Nathan James
Nathan came to AAPEX's attention when he brought to life the lead role in DC Copeland's "Jitterbug!" (then called "Once Upon A Time In Harlem: A Jitterbug Romance") which was directed by Petronia Paley last March at the National Black Theatre in Harlem. "Nathan's the kind of actor playwrights dream of," Copeland said. "He took Billy Rhythm off the page where he had resided for so long and made him into a living, breathing, passionate and fearless man. If Billy had been embedded in clay, this would have been in Genesis, James is God, and the world would be much more different than the one we see today."
What role did theatre and the arts play in your childhood and upbringing?
Being from my neighborhood of Beltzhoover in Pittsburgh Pa, there are
not many opportunities provided that enables youth to see past the
allure of street life. Many of my childhood friends are dead or in
jail as a result of gang activity and drug dealing/use. Theater and
good parenting literally saved me from this harsh reality. When I was
promoted to middle school from the 5th grade, I had no doubt in my
mind that I wanted to follow behind my brother and attend Rogers
C.A.P.A middle school (which is now merged with CAPA high school in
Pittsburgh). The problem was, my mother and I couldn't figure out a
talent which I could enter the school with. My mother finally
remembered how good she thought I was in our church Easter plays. She
decided to bring me home a monologue from "You're a good man Charlie
Brown" in order for me to audition for the acting program. I was
accepted in and immediately fell in love with the craft of acting. At
our 8th grade performance at the Fulton Theater in Pittsburgh, my
comedic character brought the audience to their feet for a standing
ovation. I immediately gave up my childhood dreams of wanting to be a
scientist, and knew from that moment I wanted to be in this business
for the rest of my life
Tell us about your own evolution as an artist?
I often found myself living in two completely different worlds as a
kid. On one end, I grew up in the hood. On the other end, I was
fortunate enough to have parents who scraped together what little
money they had to involve me in acting classes and conservatories to
keep me too busy to get into trouble. This gave me a unique
opportunity to gain a social education by becoming an observer of the
two different ways of life (especially since I had never been able to
completely fit in to either environment because of my affiliation with
the other). I wasn’t “Hood” enough to be completely “Hood” because
of my interest in the arts, yet I was too much of a product of my
upbringing to be completely accepted among the “Privileged” in my
acting classes. The inability to fit completely in to both worlds
transitioned from childhood resentment to a sociological advantage in
my artistic endeavors. I'm able to see things from both ends of the
spectrum when I take on roles, and in my writing
How do you prepare for a role?
I first read the entire script to gather all the given circumstances.
Then I sit down and create a list of similarities/differences between
myself and my character in order to compliment him and find his
heroics in the world of the play. After all table work is finished, I
put my self on foot and begin to establish some mannerisms and rhythm.
What's on your agenda for 2013?
What are a couple of your dream roles?
My dream roles are: "Citzen" from "Gem of the Ocean," "Othello", and
Sgt. Waters in "A Soldier's Play". I would also love to portray
"Tupac".
Website link:
http://www.officialnathanjames.com
Blog:
http://nathanjamespoet.blogspot.com
Twitter:
@ImNateJames
Agent contact:
Mary Anne Claro
(215) 465-7788 http://clarotalent.net/
