On May 16, Northwestern University alum Brian d’Arcy James will return to his alma mater to receive the Sarah Siddons Society Actor of the Year Award. d’Arcy James received a Sarah Siddons Society Scholarship while attending Northwestern and is the first scholarship recipient to later receive the Actor of the Year Award.
The award will also be given to Broadway star Sutton Foster, a two-time Tony Award winner who appeared in “Shrek The Musical” with d’Arcy James on Broadway.
d’Arcy James, a three-time Tony Award nominee, has performed in more than 20 Broadway shows and is currently starring in “Something Rotten,” a show about “two playwrights stuck in the shadow of that Renaissance rockstar Will Shakespeare” who decide to write the first musical. He also played Matt Carroll in “Spotlight,” which took home the Oscar for Best Picture earlier this year, and King George III in “Hamilton” at The Public Theater in New York.
We spoke with d’Arcy James about his time at Northwestern, his current and recent roles and a cause dear to his heart.
Make It Better: First, congratulations on receiving the Actor of the Year Award. What is it like receiving this award from the Sarah Siddons Society at your alma mater?
Brian d’Arcy James: To be able to come back to my campus and to receive this award as someone who has been working as a professional is really a wonderful moment for me to take stock as to what’s gone on in my life since that time. I’m very grateful for that. And to be able to do it with a friend and colleague I admire so much, Sutton Foster, makes it even more special.
When you’re back in town, are there any places you must visit?
I’ve been there a couple of times since I’ve graduated and Evanston has changed quite a bit. I suppose the first thing I want to do is go see my nephews who live in Evanston. That’s my first must-stop location. But in terms of old haunts from school, just walking around the campus, that’s a fun thing to do, whether it’s visiting an old dorm or walking by fraternity row or going to the theatre interpretation building, there are just so many memories there.
Tell us about your current show, “Something Rotten.”
We celebrate a year on Broadway [April 22], so that’s going to be a nice milestone to achieve. And it is a really joyous, fun, exhilarating, original musical. That last word [original], I’m particularly proud of that, because it’s not often that you go to see something that you have no idea what you’re going to see, when you see a show. So I feel lucky to be in something that people are still discovering. It’s been a great joy and I’ve loved every second of it.
You’ve also been involved in some big projects recently, including “Spotlight” and “Hamilton.” What were those experiences like?
“Spotlight” was an unbelievable experience in that it was a joy and honor to be in the movie and to have had that experience at all. But then to have it go all the way in terms of its recognition on the awards circuit, culminating of course with the Oscar, was something I never imagined, so that, to me, was the wildest and most incredible ride to be on. And in terms of “Hamilton,” I take great pride in having been there in the very first steps that show took getting off the ground, and being part of that great crew and in the graces of wonderful people like Lin-Manuel Miranda and Tommy Kail and of course the Public Theater. That is something I’m very proud of.
Do you have any favorite characters or projects you’ve been a part of?
I did something the other night … I am trying to make my own opportunity with a piece I’m in love with. It’s an album of material called “The Shaming of the True” by an artist named Kevin Gilbert and I just did a concert … acquiring the rights to property and presenting it as a first step toward developing it as a theatrical piece. So that, for me, was incredibly rewarding, to have an idea and to be obsessed with this great album and then have a suspicion it could be something else and taking the first steps to making that happen was one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done.
At Make It Better, philanthropy and giving back is important to us. Are there any causes you’re passionate about?
I’m very happy to say I have a close relationship with an organization in my hometown of Saginaw, Michigan, called the Field Neurosciences Institute … their whole goal is to eliminate the challenges that come with people who are suffering with [neurological disease or head trauma]. It is a very interesting and incredible group of people. I was introduced to them by virtue of helping them out performing at a gala and I’ve just become a friend of the court, as it were, so I always applaud what they do. And my grandfather was actually a surgeon at the hospital where it’s rooted, so there’s family history there and I just love what they’re doing.
The Sarah Siddons Society Actor of the Year Award will be presented to Brian d’Arcy James and Sutton Foster on May 16 at Northwestern’s Pick Staiger Concert Hall, 50 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston. Purchase tickets here.
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