Choir Boy's Tony-Nominated Choreographer Camille A. Brown on the Magic Mike Musical, Inspiring Young Black Women & More

Choreographer Camille A. Brown is in demand: In addition to upcoming projects like the Shakespeare in the Park production of Much Ado About Nothing, off-Broadway's Toni Stone and the eagerly anticpated Magic Mike musical, she is also enjoying a Tony Award nomination for her work on Choir Boy, Tarell Alvin McCraney's Tony-nominated play about a prep school boys' choir. Garnering a Tony nomination for choreographing a play is always noteworthy; this is only the third time it's happened in the last decade. (Steven Hoggett received nods for his work on both Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.) "I didn't believe it. I was asleep when the nominations came out," she explained in a recent interview on Broadway.com's #LiveAtFive. "My best friends called me screaming saying I had a nomination. I immediately felt gratitude."

Brown's nomination is that much more significant because a black woman has not been up for a choreography Tony Award since Marlies Yearby was nominated for Rent in 1996. "I'm still trying to process it," Brown said. "I definitely honor it as a moment. I am thankful to Marlies Yearby and all of the black women who have paved the way for me."



Brown spoke about her collaboration with McCraney: "What he did so beautifully was interlace spirituals inside of the work, so I was able to think about the historical context of what we were doing but also the present day: Where are these men, and how do they place themselves in 2019? Immediately, I came up with honoring South African gumboot, which is a social dance," she explained. "Once we understand the intention, then we start moving. It's about creating movement as a language. How do you speak without saying words?"

As for Trip Cullman, who directed Choir Boy, and will also helm Magic Mike, Brown says: "He really gave me the space to share my vision [with Choir Boy]," Brown said. "I'm going to unpack Magic Mike and see what else is there other than stripping. I think when you have revivals or things that are based on movies, you want to give people what they expect, but you also want to challenge people for what they don't expect."

There is often joy in the unexpected; Brown shared a story about realizing her impact as a role model for young black women pursuing a life in the theater. "I was working with some students. Five minutes before the class, I was talking to my agent, and he told me that I didn't get a choreography gig that I was up for. I was crying like, 'Oh gosh, I have to teach this class,'" she said. "After the class, the kids wanted to take pictures, and I just wanted to go start crying. I didn't want to disappoint them. A girl and I took a picture—she walked away, and then she stopped and turned around. I was so moved because she looked at me the way I used to look at other women that I looked up to. Immediately, I said [to myself], 'This is not just about you. This is about something greater.'"

Watch the full episode of #LiveatFive below!