For our Alumni Q&A series, we caught up with Charl Brown BA ’01, about his professional career, having the heart of a student and making theatre for your community.

---

Tell us a little bit about your professional background.

I like to consider myself a “triple threat” performer—meaning I act, sing and dance for a living. I am best known for my Tony-nominated performance as Smokey Robinson in Motown: The Musical on Broadway, a role I later reprised on the West End in London. I have also appeared on Broadway in Sister Act, in which I made my Broadway debut, Jersey Boys, which I also did for a year at the Palazzo in Las Vegas, and I am currently on Broadway in the musical Tammy Faye which closes December 8th. 

I have performed all over the country in many renowned and Tony-winning regional theatres such as the La Jolla Playhouse, the Muny and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts as well as a couple Broadway concert productions at the Kennedy Center in D.C. When I am not performing on stage in theatre, I tour the country and the world playing performing arts centers, symphonies and concert venues with my all-Broadway alumni vocal group, The Doowop Project. We currently have a PBS special that airs all across the U.S. and a few albums out on all music streaming platforms. I have also appeared on television in guest starring roles on Madam Secretary, Evil and FBI.

What do you miss about college, SDA specifically?

The thing I miss most about SDA is seeing my closest friends every single day and getting to do what I love simply for the passion and joy of it without the attachment of making a living. 

Was there a class or professor that was particularly meaningful or influential during your time at the School? Why?

Professor Lora Zane was the most influential for me at school, not only because as an acting teacher her philosophy and style really clicked with me, but also because she was the first to believe in my acting ability enough to cast me in a (non-musical) play—Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches. It just so happened to be in the fall of 1999 when the Millennium was literally approaching. This was also the Senior BFA play and I was a Junior BA at the time. This was significant for me because not only did being cast in this production boost my confidence in my acting abilities tremendously but also it was the first time I really got to develop my skills as an actor without the use of my voice or music to tell the story. I had come from the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts High School so I was well trained and versed in musical theatre, but the world of plays and non-musical theatre was something more foreign to me at the time. That experience really introduced me to a whole new world and a passion for straight acting which has carried me to this day. I am currently performing on Broadway in a musical but in a non singing role! 

What productions did you work on?

While in school I did all four of the main stage musicals at the Bing: The Boyfriend, Into The Woods, Grease, and my favorite, Pippin, opposite my best friend to this day, now two-time Tony nominee Stark Sands in the title role and me as Leading Player. Also the Senior BFA plays Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches and Disappeared. 

Do you have a favorite moment working professionally?

My favorite moment professionally has obviously been going to the Tony Awards as a nominee and getting to perform that night with my cast—a show I had watched and revered my entire life.  

How did SDA’s program help prepare you for a career in Broadway theatre?

SDA’s program helped prepare me for Broadway because it grounded me in my acting and made me a better, more well-rounded storyteller. As one of the top research institutions in America, it really instilled in me a love for dramaturgy and research which has helped a great deal, especially when I’ve been tasked with playing real-life people who are alive or have lived. But also the philosophy and practice I picked up at school which is to rely on and deepen one’s imagination to help fill the gaps not dictated by script or history. 

What advice would you give to current students hoping to make their careers on Broadway?

My advice would be to enjoy your time at school because it’s fleeting. Go to the performances. See as much as you can at school and all around L.A. Interact with your fellow students, immerse yourself in the community there, because those people will turn out to be some of your colleagues down the line. Never lose your childlike imagination and try your hardest to find a way to retain the joy and magical feeling performing brings you now, because once it becomes a career you will need this as a touchstone to come back to in order to keep pushing forward through the inevitable ups and downs. Never stop being a student. There is always more to learn.

Also, always find a way to be kind. The arts are a communal effort. Nobody does it absolutely alone. At the very least, even for a one-person play, you need other people backstage and people in the audience. Theatre does not happen in a void or for oneself—it happens for a community. So be a positive contribution to the community and that will keep you working.