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Darlington welcomes Actor-in-Residence Hazelle Goodman
Aug 27, 2004 8:00 AM
By Tannika King - Faculty
Darlington was pleased to welcome actress, comedienne and writer Hazelle Goodman of Flushing, N.Y., as the School’s actor-in-residence Aug. 30 through Sept. 4.
“Drama and theater students have met with Hazelle Goodman for the past two years during the annual humanities trip to New York City,” said Marisa Ortega, director of the Darlington Players. “We thought it would be a really great idea to have her come to campus and give us some outside help with our upcoming production of Othello.” Goodman also met with Ortega’s morning drama classes.
Goodman, the 2003 New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship recipient, is often called a one-woman powerhouse. Reviewers praise her unique ability to transform into many different characters, which has propelled her to the forefront as a multi-dimensional actress.
“Hazelle Goodman is a gift to the theater-going community … [She] clearly demonstrates that she is not only a talented comedian, but an extraordinarily capable actress,” wrote Linda Armstrong of the New York Amsterdam News.
Anita Gates of The New York Times calls Goodman attractive, personal and stage-savvy. “Ms. Goodman does an outstanding job as male characters; she seems to change gender by facial expression alone,” she said.
Featured in Vogue, People and Vibe magazines, Goodman’s self-titled HBO Special received unprecedented ratings and was nominated for two Cable Ace Awards – Best Comedy Special and Best Performer. Among her many credits, Goodman starred opposite Woody Allen in the ground breaking role of “Cookie” in Allen’s Deconstructing Harry; as the diva, drug lord “Georgia Rae Mahoney” on NBC’s Homicide; and as the savvy attorney “Lynette Neal” on ABC’s All My Children. Additionally, her Shakespearean debut as the “Queen” in the Public Theater’s production of Cymbeline won her rave reviews.
Recently, the Trinidad-born performer joined Oprah Winfrey, Jane Fonda, Glenn Close and others at Madison Square Garden in a moving performance of the Vagina Monologues. She was last seen on the big screen as “Evelda Drumgo” in the blockbuster film Hannibal with Anthony Hopkins.
This summer, she presented her one-woman show On Edge at the HERE Arts Theater in New York City. In the tradition of legendary comics such as Richard Pryor and today’s cutting-edge performance art, Goodman combines her extraordinary talents as a storyteller, comedienne and chameleon-like actress with a shrewd eye for social commentary. The result is poignant, powerful and hilarious.
“Using a chair as her only prop, Hazelle portrays 12 people searching for meaning in their lives after Sept. 11 … She leaves no stone unturned – singles, couples, homosexuals, black men dating white women and vice versa are all a part of Hazelle’s schtick,” wrote one reviewer.
Goodman performed selections from On Edge Thursday, Sept. 2, in the Zelle Fine Arts Center. Afterwards, she hosted a “talk back.”
In addition to her busy performance schedule, Goodman has created an Art & Spirit volunteer program for the inmates of Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. She has also established a life-long scholarship fund at The City College of New York, which she attended, in honor of the slain African immigrant Amadou Diallo – The Amadou Diallo Criminal Justice Award.
Goodman is the mother of Darlington senior, Brandon Goodman. Following in his mother’s footsteps, Brandon will soon be taking on his ninth role in a Darlington play as "Othello" in William Shakespeare’s Othello. President of the Darlington Players and vice president of the concert choir, Brandon has received the Darlington Players Award in Acting, the Bo Satterfield Spirit of Life Award, the George W. Awsumb Award and the E.L. Wright Award for Drama/Musical Theater.
The Fine Arts Booster Club hosted a reception in Goodman’s honor Monday, Aug. 30.
“Drama and theater students have met with Hazelle Goodman for the past two years during the annual humanities trip to New York City,” said Marisa Ortega, director of the Darlington Players. “We thought it would be a really great idea to have her come to campus and give us some outside help with our upcoming production of Othello.” Goodman also met with Ortega’s morning drama classes.
Goodman, the 2003 New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship recipient, is often called a one-woman powerhouse. Reviewers praise her unique ability to transform into many different characters, which has propelled her to the forefront as a multi-dimensional actress.
“Hazelle Goodman is a gift to the theater-going community … [She] clearly demonstrates that she is not only a talented comedian, but an extraordinarily capable actress,” wrote Linda Armstrong of the New York Amsterdam News.
Anita Gates of The New York Times calls Goodman attractive, personal and stage-savvy. “Ms. Goodman does an outstanding job as male characters; she seems to change gender by facial expression alone,” she said.
Featured in Vogue, People and Vibe magazines, Goodman’s self-titled HBO Special received unprecedented ratings and was nominated for two Cable Ace Awards – Best Comedy Special and Best Performer. Among her many credits, Goodman starred opposite Woody Allen in the ground breaking role of “Cookie” in Allen’s Deconstructing Harry; as the diva, drug lord “Georgia Rae Mahoney” on NBC’s Homicide; and as the savvy attorney “Lynette Neal” on ABC’s All My Children. Additionally, her Shakespearean debut as the “Queen” in the Public Theater’s production of Cymbeline won her rave reviews.
Recently, the Trinidad-born performer joined Oprah Winfrey, Jane Fonda, Glenn Close and others at Madison Square Garden in a moving performance of the Vagina Monologues. She was last seen on the big screen as “Evelda Drumgo” in the blockbuster film Hannibal with Anthony Hopkins.
This summer, she presented her one-woman show On Edge at the HERE Arts Theater in New York City. In the tradition of legendary comics such as Richard Pryor and today’s cutting-edge performance art, Goodman combines her extraordinary talents as a storyteller, comedienne and chameleon-like actress with a shrewd eye for social commentary. The result is poignant, powerful and hilarious.
“Using a chair as her only prop, Hazelle portrays 12 people searching for meaning in their lives after Sept. 11 … She leaves no stone unturned – singles, couples, homosexuals, black men dating white women and vice versa are all a part of Hazelle’s schtick,” wrote one reviewer.
Goodman performed selections from On Edge Thursday, Sept. 2, in the Zelle Fine Arts Center. Afterwards, she hosted a “talk back.”
In addition to her busy performance schedule, Goodman has created an Art & Spirit volunteer program for the inmates of Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. She has also established a life-long scholarship fund at The City College of New York, which she attended, in honor of the slain African immigrant Amadou Diallo – The Amadou Diallo Criminal Justice Award.
Goodman is the mother of Darlington senior, Brandon Goodman. Following in his mother’s footsteps, Brandon will soon be taking on his ninth role in a Darlington play as "Othello" in William Shakespeare’s Othello. President of the Darlington Players and vice president of the concert choir, Brandon has received the Darlington Players Award in Acting, the Bo Satterfield Spirit of Life Award, the George W. Awsumb Award and the E.L. Wright Award for Drama/Musical Theater.
The Fine Arts Booster Club hosted a reception in Goodman’s honor Monday, Aug. 30.
