Charity Angél Dawson
Charity Angél Dawson originated the role of Nurse Norma in Waitress the Musical at the American Repertory Theater in 2015, as well as opening the show on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.
Appearing in Waitress was Charity’s second Broadway appearance after making her debut in the revival of Side Show. After Keala Settle left the show, Charity took over as Becky, which she then went onto play in the First National Tour, before returning to Broadway.
On taking the show on tour, she said: “Taking it across America was very interesting because each of the different political climates and different ideals. So, different things land differently. You definitely get a sense of the place that you’re in based on how good the response is to the show. But also, it was actually very interesting to see what was just universal. I feel like what was consistent was the effect at the end. Where it got you to at the end was always the same.” Charity was on tour across the US with the show throughout 2018 and 2019.
As of April 2019, Charity had played with nearly every actress to star as Jenna on Broadway, with the exception of Katharine McPhee. “I’ve played with every Jenna except for Katharine McPhee. It’s different because each person is different and they’re going to bring something different to their Jenna. I do things with Shoshana that I’ve never done with any other Jenna because she does things that no other Jenna has done. She’s bringing her spirit and her thoughts to the role. So, I feel like it has to change if you’re truly listening and truly present with the person; what you’re doing has to shift based on what they’re giving you.”
Selected Previous Credits
Broadway
- Side Show
Off-Broadway
- The Color Purple, Tour
- Dreamgirls, Tour
Regional
- Kiss Me Kate, Hartford Stage Company
- Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Heberger Theater Center
- Beehive, Arts Center of Coastal Carolina
- Aida, Moscow Regional Theater
- The Wiz, Valley Youth Theater
- West Side Story, Baltimore Lyric Opera House
Name | Charity Angél Dawson |
Trained | American Musical and Dramatic Academy |
Role | Nurse Norma ART Nurse Norma Broadway Becky First National Tour Becky Broadway |