Tony Award-winning actress Melba Moore has been invited by LaGuardia Community College to launch the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center’s new Spirit of the Art Enrichment Series, a project inspired by the need to foster a greater understanding and appr
Over the next two months, Moore will conduct a seminar for students, make guest appearances at student events and meet members of the community in a variety of settings. In her role of guest artist-in-residence, Moore’s will present a unique seminar for students on Tuesday, April 27, at 2 p.m. that will explore the many elements and individuals involved in the process of creating, producing and performing.
A reception with members of the community, college faculty and staff is also being planned for the evening of April 27 to welcome Moore to the campus. Her work with the college will culminate in a concert Wednesday, May 26, in the Mainstage Theatre.
“By creating this behind-the-scenes experience, the audience gets a rare opportunity to get up front and personal,” said Barbara Carson, general manager of the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center, which is sponsoring the Spirit of the Art Enrichment Series. “By forging relationships with Moore and other future artists-in-residence, the college hopes to inspire new interest and excitement for the arts and greater cultural awareness.”
Moore will bring to the classroom her extraordinary career and knowledge of the arts. The actress and singer, began her career in the groundbreaking Broadway-smash, “Hair,” where she originated the role of Dionne. During her 18-month stint in the show she went on to replace Diane Keaton becoming the first black actress to replace a white actress in a leading Broadway role. From “Hair” she moved right into the role of Lutiebelle Gussiemae Jenkins in the long-running musical, “Purlie.” In her show-stopping performance of the innocent southern domestic who falls in love with a fast-talking preacher she won the Tony Award for best supporting actress in a musical and became the first black actress to do so.
Moore’s success on Broadway launched her television and recording career. Her credits include “The Melba Moore/Clifton Davis Show,” the mini-series “Ellis Island,” R&B and pop hits, “This Is It,” “You Stepped Into My Life,” and her Grammy nominated signature song, “Lean On Me.” In 1996 she returned to Broadway to take on the role of “Fantine” in the musical “Les Meserables.” She was the first black actress to step into the leading role in that acclaimed Broadway musical.
Her most recent triumphs include the feature role of Bessie Coolie in the gospel musical comedy film “The Fighting Temptations” starring Cuba Gooding Junior and Beyonce Knowles; the highly successful run of “Your Arm’s Too Short to Box with God” at the Victory Theatre at New Jersey Performing Arts Center and the release of her new gospel recording “I’m Still Here,” which is a musical testimony of her trials and triumphant return to the industry.
