The American Theatre Wing and XM Satellite Radio proudly present an interview with Tony-winning actress Harriet Harris, on their weekly theatrical interview show, "Downstage Center," on XM's On Broadway (XM Channel 28).
Harris will appear as the special guest on Friday, June 6 at 6 p.m. The show will repeat on Saturday, June 7 at noon, Sunday, June 8 at 7 p.m., and Wednesday, June 11 at midnight (all times eastern; transmission is simultaneous across the country). The program becomes available as streaming audio and podcast from
www.americantheatrewing.org and iTunes beginning Monday evening, June 9.
Tony-winner
Harriet Harris talks about being "the adult" in a company of kids in the Broadway musical
Cry-Baby and reveals which of the musical numbers in the show convinced her that she needed to be in the production. She also talks about being sent to theatre school as a child in Texas to cure her shyness; her Juilliard auditions for formidable directors John Houseman and
Michael Kahn; her touring years with The Acting Company; how she transitioned from classical to comic roles under the tutelage of
Christopher Ashley and
Paul Rudnick, who wrote her multiple characters in Jeffrey; her belated Broadway debut in 2000 opposite
Nathan Lane in The Man Who Came to Dinner; branching into musicals with Broadway's Thoroughly Modern Millie and the Kennedy Center's Mame; and finding the humor in the character of Amanda in The Glass Menagerie at The Guthrie, a role she'd wanted to play since she was 13.
Harriet Harris currently stars in Broadway's
Cry-Baby. Other Broadway and off- Broadway shows include: Tony® Award Winning Thoroughly Modern Millie,
Old Acquaintance, The Man Who Came To Dinner with
Nathan Lane;
The Crucible; Man and Superman; Hamlet; Macbeth; Julius Caesar; Jeffrey; Bella, Belle of Byelorusia; Christmas on Mars and Rude Entertainment. Regional credits include: The Glass Menagerie and Mame. Harris has also appeared in such films as: Memento, Nurse Betty and Addams Family Values, and starred in TV's "Desperate Housewives," (as Felicia Tillman), "Frasier" (as agent Bebe Glazer), "Six Feet Under," and "The X-Files."
Each new "Downstage Center" is regularly broadcast at 6 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays at noon, Sundays at 7 p.m. and Wednesdays at 12 a.m. (all times EST). Following the initial run on XM, each program is made available for free, on-demand, internationally as both streaming audio and podcast on ATW's Web site,
www.americantheatrewing.org.
The American Theatre Wing is best known as the creator of the Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards®, which it presents annually with The Broadway League. The Wing's other activities, dedicated to recognizing excellence and supporting education in theatre, include "Working in the Theatre," now in its 29th year of telecasts on CUNY TV in New York and on other national cable outlets; "Downstage Center," an hour-long weekly interview program on XM Satellite Radio; "Guides to Careers in the Theatre," a video series developed for schools and libraries; a grants and scholarship program to New York City schools and not-for-profit theatre companies, which has awarded more than $2.5 million since its inception; the Theatre Intern Group, a career development program for young professionals; and SpringboardNYC, a two-week college-to-career boot camp for young performers moving to NYC. Visitors to www.americantheatrewing.org can view or download an archive of "Working in the Theatre" and the career guides and listen to "Downstage Center", all as free, on-demand streaming audio and podcast.
Sondra Gilman is Chairman of the Board of the American Theatre Wing;
Doug Leeds is President of the Board and
Howard Sherman is Executive Director.
XM is America's number-one satellite radio company with more than 9 million subscribers. Broadcasting live daily from studios in Washington, D.C., New York City, the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Toronto and Montreal, XM's lineup includes more than 170 digital channels of choice from coast to coast: the most commercial-free music, premier sports, talk, comedy, children's and entertainment programming; and the most advanced traffic and weather information. For more information about XM hardware, programming and partnerships, please visit
www.xmradio.com.
Photo by Peter James Zielinski.
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