8 Award-Winning & Influential People To Know In The Theatre World

By: Ricardo G.

Winning a Tony is probably the most anticipated moment for anyone who has a career in theatre ,whether it be acting, directing, costume desgin, etc. Take a look at some influential people who’ve had their talents stamped with the approval of the American Theatre Wing.

1. WHOOPI GOLDBERG

Whoopi is the first African-American to win what the entertainment world calls the EGOT, which includes an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards. Whoopi won The Tony Award, which finalized her EGOT status, in 2002 as a producer of the Broadway musical “Thoroughly Modern Millie”.

2. AUDREY HEPBURN

Known as one of the most famous actresses and fashion icons of all time, Audrey Hepburn who also has the status of EGOT, won a Tony in 1954 for Best Actress in a Drama for her role in “Ondine”.

3. PHYLICIA RASHAD

Phylicia Rashad is the first African American to win a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play, for her role in the remake of “A Raisin in the Sun” in 2004.  A graduate of Howard University, Phylicia is also know for her popular role as Claire Huxtable on the hit TV show, The Cosbys.

4. LIZA MINNELLI

It seems as if Liza Minelli was destined to be a star, especially with having two parents in the entertainment industry. Currently, Liza Minelli has won 4 Tony Awards ( 3 competitive and one honorary) which include Best Leading Actress in a musical for “Flora the Red Menace”, “The Act” and “The Pink” in 1965, 1978, and 1984 respectively.

5. FRANKIE MICHAELS

Frankie Michaels (on left) is the record holder for being the youngest winner of a Tony Award. Frankie was only 10 years old when he won a Tony for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his role in “Mame” in 1966.

6. MILES WHITE

Miles White was the second male costume designer to win a Tony award after Lemuel Ayers, and has won a total of 2 Tony Awards for Best Costume Design for the stage plays, “Bless You All” and “Hazel Flagg” in 1950 and 1953.

7. JOSE FERRER

Jose Ferrer won the first ever Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play in 1947 for the play, Cyrano de Bergerac. Jose Ferer also made history by being the first Hispanic to win an Academy Award.

8. JULIE TAYMOR

Julie Taymor is the first female director of a Broadway musical ever to win a Tony Award. The award won in 1998 was for the ever-classic, The Lion King.

My #1 Play Turned Movie!

Many people cringe at the thought of plays being turned into movies or vice versa. It’s the same sentiment that people get when they hear that their favorite book is in the midst of being turned into a movie. This subject is very controversial because those who are fans of the original version, whatever form it may be in, fear that changing the original medium used to produce the story may cause it to lose some of its most important elements.

It is a hard task to overcome, determining what should be changed, and how to convey something on screen that simply may not be able to be conveyed. The fact of the matter is, however, people have been able to accomplish this task. One of my favorite plays turned movie to-date is “For Colored Girls,” a play original put together by Ntozake Shan. Tyler Perry’s adaptation of the emotional “choreopoem” honestly brought the play to life more than I ever thought it could.

The original play was a compilation of poems from different women who had all been through really traumatizing experiences. This is where the idea of the word “choreopoem” came from. The movie, however, connected the women together more than anyone watching the play could have ever imagined. Their lives were intertwined, and suddenly their sorrow became each other’s. When watching the movie, the part where Kimberly Elise’s character Crystal has to watch as her husband kills their little boy and girl was heart wrenching to say the very least. Her struggle within that relationship was given so much more depth within the movie, that we couldn’t have fathomed simply from watching the play.

The way that Tyler Perry was able to connect the characters lives together so that they all were affected by one another was amazing. In this instance, I feel as though turning a play into a movie was the right decision. In fact, I am a fan of translating a story through different mediums, because at the end of the day it ensures that that story reaches different people.   Broadway’s version of Hairspray is another instance where the change of mediums worked well. It took a 1988 movie that had no musical aspect to it at all, and transformed it into a hit. That play is one of my favorite play’s to-date.

At the end of the day, how many of us have only come across a story because of the fact that it was turned into a movie or play? While we all have instances where the change of medium didn’t work as well as we’d hoped, the fact of the matter is that it’s never not-worth-trying. When it comes to entertainment in general, there should never be rules!

15 Interesting Things To Know About NRTC and Its Founders…

By: Ricardo G

Here are a few fun facts that we learned about the No Rules Theatre Company and its founders, Anne, Joshua, and Brian!

1. Anne and Joshua started NRTC by accident. They produced “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” and it was such a hit that they just had to keep going. With Brian’s help they were an instant success.

2. Brian and Joshua are trained actors and appear on stage often but Anne hasn’t been on stage since her High School production of “My Fair Lady.”

3. The name “No Rules” came about when the NRTC team were rehearsing for their first production, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”. Joshua would always tell the actors, “there are no rules” to encourage their artistic freedom ant the name stuck!

4. The three founders of NRTC met at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts while Joshua and Brian were enrolled in the undergrad drama program and Anne was getting her MFA in performing arts management.

5.The three first worked together on a production of “Balm in Gilead” directed by Laura Henry.

6. Anne grew up in NYC with her family taking her to see Broadway plays and fell in love with theater at a young age. The first Broadway play she saw was the revival of “Guys and Dolls” starring Nathan Lane and Peter Gallagher.

7. “The Last Five Years” is NRTC’s sixth main stage production. They have also produced two productions in the Capital Fringe Festival.

8.  In college Anne majored in Psychology while Brian and Joshua majored in Drama.

9. When the NRTC were casting in DC, Joshua and Anne saw a rat run through the rafters while a woman was reading her monologue during the first audition. GROSS!

10. The NRTC decided to also produce plays in Winston-Salem, NC as a way to give back to the community that nurtured their talents.

11.  Brian’s favorite actor is Gene Hackman.

12.  Anne’s favorite play of all time is “Amadeus” by Peter Shaffer.

13.  At a performance of “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” in Winston-Salem, Snoopy split the knee of his pants wide open during the opening number.  Anne had to stitch and tape them up during intermission because they didn’t have an extra pair.

14.  The most emotional plays produced by the NRTC include “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” and “Some Girl(s).

15. Joshua, Anne and Brian read a lot of plays when selecting a season. They look not only for stories that they love and feel passionate about, but stories that are relevant to the audiences they are trying to reach.

The Gray Area… Part II with Joshua Gray!

By Darian Weaver

STOP! If you haven’t read the last blog that I posted, you might want to go back a post and soak it in before you read this one. If you’ve already read it, perfect – you’re just in time for part two! This blog is centered around the second half of my interview with “Joshua Gray” who is currently staring as Jamie in No Rules Theatre’s production of “The Last Five Years” (running now through December 4, 2011 at the Hanesbrands Theatre in Winston-Salem, North Carolina). If you’re looking for a better understanding of what exactly the play is about, and what, in particular, are Joshua’s favorite moments – read only a little further for Joshua’s answers to our questions!!

DW: Can you give us a short overview of the plot?

JG: The story follows Jamie and Cathy through their five year relationship/marriage. It tells the story from Jamie’s perspective chronologically, and Cathy starts at the end and moves to the beginning.

DW: Tell us about your character, Jaime. Do you relate to him in any way?

JG: I love Jamie, my character. He is so very human and honestly written, which is what attracts me to the role.

DW: What is your favorite song or scene from the play?

JG: This is a tough one. All of the scenes/songs/moments all mean so so much when telling this story. I gotta love “The Schmuel Song” though. It’s fun.

DW: What drew you to “The Last 5 Years?” What was the auditioning process like?

JG: “The Last Five Years” is a very original piece. It doesn’t hold back from the truth, and there is so much to discover about the characters when working on it. The intricacies of a five year relationship are brought the surface brilliantly, so it has been a joy to work and keep making discoveries.

Auditioning for No Rules Theatre Co. was a great process. They were very specific, hands-on, and professional. It has stayed that way throughout the entire process. It has been such a pleasure, privilege, and fantastic learning experience working with Joshua Morgan(the director) and the rest of the team.

DW: Is there anything that your nervous about when it comes to performing? Has anything gone wrong during a rehearsal?

JG: I think most performers get nervous to some degree. Usually it is more of an excited kind of nervous when it comes time to perform.

BONUS! More Footage From the Rehearsal Of The Last 5 Years…

By Ricardo G.

Take another look at the preparation of the The Last 5 Years which will be featured in Winston-Salem, NC from November 16th, 2011 to December 4th, 2011. I really enjoyed how Dorea and Joshua managed to be funny within their scenes all while singing and acting, I really wish I could see the final product in Washington, DC! Encore!

You Might Be a Theatre Buff If….

By: Ricardo G.

Are you an undercover theater buff? No need to hide the fact that you live for the arts and a good performance! If you answer “True” to two or more of any of the following statements below, you, my friend, are a hopeless theater buff.

1.You say things like “Break A Leg” and “Bravo” in places outside of a theater.

2. Liza Minnelli or Barbra Streisand is an idol of yours.

3. You know the lyrics to the song “Its a Hard Knock Life” and not from Jay-Z’s remake.

4. You’ve seen the entire High School Musical franchise.

5. You’ve dreamed of having or had a major role in ANY Shakespeare play.

6. You think winning a Tony Award is a bigger deal than winning an Oscar.

7. You know exactly when the Tony Awards started.

8. You’ve said the phrase ” This is Much ado about nothing” ever in your lifetime.

9. You’ve seen at least one play on Broadway.

10. You’ve managed to sit through a full episode of Glee without going completely insane.

11. You think a particular play was better than its movie version.

12. You know who starred in the original cast of Dreamgirls.

13. You’ve seen a play at The No Rules Theatre Company in Washington, DC or Winston-Salem, NC!

Getting to Know Joshua Gray!

As many may know by now, Joshua Gray plays Jamie in No Rules Theatre Company’s production of “The Last Five Years.” If you haven’t already fallen in love with his voice, or boyish charm, there’s no doubt that his personality will be sure to catch your attention! After having the opportunity to chat with him backstage at one of the rehearsals, it was refreshing to witness just how down to earth he is. We bring you his interview in 2 parts because before we talk about his role in “The Last Five Years,” we wanted to learn a little more about the man behind the voice. You’ll be happy to know, he kept his interview short, and, almost, as sweet as himself!

DW: What inspired you to become an actor? How did you get started?

JG: I was always fascinated with storytelling and realized I loved to find the truth in individuals, and discover why they acted the way they did at a young age.

DW: What is the first play that you were in?

JG: I was in a first-grade class production of “The Gingerbread Man.” I was hooked from then on.

DW: What’s your favorite play/role that you’ve ever taken on?

JG: Jamie Wellerstein in this production of “The Last Five Years” has been my favorite to date.

DW: What type of characters inspire you? (What is your ideal role?)

JG: I find characters with flaws to be the most interesting. Sort of antihero characters spark my interest. I would love to play Hamlet one day (like every actor) There are so many roles! I can’t choose.

DW: What’s the funniest or oddest thing that’s ever happened to you on stage?

JG: The oddest thing was probably when someone passed gas VERY audibly during one of the most serious moments of a production of “Godspell” I was in. That was a challenge.

DW: Who is your favorite actor/actress, why?
JG: Growing up I was always inspired by Marlon Brando because of how revolutionary his acting was, especially for his time. He was so raw, and I love watching him.

DW: What is the hardest and what is the most interesting/fun part about learning your lines and preparing for a play?

JG: The preparation for a play in general is hard work, but also some of the most fun and fulfilling times you can have as an artist.

DW: Do you have any rituals that do before going on stage each night or in preparation for a performance?

JG: As far as rituals or routines, I usually acquire some new ones for each production I am in. Always changing!

DW: Do you prefer small plays and musicals, or do you you aspire to do larger plays or move towards television roles and the big screen?

JG: prefer all of it! As long as it is good work that I feel great about doing.

DW: Do you have any upcoming projects you would like our audience to know about?

JG: No projects to plug right now!

——–

And even though Joshua let pass the opportunity to shamelessly plug any of his upcoming projects, I just wanted to interject with the link as to where you can purchase tickets to his current run in “The Last Five Years…” We hear opening night was amazing. Have you seen the show yet?!