Daniel Beaty

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Daniel Beaty
Occupation(s)Actor, singer, writer, composer
Years active1998-present

Daniel Beaty is an American actor, singer, writer, composer and poet. Beaty is known for his blend of music, movement, and words in such original works as Emergence-See and Through The Night.

Early life

Daniel Beaty holds a BA with Honors in English & Music from

Yale Cabaret
. His original two-person play on the life of Paul Robeson remained the highest grossing production at the Yale Cabaret for several years.

Beaty holds an MFA in Acting from the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) in San Francisco. While training as an actor, Beaty was also pursued a course of study as a playwright and performance artist, performing productions of his solo plays.

Career

Theatre

As an actor, singer, and poet, Daniel has worked throughout the U.S., Europe, and Africa performing on television, acting in theatrical productions, singing leading roles in operas, and giving solo concerts of his own work. He has performed at The White House and has graced the stage of

Mos Def, Tracy Chapman, Deepak Chopra, and Phylicia Rashad
.

His critically acclaimed solo play Emergency (formerly Emergence-SEE!) directed by

Scotsman Fringe First Award for the best new writer at the Edinburgh Festival and was presented with a Lamplighter Award from the Black Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C. In February 2008, he received two Helen Hayes Award nominations for the best in theater in Washington, D.C., and in June 2008, he was the winner of the Unique Theatrical Experience Award from the New Jersey Star Ledger for his production at the Crossroads Theater Company in New Brunswick, New Jersey. In the spring of 2008, Emergency had a sold-out seven-week engagement at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles.[2] This production was directed by Charles Randolph-Wright and was awarded two 2009 NAACP Theater Awards including Best Actor. He was awarded the 2007-08 AETNA American Voices Playwright-in-Residence position at Hartford Stage, and a commission to write a new play. His play Resurrection received its world premiere production at Arena Stage
in Washington, D.C., in August 2008 (where he was awarded the 2008 Edgerton Foundation's new American Play Award); followed by engagements at Hartford Stage, the Philadelphia Theatre Company, and ETA Theater in Chicago.

His critically acclaimed solo show Through the Night ran off-Broadway in 2010 at the Union Square Theatre produced by Daryl Roth.[3] For this performance Daniel has received the 2010 NAACP Theater Award for Best Solo Show, 2010 Audelco Award for Solo Performance and the 2010 Ovation Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play. He also received Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama League Nominations.

Theater Communications Group awarded Daniel the 2011 Peter Slenderize Memorial Award that recognizes an individual or organization whose work exemplifies pioneering practices in theatre, are dedicated to the freedom of expression, and are unafraid of taking risks for the advancement of the art form.

His new solo play Mr. Joy appeared at the Riverside Theatre in May 2012.

Moises Kaufman, as well as a musical on the life of Roland Hayes
entitled BREATH & IMAGINATION, directed by Sheryl Kaller.

Daniel has also written a Spoken World Ballet Far But Close that will premiere in the 2012/13 season for

Dance Theater of Harlem
.

Daniel is currently an artist in residence at ArtsEmerson in Boston, MA.

Film

Daniel was seen on the third and fourth seasons of HBO's

Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry; as a guest artist on NBC's Showtime at the Apollo with Rueben Studdard; and on BET's 106 & Park
.

In addition to his writing for the stage, Daniel was hired by Showtime to create an original half-hour series based on his play Emergency and by Spitfire Pictures to create an original screenplay about the life of George Moses Horton, an African-American poet born into slavery.

Music

In October 2008, Daniel collaborated with composer and violinist

BAM Next Wave Festival
and continues to tour nationally and internationally. His family musical Trippin’ was optioned by Disney and produced by Harlem Stage. Breath & Imagination, Daniel's new musical about the life of Roland Hayes, the first African-American classical vocalist of world renown, recently received a reading at the York Theater.

Teacher

Post graduate school, Beaty began teaching acting, singing and writing in Brooklyn, Harlem, and the Bronx. Here Beaty began to focus his work- questioning the world we live in, the challenges people face, and what's to come of this world in the future.

Daniel is currently an adjunct professor in the Graduate School of the Arts at Columbia University.

Author

Both Emergency and Through the Night have are published by Samuel French and available online.[5]

His first children's book based on his poem Knock Knock was released by

Little Brown Books
in 2013.

References

  1. ^ Lee, Felicia R. "A One-Man Rhyming History Slam" The New York Times, October 1, 2006.
  2. ^ Haithman, Diane. "A one-man show -- with a cast of dozens" Los Angeles Times, April 20, 2008
  3. ^ Gates, Anita. "Black Men in America Trying to Move on Up" The New York Times, September 26, 2010.
  4. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Daniel Beaty's Mr. Joy, Directed by Sheryl Kaller, Begins Limited Run at The Riverside Theatre" Playbill.com, May 12, 2012.
  5. ^ Emergency & Through The Night, by Daniel Beaty, Samuel French, October 22, 2012.
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