Randy Blair :: Theatre Artist & Educator
Randy Blair is a multi-hyphenate theatre artist, with work spanning the disciplines of acting, writing, directing, design, and education.
ACTOR
Randy made his Broadway debut originating the roles of Elton John and Hipolito in the musical adaptation of Amelie. He has had the good fortune of creating new work at major off-Broadway institutions such as the Vineyard Theatre, Barrow Street, and Ars Nova, with directors as varied as David Cromer, Jerry Mitchell, Pam McKinnon and Alex Timbers. Regional theatre associations include Center Theatre Group, Berkeley Rep, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and the Weston Playhouse. In film and television, Randy has appeared on NBC, CBS, Nickelodeon, Max and Netflix. He can be heard on the cast albums of Amelie (Warner Classics), as well as The Civilians’ Paris Commune and The Abominables (Ghostlight/Michael Friedman Collection).
WRITER
Randy is best known as the writer of the musical Fat Camp, which has played off-Broadway twice. His other original musicals include Perez Hilton Saves the Universe, Spidermusical and Haute Mess. His play Mrs. Lowenstein was recently adapted as an audio podcast starring Emmy winner Ann Dowd, and he proudly served as contributing writer/creative consultant on the hit pop culture TV gameshow Billy on the Street.
LATEST COLLABORATIONS / IN DEVELOPMENT
With director Sam Pinkleton: The B-52’s Thing, a B-52’s jukebox musical starring Annie Golden, Nathan Lee Graham, Ali Stroker, Jose Llana, Peter Bartlett, and Erin Markey; a new theatrical circus project with Spiegelworld Las Vegas; The Pasadena Playhouse Holiday Spectacular
With BMG Music: St. Marks & Second, a punk jukebox musical featuring the music of The Ramones, Iggy Pop, and Blondie amongst others; Pop Goes the World, a musical about the creation of MTV.
With songwriter Justin Tranter and A&E Networks: The Fallouts, a musical television series.
DIRECTOR /
VIDEO DESIGN
With a special focus on solo performance, Randy has collaborated on four pieces with Tony nominee Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer at Joe’s Pub, most recently her Tony campaign show and web series for Spamalot. His direction of Walking in Soho for Peter Yanowitz of the Wallflowers at the Signature Theatre featured Ad Rock from the Beastie Boys, Bridget Everett and Murray Hill. He is currently writing a new solo musical for Emmy nominee Chrissy Metz (This Is Us) with composer Joel Waggoner.
He produced all of the video, projection, and live camera integration for the Trixie and Katya World Tour, which played to sold out crowds around the world including Radio City Music Hall, the O2 Arena, and the Ryman Auditorium. He also provided comedy video packages and live camera direction for the off-Broadway, Las Vegas, and touring productions of Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man and Friends the Musical.
EDUCATOR
Randy currently serves on the BFA Musical Theatre faculty of the University of Southern California School of Dramatic Arts, and has previously taught musical theatre workshops and masterclasses for New York University, Marymount Manhattan College, and the Horace Mann School in New York. As a teacher, he engages performance as both creative work and critical inquiry, with a focus on new works development, dramaturgy, film/live video, and process-driven training.
CURRENT AND PAST COURSES INCLUDE:
Acting Through Song. An acting-centered course rather than a music-centered course, designed to bridge vocal technique with performance. Throughout the semester, each student will work through 5 different songs corresponding to the historical periods of musical theatre development.
Audition Techniques. Both for musical theatre and on-camera, this course serves as an introduction to professional auditions, including book preparation and mock casting calls. Typically, each class also simulates the experience of working with agents and managers, designed around a series of appointments for each type of professional audition.
Movie Musical. Embracing the current theatrical landscape, this course gives musical theatre actors the tools needed to perform musical material on camera. This includes working with cameras for the purposes of film projects, as well as working with cameras live in front of an audience.
Randy also serves as an educational theatre director, most recently on the USC productions of Anyone Can Whistle and the USC Wicked Half-Time Show.
CONTACT
Personal: therandyblair@gmail.com
Agent: Diana Glazer @ CAA diana.glazer@caa.com
Manager: Cullen Conly @ Anonymous Content cconley@anonymouscontent.com