Jacques C. Smith, graduate student UCSD's Department of Theatre and Dance cast in broadway production of Rent
October 15, 1997
Media Contact: Linda Shockley, (619) 534-0361; [email protected]
JACQUES C. SMITH, GRADUATE STUDENT UCSD'S DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE AND DANCE CAST IN BROADWAY PRODUCTION OF RENT
Jacques C. Smith, a third-year acting student with the Professional Theatre Training Program of the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of California, San Diego, has been cast in the role of Benny the landlord in the acclaimed Broadway production of Rent. Smith took over the role on September 12, after Taye Diggs left the show to star opposite Angela Bassett in the feature film How Stella Got Her Groove Back.
The role marks Smith's Broadway debut. He has worked in commercials and industrials, and has toured the United States and internationally with various theatre and singing groups.
Recent credits include performances at La Jolla Playhouse and UCSD, including The School for Wives, Titus Andronicus, Don Juan, The Seagull, Gospel at Colonus, and Fences.
Smith took over the role after only four rehearsals. He performs six evenings and two matinees each week. The show, still playing to packed houses, received the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for drama, four Tony Awards, six Drama Desk Awards, Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off- Broadway Musical, Drama League Award for Best Musical, Theatre World Awards for best new talent, and three Obie Awards.
"This experience wasn't like working with a new cast for a new show," Smith said. "I was jumping aboard a fast moving train. I found that all my acting training at UCSD offered me a great deal of confidence in my abilities as an actor. My studies at UCSD also prepared me for quickly looking at a script and analyzing a role."
Smith was asked to audition for the role of Benny after a Rent casting director saw his performance as Alain in the 1997 La Jolla Playhouse production of The School for Wives.
"Jacques Smith is one of the strongest actors we've ever taken into our program," explained Walt Jones, chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance. "He offers one of the rarest juxtapositions of qualities in an actors: he is subtle yet theatrical. Even when he is vulnerable, his presence is bigger than any stage he plays.
"His casting is a perfect outgrowth of our ten-year relationship with La Jolla Playhouse," Jones added. "Smith's casting marks the sixth time that our partnership with La Jolla Playhouse has resulted in the discovery of a major talent."
Michael Greif, artistic director for La Jolla Playhouse, is a UCSD alumnus who went on to direct the studio and Off-Broadway productions of Rent. He received 1996 Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations as well as a 1996 Obie Award for Rent. Smith worked closely with Greif at La Jolla Playhouse. "I had seen Smith perform in numerous plays here and always found him to be an exciting actor," Greif said. "When I heard that he sings, I was immediately interested in the possibility of his participation in Rent. When he auditioned for the role of Benny, he displayed such ability to grow into the role, that it wasn't a surprise when he won the role."
When asked how it feels to be cast in one of the most popular shows in the country, Smith replied with a laugh, "Yes, there is that feeling that I'm living the clich of the big break. A part of me doesn't believe it because it happened so quickly. My biggest concern is to maintain a high level of quality in every performance. I'm still fine- tuning the character with each show. It's an amazing experience to be learning a character in front of an audience of 1,200 people every night. I love the show and so does the audience. It's such a treat to feel gratitude from the audience."
The UCSD Department of Theatre and Dance placed third in the nation in a 1997 U.S. News and World Report reputational study. The department was recognized for excellence in its Professional Theatre Training Program.
The department shares a symbiotic relationship with the award-winning La Jolla Playhouse. The department and Playhouse share campus theatre facilities, staff and services. The Residency Program encourages students to perform in professional productions, and to serve as assistants to professional directors and designers, which provides important resources for the Playhouse. Many of the Playhouse staff offer seminars at UCSD, and work closely with the graduate program.
The faculty, staff and students of the Department of Theatre and Dance look forward to the January 1998 grand opening of the new dance and theatre movement facility. Designed by Antoine Predock (who also designed the Weiss Forum and Studio), the $3 million facility will offer three studios to support the department's ballet, modern dance, world dance, acting, directing, and theatre movement classes.
The department will soon announce its 1997/98 performance season of theatre and dance. For additional information on the performance season, please contact Gisele Papen, (619) 5343793.
(October 15, 1997)