On August 27th, Wayne Brady will make his
debut at the Thrasher-Horne Center, premiering his It’s My Line Tour for Northeast Florida audiences. In a
way, this performance will be a homecoming for Wayne, who was born in Columbus,
Georgia, and raised by his grandmother in Orlando. The Emmy Award winning host
of Let’s Make A Deal and The Wayne Brady Show then traded Central
Florida life for Los Angeles and an impressive twenty-six year career that
spans television, movies, Broadway, and the recording industry. However, Wayne
is most easily recognizable from his decades-long stint as a performer (and
later Executive Producer) of Whose Line Is It Anyway? His current tour
borrows heavily from his extensive experience in improv, most notably the
titular nod to his Whose Line roots.
Wayne’s face is most recognizable from his years of work
on television. From 2001 through 2004, he hosted The Wayne Brady Show, a
variety show on ABC. He also credits appearances on Reno 911, How I Met Your
Mother, Chappelle Show, 30 Rock, Everybody Hates Chris, and The Drew Carey Show, as
well as high-profile hosting duties for The
NAACP Awards, BET Honors, and the 2002
Miss America Pageant. He has been a judge on So You Think You Can
Dance?, the original host of Fox’s Don’t
Forget The Lyrics!, and last year was a guest host on The Late Late Show.
In addition to his television career, he also has a
strong background in stage and live performance. Wayne played the role of Billy
Flynn in the Broadway revival of Chicago, and was also a member of an
all-star cast of Rent which was directed by Neil Patrick Harris at the
historic Hollywood Bowl. More recently, Wayne starred in the Broadway
musical Kinky Boots, finishing his successful run this past March. Ben
Brantley of The New York Times praised his performance, noting “It is a relief
to report that Mr. Brady’s singing and dancing chops are of Broadway caliber.
Shimmying and kicking through Mr. Mitchell’s try-this-at-home choreography and
belting out Ms. Lauper’s arena-pop score, he radiates stellar heat and good
humor.”
Few entertainers are as multi-talented as Brady. Facebook
touts his profession as “Actor, Singer, Improv Comedian, Male Exotic Dancer.”
This description accurately summarizes the variety you’ll receive when he hits
the stage in Orange Park for this exclusive one-night engagement.
Tickets to see Wayne Brady live at the Thrasher-Horne on
August 27th will be
available to the public on June 20th, with a special Member pre-sale available today!
Quotes from a 2009
series of workshops about improv by Wayne Brady
“Improv is an intangible art. There isn’t any one set way
to go about it.”
“Kids innately know the rules of improv. As we get older,
we lose these things.”
“If you’re not listening, if you’re in your own head, if
you have your own agenda, you’re done. You have to actively listen at all
times. I know it sounds like a cliché, but for improv you have to be in the
moment.”
“Whatever you start with onstage, you stick to it. If you
walk onstage with a horrible corny accent, embrace it. The audience will love
it and your improv partners will love it because you’re having a good time.”
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Tickets for concerts and other
events are on sale now on the Thrasher-Horne Center’s website.
The Thrasher-Horne Center is one
of the nicest venues of its type in Northeast Florida. From concerts by
renowned artists, to live theater, to dance, to magic and other fantastic
shows, you can see it all at the Thrasher Horne-Center! Spread the word about
one of Northeast Florida’s best kept secrets!
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