Meet The Nominees
[WATCH] ON THE LIST With Felicia Boswell Featuring K. Todd Freeman
Felicia Boswell hosts our latest series On The List. She sits and talks with the current 2015 Tony Award Nominees to find out all you want to know about this golden time for Broadway’s finest! The first episode of many more to come is here! Chatting it up with the only African American Tony Award nominee (for a performance category) this year. Meet K. Todd Freeman. Watch the show below!
K. Todd Freeman is nominated for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his role as Sissy Na Na in Airline Highway. His bio includes:
Steppenwolf Company member since 1993. At Steppenwolf: The Brother/Sister Plays, The Tempest, Topdog/Underdog, A Clockwork Orange, …Cuckoo’s Nest (Broadway), The Song of Jacob Zulu (Broadway, Tony nomination). Other Broadway: Wicked. Off-Broadway: Fetch Clay/Make Man (NYTW, Obie Award); Spunk, The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide… (Public Theater); Uncle Tom’s Cabin (Drama Dept.). Regional: Angels in America, Miss Evers’ Boys (Mark Taper Forum). Television and film: “Elementary,” “The Slap,” “Believe,” “A Gifted Man,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “NYPD Blue,” “A Different World,” Anesthesia (dir. Tim Blake Nelson), The Dark Knight, The Cider House Rules and Grosse Pointe Blank.
ON THE LIST HOST FELICIA BOSWELL:
HELEN HAYES WINNER (Outstanding Lead Actress 2013); Broadway: MOTOWN (Diana Ross), MEMPHIS (Felicia u/s) Nat’l Tour: MEMPHIS (Felicia Farrell), Dreamgirls (Deena/ Lorell), AIDA (Aida Standby) Regional: RENT (Mimi) Atlanta Lyric Theatre*, Caroline Or Change (Radio) Guthrie Theatre, AIDA (Aida) VMT, BEEHIVE (Diana Ross) Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Boys From Syracuse (Courtesan) Baltimore Centerstage, Little Shop of Horrors (Chiffon) Atlanta Lyric Theatre, Starlight Jazz (Japan). Other Credits: MACY’S Day Parade 2013 (Diana Ross), Knockin’ the Musical (Wynona Carr), Heart & Lights, Joe Turner’s Come & Gone (Molly Cunningham); *Suzi Bass Nominee; Performance dedicated to parents, my Love, WFW III! Visit Official Fan Page for Felicia Boswell on Facebook. www.FeliciaBoswell.com
Photos by Felix Kunze @Felixkunze
Creative Direction & Produced by Dual Phocus Productions @dual.phocus
Hair & Clothing Stylist: Chloe Chada’ @quintessentially_chloe
MUA: William Bob Scott @bobscott200
For many, the love of theatre begins with a visual. A performance of some sort, the sparkling twinkle that reflects off a bedazzled costume, a set piece that you just know in your heart you should be walking on, or maybe even a tune with such a striking melody that you can’t get it out of your head. Once it’s planted there, there’s usually no turning back. No forgetting that moment of pure joy and satisfaction in knowing that one day it’ll be you on that stage or you helping to make that kind of magic happen.
Yes, for some, the dream may change at some point but they’ll never forget their initiation. It’s a part of them. However, there are those that push forward through it all. They train and condition themselves to stay on the path and ultimately run the course, hoping to break record time in the relay race of Broadway, catching up to the one in front of them stretching and reaching for the baton. A baton that is on fire. A baton so hot that only a few can hold it, it’s that hot. There’s an insane amount of work to do to even get the chance to grab it but even more work and efforts to hold on to it but also an extreme honor at the same time.
I had the chance to talk with four of the 2016 Tony Award nominees and a previous Tony Award winner about their journey and what it takes to pass and receive the Broadway Black torch. Out of the 18 African-American nominees we chose to talk with Brandon Victor Dixon, (Best Feature Actor in a Musical for Shuffle Along) Saycon Sengbloh (Best Featured Actress in a Play for Eclipsed) , Pascale Armand, (Best Featured Actress in a Play for Eclipsed, Adrienne Warren (Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Shuffle Along) and the torch bearer and trailblazer LaChanze (2006 Tony Award-winner. Best Leading Actress in a Musical for the original mounting of The Color Purple), as they also took part in an exclusive photo shoot with acclaimed photographer Felix Kunze. Each one had some very inspiring and encouraging words to say that I think truly capture what it means to be a part of the Broadway Black community
(l-r) LaChanze, Pascale Armand, Saycon Sengbloh, Brandon Victor Dixon, Adrienne Warren,
“We all [Tony Award Winners], we always assume that the next year we’ll get a chance to pass the baton to the next person. I’ve always thought of it as a rite of passage. An acknowledgment that you’re including someone else into the realm of winners or people who are fortunate enough to receive this wonderful accolade. I’ve always imagined it would be sort of a tradition to do that. Something I’ve always thought that only people who’ve won Tonys can really do, pass the torch. There have been so few people of color who’ve won in my category and in the history since the Tonys began. It just feels right to be able to do that this year. I’d tell the nominees, first, sleep. As much as you can, sleep. Also, enjoy yourself, enjoy the moment. Don’t let anything slip by. Do it all. You’ll be able to look back and be glad that you did it.” – LaChanze
“This season is classic and historic. I’m feeling very excited. Excited for myself, As well as to see how Broadway Black is growing. I was born and raised in Atlanta. My mom is American and my Dad is from Libera. Hearing my Dad’s accent or my sister’s accent always penetrated me even though I always spoke with my American accent. So when it was time to call on the Liberian side for this show [Eclipsed], I said “What? when has anyone ever asked me to do that?” So, I welcomed the challenge. That’s what you always have to do. “ – Saycon Sengbloh
“Everyone who knows me knows the struggle has been long and hard. I’ve been at it for a second. I never thought for the longest time that it was a matter of ‘when’ and not ‘if,’ like some people. I’ve just been hustling and hoofing it for so long. I never even thought about the Tonys. I wanted to work. For all the times young Pascale sat in a puddle crying thinking “I’m going to find a corporate America job, get my benefits,” and all that. I’d tell her, “pick yourself up, dust yourself off, dry all the tears, and keep it at. It’s going to happen you just have to be patient. Wait for it. It’s coming.” There had been so many times where I didn’t know that and was so close to throwing it all away. Then I would look at a student loan bill and think I didn’t pay all this money to quit now.” – Pascale Armand
“It’s a big year. It’s exciting to be nominated. It’s a wonderful year. Extraordinary talent. And I’m glad it’s a diverse body of storytelling and talent that’s on display because these really are my people. My boys, my people, my friends. We’re here! I would go crazy if Adrienne Warren won but I’ll go ham if Renee wins. Leslie’s my boy. Lin’s my boy. It’s just a celebratory time. [Being here] is icing on the cake. We have wonderful shows that are sold out. Broadway is doing really well.” – Brandon Victor Dixon
“I’m so grateful for the show [Shuffle Along] and the story we’re telling. How blessed we are to be able to tell this story, in this way, with these people. We come to work every day and we realize that we have a story to tell to represent these people who have deserved recognition for so many years and now they’re finally getting it. That’s the best gift I could possibly ever get. I’m so proud of everyone that’s a part of this amazing season.” – Adrienne Warren
