{"id":76274,"date":"2017-02-27T08:41:28","date_gmt":"2017-02-27T13:41:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=76274"},"modified":"2018-05-17T12:12:19","modified_gmt":"2018-05-17T16:12:19","slug":"hamilton-calls-ucf-alumnus-for-role-in-national-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/hamilton-calls-ucf-alumnus-for-role-in-national-tour\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Hamilton’ Calls UCF Alumnus for Role in National Tour"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cPerform as if your last meal depended on it,\u201d Desmond Newson said. That piece of advice from his wise brother was a driving force that landed Newson a coveted spot in the national tour of the Tony-award winning Broadway musical, Hamilton<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Newson\u2019s introduction to theatre came early when he auditioned for his high school\u2019s musical production of Oklahoma!<\/em>. He fell in love with the creative process and became fascinated with the ability to transform into someone else. \u201cI felt powerful and, for the first time, confident,\u201d Newson said.<\/p>\n

As a student at UCF, he said he was inspired by theatre faculty members Mark Brotherton and Jim Brown because of their passion for the arts and their strong direction and guidance. Upon graduating in 2005 with his BFA in theatre<\/a>, he was offered the role of Simba for Hong Kong Disney’s Festival of the Lion King<\/em>. Since then, Newson has performed in Motown the Musical<\/em>, Fly<\/em>, In the Heights<\/em>, Hairspray<\/em> and other productions.<\/p>\n

His new role in the national tour of Hamilton<\/em> did not come easily. The audition process spanned over four months. After first auditioning in Los Angeles, Newson was then flown to New York for final callbacks with the creative team. Now in the midst of rehearsals in preparation for the tour, Newson\u2019s life will be temporarily uprooted from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Both excited and nervous, Newson is looking forward to this new experience as an opportunity to grow as an artist and performer.<\/p>\n

Newson strives to handle his experiences in life with grace and dignity \u2013 something that was instilled in him by his mother. He encourages UCF theatre students to be patient with themselves and their personal journey. \u201cGrowth is gradual. If you truly love your craft, then work hard and stay the course. Discover those unique qualities that set you apart,\u201d Newson said.<\/p>\n

Whether he\u2019s in Los Angeles, New York City or back in Florida, he finds ways to reconnect with his fellow UCF Knights and is inspired by their stories and journeys. \u201cI am proud to be a UCF Knight because UCF is finally gaining the recognition and exposure it has always deserved,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The national tour of Hamilton <\/em>will begin in San Francisco in March, followed by a 21-week run in Los Angeles, with more cities follow, including Orlando, for the 2018-2019 season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cPerform as if your last meal depended on it,\u201d Desmond Newson said. That piece of advice from his wise brother was a driving force that landed Newson a coveted spot in the national tour of the Tony-award winning Broadway musical, Hamilton. Newson\u2019s introduction to theatre came early when he auditioned for his high school\u2019s musical production of Oklahoma!. He fell…","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":76242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-twocol.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"lazy_load_responsive_images_disabled":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[3,28],"tags":[2973,15761,14919],"tu_author":[],"class_list":["post-76274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts","category-theatre-ucf","tag-mark-brotherton","tag-pegasus-briefs","tag-theatre-ucf"],"yoast_head":"\n'Hamilton' Calls UCF Alumnus for Role in National Tour | 海角直播 News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u201cPerform as if your last meal depended on it,\u201d Desmond Newson said. 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