"You are the Creator of Your Own Path, So Create the Path That You Want." Chatting with James T. Lane!

It is my honor to introduce you to an amazing actor that I have admired for many years in James T. Lane. James is a true triple threat. He has performed on Broadway in Kiss Me, Kate (Paul), King Kong (Ensemble, Lumpy u/s), The Scottsboro Boys (Ozie Powell/ Ruby Rates), Chicago (Aaron, Amos u/s), and A Chorus Line (Richie Walters); On the West End, he has performed in A Chorus Line and The Scottsboro Boys; and he has also performed in the National Tours of Jersey Boys, Cinderella, and Fame. James is the true embodiment of Black Excellence on and off the stage.

He is truly a person who makes any show he is in 10 times better. I am so beyond thrilled to have the chance to feature this very talented man! 

How old were you when you knew you wanted to be a performer?  

I was about 7 years old, first grade. It was all about Michael Jackson. He represented so much for a young black gay kid in the projects.  

Are there any teachers or mentors in your life who truly helped you become the amazing performer you are today? 

My performance life is totally about all of the teachers that I had at the William Meridith School for the Performing Arts. It is an elementary school that was desegregated with an arts magnet program. Cheryl Sheppard, Linda Hayes, Nancy Wolf, Dorina Morrow, all of those teachers from there are still a part of my artistic life today. They live in my movement, in my singing, and my creative spirit. They live in me. 

With the light at the end of the tunnel getting brighter when it comes to the industry reopening, what can you say you are most excited for and what would you like to see change?  

We definitely have gone through a momentous moment. I’m interested in seeing what the arts are after such a change in the world. I want to do what I have never done before, see what I’ve never seen.  Where are the voices of change? Front and center, please. I want them on Broadway, in tours, on TV, and in living rooms. I want change. I want America to look and sound like America in all of those spaces and places. All of America needs to be seen and felt and heard. 

Are there any roles, shows, or moments in your career that stick out and will always be near and dear to your heart?  

All of them are very special to me, but in particular, the time that I spent at Drury Lane in the Chicago area will always be near and dear to my heart. I played Bert in Mary Poppins and it was the closest I felt to my spirit of joy and freedom on stage until this past May where I performed my one-man show TRIPLE THREAT, soon to be released as a Teleplay in late June. It’s a play that moves and sings. There’s razzle-dazzle and more. I’ve never felt freer. 

What advice would you give any young aspiring artists who want a career in the performing arts? 

Be prepared for it all. Some of those no's may be the best thing to ever happen to you, And some of the yes jobs could feel like a prison. You are the creator of your own path, so create the path that you want. It’s dying to get created anyway, so you might as well just let it be. Let it live.  

For more information about James, please visit his official website at - https://www.jamestlane.com