Alfre Woodard Teaching Acting At Batiste Academy

Students at the Batiste Cultural Arts Academy in New Orleans are being taught by a special teacher this week. Actress Alfre Woodard is giving lessons on her craft.

Woodard is among seven artists appointed by the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities for leadership training at eight schools across the country.

“You have a foundation in New Orleans that is old, old, old, centuries old, of community, of cultural expression," Woodard said. "And so that’s what’s exciting here, because the ground is so rich to build this program up from. You know, you don’t have that in a lot of other places. But this is a win-win. I know that I’m going to walk away with a lot.” 

She’s teaching students from pre-kindergarten through the eighth grade about using acting to enhance their overall education. The program will extend over two years.