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Success Stories: Theater

Musical - IN THE HEIGHTS

NICK DUCKART (Usnavi) is thrilled to return to Actors’ Playhouse, where he was last seen as John the Baptist/Judas in Godspell. Past AP credits: Next to Normal, Joseph..., Color of Desire. Other credits: Lajolla Playhouse, North Carolina Theatre, New York Music Theatre Festival (NYMF), Florida Stage, GableStage, Mosaic Theatre, Gulfshore Playhouse, Caldwell Theatre, Mad Cat, Aventura Cultural Arts Center, Broward Stage Door and City Theatre. TV: "Burn Notice" "66th Annual Tony Awards" and numerous commercials. Nick was also a vocalist on Ricky Martin's latest album,  Musica+Alma+Sexo. He is a recipient of the Carbonell Award, Silver Palm Award, and Silver Knight Award in Drama. AEA. BFA New World School of the Arts.

RAYNER G. GARRANCHAN (Sonny) is thrilled to be making his Actors’ Playhouse debut in his favorite musical, In the Heights!  Rayner is a graduate from the New World School of the Arts' BFA Theatre Program.  He recently wrote, produced, and starred in two shows, Steady Hands and iFeel, with a few of his fellow alumni for Lab9 in Miami’s MicroTheatre. He was also in City Theatre Shorts for Kids, The Alliance Theatre Lab's Home Sweet Funeral Home, and The Project [theatre]'s Beer Samplers at the Adrienne Arsht Center. Rayner is also a voice-over artist at The Kitchen and Universal Labs.

RENATA EASTLICK (Ensemble) is ecstatic to be a part of In the Heights "familia"! Earlier this year, Renata was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Carbonell for her performance as "Josephine" in the acclaimed production of Ruined (GableStage). Some of her credits include: Eclipsed (Carbonell Nominee, TWTP); Kiss of the Spider Woman (Slow Burn Theatre Co.); Hairspray (Actors' Playhouse);  Company (TheatreZone) and The Nutcracker: A Magical New Play (The House Theatre of Chicago). Renata is a proud recipient of the Silver Palm Award (Outstanding New Talent), AEA member and New World School of the Arts College Alumni. www.renataeastlick.com

Ivonne Azurdia, (BFA '00) actress and resident playwright for Miami's Mad Cat Theater, won the 2003 Carbonell Award for Best New Play for her original work, "Tin Box Boomerang," directed by NWSA Theater professor Paul Tei. Andrea Burns (HS '89) won a nomination for the 2003 Jeff Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in "Sunday in the Park with George." She performed for the 2004 NWSA Let the Arts Take Wing Gala.

Rebecca Delgado (HS '01) produced and starred in "A Place without Seasons" for the New York International Fringe Festival.

Randall Emmett (HS '89) is producing the $25 million budget film "Edison," starring Justin Timberlake, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey and L.L. Cool.

Katie Finneran (HS '89), 2002 Tony Award winner, plays "Goosey Lucy" in the film "Chicken Little," coming out in 2005. Also in 2004 she played Judy in CBS' telefilm "Plainsong" with Aiden Quinn, and performed the role of Sharon Tyler in the series "Wonderfalls" produced by Fox TV.

Ursula Freundlich (HS '97) starred in the world premiere of Nilo Cruz' Pulitzer Prize winning drama "Anna in the Tropics," at New Theater in Coral Gables.

Tarell McCraney (HS '99) was nominated for a 2004 Jeff Award (the Chicago equivalent of a Tony) for best actor in a supporting role for his performance in Blue/Orange at the Northlight Theater. Mr. McCraney premiered his play "The Brothers Size" at the Public Theatre in New York City.

Brandon Morris (BFA 2000) performed in his third season with City Theater's Summer Shorts in Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

Liza Quin (HS '99) –formerly Quintana as a NWSA student– is a multi-talented song-writer/singer bombshell who's making international magazine covers. You may have seen Liza as the official host of "Sonidos," a one-hour nationally televised music special which airs on the top three networks across the nation. This fall she stars on TV as the hostess of "American Latino," from the producers of the award-winning show Urban Latino TV (CBS/NBC/ABC). Her songwriting credits include Ricky Martin's "Amor," Gloria Estefan's "Out of Nowhere." For more information, check out her website: www.lizaquin.com.

Wicked Alumni: New World alums make Broadway's "Wicked" a big hit: Assistant Music Director Alex Lacamoire (HS '92), cast members Charlie Sutton (HS '02) and Ioana Alfonso (HS '95).

A company of NWSA College theater alums are producing their own critically-acclaimed original work off-Broadway as the Wreckio Ensemble Theater Company. In July 2004, they performed their original play "Wrestling Porcelain," at the Ontological Theater at St. Mark's Church in Greenwich Village. The company includes Michelle Damien (BFA '98), Tamara Cone (BFA '00), Randi Berry (BFA '99) Michelle Diaz (BFA '98) and Karly Maurer (BFA '01).

Meredith Zealy (BFA '00) stars in the new film "The Notebook" with Sam Shepard.