Tag Archives: Freak

Edward James Olmos to Appear in The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ New Latin Interview Series “Seen”

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Edward James Olmos is making a seen…

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has launched a new Latin interview video series titled Seen, that will feature interviews with Latino/a stars including the 74-year-old Mexican American Oscar-nominated actor.

Edward James Olmos

Hosted by journalist Nick Barili, Season 1 will feature interviews with Olmos, John Leguizamo and Eva Longoria.

“What a dream to host a series celebrating our community leaders like John Leguizamo, Eva Longoria and Edward James Olmos by giving them the recognition they deserve. Not only for trailblazing with their careers, but also for using their platforms to be a voice for our community. I look forward to sharing their journeys, their passions, and their legacy with the world,” Barili tells Deadline.

“This is a step in the right direction to address the lack of representation in Hollywood, but we still have a lot of work to do,” he added.

In the series premiere above, Barili has a one-on-one conversation with Leguizamo about how he navigated the industry over his decades-long career and how he’s confronted stereotypical casting. They also dive into the underrepresentation of the Latino community both in front of and behind the camera, tokenism, colorism, and what’s left for Leguizamo to accomplish.

“The conversation with John resonated with me at my core,” Barili said. “Not only is his show Freak the first time I truly felt seen, but also, he’s broken down walls for our community every step of his career. When Hollywood would only typecast him in stereotypical, one-dimensional roles, he took it upon himself to create, write and perform his own one-man shows that gave Latinos like me a chance to see themselves as three-dimensional characters that we didn’t get to see when we turned on the TV. They were complex, funny, courageous, vulnerable, and made me feel proud to be Latino.”

The second episode will feature an interview with Olmos, airing on January 31. Barili and Olmos pay a visit to the students from the Youth Cinema Project program at Los Angeles County’s Bell Gardens Intermediate School.

On February 7, Barili and Longoria tour her alma mater, California State University, Northridge, where she received a master’s degree in Chicano Studies in 2013 while filming Desperate Housewives.

Barili co-founded the Latinx in Media & Arts Coalition, which focuses on promoting Latinx creatives, increasing access to traditional and new-media platforms, providing resources and opportunities to youth, and cultivating the next generation of Latinx entertainment and creative professionals.

Leguizamo Receives Lucille Lortel Award Nomination for His “Latin History for Morons” Play

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John Leguizamo is reaping the critical acclaim for his return to the theater…

The 52-year-old Colombian American actor, stand-up comedian and playwright – who has earned Drama Desk Awards for his plays Ghetto Klown and Freak, along with other theater prizes – has earned a nomination at this year’s Lucille Lortel Awards, which salute commercial and nonprofit off-Broadway productions.

John Leguizamo

Leguizamo, who earned a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actor back in 1993 for his one-man play Spic-O-Rama, is nominated in the Outstanding Solo Show category for his Latin History for Morons, which he wrote and stars in. It was produced by The Public Theater in a co-production with Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

Joel Perez earned a nomination in the Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical category for his performance in Sweet Charity, the New Group revival starring Sutton Foster.

The Latino actor’s theater work includes Fun Home (Broadway and The Public Theater), as well as national and international tours of In the Heights and Fame.

María Irene Fornés, a multiple Obie Award winner, has received a nomination in the Outstanding Revival category.

The 86-year-old Cuban-American avant garde playwright and director is nominated for penning Drowning, one of the three plays that make up the Signature Theatre-produced Signature Plays: Edward Albee’s The Sandbox, María Irene Fornés’ Drowning, and Adrienne Kennedy’s Funnyhouse of a Negro.

Montana Blanco picked up a nod in the Outstanding Costume Design category for his work on The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World AKA the Negro Book of the Dead.

The awards will be presented on May 7 at an event hosted by ex-SNL company member Taran Killam to benefit The Actors Fund.

The complete list of nominations follows:

Outstanding Play
Indecent
Produced by Vineyard Theatre in association with La Jolla Playhouse and Yale Repertory Theatre
Written by Paula Vogel, Created by Paula Vogel & Rebecca Taichman

Oslo
Produced by Lincoln Center Theater
Written by J.T. Rogers

Underground Railroad Game
Produced by Ars Nova
Written by Jennifer Kidwell and Scott R. Sheppard

Vietgone
Produced by Manhattan Theatre Club in association with South Coast Repertory
Written by Qui Nguyen

The Wolves
Produced by The Playwrights Realm in association with New York Stage and Film and Vassar’s Powerhouse Theatre Season
Written by Sarah DeLappe

Outstanding Musical
The Band’s Visit
Produced by Atlantic Theater Company
Music and Lyrics by David Yazbek, Book by Itamar Moses, Based on the screenplay by Eran Kolirin

Dear Evan Hansen
Produced by Second Stage Theatre in association with Stacey Mindich Productions
Book by Steven Levenson, Music and Lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

Hadestown
Produced by New York Theatre Workshop
Written by Anaïs Mitchell

Ride the Cyclone
Produced by MCC Theater
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Brooke Maxwell and Jacob Richmond

The Total Bent
Produced by The Public Theater
Text by Stew, Music by Stew and Heidi Rodewald

Outstanding Revival
The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World AKA the Negro Book of the Dead
Produced by Signature Theatre
Written by Suzan-Lori Parks

Othello
Produced by New York Theatre Workshop
Written by William Shakespeare

Signature Plays: Edward Albee’s The Sandbox, María Irene Fornés’ Drowning, and Adrienne Kennedy’s Funnyhouse of a Negro
Produced by Signature Theatre
Written by Edward Albee, María Irene Fornés, and Adrienne Kennedy

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Produced by Rachel Edwards, Jenny Gersten, Seaview Productions, Nate Koch, Fiona Rudin, Barrow Street Theatre, Jean Doumanian, Rebecca Gold, and Tooting Arts Club
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Book by Hugh Wheeler, Adaptation by Christopher Bond

Sweet Charity
Produced by The New Group in association with Kevin McCollum
Book by Neil Simon, Music by Cy Coleman, Lyrics by Dorothy Fields

Outstanding Solo Show
Chris Gethard: Career Suicide
Produced by Judd Apatow, Mike Berkowitz, Brian Stern, Mike Lavoie, and Carlee Briglia
Written and Performed by Chris Gethard

Latin History for Morons
Produced by The Public Theater in a co-production with Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Written and Performed by John Leguizamo

Notes From The Field
Produced by Second Stage Theatre and American Repertory Theater
Created, Written, and Performed by Anna Deavere Smith

The Outer Space
Produced by The Public Theater
Book and Lyrics by Ethan Lipton, Music by Ethan Lipton, Vito Dieterle, Eben Levy, and Ian M. Riggs
Performed by Ethan Lipton

Sell/Buy/Date
Produced by Manhattan Theatre Club
Written and Performed by Sarah Jones

Outstanding Director
Will Davis, Men On Boats
Anne Kauffman, A Life
Lila Neugebauer, The Wolves
Bartlett Sher, Oslo
Rebecca Taichman, Indecent

Outstanding Choreographer
Joshua Bergasse, Sweet Charity
David Dorfman, Indecent
Georgina Lamb, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
David Neumann, Hadestown
David Neumann, The Total Bent 

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play
Reed Birney, Man From Nebraska
Michael Emerson, Wakey, Wakey
Lucas Hedges, YEN
Joe Morton, Turn Me Loose
David Hyde Pierce, A Life

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play
Johanna Day, Sweat
Jennifer Ehle, Oslo
Jennifer Kidwell, Underground Railroad Game
Kecia Lewis, Marie and Rosetta
Maryann Plunkett, Women of a Certain Age

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Michael Aronov, Oslo
Charlie Cox, Incognito
Matthew Maher, Othello
Justice Smith, YEN
Paco Tolson, Vietgone

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Jocelyn Bioh, Everybody
Hannah Cabell, The Moors
Randy Graff, The Babylon Line
Ari Graynor, YEN
Nana Mensah, Man From Nebraska

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical
Ato Blankson-Wood, The Total Bent
Shuler Hensley, Sweet Charity
Patrick Page, Hadestown
Ben Platt, Dear Evan Hansen
Jeremy Secomb, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical
Sutton Foster, Sweet Charity
Amber Gray, Hadestown
Jo Lampert, Joan of Arc: Into the Fire
Katrina Lenk, The Band’s Visit
Siobhan McCarthy, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Nathan Lee Graham, The View UpStairs
Gus Halper, Ride the Cyclone
Joel Perez, Sweet Charity
Ari’el Stachel, The Band’s Visit
Chris Sullivan, Hadestown

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Asmeret Ghebremichael, Sweet Charity
Rachel Bay Jones, Dear Evan Hansen
Betsy Morgan, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Emily Rohm, Ride the Cyclone
Karen Ziemba, Kid Victory

Outstanding Scenic Design
Scott Davis, Ride the Cyclone
Rachel Hauck, Hadestown
Laura Jellinek, A Life
Mimi Lien, Signature Plays: Edward Albee’s The Sandbox, María Irene Fornés’ Drowning, and Adrienne Kennedy’s Funnyhouse of a Negro
Jason Sherwood, The View UpStairs

Outstanding Costume Design
Montana Blanco, The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World AKA the Negro Book of the Dead
Tilly Grimes, Underground Railroad Game
Susan Hilferty, Love, Love, Love
Sarah Laux, The Band’s Visit
Emily Rebholz, Indecent

Outstanding Lighting Design
Mark Barton, Signature Plays: Edward Albee’s The Sandbox, María Irene Fornés’ Drowning, and Adrienne Kennedy’s Funnyhouse of a Negro
Jane Cox, Othello
Greg Hofmann, Ride the Cyclone
Amy Mae, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Ben Stanton, YEN

Outstanding Sound Design
Mikhail Fiksel, A Life
Robert Kaplowitz, Hadestown
Stowe Nelson, Small Mouth Sounds
Nevin Steinberg, Wakey, Wakey
Matt Stine, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street 

Outstanding Projection Design
Elaine McCarthy, Notes From The Field
Duncan McLean, Privacy
Jared Mezzochi, Vietgone
Peter Nigrini, Dear Evan Hansen
Peter Nigrini, Wakey, Wakey

HONORARY AWARDS
Lifetime Achievement Award
William Ivey Long

Playwrights’ Sidewalk Inductee
Lynn Nottage

Edith Oliver Service to Off-Broadway Award
Harold Wolpert

Leguizamo to Star in the One-Man Show “Latin History for Dummies”

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John Leguizamo is ready to play teacher…

The 51-year-old Colombian actor plans to give audiences a special educational lesson with his latest one-man show Latin History for Dummies.

John Leguizamo

The Public Theater – an off-Broadway production company in New York City known for hits like Hamilton, Fun Home and Eclipsed – will showcase Leguizamo’s latest comedic creation during its spring 2017 season.

Leguizamo, a Golden Globe, Drama Desk and Emmy nominee, had a string of New York City stage hits in the 1990s with Mambo Mouth, Spic-o-Rama and Freak, and he has been inspired to create and star in his the next show after noticing a lack of representation for Latinos in the American historical narrative.

“Just imagine you’re a white kid, and all of a sudden everybody’s Latin, and everything they’re teaching you is Latin, and you don’t hear anything about yourself or about your contributions,” Leguizamo said in a statement. “And it’s really weird and unfair because we had huge contributions.”

The show takes place under the guise of a satirical history lesson aimed at Leguizamo’s son and will explore Latin historical themes dating back thousands of years, as well how Spanish-speaking immigrants helped to shape the most powerful nation in the world.

The project will be co-produced by Berkeley Repertory Theatre and directed by Berkeley Rep’s Tony Taccone.

No official date has been set for the show’s premiere.

Leguizamo’s One-Man Show “Ghetto Klown” to Become an HBO Special

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John Leguizamo will be klowning around on HBO next spring…

The 49-year-old Colombian American comedian/actor will be bringing his Ghetto Klown to HBO.

John Leguizamo's Ghetto Klown

The pay cable network will tape Leguizamo’s hit one-man show on November 16 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s Victoria Theatre for debut next spring.

Ghetto Klown, for which Leguizamo received a Drama Desk Award, is a semi-autobiographical show about his path to stardom based on his memoir Pimps, Hos, Playa Hatas, and All the Rest of My Hollywood Friends. 

Ghetto Klown, written by Leguizamo, will be directed by Fisher Stevens, who also directed the successful 2012 Broadway production and national tour.

It’s Leguizamo’s first HBO special in 11 years and the fifth one-man show to become a special on HBO.

His other shows include Mambo Mouth (1991); Spic-O-Rama (1993); Freak (1998), for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award; and Sexaholic…A Love Story (2002).

Leguizamo Signs Development Deal with ABC/ABC Studios…

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John Leguizamo could be appearing on the “Alphabet Network” in the near future.

The 47-year-old Colombian actor/comedian, currently appearing on the big screen in Katherine Heigl’s One for the Money, has signed a development deal with ABC and ABC Studios.

John Leguizamo

As part of the pact, Leguizamo will star in and executive produce a single-camera comedy inspired by his professional, personal and family life in New York City.

It would be the first comedy series for Leguizamo who previously co-starred on ER and The Kill Point and headlined the CBS drama pilot Edison.

The search is currently underway for a writer to pen the comedy project, which will likely be developed off-cycle given the timing of the deal.

Leguizamo, who will executive produce the show, will not be required to do an ABC pilot this season, but will be exposed to some and could take one on.

Leguizamo is currently touring the country with his fifth one-man show, Ghetto Klown, following a successful summer run on Broadway.

One of his previous stage shows, Freak, was broadcast by HBO and earned him an Emmy Award.