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The Dartmouth
March 28, 2024 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

'Igniting Imagination:' Q&A with Jennifer Leigh Warren '77

Q: When did you become involved in music and theater?

A: Coming to Dartmouth, I never intended to be involved in music and theater. I didn't know what I was going to do, but I knew a liberal arts degree at Dartmouth was going to be great. My freshman year, theater professor Rod Alexander decided to do a production of the famous African-American musical, "Purlie." I was part of the second class of women to matriculate at Dartmouth. There were not very many women, let alone African-American women, on campus. The fact that Alexander decided to do that, looking back, was really a very brave and wonderful decision. Notices went up all over campus for casting they really needed black students to audition. I went with a group of my friends to check it out and ended up getting the female lead, Lutiebelle.

Q: Did you know always know that you wanted to pursue a career in the arts?

A: I sang in church as a kid, but I had no idea that it could be a profession. Working in theater productions with Alexander, doing Shakespeare with English professor Bill Cook, taking scene design with theater professor Carolyn Moss I learned so much about stagecraft that's helped me with what I do now, after all these years. I still use my Dartmouth education every day. It was great that the [major] in theater at the time was really difficult. You had to show active participation work backstage, use a hammer and drill, take scene design, build costumes. I love that I got that experience. I feel a great respect for everyone in theater, no matter what their job is. That's how I got started.

Q: Are there any other classes you wish you could have taken?

A: I had a great experience, but I was always really, really busy with classes, different things. I do wish I could have taken more music classes. The department was very strong back then. I wish I'd had time to take more music and visual arts classes. I'm also glad that I had an opportunity to get both a conservatory education and a liberal arts education. It's helped me with roles today. If I'm auditioning for a scientist, I can remember those horrible chemistry classes I had to take. It really has made me a more well-rounded performer.

Q: What kind of advice would you give to current music and theater students at Dartmouth?

A: Out of the college experience in theater, you're not always going to get an opportunity to play the parts you really want to play. Take advantage of them while you can. A lot of time, directors assign parts by typecasting. The most talented person doesn't always get the lead role in the real world. Someone may "look" the role but not necessarily be the most talented. At Dartmouth I got an opportunity to play all kinds of roles that I wouldn't necessarily be cast in later on.

Q: How did you begin your career?

A: After graduation, I moved straight to New York. I waitressed tables like a lot of people do. I believe in working hard, and I was not ashamed of doing what I needed to do to bring in money and fulfill my dreams. I started doing my own nightclub acts, and from there I got a commercial agent and then a regular agent. Then I got to audition for my first big break the original "Little Shop of Horrors" on Broadway, where I was cast as Crystal. That's how it started. From there, I went on to play Alice's Daughter in "Big River" on Broadway, where Roger Miller wrote an amazing gospel number for me. To this day, I can say that he wrote me that song. I got to perform it at the Tony Awards that year, as well.

Q: What are you working on now?

A: A year ago, I created an idea of mine, "Diamonds Are Forever," a cabaret show based on the songs of Shirley Bassey, with songs like "Diamonds Are Forever" and "Goldfinger." The show was directed by Richard Jay-Alexander, who directed Barbra Streisand's tour "Back to Brooklyn" that's going on now. I performed the show at the Renberg Theater in Hollywood last June and won a Broadway World Award for it.

Earlier this year I worked on a show called "Lonesome Traveler," which premiered at the Laguna Playhouse. The show was a collection of American folk music Bob Dylan, the Kingston Trio. The songs from the show are being put together in an album that's coming up.

Q: What kind of advice would you give to current music and theater students thinking about pursuing a career in the arts?

A: It's not an easy business to be in. Some people are lucky and become big names right away, but you have to be able to back it up with talent. There is a small portion of celebrity-driven culture where you don't need talent, but my advice would be to work on your talent and hone your craft. Know what you're going after and how you're going to do it with honor and integrity.

Q: What does it mean to you to come back to celebrate the Hop's 50th Anniversary Season? What are you most looking forward to over the weekend?

A: I'm honored to be asked to come back. I love the Hopkins Center it was my home away from home the years I was there. I'm also looking forward to working with Gospel Choir director Walt Cunningham, who is co-producing events for the Hop's 50th Anniversary weekend. He also played the piano for me when I sang at former President Jim Yong Kim's inauguration. I'm really looking forward to seeing what he is going to create!

I'm really looking forward to being back at the Hop for the weekend, performing on the stage in Spaulding where so many amazing performers have come to perform. You're so lucky as students to have such a high quality of artists on campus all the time! The Hop has a knack for scheduling emerging artists right before they explode. I remember going to shows like the Grateful Dead, classical things I never would have thought to see, and everything is so cheap. I remember when I was a student, I could stand in front of the Hopkins Center and not see another woman or minority. I could stand there all day and maybe I would see one or the other. Coming back for Kim's inauguration or the Overseers meetings, I could stand in front of the Hop and see all these beautiful women, all these different kinds of minority students, and it was amazing. The first class of women on campus went through a lot. I was lucky I was buffered being in the theater department. To stand there, see all this mix of people walking around, it was amazing. It's a serious example of how change is good.