Amber Gray
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Amber Gray | |
|---|---|
| Education | Boston University (BFA) New York University (MFA) |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
| Spouse | Galen Hamilton (m. 2011) |
| Children | 2 |
Amber Gray is an American actress and singer. She is known for portraying Hélène Bezukhova in the 2016 Broadway musical Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812[1] and for originating the role of Persephone in the musical Hadestown, both off and on Broadway. For the latter 2019 role, she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, additionally earning the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.[2]
Early life and education[edit]
Gray is a military brat and spent her early childhood across Europe and the United States.[3] She later settled in Wayland, Massachusetts, where she attended Wayland High School.
She attended Boston University where she received a BFA in acting and New York University where she received an MFA in acting.[4]
Career[edit]
In 2007, she began her screen career by appearing in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, titled "Haystack", as a character named Raye.[5] She also worked as a photographer on Canada's Top Model in 2009 on the episode "Bright Lights: No Pity". In 2012, Gray first became involved with Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812. Gray portrayed Countess Hélène Bezukhova in the musical's performances at the Off-Off-Broadway Ars Nova Theater.[6] Gray continued with Great Comet when it moved to Kazino Meatpacking in 2013, Kazino Times Square in 2014, and when it opened on Broadway in late 2016. Gray was awarded a 2017 Theatre World Award for her performance as Hélène.[7]
In 2014, Gray reprised her leading role as Zoe in An Octoroon at Soho Repertory Theatre[8] An Octoroon utilized the plot of The Octoroon, an 1859 melodrama, but turned it into a contemporary new play that discusses America's slave history and both past and present racism. In an interview with The New York Times , Gray spoke of the part's difficulty due to many intense racial scenes/[3] Gray remained with the production when it went on to play at Theatre for a New Audience in 2015.
In 2016, Gray portrayed Persephone in New York Theatre Workshop's production of the new musical Hadestown, based on Anaïs Mitchell's album of the same name and the tragic myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.[2] Gray was again directed by Rachel Chavkin, whom she collaborated with during Great Comet.[9] Gray was praised by critics, who were impressed by her "vocal dexterity,"[10] "charisma," and "powerhouse voice".[11] She reprised this role in the Edmonton Citadel Theatre, London National Theatre, and Broadway productions. For the Broadway production, she received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
In 2021, Gray debuted her first leading role in the Amazon limited series The Underground Railroad as Gloria Valentine.[12][13]
Personal life[edit]
Gray married Galen Hamilton in 2011.[14] They have two children.[15]
Theatre[edit]
| Years | Production | Role | Theatre | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Ain't Misbehavin | Charlaine | Huntington Theatre Company | Marcia Milgrom Dodge |
| 2005 | Lady Windermere's Fan | Lady Plymdale | Williamstown Theatre Festival | Moisés Kaufman |
| On The Razzle | Lisette | Williamstown Theatre Festival | David Jones | |
| Prudence | Sarah | Connecticut Repertory Theatre | Tyler Marchant | |
| 2006 | Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir | Activist, Singer | Internationally | Savitri D |
| 2009 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Puck, Hippolyta, Theseus | Florence's Villa La Pietra, NYC Bandshells, Classic Stage Company | Jim Calder |
| 2010 | An Octoroon | Zoe | P.S. 122 | Branden Jacobs-Jenkins |
| Banished Children of Eve | Eliza | Irish Repertory Theatre | Ciaran O'Reilly | |
| 2011 | Sueño | The Sun | Atlas Theatre | Jack Fletcher |
| 2011–13 | The TEAM's Mission Drift | Joan | P.S. 122's COIL Festival, London's National Theatre, Edinburgh's Traverse Theatre, Lisbon, Coimbra, Salzburg, Hong Kong, Perth, Williams College | Rachel Chavkin |
| 2012 | All Hands | Greta | Hoi Polloi | Alec Duffy |
| We Play for the Gods | Simi | Women's Project | Jessi D. Hill, Sarah Rasmussen, Mia Rovegno | |
| The World is Round | Rose Rose Rose | Ripe Time | Rachel Dickstein | |
| Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 | Hélène Kuragina Bezukhova | Ars Nova | Rachel Chavkin | |
| Eager to Lose | Trixie | Ars Nova | Portia Krieger and Wes Grantom | |
| 2013 | Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 | Hélène Kuragina Bezukhova | Kazino Meatpacking District | Rachel Chavkin |
| 2014 | Kazino Times Square | |||
| An Octoroon | Zoe | Soho Rep | Sarah Benson | |
| 2014–15 | A 24 Decade History of Popular Music: 1900s-1950s | Singer | New York Live Arts with Under the Radar | Taylor Mac, Niegel Smith |
| 2015 | An Octoroon | Zoe | Theatre for a New Audience | Sarah Benson |
| Oklahoma! | Laurey Williams | Bard SummerScape | Daniel Fish | |
| Iphigenia in Aulis | Clytemnestra, Menelaus | Classic Stage Company | Rachel Chavkin | |
| 2016 | Hadestown | Persephone | New York Theatre Workshop | |
| 2016–17 | Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 | Hélène Kuragina Bezukhova | Imperial Theatre, Broadway | |
| 2017 | The TEAM's Primer for a Failed Superpower | Activist, Singer | Roulette | |
| Hadestown | Persephone | Edmonton's Citadel Theatre | ||
| 2018–19 | Olivier Theatre, Royal National Theatre | |||
| 2019–22 | Walter Kerr Theatre | |||
| 2019 | Into the Wild | Performer | Playwrights Horizons[18] | Lila Neugebauer |
| 2021 | Against Women and Music | Celine Gray | Virtual production | Sarna Lapine |
| 2022 | Macbeth | Banquo | Longacre Theatre | Sam Gold |
| 2023 | Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris | Performer | Benefit performance in Tangier, Morocco | Rob Ashford |
| 2023-24 | Here We Are | Claudia Bursik-Zimmer | The Shed | Joe Mantello |
Filmography[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Roger, the Chicken | Dr. Rose | |
| 2013 | The Weekend | Maggie | |
| 2017 | Walden: Life in the Woods | Melinda | |
| 2021 | Where There's Smoke | Jenifer | Short film |
| 2022 | Master | Liv Beckman |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Raye | Episode: "Haystack" |
| 2018 | Escape at Dannemora | Annie | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | Ms. Guidance | Bethany Bump | 6 episodes |
| 2021 | Bull | Dr. Kinsey | Episode: "To Save a Life" |
| 2021 | The Underground Railroad | Gloria Valentine | 2 episodes |
| 2023 | The Gilded Age (TV series) | Gloria Valentine | 1 episode |
Awards and nominations[edit]
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Lucille Lortel Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical | Hadestown | Nominated | |
| Theatre World Award | Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut Performance | Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 | Won | [19] | |
| 2018 | Sterling Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role | Hadestown | Won | [20] |
| 2019 | Tony Awards | Best Featured Actress in a Musical | Nominated | [21] | |
| Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Won | [22] | ||
| Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Nominated | [23] | ||
| 2020 | Grammy Award | Best Musical Theater Album | Won | [24] |
References[edit]
- ^ Isherwood, Charles (November 14, 2016). "Review: 'Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812,' on the Heels of 'Hamilton'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
- ^ a b Isherwood, Charles (May 23, 2016). "Review: 'Hadestown' Reanimates a Well-Known Myth". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
- ^ a b Soloski, Alexis (April 23, 2014). "Amber Gray on 'An Octoroon,' at Soho Rep". The New York Times. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
- ^ Tisch NYU. "Select Alumni Bios". tisch.nyu.edu. New York University. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
- ^ "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" Haystack (TV Episode 2007) - IMDb, retrieved April 17, 2020
- ^ H., Claire (December 3, 2013). "Amber Gray on her adventures in "Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812"". Stage Door Dish. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
- ^ Editors, American Theatre (May 11, 2017). "'Great Comet' Actors and More Receive Theatre World Awards". AMERICAN THEATRE. Theatre Communications Group. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
{{cite news}}:|last1=has generic name (help) - ^ Clement, Oivia (March 17, 2015). "An Octoroon Star Amber Gray on the "Secrets and Lies" of Race and Theatre". Playbill. Playbill Inc. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
- ^ Kaplan, Janice (May 26, 2016). "The Next 'Hamilton' Takes Place in Hell—and Stars Donald Trump". The Daily Beast. The Daily Beast Company. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
- ^ Stewart, Zachary. "Hadestown". TheaterMania.com. Theater Mania. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
- ^ Patterson, Megan (August 23, 2016). "All Aboard the Train to Hadestown". HowlRound. Emerson College. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
- ^ Evans, Greg (October 24, 2019). "'The Underground Railroad': Broadway's Amber Gray Joins Amazon Limited Series". Deadline. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ Selleck, Emily (October 24, 2019). "Hadestown Star Amber Gray Joins Amazon's The Underground Railroad". Playbill. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ "Livin' It Up: Amber Gray Goes from 'Weak Link' of the School Play to Tony-Nominated Hadestown Standout". Broadway.com. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ "Hadestown Tony Nominee Amber Gray on Raising Babies While Performing 8 Shows a Week on Broadway". People. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ Clement, Olivia (March 17, 2015). "An Octoroon Star Amber Gray on the "Secrets and Lies" of Race and Theatre". Playbill. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ Soloski, Alexis (April 23, 2014). "Returning to an 'Impossible' Role". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ Amber Gray, Jennifer Laura Thompson, Ryan McCartan, More Featured in Industry Reading of Into the Wild Musical
- ^ Theatre World Awards. "Theatre World Awards - Theatre World Awards". www.theatreworldawards.org. Theatre World Awards. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
- ^ Sterling Awards. "Sterling Awards". Archived from the original on July 4, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
- ^ McPhee, Ryan (April 30, 2019). "2019 Tony Award Nominations: Hadestown and Ain't Too Proud Lead the Pack". Playbill. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- ^ Lefkowitz, Andy (April 23, 2019). "Hadestown, Tootsie & Oklahoma! Lead 2019 Outer Critics Circle Award Nominations". Broadway.com. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- ^ Lefkowitz, Andy (April 17, 2019). "Nominations Announced for 85th Annual Drama League Awards". Broadway.com. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
- ^ "2020 GRAMMYs Awards Show: Complete Winners & Nominations List". www.grammy.com. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
