Blake Allen
Blake Allen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Born | Tucson, Arizona | ||
| Nationality | American | ||
| Citizenship | United States of America | ||
| Alma mater | Brigham Young University | ||
| Occupation |
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Blake Allen is an American Composer and Viola player who is most known for writing The shards of an honor code junkie, music directing the 2019 revival of Over Here!, writing the theme song for the talk show Doris Dear's Girl Talk, and appearing on Shade: Queens of NYC.[1][2][3]
Early life and career
Allen was born in Tucson, Arizona but his family shortly thereafter moved to St. Petersburg, Florida. Allen was born with Spherocytosis and had his spleen removed when he was four at St. Petersburg General Hospital. Allen's family then moved to Gainesville, Florida and ultimately El Paso, Texas, where Allen spent most of his formative years. Allen grew up a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was in the viola sections of both the Culture of El Paso Paso Symphony Orchestra and Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Allen attended Brigham Young University where his friend Alan Taylor committed suicide, which led to the creation of his musical The shards of an honor code junkie, starring Tony Awards nominated actress Alison Fraser, Teal Wicks, Kristy Cates, Hannah Cruz, and Michael Lowney. [4][5]
As a performer, Allen has played with the New York Pops, Little Orchestra, and on Broadway in Tootsie (musical) and Misery (play) as well as many Off-Broadway productions including several shows and scores by Michael Friedman (composer). Allen has also been Tony Winner, Grammy and Emmy Nominee Rob Fisher (conductor) music assistant since 2012.
In 2019, Allen won the 2019 BroadwayWorld Cabaret Award for Best Recurring Series for his "An Evening With... Series" as well as the award for Best Special Event (Solo) for Marti Gould Cummings's Marti & The Cummers while also being nominated for Best Musical Director and Best Independent Album, for his An Evening With..., Vol. 1[6] That same year, Allen also won the 2019 GLAM Award for Best Cabaret for Tina Burner's Witch Perfect at Alan Cumming's Club Cumming along with fellow performers Bootsie Lefaris and Tammy Spenks.[7][8] In 2020, Allen was nominated for Best New Arrangement for Mack the Knife and for My Funny Valentine, Best Musical Director, Best Recurring Series for An Evening With... Series, and Best Special Event - Multiple for OVER HERE!.[9] Allen also performed, to rave reviews, at Birdland (New York jazz club) with Lortel Award and Drama Desk Award winner Kuhoo Verma in early 2020.[10]
Allen produced and music directed the 2019 Off-Broadway, and first ever, revival of Over Here! at the Triad Theatre with Will Nunziata directing.[11]. Smashing box office records at the Triad Theatre, the show starred Tony Awards Winner Debbie Gravitte, Jessica Hendy, Haley Swindal, and Nikka Graff Lanzarone. Allen also wrote a one-act play, Kelly [1955] based upon the Kelly-Hopkinsville aliens Encounter, which premiered at the Hudson Guild Theatre and starred Jessica Hendy.[12] The score was featured on Allen's Sonatas.
In 2020, Allen released his album Sonatas featuring music which premiered at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The album debuted at #1 on the iTunes Classical Chart, where it stayed for two weeks, and debuted at #4 on the Billboard charts Classical, where it stayed in the top 10 for two weeks. [13][14]
At the height of the 2020 Pandemic, Allen wrote Livin' the Dreamboat with lyricist Claire Tran for the Astoria Performing Arts Center in Astoria, Queens.[15] The show premiered on YouTube and was one of the very first theatrical shows to be written and presented in its entirety virtually.[16] Also in 2020, Allen wrote the theme song and incidental music to Doris Dear Gurl Talk, a weekly lifestyle show on Broadway on Demand. Allen was also the music director for the Doris Dear Christmas Special, which featured Tony Nominee Karen Mason, Amra-Faye Wright, and more.[17]
Allen is currently developing his next theatrical piece, At KC's, with singer Kristina Nicole Miller and bassist Peter L. Powers.[18] The show was partially developed at the Kimmel Nelson Harding Center for the Arts in Nebraska City, Nebraska as part of an artist residency.[19]
Shade: Queens of NYC
Allen joined the cast of Shade: Queens of NYC at its inception in October 2017, as Blake Allen, the spouse to Marti Gould Cummings. The series documents the daily reality of lives as Manhattan drag queens.[20] In the series, Allen also music directed, arranged, and performed in several episodes culminating in the album A Very Marti Holiday, an album of Christmas music featuring Daphne Rubin-Vega, Cady Huffman, and Lesli Margherita to raise money for The Ali Forney Center.[21][22][23]
Personal Life
Allen moved to New York City in 2011 and married New York City Council candidate, and drag artist, Marti Gould Cummings in 2017. Together, they are politically active in their community of Hamilton Heights, Manhattan.[24]
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Shade: Queens of NYC | Himself | Supporting Role; music arranger |
| 2018 | Mozart in the Jungle | Audition musician | |
| 2020 | Doris Dear Gurl Talk | Composer | |
| 2020 | The Doris Dear Christmas Special | Music director; composer |
Theatre
| Year | Production | Role | Venue | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | the shards of an honor code junkie | Composer; Lyricist; Book Writer | Metropolitan Baptist Church (New York City) | [25] |
| 2018 | Folk Wandering | Composer; Lyricist; Musician | Pipeline Theatre Co. | [26] |
| 2019 | Kelly [1955] | Playwright; Composer | Hudson Guild Theatre | [27] |
| 2019 | Over Here! Revival | Music Director; Arranger | Triad Theatre | [28] |
| 2020 | Livin' the Dreamboat | Composer; Orchestrator | Astoria Performing Arts Center | [29] |
Discography
Albums
| Title | Details | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|
| Billboard Classical | ||
| Sonatas |
|
4 |
| An Evening With..., Vol. 1 | — | |
| A Very Marti Holiday |
|
— |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||
References
- ↑ "New Musical "Shards Of An Honor Code Junkie" Tackles Gay Mormons, Suicide".
- ↑ "OVER HERE! - Back with the Beat at The Triad".
- ↑ "Doris Dear Gurl Talk Review, BWW".
- ↑ "Playbill".
- ↑ "BWW News Desk".
- ↑ "Winners Announced for 2019 BroadwayWorld Cabaret Awards".
- ↑ "BWW Review, Witch Perfect".
- ↑ "21st Annual Glam Award Winners".
- ↑ "Vote for 2020 Cabaret Awards".
- ↑ "Kuhoo Verma and Blake Allen Stun at Birdland".
- ↑ "OVER HERE! Revival, Call Me Adam".
- ↑ "Nicole Schlamo speaks of Brain Cancer and performing in Kelly [1955], Bagels & Broadway with Valerie Smaldone".
- ↑ "Traditional Classical Charts September 09, 2020".
- ↑ "Blake Allen Announces Release of SONATAS, KHN Center News".
- ↑ "APAC to Debut Six Musicals About Covid-19 Crisis, Queens News".
- ↑ "Covid-19 Themed Musical Shorts, NY1".
- ↑ "The Doris Dear Special, NYC.com".
- ↑ "Jason Veasey and More Part of AT KC'S Developmental Reading".
- ↑ "Blake Allen in Residency at KHN".
- ↑ New Series Looks at the 'Hustle And Sacrifice' of NYC Drag Queens - "Shade: Queens of NYC" examines the less glitzy side of Manhattan's drag stars
- ↑ Daphne Rubin Vega and more join Marti Gould Cummings, Playbill
- ↑ "BWW Exclusive Listen to Marti Gould Cummings and Daphne Rubin Vega Duet on A Very Marti Holiday Album".
- ↑ "Gay Agenda on Billboard".
- ↑ "What It Feels Like To Be Arrested at a Protest".
- ↑ "New Musical "Shards Of An Honor Code Junkie" Tackles Gay Mormons, Suicide".
- ↑ "NY Times Review, Folk Wandering".
- ↑ "Nicole Schlamo speaks of Brain Cancer and performing in Kelly [1955], Bagels & Broadway with Valerie Smaldone".
- ↑ "Over Here! Review".
- ↑ "Watch Livin' the Dreamboat".
- ↑ "Tennessee Waltz and More Featured on An Evening With Series Debut Album".
- ↑ "BWW Cabaret Award Nominations,2019".
External links
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