'Fannie Lou' Musical

Fannie Lou Musical

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  • CAST AND CREW FOR THE CENTENNIAL PERFORMANCEClick to open the CAST AND CREW FOR THE CENTENNIAL PERFORMANCE menu
    • Aaron Boscanin, Oct. 1, 2017
    • Torian Brackett, Oct. 1, 2017
    • Dorothy Chan, Oct. 1, 2017
    • Cameron Draper, Oct. 1, 2017
    • Ben Marcus, Oct. 1, 2017
    • Yewande Odetoyinbo, Oct. 1, 2017
    • Jessica Raymonvil, Oct. 1, 2017
    • Karen Stefano, Oct., 1, 2017
    • Annette Mooney Wasno, Oct. 1, 2017
    • Desi Waters, Oct. 1, 2017
    • Amber Yi-Wen Ho, Oct. 1, 2017
    • Hanna Elizabeth Young, Oct. 1, 2017
  • "I WILL GROW" from Fannie Lou Musical
  • Some of the characters in the original musical 'Fannie Lou' as developed by the show's creator, Felicia Hunter
  • FANNIE LOU MUSICAL "INSIDE TRACKS" SONG DEMOS -- FREE LISTENING
  • About Fannie Lou Hamer
  • 'Fannie Lou' Background
  • Audience Comments
  • "Scenes and Songs from Fannie Lou: At Carnegie Hall"
  • PANELISTS FOR THE OCT. 22, 2016 PERFORMANCEClick to open the PANELISTS FOR THE OCT. 22, 2016 PERFORMANCE menu
    • Rev. Glenmore Bembry, Trinity Baptist Church
    • Jack Bryant, NAACP
    • Mary Jenkins and Crystal Joseph, LWVNYC
    • Esmeralda Simmons, Esq., CLSJ
  • July 2015 Performance in DC Marked the 50th Anniversary Year of the Voting Rights Act
  • Actor and Musician Profiles for the Carnegie Hall PerformanceClick to open the Actor and Musician Profiles for the Carnegie Hall Performance menu
    • Karen Stefano
    • Jacob Berger
    • Jonathan Rodriguez
    • Yewande Odetoyinbo
    • Robert Rice
    • Lynn Flickinger
    • Dean Temple
    • Michael Moss
    • Blake Allen
    • Claire Duncan
    • Matt Visconti
    • Dorothy Chan
    • Will Hack
    • Miki Hanta
    • Sydney Shepherd
    • Dan Chen
    • Cheryl Krugel-Lee
    • Felicia Hunter and Cheri Hunter
  • 2012 FANNIE LOU MUSICAL World Premiere
  • World Premiere PerformancesClick to open the World Premiere Performances menu
    • Comments
    • Photos
  • World Premiere Cast and CrewClick to open the World Premiere Cast and Crew menu
    • Adiagha, Jonathan, Tiffani and Paul
    • Autumn, Ron, Janockeil and Alexis
    • Kirby, Michael, Ross and Rodney
    • Harrison, Phillip, Terri and Meghan
    • Chantez, Josh and Jennifer
    • Yewande, Becky, Lynn, Ke'John and Darnell
    • Jacob, Blondean, Rich and Charles
    • Blake, Jaime, Cheryl and Felicia
  • Community ConnectionsClick to open the Community Connections menu
    • About The Center for Law and Social Justice at Medgar Evers College; Meet Founder Esmeralda Simmons
  • Fannie Lou Hamer Resources
  • SONG SAMPLES FROM FANNIE LOU
  • Dialogue ExcerptsClick to open the Dialogue Excerpts menu
    • Fannie Lou
    • Junior
    • Rev. Hill
    • Pamela
    • Mr. Richards

Torian Brackett

 

There’s a generational span between the two characters Torian Brackett plays in the Oct. 1 production of “Scenes and Songs from Fannie Lou.” He’s featured in the role of the teenaged Junior and also in the role of Mr. Thompson, a voting rights advocate decades older than the teen.


So, how does Torian manage to portray both parts convincingly?


“I definitely want to keep the youthfulness [of Junior], I want to get the slangy feel of a very young person, a kid. [His speech pattern] is not going to be very proper. With Mr. Thompson, I’ll bass up my voice,” among other adjustments, Torian noted last year when he first played the dual roles onstage.


For the role of Mr. Thompson, Torian’s singing voice will be showcased as well.


“We had to make a few casting adjustments after the initial auditions, and part of that process included adding a song originally not in this particular production, to take advantage of Torian’s strong singing voice,” said composer-lyricist-book writer Felicia Hunter. “The song Torian sings is actually meant for another character. But for this production, Mr. Thompson will sing it. It’s a great opportunity to feature Torian’s talent.” 


As fate would have it, Torian has been inadvertently preparing for such dual roles as Mr. Thompson and Junior for some time. Although he decided to minor in theater at SUNY New Paltz, he chose linguistics as his major.


“I took an introductory course [in linguistics] my freshman year and was completely hooked,” said Torian. Intrigued by anime and Asian culture, he originally considered a major in Asian studies.


But a little dabbling in college musical theater projects reawakened an early interest in the stage and changed his path.

 


“I really do think my heart is in musical theater. I enjoy it,” said Torian, who grew up in Mount Vernon.


“A long time ago I went to a performing arts magnet school, and I played violin a few years,” he recalled. Hearing Idina Menzel belt out Wicked’s “Defying Gravity” for the first time planted the musical theater seed in him.


“I said, ‘What is that?’” Torian recalled. “It was big and bold and fun.”

He’s attracted to song lyrics that are witty and insightful. Composers whose works he admires include Jason Robert Brown, Ryan Scott Oliver and William Finn. Among favorite roles he’s performed is Hot Blades Harry in Urinetown. The part helped him expand as an actor, “getting detail and depth I hadn’t done before,” he noted.


The role of Junior in “Scenes and Songs from Fannie Lou” offers similar professional growth, said Torian.


“It’s the first show I’ve done that asks for the kind of emotion” required for the part of Junior, a troubled young man impacted by a tragic past, said Torian. Other aspects of “Scenes and Songs from Fannie Lou” also evoke a visceral response, he said.


“I really like the song ‘Make It Like It Was Before.’ It’s smart and it’s clever,” said Torian, referring to a song in the show performed by a group of voting rights resisters. “It had me squirming in my chair, so it did its job.”


Torian added that the subject of voting rights is particularly significant, especially now.


“I’m very excited to be a part of the production. It’s a very important show,” he said.





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