Amber Gray

Amber Gray (born April 2, 1981) is an American actress and singer.

Amber Gray
Born (1981-04-02) April 2, 1981
Fort Belvoir, Virginia, U.S.
EducationBoston University (BFA)
New York University (MFA)
OccupationActress, singer
Spouse(s)Gaylen Hamilton (2011–present)
Children2

Gray is best known for portraying Hélène Kuragina in the 2016 Broadway musical Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812,[1] and for creating the role of Persephone in the Tony Award–winning musical, Hadestown, both off and on Broadway. For the latter 2019 role, she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, additionally earning (in company) the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.[2]

Early life and education

Gray is an military child and spent her early childhood across Europe and The United States.[3] She later settled in Massachusetts and attended Wayland High School.

She attended Boston University where she received a BFA in Acting and New York University where she received an MFA in Acting.[4]

Gray identifies as "mixed race" or "biracial." The first thing she ever performed in was a Jurassic Park musical at her school as a child, using other songs from other shows and replacing the words with dinosaur.[5][6]

Career

In 2007, she began her film career by appearing in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, titled Haystack, as a character named Raye.[7] She also worked as a photographer on Canada's Top Model in 2009 on the episode Bright Lights: No Pity. In 2012, Gray first became involved with Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812. Gray portrayed Countess Hélène Bezukhova in the musical's performances at the Off-Off-Broadway Ars Nova Theater.[8] Gray continued with Great Comet when it moved to Kazino Meatpacking in 2013, Kazino Times Square in 2014, and when it opened on Broadway in late 2016. Gray was awarded a 2017 Theatre World Award for her performance as Hélène.[9]

In 2014, Gray reprised her leading role as Zoe in An Octoroon at Soho Repertory Theatre (she had previously performed as Zoe in 2010 at P.S.122).[10] An Octoroon utilized the plot of The Octoroon, an 1859 melodrama, but turned it into a contemporary new play that discusses America's slave history and both past and present racism. In an interview with The New York Times , Gray spoke of the part's difficulty due to many intense racial scenes, saying it, "seems like an impossible role".[3] Gray remained with the production when it went on to play at Theatre for a New Audience in 2015.

In 2016, Gray portrayed Persephone in New York Theatre Workshop's production of the new musical Hadestown, based on Anaïs Mitchell's album of the same name and the tragic myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.[2] Gray was again directed by Rachel Chavkin, whom she collaborated with during Great Comet.[11] Gray was praised by critics, who were impressed by her "vocal dexterity,"[12] "charisma," and "powerhouse voice".[13] She reprised this role in the Edmonton Citadel Theatre, London National Theatre, and Broadway productions. For the Broadway production, she received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

Theatre credits
Years Production Role Director Location
2004 Ain't Misbehavin Charlaine Marcia Milgrom Dodge Huntington Theatre Company
2005 Lady Windermere's Fan Lady Plymdale Moisés Kaufman Williamstown Theatre Festival
2005 On The Razzle Lisette David Jones Williamstown Theatre Festival
2005 Prudence Sarah Tyler Marchant Connecticut Repertory Theatre
2006 Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir Activist, Singer Savitri D Internationally
2009 A Midsummer Night's Dream Puck, Hippolyta, Theseus Jim Calder Florence's Villa La Pietra, NYC Bandshells, Classic Stage Company
2010 An Octoroon Zoe Branden Jacobs-Jenkins P.S. 122
2010 Banished Children of Eve Eliza Ciaran O’Reilly Irish Repertory Theatre
2011 Sueño The Sun Jack Fletcher Atlas Theatre
2011– 2013 The TEAM's Mission Drift Joan Rachel Chavkin P.S. 122's COIL Festival, London's National Theatre, Edinburgh's Traverse Theatre, Lisbon, Coimbra, Salzburg, Hong Kong, Perth, Williams College
2012 All Hands Greta Alec Duffy Hoi Polloi
2012 We Play for the Gods Simi Jessi D. Hill, Sarah Rasmussen, Mia Rovegno Women's Project
2012 The World is Round Rose Rose Rose Rachel Dickstein Ripe Time
2012 Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 Hélène Rachel Chavkin Ars Nova
2012 Eager to Lose Trixie Portia Krieger and Wes Grantom Ars Nova
2013 Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 Hélène Rachel Chavkin Kazino Meatpacking District
2014 Kazino Times Square
2014 An Octoroon Zoe Sarah Benson Soho Rep
2014–2015 A 24 Decade History of Popular Music: 1900s-1950s Singer Taylor Mac, Niegel Smith New York Live Arts with Under the Radar
2015 An Octoroon Zoe Sarah Benson Theatre for a New Audience
2015 Oklahoma! Laurey Williams Daniel Fish Bard SummerScape
2015 Iphigenia in Aulis Clytemnestra, Menelaus Rachel Chavkin Classic Stage Company
2016 Hadestown Persephone New York Theatre Workshop
2016–2017 Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 Hélène Imperial Theatre, Broadway
2017 The TEAM's Primer for a Failed Superpower Activist, Singer Roulette
2017 Hadestown Persephone Edmonton's Citadel Theatre
2018–2019 Olivier Theatre, Royal National Theatre
2019 Walter Kerr Theatre, Broadway

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Work Result
2017 Lucille Lortel Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical Hadestown Nominated
Theatre World Award Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut Performance Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 Won[14]
2018 Sterling Awards Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Hadestown Won[15]
2019 Tony Awards[16] Best Featured Actress in a Musical Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Awards[17] Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical Won
Drama League Awards[18] Distinguished Performance Award Nominated
2020 Grammy Award Best Musical Theater Album Won

References
  1. Isherwood, Charles (November 14, 2016). "Review: 'Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812,' on the Heels of 'Hamilton'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  2. Isherwood, Charles (May 23, 2016). "Review: 'Hadestown' Reanimates a Well-Known Myth". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
  3. Soloski, Alexis (April 23, 2014). "Amber Gray on 'An Octoroon,' at Soho Rep". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  4. Tisch NYU. "Select Alumni Bios". tisch.nyu.edu. New York University. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  5. Clement, Olivia (Mar 17, 2015). "An Octoroon Star Amber Gray on the "Secrets and Lies" of Race and Theatre". Playbill. Retrieved Feb 27, 2020.
  6. Soloski, Alexis (April 23, 2014). "Returning to an 'Impossible' Role". The New York Times. Retrieved Feb 27, 2020.
  7. "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" Haystack (TV Episode 2007) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-04-17
  8. H., Claire (December 3, 2013). "Amber Gray on her adventures in "Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812"". Stage Door Dish. Stage Door Dish. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  9. Editors, American Theatre (May 11, 2017). "'Great Comet' Actors and More Receive Theatre World Awards". AMERICAN THEATRE. Theatre Communications Group. Retrieved August 4, 2017.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  10. Clement, Oivia (March 17, 2015). "An Octoroon Star Amber Gray on the "Secrets and Lies" of Race and Theatre". Playbill. Playbill Inc. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  11. Kaplan, Janice (May 26, 2016). "The Next 'Hamilton' Takes Place in Hell—and Stars Donald Trump". The Daily Beast. The Daily Beast Company. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  12. Stewart, Zachary. "Hadestown". TheaterMania.com. Theater Mania. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  13. Patterson, Megan. "All Aboard the Train to Hadestown". HowlRound. Emerson College. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  14. Theatre World Awards. "Theatre World Awards - Theatre World Awards". www.theatreworldawards.org. Theatre World Awards. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  15. Sterling Awards. "Sterling Awards". Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  16. McPhee, Ryan (April 30, 2019). "2019 Tony Award Nominations: Hadestown and Ain't Too Proud Lead the Pack". Playbill. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  17. Lefkowitz, Andy (April 23, 2019). "Hadestown, Tootsie & Oklahoma! Lead 2019 Outer Critics Circle Award Nominations". Broadway.com. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  18. Lefkowitz, Andy (April 17, 2019). "Nominations Announced for 85th Annual Drama League Awards". Broadway.com. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
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