<p>Fishbowl-You crack me up!!!</p>
<p>BTW-What are you going to do next year when you are not a "freshman" anymore???</p>
<p>Wait...is that all you have? I want hair color, average weight, and age of first kiss. Come on Fishbowl...Bring it!</p>
<p>Good one, awq!</p>
<p>
[quote]
Wait...is that all you have? I want hair color, average weight, and age of first kiss.
[/quote]
Oh, yeah ... I can getcha average weight, dress size, age of first kiss ... even favorite nail polish ... but hair color? Do you want natural or flavor of the month? Don't ... tempt me. bwahaha ;)</p>
<p>Wow</p>
<p>is this a joke?</p>
<p>It's Superbowl Sunday! Anybody else tailgating? and ... bump. ;)</p>
<p>yup! just saw sweeney todd last week- what an incredible work.</p>
<p>Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Ralph Fiennes Faith Healer Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (UK)
Richard Griffiths The History Boys - Stockton & Billingham College (UK)
eljko Ivanek The Caine Mutiny Court Martial London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (UK)
Oliver Platt Shining City - BA Tufts University w/ pro training at Shakespeare & Co.
David Wilmot - The Lieutenant of Inishmore - ??? (Irish Actor)</p>
<p>Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Kate Burton The Constant Wife BA Russian Studies and European History, Brown University; MFA Acting Yale School of Drama
Judy Kaye Souvenir BA Drama, UCLA
Lisa Kron Well BA Theatre Arts, Kalamazoo College
Cynthia Nixon Rabbit Hole BA English, Barnard College (Began professional career at 13)
Lynn Redgrave The Constant Wife None (From family of famous actors)</p>
<p>Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Michael Cerveris Sweeney Todd BA Music, Yale University
Harry Connick, Jr. The Pajama Game Hunter College and Manhattan School of Music (No Degree)
Stephen Lynch The Wedding Singer BA Theatre, Western Michigan University
Bob Martin The Drowsy Chaperone - ???
**John Lloyd Young Jersey Boys BA Theatre, Brown University</p>
<p>Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Sutton Foster The Drowsy Chaperone Carnegie Mellon University (Dropped out after a year.)
LaChanze The Color Purple University of the Arts (Didnt graduate)
Patti LuPone Sweeney Todd BFA Drama, The Juilliard School
Kelli OHara The Pajama Game BM Voice, Oklahoma City University; Studied acting with Kate Wilson and Ralph Zito of The Juilliard School, Lola Cohen and Mauricio Bustamante of the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, and Bartlett Sher in Seattle. Took dance classes at OCU and the Broadway Dance Center
Chita Rivera Chita Rivera: The Dancers Life - George Balanchines School of American Ballet</p>
<p>Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Samuel Barnett The History Boys London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (UK)
Domhnall Gleeson - The Lieutenant of Inishmore - ??? (UK)
Ian McDiarmid Faith Healer The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
Mark Ruffalo Awake and Sing! No College. Trained at the Stella Adler Conservatory in LA.
Pablo Schreiber Awake and Sing! BFA, Carnegie Mellon University</p>
<p>Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Tyne Daly Rabbit Hole - American Musical and Dramatic Academy
Frances de la Tour The History Boys - ??? (UK)
Jayne Houdyshell Detroits Academy of Dramatic Art (???)
Alison Pill The Lieutenant of Inishmore - None
Zoë Wanamaker Awake and Sing! Central School of Speech and Drama (UK)</p>
<p>Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Danny Burstein The Drowsy Chaperone BA, Queens College; MFA Acting, UC San Diego
Jim Dale - The Threepenny Opera - None. Got his start in stand-up comedy.
Brandon Victor Dixon The Color Purple BA Music, Columbia University
Manoel Felciano Sweeney Todd BA, Yale University; MFA Acting NYU/Tisch
*Christian Hoff Jersey Boys None (Started at San Diego's School of Creative and Performing Arts in 5th grade) *</p>
<p>Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Carolee Carmello Lestat BA Business Administration and French, SUNY Albany
Felicia P. Fields The Color Purple - ???
Megan Lawrence The Pajama Game - Cincinnati Conservatory of Music (Dropped out after a year.) Also dropped out of Towson State.
Beth Leavel The Drowsy Chaperone - ???
Elizabeth Withers-Mendes BS Berklee School of Music, Masters (?) NYU</p>
<p>Wow. I thought it was going to be a clean sweep by the "or nots" and the UK schools for awhile. Major dearth of BFA winners this year ...</p>
<p>Beth Leavel - undergrad at Meredith College...masters in acting and directing from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro!</p>
<p>Just FYI, Lynn Redgrave trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama, and I believe Frances De La Tour trained at the Drama Centre, London.</p>
<p>I saw the Tony's thread, got obsessed, and decided to bring this one back. It didn't take as long this year since so many of them are repeaters. :)</p>
<p>Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Boyd Gaines, "Journey's End," Juilliard
Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon, Syracuse and Elia Kazan at Lincoln Rep
Brian F. O'Byrne, "The Coast of Utopia," Samuel Beckett Center and Trinity College, Dublin
Christopher Plummer, "Inherit the Wind," Canadian Repertory Company
Liev Schreiber, "Talk Radio," Yale School of Drama and Royal Academy of Dramatic Art </p>
<p>Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Eve Best, "A Moon for the Misbegotten," Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Swoosie Kurtz, "Heartbreak House," University of Southern California and London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
Angela Lansbury, "Deuce," Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art (UK)
Vanessa Redgrave, "The Year of Magical Thinking," Central School of Speech and Drama
Julie White, "The Little Dog Laughed," Fordham University (History)</p>
<p>Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Michael Cerveris, "LoveMusik," Yale University (Music)
Raul Esparza, "Company," NYU/Tisch School of the Arts (Anybody know which studio?)
Jonathan Groff, "Spring Awakening," None. Got in Carnegie Mellon but decided to work instead.
Gavin Lee, "Mary Poppins," Doreen Bird College of Performing Arts (UK)
David Hyde Pierce, "Curtains," Yale University (English and Theatre Arts)</p>
<p>Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Laura Bell Bundy, "Legally Blonde The Musical," None. Professional since age 9.
Christine Ebersol, "Grey Gardens," MacMurray College and American Academy of Dramatic Arts (NYC)
Audra McDonald, "110 in the Shade," Juilliard (Music/Voice)
Debra Monk, "Curtains," Frostburg State University
Donna Murphy, "LoveMusik," NYU/Tisch School of the Arts Stella Adler Studio</p>
<p>Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Anthony Chisholm, "Radio Golf," None. Trained by Lloyd Richards
Billy Crudup, "The Coast of Utopia," BA Drama, UNC-Chapel Hill; MFA Acting, NYU/Tisch
Ethan Hawke, "The Coast of Utopia," Carnegie Mellon University (dropped out), NYU (English), British Theatre Association
John Earl Jelks, "Radio Golf," City College of San Francisco
Stark Sands, "Journey's End," BFA Acting, University of Southern California</p>
<p>Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Jennifer Ehle, "The Coast of Utopia," North Carolina School of the Arts, Central School of Speech and Drama
Xanthe Elbrick, "Coram Boy," Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Dana Ivey, "Butley," Rollins College, London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
Jan Maxwell, "Coram Boy," None ???
Martha Plimpton, "The Coast of Utopia," Professional Childrens' School (NYC), No college.</p>
<p>Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Brooks Ashmanskas, "Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me," Bennington College, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, The Shakespeare Institute, Welsh College of Music and Drama
Christian Borle, "Legally Blonde The Musical," Carnegie Mellon University
John Cullum, "110 in the Shade," University of Tennessee, BA Speech and graduate studies in Finance.
John Gallagher, Jr., "Spring Awakening," None???
David Pittu, "LoveMusik," ???</p>
<p>Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Charlotte d'Amboise, "A Chorus Line," School of American Ballet
Rebecca Luker, "Mary Poppins," University of Montevallo (BA Music)
Orfeh, "Legally Blonde The Musical," LaGuardia High School of the Arts
Mary Louise Wilson, "Grey Gardens," Northwestern University
Karen Ziemba, "Curtains," BFA Dance, University of Akron (also studied voice)</p>
<p>fishbowl...this was fun last time you did it and I am always awed by your research skills! </p>
<p>Regarding Raul Esparza, I just asked my Tisch D your question about his studio and she said he went to Playwrights Horizons. She also saw him in Company and said he was fantastic and should win the Tony.</p>
<p>As the last time when you found this information about degrees....a couple observations are that the degrees are from a range of selectivity/reknown BFA schools, but also there are degrees that are not BFA, not even in theater, or no degrees at all. This is quite accurate in this profession and many roads lead to success. One thing, however, is that the background level of older successful actors may not be the same indicators as those entering the profession these days. Just a gut feeling. Looking at some young actors' success (I am not referring to those on the above list at the moment) and their backgrounds, many have training of some sort and quite a number have a degree I think, but not always.</p>
<p>I had NO idea Brooks Ashmanskas went to Bennington College.</p>
<p>thanks, fishbowl :)</p>
<p>Sporti, yeah, the cool thing is that there are many making it in the theater world who did a BA program. Speaking of Bennington College, my D is working with a Tony nominated, and Obie winning director/composer/writer who also went to Bennington.</p>
<p>actress 5'5.9"? now i'll NEVER make it on broadway!</p>
<p>(i'm a 5'9" girl who is always too tall for the leading men.)</p>
<p>Sooz,
Thats definitely true about the ages of a lot of those actors. Many of them were born in the 1930s and '40s and I don't even think there was such a thing as an American BFA program prior to the mid-1960s. They would have had to take the old school route of apprenticing with established professionals or training at the old non-collegiate professional studios in New York if they didn't have the means to get training in the UK. Another thing to understand is that most of the information I got is simply for the schools that are listed and easily accessible through a Google search. :) I would think that many of those with no school or a bare BA probably got/get some training somewhere that isn't listed ... like with private acting coaches, etc. As an example, when I went looking for Kelli O'Hara last year, I at first just had her with a BM from OCU. However, I then found her resume which showed ...
[quote]
BM Voice, Oklahoma City University; Studied acting with Kate Wilson and Ralph Zito of The Juilliard School, Lola Cohen and Mauricio Bustamante of the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, and Bartlett Sher in Seattle. Took dance classes at OCU and the Broadway Dance Center
[/quote]
I get the feeling that type of thing isn't uncommon. You never stop learning which is why I suppose Liev Schreiber and Jennifer Ehle who have degrees from Yale Drama and NCSA respectively got additional training at schools in the UK which I assume were short courses for advanced text work ... though I could be wrong.</p>
<p>Deeniera (and Sporti because I've seen you mention your height before :)),
I wouldn't worry about the height. We're in the same range and I've always been told it's a good thing. "Leading lady height." It might make getting ingenue roles harder in some venues, but it will be an asset as we get older. Anyway, it looks like this year's crop would pull that average up a bit ...</p>
<p>Eve Best - 5'10"
Swoosie Kurtz - ?
Angela Lansbury - 5'8"
Vanessa Redgrave - 5'9"
Julie White - 5'8"
Laura Bell Bundy - ?
Christine Ebersol - 5'10"
Audra McDonald - 5'8"
Debra Monk - ?
Donna Murphy - 5'8"
Jennifer Ehle - 5'7"
Xanthe Elbrick - 5'8.5"
Dana Ivey - ?
Jan Maxwell - ?
Martha Plimpton - 5'5" or 5'2"
Charlotte d'Amboise - ?
Rebecca Luker - ?
Orfeh - ?
Mary Louise Wilson - ?
Karen Ziemba - ?</p>
<p>Notice that Kristin Chenoweth wasn't nominated this year. :) Some other greats I know of are ...</p>
<p>Sutton Foster - 5'9"
Annette Bening - 5'8.5"
Cate Blanchett - 5'8.5"
Meryl Streep - 5'7"
Mary Louise Parker - 5'8"</p>
<p>Then there are a whole parade of pure film actresses who are 5'9" or taller. Actually, most of the notables I can think of are 5'7" or taller. For some reason, the camera seems to prefer tall chicks, so take heart. :)</p>
<p>Fish,
NOW I am really impressed how you researched all of those actresses' heights! Whoa. </p>
<p>I also agree with you that the extent of the actors' training may not be reflected in their degrees (or even lack of degrees) or their stated bios. For instance, those with no degree or a BA degree, have likely had a lot of other training. As well, those who even have a BFA, might continue training that is not part of a degree program. I think this all goes back to a "mantra" that is often on this forum that the important thing is to get training. Where you get it or the form (type of degree program or no degree program) is not as crucial to one's success. There are many paths. But any path needs to include training of some form. Finding the best path that suits an individual and the best match for one's training is what it is about.</p>
<p>What a great thread! Thanks for all your research Fish! I passed all this on to my D, who is also quite tall, at 17 she is just over 5'9". I know she found it enlightening and encouraging also, that many on the lists did not graduate with a BFA degree. Talent, hard work, determination, connections and a little luck for being in the right place at the right time I'm sure have had just as much to do with who is on "the List" more than a BFA degree in hand.</p>
<p>deenierah, </p>
<p>I think you should be thankful for your height! It works the opposite way too. My daughter is a great dancer and has studied for a long time. Probably her strongest suit however...... she's only 5' 1''. So, she has the opposite issue. She could never be a rockette or prima ballerina and as for leading lady? We can only hope they need someone short at a point that she is at the right place at the right time. It's never ending isn't it? Crazy Crazy business!</p>
<p>Hahaha, fishbowl (and cindystamps4u, though the opposite!)-- I've gotten a little more used to the height thing. I was actually just cast in a really great staged reading because they wanted a tall actress, so it hasn't been quite as limiting as I thought!! But it's still a little frustrating sometimes, of course.</p>