A Budding Actor's Roundabout Roots

Howard, Ruth, and Alexander Sovronsky in a recent family photo. Photo courtesy of Ruth Sovronsky.

We like to think of Roundabout as one big family of theatre-lovers who believe in the importance of the arts. Many of the people who join our family also share their love of Roundabout with families of their own, and this relationship gets passed through the generations. Ruth and Howard Sovronsky have shared the theatre with their children for more than ten years, and as their son Alexander notes, “our family's involvement with Roundabout allowed us to be exposed to many different aspects of the company and has fostered quite a number of relationships with many of the people working in it.” His parents are subscribers and Chairman's Circle members, and their initial involvement with Roundabout many years ago helped start Alexander on a path he continues to follow to this day.

The Sovronskys were original members of our Family Series (now the Family Club), a program that brought parents and their children together to learn about the productions they were seeing onstage. The program involved workshops and post-show discussions with artists and directors, at which they oftentimes reviewed scripts or engaged in interactive theatrical activities. It also provided a comfortable environment for participants to meet other families with young children who were interested in exploring the theatre. When the Sovronskys were asked why they decided to join the Family Series, Ruth says, “Alexander, by that time, was in love with theatre, and the Family Series offered an excellent opportunity to expose him to a wide variety of theatre, with a unique twist.” She went on to say that, “Alexander was so disappointed about missing several shows throughout the season that I decided the only way to make sure we saw everything was to become subscribers. Besides, the Family Series was absolutely, positively the ‘best buy' on Broadway. Alexander met the teaching artists, adored them, and fell in love with the company. He looked forward to every show with intense joy, and his love of theatre grew exponentially.” Alexander particularly remembers Laurence Fishburne's discussion of his role in A Lion in Winter as one that had a particular impact on him. Recalling the moment, he says, “I was stunned that I had just seen him do one of the greatest performances, and then he was just talking to the audience like we were his friends. As a young man, it was very engaging. I always looked forward to those talkbacks after that.” This, and other experiences in the Family Series opened Alexander's eyes to theatre, and he immediately knew that he wanted to pursue a career in acting.

In his sophomore year at SUNY Geneseo as a theatre direction and performance major, Alexander applied for a summer internship in Roundabout's Education Department. As he says, “I wanted to be a part of something I really admired.” After being accepted, he spent his one-month internship working with Page-to-Stage, a residency program that helps teachers incorporate theatre into their curriculum through professional development workshops, classroom visits from teaching artists, and trips to Roundabout productions. During this time, Alexander watched young students realize their passion for theatre, just like he had many years prior, and felt the joy that the teaching artists got out of it, so he decided to add teaching to his long list of career goals. Roundabout's internship program exposes students to the many different facets of the theatre so they can understand how the pieces all fit together. Director of Instruction and Curriculum Development Reneé Flemings notes that, “Every intern has commented on the value of the experience, and how they can carry forth what they learned into the professional world—whether or not they pursue a career in theatre.”

Reneé, who was a teaching artist during Alexander's internship, remembers him as being very passionate about theatre and always willing to take a risk. She watched Alexander grow from a wide-eyed teenager in the Family Series, to a student participating in the internship program, to a working New York actor pursuing a career on the stage. Reneé is happy to have been a part of Alexander's learning process as he was developing and expanding upon his innate love of theatre. She says, “When you watch a seed grow that's already been planted, you nourish it in whichever way you can.” This nourishment is what is present throughout all of Roundabout's education programs that use theatre to help young people find a positive and rewarding place for themselves in the world.

Alexander Sovronsky in the New York Shakespeare Festival production of Romeo and Juliet at the Delacorte Theater. Photo by: Michal Daniel. Courtesy of The Public Theater.

After his internship, Alexander continued to pursue acting, along with classical performance on the violin and stage combat instruction. In addition, he is self-taught on the flute, mandolin, piano, and guitar. Upon his college graduation in May 2005, he moved to New York City and within four days, had a gig in Hudson Shakespeare Company's Richard III as an actor, musician, and fight director. Already, he was able to combine three of his interests in one show, and he realized that maybe he didn't have to choose between them. Alexander continues to use all of his skills when auditioning, and he has not had more than a two week break between jobs in the last few years. He has worked as an actor, musician, and fight director with The Classical Theatre of Harlem, performing in many of their productions, and this past summer, he was an ensemble member and mandolin player in The Public Theater's Romeo and Juliet at Shakespeare in the Park. Alexander is also approaching his Broadway debut in David Leveaux's revival of Cyrano de Bergerac, starring Kevin Kline. In this production, he'll be featured as both an actor and a musician.

Reflecting back on his experiences, Alexander says, “Roundabout was the company that shaped my early life as an artist,” and he hopes to one day have the opportunity to perform on one of our stages to make his entire experience come full circle. He finds it no surprise that Roundabout's education program is expanding. “They do it better than anyone else, and I'm living proof.” The nationally-recognized program has grown to be a $1.4 million initiative that reaches thousands of students and teachers each year. Sustained by the generosity of loyal donors, it reflects the impact of the overall artistic work of the institution.

As is the case with many former interns and students who've participated in the education program, Roundabout continues to support Alexander's growth as an artist. Executive Director Julia Levy went to see him in the opening night of Romeo and Juliet. She comments, “When I ran into Alexander's parents, Ruth and Howard, at opening night in the park, I couldn't tell who was beaming more–them or me. The origination of the Family Series, now the Family Club, was truly inspired through real life experiences. In fact, my own interest in theatre was encouraged by family trips to Broadway and off-Broadway, and I'm thrilled that Roundabout can offer this to families like the Sovronskys.”

Between his experience as a child attending the theatre, to being an enthusiastic intern, and now a working stage actor, Alexander epitomizes what Roundabout's education program is all about–offering young people opportunities to learn, to grow, and to succeed.

For more information on Roundabout's Family Club program, please CLICK HERE and for more information on our Career Development program, please CLICK HERE

Theatre Takes Flight
with the Support of American Airlines

The next time you fly American Airlines, be sure to look for a Roundabout artist; they may just be on your flight!

Seven years ago, Roundabout named its new Broadway theatre on 42nd Street the American Airlines Theatre, and thus began a wonderfully successful partnership with one of the country's finest airlines, American Airlines. Since then, American Airlines has helped Roundabout with a range of needs, including support for all the musicals and classic works that appear at their namesake theatre. Due to large casts, elaborate sets and numerous costumes, the shows typically produced at the American Airlines Theatre are costly ventures, and American Airlines' generous support ensures Roundabout's ability to present first-class productions in this beautiful, state-of-the-art theatre.

But their role at Roundabout does not end there. Each season, American Airlines contributes valuable air travel for actors, directors, and designers working at Roundabout. During the 2006/07 season, American Airlines expanded its partnership, becoming the official airline of Roundabout's national tour of Twelve Angry Men, which traveled to 19 cities around the country.

Although headquartered in Dallas, Texas, American Airlines has been a true leader in supporting the New York City cultural community as well as arts organizations around the country. “Our partnership with Roundabout at the American Airlines Theatre is one that we value most highly” said Chuck Imhof, Vice President, Passenger Sales for Greater New York for American Airlines. “Nothing says New York better than 'Broadway,' and our wonderful relationship with the Roundabout has given us the opportunity to support this great New York institution.”

Today, the beautiful American Airlines Theatre has become a permanent fixture on Broadway, reminding the 26 million people who travel past the theatre annually, of American Airlines' significant investment in the arts and New York.

Bravo! Roundabout Applauds
The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation
for its Leading Support

For many years, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation has provided Roundabout with tremendous support for the ever-growing costs of producing theatre. Since its first gift in 1993, the Foundation has provided leading contributions for many of Roundabout's major productions, such as She Loves Me, Company, 1776, Twelve Angry Men, and 110 in the Shade. Thanks to the Foundation's generous gifts, Roundabout has been able to bring these worthy shows, often first-time revivals or re-imaginings of classic works, to the New York stage.

This season, Roundabout is extremely grateful to have received a generous grant through the Laurie Foundation's thirteenth annual Theatre Visions Fund. For the distribution of this grant, the Foundation assembles an artistic advisory panel to review and fund one new play by an emerging playwright. Roundabout was honored to be this year's recipient, receiving funding for J.T. Roger's new play The Overwhelming. Roundabout is excited to be supporting the career of this exciting young playwright and grateful for the invaluable help the Laurie Foundation has provided in allowing Roundabout to now produce this work in its Off-Broadway Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre.

As part of the award, Roundabout also received funds to award commissions to two promising, up-and-coming playwrights. These commissions were awarded to playwrights Stephen Karam and Julia Cho. Stephen Karam is a recent graduate of Brown University. It was at Brown/Trinity Playwrights Repertory Theatre where he developed his latest play, Speech and Debate–the inaugural production of the new Roundabout Underground program, which begins in the fall. Julia Cho is a graduate of Amherst College and holds degrees from UC Berkeley, NYU, and The Juilliard School. Her four plays to date have been produced by such theatres as Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, The Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, and off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop and Playwrights Horizons.

The crucial and loyal support of The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation has been truly instrumental in helping Roundabout achieve the reputation it has today for top-quality productions. Roundabout extends its most heartfelt appreciation for The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation's increasingly generous contributions over the past fourteen years and for their starring role in making our work possible.

BACK