Angelina Fiordellisi and Nikki Nanos will return to Northern Michigan University, where they met as students, to participate in a public forum and lead workshops for NMU students. The women will discuss their experiences in the entertainment worlds of Los Angeles and New York at a forum that will follow a format similar to Inside the Actors Studio. The event is scheduled at 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15, in the Panowski Black Box Theatre in the McClintock Building. NMU professor Paul Truckey will serve as the moderator. There is no admission charge.

Fiordellisi attended NMU before completing her degree elsewhere. She is the artistic director of off-Broadway’s Cherry Lane Theatre and has numerous acting credits on stage and screen. On Broadway, she won her first Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critic's Circle and Drama League awards for producing the revival of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolff. Her theater acting highlights include Zorba with Anthony Quinn, Annie with Kathleen Freeman, Nunsense and Private Lives, which earned her the best actress award from the Detroit Free Press. Fiordellisi’s film credits include When a Man Loves a Woman with Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia and Where the Heart Is with Natalie Portman. She also has acted in television shows including Law & Order, LA Law and Star Trek: The Next Generation.  

Nanos graduated Magna Cum Laude from NMU in 1978 with a bachelor’s degree in speech/drama. She extended her education at Northern one extra year with a graduate directed study in directing and acting. Nanos went from the Upper Peninsula to the California Institute of the Arts, receiving a master of fine arts degree in acting in 1981. While at CalArts, Nanos was nominated for an Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship in 1980 for her portrayal of Zinida in He Who Gets Slapped. She served as assistant location manager for Walker, Texas Ranger and production coordinator on Only in America. Nanos now works for CenterStage Speaking in Dallas, Texas, as a keynote/motivational speaker and speaking coach.  

On Monday and Tuesday, the women will visit NMU theater experience classes and hold individual sessions with NMU student actors and actresses.