Blake Allen

Last updated
Blake Allen
Born (1988-07-21) July 21, 1988 (age 35)
Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
Occupation(s)
  • Composer
  • Violist
  • Music Director
Website www.blakeallen.org

Blake Allen (born 1988) is an American composer and viola player who is most known for writing the shards of an honor code junkie, [1] music directing the 2019 revival of Over Here!, [2] a frequent collaborator with Tina Burner, Insomnia at Carnegie Hall, [3] writing the theme song for the talk show Doris Dear's Gurl Talk, [4] and appearing on Shade: Queens of NYC .

Contents

Early life and education

Allen was born Blake Liahona Allen in Tucson, Arizona on July 21, 1988, the fourth of the four children of Marsha Allen (née Wilcox), a piano pedagogue, and San Allen, an engineer and Chief operating officer for Winchester Electronics. Shortly after Allen's birth, his family moved to St. Petersburg, Florida. Allen was born with spherocytosis and had his spleen removed when he was four at St. Petersburg General Hospital. Allen's family then moved to Gainesville, Florida and ultimately El Paso, Texas, where Allen spent most of his formative years. [5] Allen grew up a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was in the viola sections of both the El Paso Symphony Orchestra and Las Cruces Symphony while attending Franklin High School. [6]

Allen attended Brigham Young University where his friend Alan Taylor committed suicide, which led to the creation of his musical the shards of an honor code junkie, [7] starring Tony Awards nominated actress Alison Fraser, Teal Wicks, Kristy Cates, Hannah Cruz, and Michael Lowney. [8] BYU is where Allen also met lifelong friend, and frequent collaborator, Christopher Koelzer (pianist), who has premiered several of Allen's works as well as being featured on Sonatas and the shards of an honor code junkie, of which Koelzer is also a character.

Allen also attended CCM in 2010–2011 and graduated with his Masters in Music from New York University where he studied viola with Stephanie Baer, composition with Joseph Church, and songwriting with Billy Seidman and Alex Forbes. Allen is currently a PhD Candidate researching fractal geometry in the music of Ligeti. Allen has been Adjunct Faculty of Violin & Viola at NYU Steinhardt since 2012.

Career

As a performer, Allen has performed with the New York Pops, Little Orchestra, on Broadway in Tootsie (musical) and Misery (play), recordings for Philip Glass, and many Off-Broadway productions including several shows and scores by Michael Friedman, Dave Malloy's Drama Desk nominated Beardo, and Marisa Michelson's Tamar of the River. [9] Allen has also been Tony Winner, Grammy and Emmy Nominee Rob Fisher's music assistant since 2012.

Allen was one of nine composers [10] and lyricists [11] involved with the Off-Broadway musical Folk Wandering , [12] which premiered in March 2018. [13]

In 2019, Allen won the 2019 BroadwayWorld Cabaret Award for Best Recurring Series for his "An Evening With... Series" [14] as well as the award for Best Special Event (Solo) for Marti Gould Cummings's Marti & The Cummers while also being nominated for Best Musical Director and Best Independent Album, for his An Evening With..., Vol. 1 [15] That same year, Allen also won the 2019 GLAM Award for Best Cabaret for Tina Burner's Witch Perfect [16] at Alan Cumming's Club Cumming along with fellow performers Bootsie Lefaris and Tammy Spenks. [17] In 2020, Allen won Best New Arrangement for Mack the Knife [18] and was nominated for My Funny Valentine, Best Musical Director, and Best Recurring Series for An Evening With... Series. [19] Allen also performed, to rave reviews, at Birdland with Lortel and Drama Desk Award winner Kuhoo Verma [20] in early 2020. [21]

Allen produced, music directed, and orchestrated the 2019 Off-Broadway, and first ever, revival of Over Here! at the Triad Theatre with Will Nunziata directing. [22] Smashing box office records at the Triad Theatre, the show starred Tony Award Winner Debbie Gravitte, Jessica Hendy, Haley Swindal, and Nikka Graff Lanzarone. [23] The revival was nominated for four BroadwayWorld Awards including Best Special Event and Best Musical Director, for Allen.

Allen also wrote a one-act play, Kelly [1955] based upon the Kelly-Hopkinsville Encounter, which premiered at the Hudson Guild Theatre in March 2019 and also starred Jessica Hendy. [24] The score was featured on Allen's Sonatas.

In 2020, Allen released his album Sonatas [25] featuring music which premiered at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The album debuted at #1 on the iTunes Classical Chart, where it stayed for two weeks, and debuted at #4 on the Billboard charts Classical, where it stayed in the top 10 for two weeks. [26] The album was recorded in one, 12-hour session, along with Allen's other album, "An Evening With...vol. 1", at Moon Recording, in Brooklyn, NYC.

At the height of the 2020 Pandemic, Allen wrote Livin' the Dreamboat with lyricist Claire Tran for the Astoria Performing Arts Center in Astoria, Queens. [27] The show premiered on YouTube and was one of the first theatrical shows to be written and presented virtually, in its entirety, as a result of the pandemic. [28] Also in 2020, Allen wrote the theme song and incidental music to Doris Dear's Gurl Talk, a weekly lifestyle show on Broadway on Demand. Allen was also the music director for the Doris Dear Christmas Special, which featured Tony Nominee Karen Mason, Amra-Faye Wright, and more. [29] For the special, Allen wrote "At Least It's Winter", a postcard song about NYC at Christmastime during the pandemic. The song was performed by Allen and Kristina Nicole Miller.

Allen is currently developing his next opera, Obsession, about the Parker-Hulme Murder, as well as a new theatrical piece, At KC's, with singer Kristina Nicole Miller and bassist Peter L. Powers. [30] At KC's, along with Boston|Nebraska, was partially developed at the Kimmel Nelson Harding Center for the Arts in Nebraska City, Nebraska, as part of an artist residency. [31]

the shards of an honor code junkie

After the sold-out world premiere of shards in 2017 as a benefit concert for The Trevor Project, Allen's classical-crossover score was picked up by No Reverse Records to be released in July 2021 as a storybook album. [32] The record is being produced by Ashley Kate Adams of AKA Studio Productions and Mitchell Walker, with mixing by Grammy-nomninated sound engineer Daniel Alba, mixing by Grammy-winner Alex Venguer, and mastering by Grammy-winner Oscar Zambrano. Conducted by Allen, with Zi Alikhan as the script consultant, the album is slated to feature, in returns to their roles, Alison Fraser, Teal Wicks, Kristy Cates, Brita Filter, Hannah Cruz, Cree Carrico, Tori Scott, and Michael Lowney with Kuhoo Verma, J. Harrison Ghee, Josh Daniel, Ron Tal, and Isaac Phaman Reynolds rounding out the cast. The album was recorded in December 2020 and January 2021 at Atomic Studios in Brooklyn as well as Second Story Sound in Manhattan.

shards was also performed at 54 Below in 2016, along with Allen's other pieces Boston|Nebraska (based on Willa Cather's "A Wagner Matinee") and HOCKET, a gay-fantasia on hard drugs. shards had its Actors' Equity Association, 29-hour reading in 2015 featuring Cates, Josh Tolle, and Ephie Aardema in the lead roles. Both versions were produced by Isaac Dayley. shards was developed in part at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity as part of a 2014 residency.

Characters and Cast Lists

Character(s)New York AEA Reading (2015) 54 Below Concert (2016) [33] Off-Broadway (2017)Album (2021)
BoyJosh TolleJosh DanielMichael Lowney
Girl— Teal Wicks
Woman Kristy Cates Kerry ConteLaura ShoopKristy Cates
ManJoseph C. Bellino—Kenyon PhillipsJ. Harrison Ghee
Little GirlEphie AardemaHannah Cruz
Angel——Cree Carrico
Madame Fontaine von Redgrave—— Alison Fraser
It Is MeChristine de FreceTori Scott
Lost Child of God 1CJ Palikowski (as LB1)Kylan RossJames Crichton (as LB1)Ron Tal
Lost Child of God 2Pierce Cassedy (as LB2)Giovanni BonneventuraAndre Jordan (as LB2)Josh Daniel
Lost Child of God 3Jeremy Greenbaum (as LB3)Tim HeinIsaac Phaman Reynolds
Lost Child of God 4——Hannah Cruz (as LB4)Kuhoo Verma
Starr Lyte—— Brita Filter
The Light——Virginia Preston—

Shade: Queens of NYC

Allen joined the cast of Shade: Queens of NYC at its inception in October 2017, as Blake Allen, the then-spouse to Marti Gould Cummings. The series documents the daily reality of lives as Manhattan drag queens. [34] In the series, Allen also music directed, arranged, and performed in several episodes culminating in the album A Very Marti Holiday, [35] an album of Christmas music featuring Daphne Rubin-Vega, [36] Cady Huffman, and Lesli Margherita to raise money for The Ali Forney Center. [37]

Personal life

Allen moved to New York City in 2011 and married New York City Council candidate, and drag artist, Marti Gould Cummings in 2016. Together, they were politically active in their community of Hamilton Heights, Manhattan until their divorce in 2022. [38]

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2017 Shade: Queens of NYC Himself; music arrangerSupporting Role
2018 Mozart in the Jungle Audition musician
2020 Doris Dear Gurl TalkComposer
2020The Doris Dear Christmas SpecialMusic director; composer
2021 In the Know Dragged [39] Himself; Emma Tallgal

Theatre

YearProductionRoleVenueRef(s)
2017 the shards of an honor code junkie Composer; Lyricist; Book Writer Metro Baptist Church [1]
2018Folk WanderingComposer; Lyricist; Musician Pipeline Theatre Co. [40]
2019Kelly [1955]Playwright; Composer Hudson Guild Theatre [24]
2019 Over Here! RevivalMusic Director; Arranger Triad Theatre [41]
2020Livin' the DreamboatComposer; OrchestratorAstoria Performing Arts Center [42]
2022InsomniaComposer; Lyricist Weill Recital Hall [43]

Discography

TitleDetailsPeak chart positions
Billboard Classical Billboard Cast Album iTunes Classical iTunes Top 100 iTunes Vocal Amazon Classical
the shards of an honor code junkie
  • Release date: September 17, 2021
  • Label: No Reverse Records
122781
Tina Burner Maybe This Time
  • Release date: 20 March 2021
  • Label: Tina Burner [44]
2
One Thing Is For Certain (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
  • Release date: 4 February 2021
  • Label: Traguna Productions & Blake Allen
Sonatas
  • Release date: 22 April 2020 (Earth Day)
  • Label: Traguna Productions & Blake Allen
4 [26] 140
An Evening With..., Vol. 1
  • Release date: 2019 [45]
  • Label: Traguna Productions & Blake Allen
  • Nominated for Best Album at 2019 BroadwayWorld Awards. [46]
A Very Marti Holiday
  • Release date: 2017
  • Label: Cowboy Bear Ninja & Blake Allen
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef.
2006 National String Orchestra Award Won
2019BroadwayWorld Cabaret AwardsBest Recurring SeriesAn Evening With...Won [47]
BroadwayWorld Cabaret AwardsBest Special Event - SoloMarti at Lincoln Center Won
BroadwayWorld Cabaret AwardsBest Musical DirectorAn Evening With...Nominated
BroadwayWorld Cabaret AwardsBest Independent AlbumAn Evening With... Vol. 1Nominated
GLAM AwardsBest CabaretWith PerfectWon [48]
GLAM AwardsBest CabaretMarti at Lincoln CenterNominated
2020BroadwayWorld Cabaret AwardsBest Arrangement Mack the Knife Won [49]
BroadwayWorld Cabaret AwardsBest Arrangement My Funny Valentine Nominated
BroadwayWorld Cabaret AwardsBest Musical Director Over Here!; An Evening With...; Witch PerfectNominated
BroadwayWorld Cabaret AwardsBest Recurring SeriesAn Evening With...Nominated
BroadwayWorld Cabaret AwardsBest Special Event - Multiple Over Here! Nominated
2021Telly AwardsOnline Scripted Web Series Doris Dear's Gurl TalkSilver [50]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betty Buckley</span> American actress and singer

Betty Buckley is an American actress and singer. Buckley is the winner of a Tony Award, and was nominated for an additional Tony Award, two Daytime Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and an Olivier Award. In 2012, she was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.

Faith Prince is an American actress and singer, best known for her work on Broadway in musical theatre. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in Guys and Dolls in 1992, and received three other Tony nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shoshana Bean</span> American actress and singer-songwriter (born 1977)

Shoshana E. Bean is a Tony-nominated American singer, songwriter, and stage actress. She has appeared in numerous musicals, performing in major Off-Broadway and Broadway theatres, including in the original production of Hairspray.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Clark</span> American musical theatre actress (born 1959)

Victoria Clark is an American actress, musical theatre soprano, and director. Clark has performed in numerous Broadway musicals and in other theatre, film and television works. Her voice can also be heard on various cast albums and in several animated films. In 2008, she released her first solo album titled Fifteen Seconds of Grace. A five-time Tony Award nominee, Clark won her first Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical in 2005 for her performance in The Light in the Piazza. She also won the Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, and the Joseph Jefferson Award for the role. She won a second Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical in 2023 for her performance in Kimberly Akimbo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephanie J. Block</span> American actress and singer (born 1972)

Stephanie Janette Block is an American actress and singer, best known for her work on the Broadway stage.

Loni Ackerman is an American musical theatre performer and cabaret singer.

Debbie Shapiro Gravitte is an American actress and singer. She was born in Los Angeles, California.

Karen Mason is an American musical theatre actress and singer. She has appeared on stage in Broadway theatre, notably as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard, and is a multiple award-winning cabaret performer.

Joseph Peter Philip Iconis is an American composer, lyricist, and playwright. He is best known for writing the music and lyrics to the Broadway musical Be More Chill.

Peter Kellogg is a musical theater book writer and lyricist. He wrote the lyrics and the book for the 1992 production of the Broadway musical Anna Karenina, for which he received two 1993 Tony Award nominations, one for Best Book of a musical and one for the Best Original Score. He also wrote the lyrics and book for the musicals Chasing Nicolette, Desperate Measures, Lincoln In Love, Stunt Girl, Money Talks, and The Rivals which have been read and produced regionally. Kellogg also received the New York Musical Theatre Festival 2006 award for Excellence in Musical Theatre Writing (Book) for Desperate Measures. On June 3, 2018, Kellogg won the 2018 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics for Desperate Measures.

Boobs! The Musical: The World According to Ruth Wallis is a musical revue with lyrics and music by 1950s and 1960s star Ruth Wallis. Using 20 of Wallis' songs, Boobs! tells the story of Ruth Wallis' international career and struggles in performing her naughty songs. Boobs! The Musical opened at the Triad Theater in New York City on May 19, 2003 to critical praise.

Larry Grossman is an American composer for theatre, television, film, concerts, and cabaret.

Taylor Hunt Trensch is an American stage and film actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily Skeggs</span> American actress and singer (born 1990)

Emily D. Skeggs is an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical in 2015 for playing the role of Medium Alison in Fun Home.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael J. Moritz Jr.</span>

Michael J. Moritz Jr. is a Grammy Award nominee, Tony Award winner, an Emmy Award winner, American theatrical producer, record producer, music supervisor, music director, arranger, Broadway music supervisor, performer and pianist. Michael's work as a pianist, music director and arranger is featured on many recordings in the pop and musical theatre genres. Michael is on the Board of Directors for The Angel Band Project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Bay Jones</span> American actress and singer

Rachel Bay Jones is an American actress and singer. She has played the roles of Catherine in the 2013 Broadway revival of Pippin and Evan Hansen's mother, Heidi Hansen, in Dear Evan Hansen. The latter earned her an Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, and the 2017 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She emerged as one of few artists to have received three of the four major American entertainment awards.

Shade: Queens of NYC is a television series on the network Fusion TV. It premiered in October 2017.

Stearns Matthews is an American, New York-based cabaret singer, recording artist, director, teacher, and pianist. He has performed throughout the United States as well as the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doris Dear</span>

Doris Dear is a fictional female actor, cabaret singer and comedian created and played by Ray DeForest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Goldner</span> Musical artist

Justin Goldner is an American music producer, songwriter, arranger and session musician based in New York City, originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

References

  1. 1 2 "New Musical "Shards Of An Honor Code Junkie" Tackles Gay Mormons, Suicide". LOGO News.
  2. ↑ Ridge, Richard. "OVER HERE! - Back with the Beat at The Triad". BroadwayWorld.com.
  3. ↑ "Insomnia Front Row Center". 10 November 2022.
  4. ↑ Mosher, Stephen. "BWW Review: DORIS DEAR'S GURL TALK Walks The Walk... In Six Inch Heels". BroadwayWorld.com.
  5. ↑ "On Point With: Blake Allen". March 1, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Blake Allen". IMDb.
  7. ↑ Gans, Andrew (October 25, 2017). "Alison Fraser, Teal Wicks Set for New Musical That Shines Light on LGBTQ Suicide". Playbill.
  8. ↑ BWW News Desk. "Blake Allen's THE SHARDS OF AN HONOR CODE JUNKIE Moves to Metro Baptist Church". BroadwayWorld.com.
  9. ↑ "Meet the Music Team | Pipeline Theatre Company". 14 December 2016.
  10. ↑ Clement, Olivia (March 2, 2018). "Watch the Cast of Folk Wandering Perform 2 Songs From the New Musical". Playbill.
  11. ↑ "Pipeline Theatre Company's Folk Wandering Opens Off-Broadway | TheaterMania". www.theatermania.com.
  12. ↑ Clement, Olivia (March 4, 2018). "Folk Wandering Musical Opens Off-Broadway". Playbill.
  13. ↑ "Folk Wandering | Pipeline Theatre Company".
  14. ↑ Matsuki, Sue. "Blake Allen's An Evening With...Series".
  15. ↑ BWW News Desk. "Winners Announced For The 2019 BroadwayWorld Cabaret Awards!". BroadwayWorld.com.
  16. ↑ Patrick, Bobby. "BWW Review: With WITCH PERFECT Club Cumming Shows Us Which Witch is Which for Halloween". BroadwayWorld.com.
  17. ↑ "21st Annual GLAM Awards - The Art of Being Queer". TAOBQ. February 12, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Winners Announced For The 2020 BroadwayWorld Cabaret Awards!". www.broadwayworld.com.
  19. ↑ BWW News Desk. "Just 3 Weeks To Vote For The 2020 BroadwayWorld Cabaret Awards!". BroadwayWorld.com.
  20. ↑ "Lucile Lortel Winners 2020".
  21. ↑ "The Lineup with Susie Mosher". March 4, 2020.
  22. ↑ "Conference Call: "Over Here!" at The Triad: Will Nunziata, Blake Allen, Debbie Gravitte, Jessica Hendy, and Haley Swindal". Call Me Adam.
  23. ↑ Gans, Andrew (October 28, 2019). "Tony Winner Debbie Gravitte Joins Concert Presentation of Over Here!". Playbill.
  24. 1 2 podcasters, Omny Studio is the complete audio management solution for; Stations, Radio. "Bagels and Broadway 3-9-19 - Bagels and Broadway with Valerie Smaldone - Omny.fm". omny.fm.
  25. ↑ "Blake Allen Announces Release of SONATAS, KHN Center News".
  26. 1 2 "Traditional Classical Albums Chart". Billboard.
  27. ↑ Kaye, Jacob. "Astoria Performing Arts Center to debut six musicals about the COVID-19 crisis – QNS.com". qns.com.
  28. ↑ "COVID-19 Themed Musical Shorts". www.ny1.com.
  29. ↑ "Doris Dear's Gurl Talk Broadway Tickets : : Broadway Show : New York City : Schedules and Showtimes : Buy Your Tickets Now!". NYC.com.
  30. ↑ BWW News Desk. "Jason Veasey, Jordan Tyson, Alexis Sims And More Part Of AT KC's Developmental Reading". BroadwayWorld.com.
  31. ↑ "Blake Allen in Residency at KHN".
  32. ↑ Mosher, Stephen. "BWW Interview: Ashley Kate Adams And Mitchell Walker of NO REVERSE RECORDS". BroadwayWorld.com.
  33. ↑ "Music of Blake Allen at 54 Below"./
  34. ↑ New Series Looks at the 'Hustle And Sacrifice' of NYC Drag Queens - "Shade: Queens of NYC" examines the less glitzy side of Manhattan's drag stars, 3 October 2017
  35. ↑ "Gay Agenda, Nov. 3: Scissor Sisters' Ana Matronic & Jake Shears Go Solo, Plus Sam Smith, Kim Petras & More". Billboard.
  36. ↑ Daphne Rubin Vega and more join Marti Gould Cummings, Playbill
  37. ↑ TV, BroadwayWorld. "BWW Exclusive: Listen to Marti Gould Cummings & Daphne Rubin-Vega Duet on A VERY MARTI HOLIDAY Album!". BroadwayWorld.com.
  38. ↑ Cut, the (June 8, 2020). "'The Next Thing I Remember, I'm on the Ground.'". The Cut.
  39. ↑ Pellot, Emerald (January 19, 2021). "Marti Gould Cummings gives their husband a retro-inspired drag makeover". In The Know.
  40. ↑ Collins-Hughes, Laura (March 5, 2018). "Review: 'Folk Wandering,' a Wistful Musical Full of Story and Searching". The New York Times.
  41. ↑ "1974 Broadway 'Over Here' in Concert at The Triad Theater". Theater Pizzazz. November 12, 2019.
  42. ↑ "Astoria Performing Arts Center | FOTV". www.fiveohm.tv.
  43. ↑ https://playbill.com/article/see-jeanna-de-waal-cree-carrico-more-celebrate-the-world-premiere-of-blake-allens-insomnia.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  44. ↑ Tina Burner Releases Covers, BroadwayWorld
  45. ↑ BWW News Desk. "Tennessee Waltz And More Featured On An Evening With... Series Debut Album!". BroadwayWorld.com.
  46. ↑ B. W. W. Staff. "Just Two Weeks Left To Vote for the 2019 BroadwayWorld Cabaret Awards". BroadwayWorld.com.
  47. ↑ "Winners Announced for 2019 BroadwayWorld Cabaret Awards".
  48. ↑ "21st Annual GLAM Awards".
  49. ↑ "Winners Announced for the 2020 BroadwayWorld Cabaret Awards". www.broadwayworld.com.
  50. ↑ "Doris Dear's Gurl Talk Wins Silver Telly Award".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.