If you have not met Lyn Cramer, but you have been a part of the Oklahoma City arts scene for longer than a minute, you have certainly at least witnessed her work. Since 2001, Lyn has served as an Endowed Professor of Musical Theatre – Dance at The University of Oklahoma. Many of her students have and are working professionally in the performing arts on Broadway, in LA, on tour, on cruises, and in regional theatres around the globe. She guest directs, choreographs, and teaches wherever the art calls. She has been a Lyric Theatre and OKC Philharmonic family member for over 20 years. Heck, when you “Google” her, you can learn tap from some of her youtube videos! When asked to provide one word that describes Lyn, her esteemed friends and colleagues offered the following:
Driven, Fierce, Energetic, Unstoppable, Focused, Exceptional, Firecracker, Force-of-nature (hyphens fix everything), and Polymorphous to name a few…
We asked her a few questions as well – a la “Inside the Actors Studio.” She left out a few things like her affinity for canines, and her not only being an accomplished dancer and actor, but also gracing the opera stage! Cramer = Carmen? I think so.
Lyn’s responses are in bold.
- In what town did you spend most of your childhood? McAllen, TX
- What is your favorite word? Absolutely
- What is your favorite color? Blue
- What is your least favorite word? Can’t
- What turns you on? Great tap dance
- What turns you off? Wasting time (If you have ever worked under Lyn’s direction, this makes a lot of sense!)
- What sound or noise do you love? The sound of the ocean
- What sound or noise do you hate? Crying babies on planes
- What was your first job? My dance teacher gave me my first tap class to teach at age 13. That was the beginning of it all.
- How did you get into musical theatre? My mom took me to an audition for the role of Jessie (age 10) in ANNIE GET YOUR GUN at the local university. I got the role and never looked back. (Thanks, Mom!)
- What is your favorite curse word? F@#% (Yes, Lyn, we love forks, too!)
- What are you most proud of doing/achieving? My book CREATING MUSICAL THEATRE, Conversations With Broadway Directors and Choreographers (We are happy to plug it for you, Lyn! Available starting at $15.65 for Kindle on Amazon)
- What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? I have aged out now, but I always wanted to work for The National Forest Service as a park ranger. More age appropriate, my dream is to become a Sommelier in Oregon.
- What profession would you not like to do? Any job in retail. (A great Sommelier sells a lot of wine.)
- What would you like to accomplish in the next five years? I would like to perform a great deal more in character roles. (Yes! sidebar reaction)
- What two things do you want your public to know about you? I am a wine enthusiast and love wines from The Willamette Valley in Oregon. My beautiful wife, Mary, and I prefer camping, hiking, and snowshoeing to just about anything in life. (Maybe she taps in those snowshoes, too?)
Cramer’s Fun Home program bio reads: LYN CRAMER (Alison) – AT LYRIC: Assassins, Boeing Boeing, Billy Elliot, Urinetown, The Drowsy Chaperone, Big Fish, Dreamgirls, Little Mermaid, The Will Rogers Follies, Hairspray, 42nd St., Bye Bye Birdie, Smokey Joe’s Café, Five Guys Named Moe, Cabaret, Singing in the Rain, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Aida, Dames At Sea, Swing, Grease, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. REGIONAL THEATRE: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Cats, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Secret Garden, The Full Monty, My Fair Lady, How To Succeed. OTHER THEATRE: A Chorus Line, La Cage Aux Folles, Curtains, On The Town, Sweet Charity, Company, My One and Only, Rent. Endowed Professor of Musical Theatre – Dance at the University of Oklahoma. Author of Creating Musical Theatre: Conversations with Broadway Directors and Choreographers. Director/Choreographer of Oklahoma City Philharmonic’s The Christmas Show.
Lyn Cramer leads the cast of Fun Home at Lyric Theatre opening April 11th at Lyric at the Plaza. Within the musical, the character of Alison Bechdel is portrayed by three actors. Alison, performed by Cramer, is the play’s narrator who reviews her family and early life; 19-year-old Medium Alison is a student discovering her sexuality; and, 10-year-old Small Alison is a child struggling against her father’s expectations.
Every once in a while, a Broadway musical comes along that surprises, moves and excites audiences in ways only a truly landmark musical can. The “groundbreaking,” “exquisite” and “unforgettable” new musical Fun Home was the event of the Broadway season, receiving raves from critics and audiences alike, winning five 2015 Tony Awards® and making history along the way. Based on Alison Bechdel’s best-selling graphic memoir, Fun Home introduces us to Alison at three different ages as she explores and unravels the many mysteries of her childhood. A refreshingly honest musical about seeing your parents through grown-up eyes.
Music by Jeanine Tesori • Book and Lyrics by Lisa Kron • Directed by Michael Baron
This musical contains adult content and is for mature audiences only.
April 11 – 29, 2018
Tickets start at only $25! Click here for your seats today!
Feature Photo: Lyn Cramer in Lyric’s 2015 Billy Elliot • Photo by KO Rinearson
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