Randy Brenner: From child performer to successful Director & Actor (And raising awareness & funds for AIDS through innovative theater productions)!

Becoming Wilkinson

RANDY BRENNER
In this engaging conversation, Randy Brenner shares his journey from a child performer in Philadelphia to a successful actor and director in theater and television. He discusses the challenges and joys of performing, his coming out experience, and his efforts to raise awareness and funds for AIDS through innovative theater productions. The conversation also touches on his marriage to his husband Jonathan, life in Palm Springs, and the importance of pursuing creative passions at any age.
BIO:
Mr. Brenner’s most recent directing credit, was the highly critical acclaimed Mr. Parker at Dezart Performs, nominated for 8 Desert Star Awards, including Best director, and won Best Drama Professional 2024! Previously, he was nominated for a DTL Award for his direction of A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Gynecologic Oncology Unit At Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Of New York City for Dezart last season. Mr. Brenner directed a very successful staged reading of Beverly Hills Hotel Peace Talks, which will have a full production and be part of the 2024-2025 season at CVRep. premiering May 20th. He has been nominated and won multiple Awards including the New York Outer Critics’ Circle, Drama-Logue, Robbie, Phoebe, Scenie, Desert Theatre League, GLAAD, and raves from the New York Times for his off-Broadway production of The Only Worse Thing You Could Have Told Me… starring Dan Butler and, later, Greg Louganis. He has directed over 50 musicals and plays including White Christmas, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown (with an all-star Broadway cast), Fiddler…, South Pacific, Nine, Stephen Schwartz’s Snapshots (Directed/Created with Stephen Schwartz), Autumn Canticle, Man of La Mancha, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and the first gay version of Marry Me A Little sanctioned by Mr. Sondheim himself. Previously, Mr. Brenner served as director and dramaturg for the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts’ GROW Program, leading a class he developed in collaboration with Steven Schwartz and Stormy Sacks, where young adults wrote and presented new musical works. Randy would like to thank his husband Jonathan, and their fur-child Clarence for their love and support. Randy is a proud member of SDC.

As an actor, Mr. Brenner was last seen on stage to rave reviews as Nostradamus in 5 Star Theatricals production of “Something Rotten” at Thousand Oaks Performing Arts Center. Previously lead roles: Ballroom (CVREP), Aladdin (Disney’s California Adventure), Beauty and the Beast (Disney Imagineering), City of Angeles (Reprise!), Follies, How to Succeed, L’il Abner (MTW), Empire, Burlesque (The Broad), Toby in Sweeney Todd (SJCLO), Guys and Dolls (La Mirada), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shine, Tintypes (Virginia Museum Theatre). Broadway/Off- Broadway; Found a Peanut, The Front, Man of La Mancha, New Faces of ’52 (Revival), Joley (Pre Broadway). Touring; Fiddler on the Roof, The Music Man, Tintypes.TV/Film; “911: Lonestar”, “Glow”, “Seinfeld”, “My Name is Earl”, “SpongeBob”, “Evil Dead 2”, “Geppetto”. Randy is a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association.
Contract Randy via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/randy.brenner.9
Photo: Copyright Wilkinson/2024
Opening and closing music courtesy the very talented Zakhar Valaha via Pixabay.
To contact Wilkinson- email him at [e-mail]