Q. Smith | |
---|---|
Born | Quiana Smith Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. |
Quiana Smith (born 1978 or 1979 [1] ) is an American stage actress best known for her involvement in the Broadway and touring productions of Mary Poppins , and originating the role of Hannah in Come from Away .
Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska to Llana and Rudy Smith. [2] Although she began performing at a young age in her church's choir, [3] she didn't become seriously interested in theater until late in high school, [4] when two other African-American girls at Omaha North High School introduced her to show tunes. [1] [5] The first Broadway show she saw was Les Miserables , when it came on tour in Omaha. [5] Smith was encouraged by her high school teachers to try singing opera, and she subsequently worked with the Omaha Symphony Orchestra. [2]
Smith taught drama to children the summer before her senior year of high school, where she got the nickname "Q", when the children were unable to pronounce her given name, Quiana. [5]
While auditioning for college theater programs, she studied drama at the University of Nebraska. [3] [5] In her sophomore year, she was able to transfer to Ithaca College. [3] [4] She graduated with a degree in musical theater from Ithaca College in 2000, [1] [3] one of the first two African-American women to graduate from the program. [5]
After graduating from Ithaca College, Smith returned to Omaha and joined the Omaha Theatre Company for Young People. [3] She later moved to New York City on a whim, staying with a friend while she auditioned. [3] Her first show in the city was Smokey Joe’s Café . [3]
Smith performed at events surrounding Barack Obama's inauguration ceremonies in 2009 and 2013, as a representative of the state of Nebraska. [2] [4]
In 2009, Smith joined the North American Tour of Mary Poppins, later becoming the first featured African-American actress in any of the musical's productions, in the role of Miss Andrew. [6]
In 2015, Smith originated the role of Lana (later renamed Hannah) in the premiere of Come From Away at the La Jolla Playhouse. [7] Smith, who had been living in Queens in September 2001 and was in the city on 9/11, was initially hesitant to take the role, but later changed her mind. [3] [5] She remained with the show, performing in its Broadway premiere in February 2017. [3] [8]
In 2016, Smith recorded and performed the season theme song for Transcendence Theatre Company, entitled "Live." The song was written by Rick McKee for Transcendence Theatre Company's 2016 season. [9]
Smith has also been involved in teaching drama workshops, and in programs that use drama as a form of therapy. [5] In addition to acting, Smith has been working on a book for over a decade; titled Queens of the Theatre, the book is based on women of color who have worked in theater, television, and film. [4]
Year | Show | Role | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
Smokey Joe’s Café | [3] | |||
2003 | Fame | Mabel Washington | Off-Broadway | [10] |
2004 | Aida | Nehebka | Regional | [11] |
2005 | Abyssinia | Corine | [12] | |
2006 | Les Miserables | Swing | Broadway | [13] [8] |
2009-2011 | Mary Poppins | Ensemble, Miss Andrew, Miss Smythe, Queen Victoria | North American Tour | [14] [15] |
2012 | Miss Andrew, Miss Smythe, Queen Victoria | Broadway | [8] | |
2013 | Mrs. Corry, Miss Andrew | Regional | [16] | |
2015 | Come From Away | Lana | [7] | |
2016 | A Night with Janis Joplin | Joplinaire, Blues Woman, Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone | [4] | |
2017-2019 | Come From Away | Hannah | Broadway | [8] |
2021-2022 |
Year | Award | Show | Role | Category | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | Gypsy Rose Lee Awards | Come from Away | Lana | Excellence in Performance of a Musical as a Supporting Actor (Female) - any non-lead | Nominated | [17] |
2017 | Helen Hayes Awards | Hannah | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical-Hayes | Nominated | [18] |
Smith married fellow actor Lawrence Stallings in 2018. [5] [19] The couple have one son. [20]
Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh is a British theatrical producer and theatre owner notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "the most successful, influential and powerful theatrical producer in the world" by the New York Times. He is the producer of shows including Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Miss Saigon, Mary Poppins, Oliver!, and Hamilton.
Gavin James Creel is an American actor, singer, and songwriter best known for his work in musical theater. Creel made his Broadway debut in 2002 in the leading role of Jimmy in Thoroughly Modern Millie before starring as Claude in the 2009 Broadway revival of Hair, both Tony Award-nominated performances. From 2012 to 2015, he starred as Elder Price in The Book of Mormon; he received a Laurence Olivier Award for originating the role in the West End version of the musical and has played the role in the US National Tour and on Broadway. In 2017, he received a Tony Award for his performance as Cornelius Hackl in Broadway's Hello, Dolly!.
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.
Disney Theatrical Productions Limited (DTP), also known as Disney on Broadway, is the stageplay and musical production company of the Disney Theatrical Group, a subsidiary of Disney Entertainment, a major division and business unit of The Walt Disney Company.
Laura Michelle Kelly is an English actress and singer, best known for originating the roles of Mary Poppins in Mary Poppins in the West End, for which she received the Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical, and Sylvia Llewelyn Davies in Finding Neverland on Broadway.
Mary Poppins is a musical with music and lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman and additional music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, and a book by Julian Fellowes. The musical is based on the similarly titled Mary Poppins children's books by P. L. Travers and the 1964 Disney film, and is a fusion of various elements from the two, including songs from the film.
Kerry Butler is an American actress and singer known primarily for her work in theater. She is best known for originating the roles of Barbara Maitland in Beetlejuice, Penny Pingleton in Hairspray, and Clio/Kira in Xanadu, the latter of which earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical.
Christian Dominique Borle is an American actor and singer. He is a two-time Tony Award winner for his roles as Black Stache in Peter and the Starcatcher and as William Shakespeare in Something Rotten! Borle also originated the roles of Prince Herbert, et al. in Spamalot, Emmett in Legally Blonde, and Joe in Some Like It Hot on Broadway. He starred as Marvin in the 2016 Broadway revival of Falsettos. He also starred as Tom Levitt on the NBC musical-drama television series Smash and Vox in the adult animated black comedy musical series Hazbin Hotel.
Ashley Brown is an American singer and actress who is best known for playing the titular character in the United States national tour and Broadway productions of Mary Poppins.
Julia Kathleen Murney is an American actress and singer, also known for television commercial voice-overs. Until 2005, she was commonly known as the Broadway actress who had technically never appeared on Broadway. This was because her fame came mostly from her performances on the Broadway charity circuit, and not traditional Broadway productions. She played the role of Elphaba in the musical Wicked, both on the US national tour (2006) and on Broadway (2007). She is also a two-time Drama Desk Award nominee, for The Wild Party (2000) and Falling (2013).
Emily Skinner, also known as Emily Scott Skinner, is a Tony-nominated American actress and singer. She has played leading roles in 11 Broadway productions including New York, New York, Prince of Broadway, The Cher Show, Side Show, Jekyll & Hyde, James Joyce's The Dead, The Full Monty, Dinner at Eight, Billy Elliot, as well as the Actor's Fund Broadway concerts of Dreamgirls and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. She has sung on concert stages around the world and on numerous recordings.
Scarlett Aimee Vaigncourt-Strallen is an English stage actress, best known for her work in musical theatre productions in the West End and on Broadway. She has received two Olivier Award nominations, in 2006 for her portrayal of Josephine in an adaptation of H.M.S. Pinafore, performed at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre and in 2012 for her role in Singin' in the Rain. Strallen is also a former voice actress.
Lisa Brescia is an American musical theatre actress who has performed as lead and understudy in several Broadway shows. Raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she went on to pursue acting and graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She taught Acting I and IV at Missouri State University and is now set to be the head of the Musical Theatre department at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri.
Carrie Manolakos is an American singer-songwriter and musical theatre actress. As an actress, she is perhaps best known for her stage work, on Broadway in Mamma Mia! as Sophie Sheridan, and in the original 2nd national tour cast of Wicked as the Elphaba standby. She became an internet sensation after her cover of the Radiohead song "Creep" went viral after it was picked up by Gawker Media, under the title "Eargasm". The cover was performed at her album release party at Le Poisson Rouge in Greenwich Village.
Nicolas Dromard is a Canadian singer and stage actor, best known for his performances as Fiyero in the San Francisco sit-down production of the musical Wicked. He also performed in the Broadway musical version of Mary Poppins as part of the original Broadway cast ensemble, and later as Bert on Broadway and in the National Tour. He recently performed in the national tour and Broadway productions of Jersey Boys as Tommy DeVito.
Fun Home is a musical theatre adaptation of Alison Bechdel's 2006 graphic memoir of the same name, with music by Jeanine Tesori, and book and lyrics by Lisa Kron. The story concerns Bechdel's discovery of her own lesbian sexuality, her relationship with her closeted gay father, and her attempts to unlock the mysteries surrounding his life. It is told in a series of non-linear vignettes connected by narration provided by the adult Alison character.
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is a jukebox musical with a book by Douglas McGrath that tells the story of the early life and career of Carole King, using songs that she wrote, often together with Gerry Goffin, and other contemporary songs by Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Phil Spector and others.
Jenn Colella is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her work in musical theatre. In her New York debut in Urban Cowboy, she earned a 2003 Outer Critics Circle Award nomination. More recently, she received a Tony Award nomination and won the Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, and three regional theater awards for her portrayal of Annette/Beverley Bass in Come from Away. She reprised her roles in the 2021 filmed recording of the musical.
Sharon Wheatley is an American actress, singer, and writer known for her work on the Broadway stage and in the New York theatre scene. She performed in the Tony Award winning Broadway musical Come from Away throughout its entire Broadway run as Diane, a friendly Texan who finds love when the transcontinental flight she is aboard is suddenly diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, due to the events of September 11, 2001. Wheatley had been with the production since its first professional production at the La Jolla Playhouse in the spring of 2015.
McKenzie Kurtz is an American actress, singer, and dancer. In her Broadway debut, she played the role of Anna in Frozen.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link)