4 CCM alumni land 2024 Tony Award nominations. See who here

Four University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music alumni have landed Tony Award nominations.

The nominees, announced Tuesday, include class of 1972 alum Dorian Harewood for best lead actor in a musical for his role in "The Notebook." Class of 1999's Shoshana Bean and Leslie Kritzer also received nods, both in the best featured actress in a musical category for their performances in "Hell's Kitchen" and "Spamalot," respectively. And class of 2009 graduate Isabella Byrd earned two nominations: best lighting design of a play for "An Enemy of the People" and best lighting design of a musical for "Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club."

Hosted by actor Ariana DeBose, the 77th annual Tony Awards will take place June 16 at the Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater. It will broadcast on CBS and stream live on Paramount+.

Dorian Harewood: best lead actor in a musical nominee

A veteran actor on both the stage and the screen, Harewood returned to Broadway after 46 years to star as older Noah in the new "The Notebook" musical, based on Nicholas Sparks' beloved 1996 novel of the same name.

Harewood, a Dayton native, landed his breakout role shortly before graduating from UC in 1971, appearing as Judas in the national tour of "Jesus Christ Superstar," according to Broadway in Pittsburgh.

The Ohioan went on to perform in several Broadway shows, including "Two Gentlemen of Verona," "Don’t Call Back," "Streamers" and "The Mighty Gents." He made his film debut in the 1975 drama "Foster and Laurie." He's perhaps best known for portraying Jesse Owens in the 1984 film "The Jesse Owens Story."

In an interview with Broadway.com earlier this year, Harewood praised the racially-diverse casting featured in "The Notebook" musical, which premiered on Broadway on March 14.

“That’s what was so exciting to me,” he said. “People don’t look the same, but we are the same. There’s an essence that we can’t see but we know is there. And in my opinion we’re all connected.”

Along with Harewood's nomination, the musical earned Tony nods in the best actress in a musical and best book of a musical categories.

Shoshana Bean: best featured actress in a musical nominee

Bean received her second Tony nomination this week, having been nominated in the same category for her performance as Susan Young in "Mr. Saturday Night" in 2022.

A native of Olympia, Washington, Bean made her Broadway debut shortly after graduating from UC, appearing as Shelley in the original Tony Award-winning cast of "Hairspray" in 2002. She went on to appear in many more off-Broadway and Broadway shows, including taking over Idina Menzel's run as Elphaba in the Broadway hit "Wicked" in 2005.

Beyond her theater credits, Bean has pursued a solo music career, beginning with her debut album "Superhero" in 2008. She continued to perform in cabarets and concerts around the world before returning to Broadway for "Hell's Kitchen."

Making its Broadway premiere April 20, "Hell's Kitchen" is a new musical that tells the semi-autobiographical story of Alicia Keys, who also created the music and lyrics for the show.

"Hell's Kitchen" depicts Keys' (or Ali, as the character is named) 1990s upbringing in the neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan. Bean plays the role of Jersey, Keys' mother who engages in a constant tug-of-war with Ali (played by Maleah Moon) trying to protect her from the perils of New York City.

"Hell's Kitchen" also earned nods in a whopping 12 categories, including best new musical.

Leslie Kritzer: best featured actress in a musical nominee

A Manhattan native, Kritzer lands her first Tony nomination this year for her performance as the Lady of the Lake in the Broadway revival of "Spamalot" – a show based on the 1975 film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail."

Kritzer is a veteran of the stage. She snagged roles in Broadway productions of "Hairpsray" and "Legally Blonde" shortly after graduating from UC's class of 1999. The actor went on to perform in countless off-Broadway and Broadway shows, including originating the roles of Delia Schlimmer and Miss Argentina in the Broadway premiere of "Beetlejuice" in 2022.

New York Times theater critic Jesse Green wrote a glowing description of Kritzer's "Spamalot" performance in a review published in November.

"Among a cast of performers unafraid to chew scenery, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer ... is the top masticator. In some hilarious head space between Liza Minnelli and Celine Dion, scatting, belting and muttering private thoughts — including, on the night I saw it, ad-libs about Patti LuPone and Ozempic — she essentially steals the show despite her frequent absences from it," Green wrote.

Isabella Byrd: best lighting design of a play, best lighting design of a musical nominee

An alum of CCM's lighting design and technology program, Byrd has directed lighting in shows across the country and in the United Kingdom.

She recently made her Broadway debut with her Tony-nominated lighting work on "An Enemy of the People" and "Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club."

"I often joke that it may be more accurate to call me a ‘darkness designer.’ My contributions bloom from design dramaturgy, space, and surprise," the Brooklyn-based CCM alum wrote on her website.

Apart from her two 2024 Tony Award nominations, Byrd has earned several other accolades for her work, including a Drama Desk Award for outstanding lighting design for her work on "Epiphany," an original play presented at Lincoln Center Theater in 2022.

In an interview with City Theatrical, Byrd reflected on her education at CCM, saying “The theatre design program there is very robust and very hands on. I oddly knew I was committed to light at that time, and I was fortunate to build a large portfolio there.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 4 University of Cincinnati alumni land Tony Award noms