By Michelle Hines , University Relations
Contact: (336) 334-5371
Posted: 4-9-07
Beth Leavel.
GREENSBORO, NC – In 1978 Beth Leavel, a theater student in the master’s program at UNCG, floated onstage in a frilly evening gown as she tackled the lead role in UNCG Theatre’s production of “Hello Dolly!”
Fresh from a Tony Award win for her performance in the Broadway musical-comedy smash “The Drowsy Chaperone,” Leavel returns to her alma mater April 28. She will be the sole inductee of the UNCG Theatre Hall of Fame that evening, and will be honored with a dinner reception.
Leavel will hold a master class for current drama students from 2:30-4 that afternoon in Taylor Theatre. Students may bring songs or monologues, and she will answer questions about her career.
Leavel took home the Tony for best featured actress in a musical in June.
“Chaperone” is billed as “a musical within a comedy.” It’s a play within a play, built around a musical theater fan whose living room is transformed into a Broadway stage as he listens to a cast album of a 1920s-era show.
Leavel’s character, the title role, is a Broadway diva named Beatrice Stockwell, who is performing in a musical called “The Drowsy Chaperone.” As the chaperone, Stockwell has a few too many martinis and falls down on the job, causing chaos.
Leavel, a Raleigh native, graduated from UNCG in 1980 with an MFA in acting. She earned an undergraduate degree from Meredith College in Raleigh.
