CSC Announces CLASSIC CONVERSATIONS Episode With Anika Noni Rose

Classic Stage Company today announced a virtual Classic Conversation with Tony-winning actress and singer Anika Noni Rose (Broadway: Caroline, or Change; Off-Broadway: Carmen Jones at CSC; Film: The Princess and the Frog, Dreamgirls) on October 29. For its Fall 2020 season, while awaiting the return of live productions, CSC scaled up its timely virtual Classic Conversations initiative (alongside the CSC Podcast), offering extraordinarily revealing discussions with an array of theater luminaries, often reflecting on the vast crisis currently confronting the American theater at large-and the best paths forward for the field.

In the John Doyle-directed CSC production of Carmen Jones in 2018, Rose starred as the the title character. Rose and Doyle reconnect in a Classic Conversations engagement that continues the series' lineup featuring eminent actors and directors, critics, and influential leaders of institutional theaters, all interviewed remotely by Doyle. Other previously announced upcoming Classic Conversations feature Timothy Douglas (Director, Frankenstein at CSC), on October 22; Tony-winner John Weidman (Writer, Assassins), on November 12; and Hilton Als (Staff Writer and Former Theatre Critic, The New Yorker), on November 19. Classic Conversations episodes premiere on CSC's YouTube and Facebook and are available to view afterwards on Facebook and Instagram IGTV.

When theaters were forced to shut down this spring, CSC quickly adapted its signature series Classic Conversations, with the theater releasing the episodes free of charge. The immediate focus was on cast members from John Doyle's upcoming production of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman's Assassins, including Brandon Uranowitz; Will Swenson; Adam Chanler-Berat; Tavi Gevinson; Eddie Cooper; Ethan Slater; Steven Pasquale; Bianca Horn; Wesley Taylor; Andy Grotelueschen; Brad Giovanine, Katrina Yaukey, Whit K. Lee, and Rob Morrison; and Judy Kuhn. Then, this summer, CSC produced a new lineup featuring eminent actors who have collaborated with Doyle and/or CSC on other projects: George Takei, André De Shields, Becky Ann Baker, Quincy Tyler Bernstine, and Heather Headley. This fall, CSC further expanded the Classic Conversations programming to feature prominent voices across disciplines within the theater world, including Ben Brantley, Tonya Pinkins, Nataki Garrett, Rufus Norris, and Marianne Elliott.

Due in part to Doyle's being a fellow artist, a collaborator, and, in many cases, a friend, the series' guests have spoken with remarkable candor about experiences ranging from the pandemic to this year's nationwide protests for racial justice. And because artists and audiences have been unable to convene in-person, the songs the musical theater stars have sung during the conversations have been particularly poignant.

About Anika Noni Rose

Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose was recently seen in Hulu's adaptation of Celeste Ng's New York Times bestseller Little Fires Everywhere alongside Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington. Most recently, Anika starred alongside Mary J. Blige in Malik Vittahl's Body Cam. She stars in Netflix's upcoming feature Jingle Jangle, will recur on the Amazon series Them: Covenant as well as Netflix's Maid, and is also slated to star in Miramax's supernatural thriller Limbo. Anika led the cast of BET's series The Quad, as Eva Fletcher for two seasons. In 2017, she was seen in the film, Everything, Everything based off the popular young adult novel of the same name by Nicola Yoon.

Previously, Anika starred in History Channel's adaption of Roots as Kizzy (NAACP Image Award nomination). On the big screen, Anika starred as 'Lorell Robinson' in Dreamgirls (AFI Ensemble Award, SAG Award nomination, Grammy Award nomination). Television credits include: The Quad, Power, The Good Wife, The Simpsons, the miniseries Roots, and The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency for HBO. Rose's film credits include Dreamgirls; For Colored Girls; Half of A Yellow Sun; Everything, Everything; and Assassination Nation.

Anika voiced 'Princess Tiana' in Disney's The Princess and The Frog, featuring the first African American Disney 'Princess.' The film received three Oscar nominations and Anika became the youngest inductee to ever be honored as a Disney Legend.

Anika won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role in Caroline, or Change (Lucille Lortel Award, Theatre World Award, Obie Award, Clarence Derwent Award, Drama Desk nomination). Additional Broadway credits: A Raisin in the Sun (Tony Award nomination and Outer Critics Circle nomination), Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, Footloose. Additional stage credits include Carmen Jones for which she won a Lucille Lortel Award, an AUDELCO award and received Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations; the New York Philharmonic's production of Company and Broadway's Cat On A Hot Tin Roof directed by Debbie Allen.

A three-time NAACP Image Award nominee, Rose has voiced many audiobooks, and has performed all over the world, including singing at Carnegie Hall and the Vatican.