Kemari Bryant’s acting career has started with some big “firsts.”  He is the first graduate of the UNCG School of Theatre with a degree in Musical Theatre, and now he is on his first national tour with the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon.

“It’s been amazing.  I’ve had a chance to travel to places that were never on my radar. It’s also incredible from an acting standpoint. When you do a show in one place you get used to the type of audience you have there.  Touring is a real experience. You might be in L.A. one week then Springfield, Missouri the next. People in different cities or areas of the country take on the show in different ways.”

Bryant says that’s one of the lessons he learned at UNCG’s School of Theatre—how to gauge an audience and play to it.

“We really explored that in our training, that and so many things that got me to this point. In the UNCG program we talk about the toolbelt. Our classes, workshops, and shows give us all the tools we need. Now I’m doing this show and I’m really reaching into that toolbelt. There’ve been so many times when I think back to what John Gulley (Professor of Acting and Directing) taught me freshman year and how I can use it now.”

Bryant graduated in December of 2021 with plans to go to New York by summer. But before then he signed with an agent and began flying up to auditions and sending self-tapes. His final callback for The Book of Mormon was in May of 2022, and just a few weeks after moving to the city, he got the word.

“I was working in coffee shops, reconnecting with UNCG alumni in New York, and just getting the vibe of being in the city when I got the email from my agent that I’d booked the tour.”

The Book of Mormon won nine Tony Awards in 2011, including Best Musical. With a book, music and lyrics by Robert Lopez, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the show follows two young missionaries who are sent to Uganda to try to convert citizens to the Mormon religion. Casey Nicholaw and Parker co-directed the production, which features choreography by Nicholaw,

“This show is everything from laugh out loud funny to heartwarming to downright shocking,” says Bryant. “I feel like the comedic musical is such a rare thing on Broadway these days. This show has back-to-back jokes. There are references to other shows. You will laugh throughout.  The show is also full of music and dance like a Golden Age show – it’s a spectacle.”

Bryant says the show has made him realize the importance of another tool he packed into his actor’s toolbelt at UNCG.

“Take away the idea of perfection and be a little messy. There’s so much to gain from truthfulness and boldness. Be willing to make choices that might be outside what you might feel is safe.  Experiment. Erin Speer (Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre) always told us to make a choice, just make it honest and make it your own. People really want to see you—that’s why they cast you, right?  Bring yourself to your role.”

And while Bryant is bringing himself to his role, the tour is bringing him to Greensboro.  The Book of Mormon opens at the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts on February 21st.

Bryant says he can’t wait to be back.

“UNCG gave me a place to foster my different talents and interests and gave me space to work with mentors and collaborators who always supported me and were essential to my becoming the actor and the person I am today.”

The Book of Mormon will be at the Tanger Center through February 26th.

Story by Terri W. Relos

The Book of Mormon photo by Julieta Cervantes

Headshot provided by Kemari Bryant

Let the music play! At UNCG, new scholarship in collaborative piano

Ailyn Pitt believes in the healing power of art both through creating it and by experiencing it.

Pitt is the mastermind behind “Art’s Way Out,” a YouTube channel that provides a space for artists to talk about their purpose and their motivation behind the art form they are representing:

“When you look at a painting or sculpture or listen to music or see a play, we see the work but we don’t always know the artists’ motivations. There’s a whole person with feelings behind the work. I wanted to get to know the people.”

From early on, Pitt loved to draw, and during high school, she discovered an interest in psychology. She had been accepted into several universities, but finances were a real issue. UNCG offered her a Guarantee Scholarship, a selective scholarship for high-achieving, low-income students:

“I really wanted to come to UNCG, but I knew that for my parents, for my family, I really needed to go where I was offered the most scholarship support. I was excited and honored when the UNCG Guarantee came through. And, it wasn’t just financial aid—the Guarantee doesn’t just give you the funding and walk away. There’s a whole support system with retreats, workshops, and job opportunities.”

Pitt entered UNCG as a psychology major but in her sophomore year, she knew she needed to listen to her heart:  (more…)

Emilee Fann saw herself living a life in the arts but wasn’t quite sure what form that would take until she got to UNCG:

“I’d heard that UNCG had a great Theatre Education program, so I transferred here and that’s where I started. From that point, it was a matter of trial and error to find my exact place in the arts. I tried a lot of different things. I worked backstage. I did costuming and props. I took some acting classes.”

She was talking with another student about all the things she loved to do, and he pointed her in the direction of Arts Administration:

“The Arts Administration program has a huge variety of class offerings. Because it’s a program with such a wide range, everyone is required to have a minor. And this is where it gets really interesting. You have people who are minoring in the arts, but there are also people who are minoring in areas from across the University, so you get this great, big perspective outside of your own.The whole program is like an open conversation, and it opens doors to learning so many things.”

Fann says it was that 30,000 feet view of the arts with the ability to personalize her experience that made Arts Administration the right degree track for her:   (more…)

Brianca Robinson has a style that she is ready to share with the world. While earning a BFA in Drama: Design and Technical Production at UNCG, Robinson focused on costume design:

“Creating costumes is a big part of helping an actor create a role. It’s the clothing and those nuances like accessories and hairstyles that allow the actor to develop the character further. An actor finally feels like they’re becoming the character once they put on that costume.”

Robinson started out studying filmmaking but decided that wasn’t exactly the path she wanted to pursue, so she transferred to CVPA’s School of Theatre. She had performed in shows during high school and decided to try her hand at production:

“The program here allowed me to combine different aspects of who I am, which was gratifying. I was able to use my acting, my drawing, and my directing. I really love the costuming process, but I still want to act and direct at some point. The classes I have taken have set me up to do all of that. Classes like Acting I, Directing, and Play Analysis helped shape me and prepared me for doing a lot of things because now my viewpoint and experience are so wide.”

Robinson credits the faculty with teaching her more than stagecrafts:

“I feel like the professors here were just what I needed. They allowed me to be a student first, and they really nurtured my ability to grow and develop then allowed me to become the professional I knew I could be. Professor Clare Parker teaches costuming, and she really helped me hone in and get detailed on my craft. Even when my class with her was over, she was happy to look over my portfolio. Josh Purvis’s acting class really helped me understand the actor’s perspective and that of the playwright. A script is the blueprint, and it’s important to treat the playwright’s intention with such care.”  (more…)