Alan Muraoka
Alan Muraoka | |
---|---|
Born | Mission Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | August 10, 1962
Education | University of California, Los Angeles |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1988–present |
Alan Muraoka (born August 10, 1962) is a Japanese American actor and director who plays Alan, the current owner of Hooper's Store, on the television show Sesame Street since 1998. He currently serves on the board of directors at the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice, an LGBTQIA safe-space, community activist center, and educational bridge dedicated to honoring Bayard Rustin through their mission and good works.[1]
Early career
Muraoka was born in Mission Hills, Los Angeles, CA. Muraoka's first experience as a performer came at the age of ten, where he appeared as "The Candy Man" at a movie theatre during the intermission of a double feature.[2] According to the biography on his official site, he performed throughout high school where he also had his first experience as a director - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.
Muraoka studied at the
Muraoka then worked with East West Players in Los Angeles, and spent time as a performer on Princess Cruises.
He made his Broadway debut performing six roles in the musical Mail. After Mail opened (and closed, after one month) in 1988, Muraoka remained in New York City.
For the next ten years, Muraoka continued to act in theatrical productions, both on Broadway and in regional and touring productions. Most notably, he was a member of the original cast of Shōgun: The Musical on Broadway and had a long run in the lead role of "The Engineer" in Miss Saigon.
1997–present
After auditioning several times through 1997, Muraoka won a part on
While appearing in Sesame Street, Muraoka has continued to perform in theater, most recently earning good reviews in the 2004 Broadway revival of
As a director, Muraoka was highly praised for his work on the seemingly incongruous,
In 2004 he directed veteran Sesame Street and Avenue Q puppeteers John Tartaglia, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, and Jennifer Barnhart in Empty Handed and John Tartaglia AD-LIBerty. He also directed Ann Harada, of Avenue Q and also his 1998 Falsettoland, in her 2004 one-woman show and in her one-night-only benefits for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Christmas Eve with Christmas Eve in 2009, 2010 and 2011.[4]
In 2007, he directed the stage production of
In 2007, Muraoka joined the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.
In 2009, he directed
In 2019, he played the Narrator/Mysterious Man in Into the Woods at the Patchogue Theatre.[8]
In 2021, Muraoka co-directed the June 17th Sesame Street episode "Family Day". The episode, which focused on the diverse families of the different characters on the show, introduced the first family to include two gay dads, the characters "Nina's Brother Dave, his husband Frank, and their daughter Mia."[9]
References
- ^ "Board of Directors — Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice — Provides advocacy, education, safe haven & community activism for LGBTQIA, transgender, immigrant children, youth, & families, led by Chief Activist Robt Seda-Schreiber".
- ^ a b James, Greg; Fletcher, Duane (June 2007), An Interview with Alan Muraoka, The Muppet Newsflash, archived from the original on 2008-05-17, retrieved 2008-07-02
- ^ Marks, Peter. THEATER REVIEW; It's Family That Matters, No Matter What Family, The New York Times, July 17, 1997. Retrieved June 8, 2008.
- ^ "Christmas Eve Plays Santa for Broadway's Leading Men". broadwaycares.org. Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
- ^ Asian Americans on Broadway: Profiles "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-12. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link),Hokubei News, 8 September 2007. Retrieved June 19, 2008. - ^ Newmark, Judith (24 June 2008), High School Musical, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, archived from the original on 24 June 2008, retrieved 2008-07-03
- ^ "From Sesame Street to the Great White Way: An Evening with Director Alan Muraoka". San Antonio Current Events. Retrieved 2009-10-19.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Melissa Errico, Constantine Maroulis, Ali Ewoldt, More Cast in Long Island Into the Woods: In Concert
- ^ "Sesame Street introduces family with two gay dads during Pride Month". CNN. 19 June 2021.