will host two workshops for Huntington University students from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. April 16-17 in room 160 of the Merillat Centre for the Arts.
The goal of the workshops is to help student-actors understand Hollywood. The April 16 workshop will address “Marketing/Knowing Your Type/Selling Yourself in Hollywood,” and the April 17 workshop will provide insight regarding “Networking/Grooming/Acting for the Camera.”
Knowles recommends that students read the book “Acting on Film” by Michael Cane. This is not required to attend either session.
For more information, contact David Shamburger, chair of the Department of Theatre Arts, at (260) 359-4257.
Maura Knowles is an actress and singer whose mix of sass and sophistication have led to a wide range of projects, from her roles in the award-winning rock musical “Bare,” Francis Ford Coppola’s “Gidget” and her one-woman show, “Life’s Little Ironies,” to the CDs she recorded with Frank Palmieri and Hollywood Revisited (LML Music). Knowles performed her original show “Get Ready, ’Cause Here I Am” at the Cinegrill as a fundraiser for the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Diabetes Association. As a recent member of the L.A. Writer’s Center, Knowles has been fine-tuning her literary skills and was one of 12 songwriters accepted into the Mercer Great American Songwriting Program at Northwestern University in Chicago.
Putting on her producer cap, Knowles co-produced and starred in the critically-acclaimed world premiere of Jay Duffer’s play, “Big Girl, Little World” at the International Fringe Festival in New York City. Other producing credits include “Lucky Stiff” and “Blood Brothers” for the award-winning Musical Theatre Guild in Los Angeles, Calif. Knowles’ singing career has taken her all over the world.
In the short time Knowles had been in Los Angeles, she caught the eye of Warren Beatty, who upgraded her from an extra to a featured role in the film “Bulworth,” which earned her a SAG card. She has performed lead roles in several independent films including “Abide With Me” with Laura Prepon and “The Yardsale” with Anne Meara. She has had guest-starring roles on hit television shows: “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Law & Order,” “E. R.,” “Girlfriends,” “Titus,” “Providence,” “Becker,” “Chicken Soup for the Soul,” “The Young and the Restless,” and a recurring role on the long-running soap “The Bold and the Beautiful.”
A native of Sacramento, Calif., Knowles has been performing since elementary school. She continued pursuing her craft and received several scholarships, including an award for Excellence in Musical Theatre Performance from San Francisco State University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in intercultural communications with a minor in theatre.
After receiving a full scholarship to the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, she pursued a Masters in Fine Arts degree. She spent the summers during her college years performing regional theater and performing on cruise ships, traveling the Mexican Riviera. Knowles worked as an intern at KCRA-TV, an NBC affiliate in Sacramento, where she was quickly promoted to spokesperson and model for “TV Lite,” a local variety show.
Knowles believes that having a balanced life is important. As an avid traveler, she has been all over Europe, Greece, Turkey, Bali, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, Hong Kong, Africa, Egypt, the Seychelle Islands, the Caribbean, Canada and throughout the United States. Her guiding philosophy is, “It’s not what happens to you in life. It’s how you deal with it.”
Knowles currently divides her time between Los Angeles and New York City and is actively involved with the Big Sisters of Los Angeles Organization.
For more information about Knowles, log on to www.mauraknowles.com.
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