PAPER TRAILS: Actor from Wynne honored for performance in ‘Ragtime’ on Broadway |
An actor from Wynne has been honored for his work on Broadway.
Jacob Keith Watson was named Most Outstanding Male in an Ensemble for his performance in "Ragtime" during the inaugural Broadway Ensemble Awards on April 6 at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College in New York.
I chatted with the 37-year-old Watson, who lives in New Jersey, last Friday as he was headed into New York for a TV show recording session and that night's production of "Ragtime" at Lincoln Center.
"It was so fun," he said of hearing his name called during the awards ceremony. "But it was fun mostly because I was surrounded by the people that I do the show with every night and friends that I've worked with in other shows and other ensembles. Everyone was really excited to be there and support each other."
Watson, who describes himself on his website as an "Actor/Singer/Teacher, Arkansas native, pretend woodworker, fragrance connoisseur, book reader, garden lover and BBQ elitist," portrays Willie Conklin, along with a few other characters, in "Ragtime." He has appeared in seven Broadway productions, including "Merrily We Roll Along," "Carousel," "Hello, Dolly!" and "Violet."
Honoring members of an ensemble is special, he says, because "a majority of casts on Broadway are the ensemble. There are typically between three to six or seven principal characters and the rest of the show is made up of ensemble members. There are a lot of people who go unnoticed every year. It's really exciting to be celebrated by (the Broadway Ensemble Awards)."
Watson's first stage experience came when he scored a small role in "The Music Man" as an eighth grader in Wynne. By the time he attended Wynne High School, he was hooked on theater.
"The high school had a strong music and theater program," he said. "They always put on really great musicals in the spring. It was something everybody in town went to."
After graduating from Ouachita Baptist University in 2011 with a degree in musical theater Watson, a classically trained vocalist, spent time in a program at an opera company in Shreveport before moving to New York in 2012 to pursue musical theater.
He has toured with several national shows and in 2022 was part of The Arkansas Repertory Theatre's production of the musical "Into the Woods." On TV, Watson has appeared as Mr. Bundles in NBC's live production of "Annie" and as Tom Holder in "Law & Order: SVU." He was also cast as John Dixon on HBO's "The Gilded Age," which features fellow Arkansawyer Ashlie Atkinson.
The versatile actor-singer returns to Little Rock and The Rep for Saturday's "50 Years of The Rep" Gala where he will sing two songs.
"I'm excited to be coming back," Watson said.
Email: sclancy@adgnewsroom.com
sclancy@adgnewsroom.com
Sean Clancy is a features reporter who also writes the weekly column "Paper Trails." A native of Helena, he's been with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette since 1999.