Emily Tyra

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Emily Tyra
Born
Emily Kaitlyn Tyra

(1987-11-09) November 9, 1987 (age 36)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
  • dancer
Years active2005–present
Spouse
Adam Santucci
​
(m. 2019)​

Emily Tyra (born November 9, 1987) is an American actress, singer and dancer.

A native of Minneapolis, Tyra grew up studying dance, music, acting and improvisation. Trained in classical ballet, Tyra began her professional career in 2005 as a dancer with the Boston Ballet. In 2011, she made her Broadway debut as a singer and dancer in Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway.[1] Recent appearances have included portrayal of Dr. Noa Kean in CBS' Code Black[2] television series and Sasha in the horror-comedy film Harpoon.

Early life and training[edit]

Tyra was born on November 9, 1987, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[2][3] From 1998 to 2005 she studied tap, jazz and classical ballet in numerous pre-professional dance programs,[4] including those offered by Ballet Arts Minnesota, Kaatsbaan International Dance Center,[5] The Joffrey Ballet and on scholarship with the American Ballet Theatre.[6] She graduated from Wayzata High School in Plymouth, Minnesota.[7]

Career[edit]

Ballet and contemporary dance[edit]

Selected by audition from more than 300 dancers, Tyra moved to Boston in the summer of 2005 and started her professional career with the Boston Ballet. As an apprentice dancer, she trained with the company’s next generation of dancers and performed in their holiday season production of The Nutcracker. She also served as an ensemble spokesperson at many media and fundraising events.

Upon completing the 2005-2006 season, Tyra turned down a professional contract to perform full-time with the Boston Ballet. She returned to Minneapolis and joined the James Sewell Ballet.[8] For the next three years, she danced both contemporary and new works with this ensemble, focusing heavily on improvisation, multi-disciplinary performance and collaboration with the Twin Cities performing arts community.[9][10]

Musical theater[edit]

After leaving the James Sewell Ballet, Tyra continued her career in theater. In 2009, Tyra had ensemble roles in Singin’ in the Rain and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at the Ordway Center in Saint Paul and the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, respectively. She also performed as a member of the ensemble in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast at the Ordway.

Broadway[edit]

Relocating from Minneapolis to New York City to pursue a career on Broadway, Tyra made her Broadway debut in 2011 with Hugh Jackman in his acclaimed Back on Broadway concert series.[1] From 2011 to 2013, Tyra appeared in other Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals and development projects, including The City Club, Chaplin, Nice Work If You Can Get It,[11] Can-Can and An American in Paris.

Following the cancellation of Code Black in 2018, Tyra returned to musical theater after being recruited for the lead role of Cassie Ferguson in a re-choreographed revival of A Chorus Line at the Signature Theatre.[12][13]

Television and film[edit]

Beyond Broadway, Tyra has appeared in a number of television and film projects. Following co-starring appearances in several episodes of HBO's Boardwalk Empire, she undertook the role of Mia Bialy in Flesh and Bone, a Starz miniseries of 8 episodes that was first broadcast in November 2015.[14][15] In 2016, she joined the cast of CBS’s Code Black[16] television series, portraying Dr. Noa Kean in 29 episodes spanning Seasons 2 and 3.[2] She remained a member of the main cast until the series was cancelled in 2018.[17]

Tyra also continues to undertake projects with independent filmmakers, most notably to date being the portrayal of Sasha in comedic horror film Harpoon. At its world premiere at the Rotterdam International Film Festival in January 2019, the film garnered positive reviews by the press.[18][19][20]

Personal life[edit]

In March 2019, Tyra was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor and later underwent surgery to remove it. After her wedding to Adam Santucci in June 2019, and a brief period of recovery,[21] Tyra returned to the performing stage in November 2019 as Cassie Ferguson in A Chorus Line.[22][23] Under medical treatment as of late 2019, she remains open about her condition and has become an advocate for the cancer community.[21]

Performances[edit]

TV series[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
2011 Boardwalk Empire Dancer at Babette’s Nightclub Season 2 (Episode 201 and 208) (HBO Entertainment)
2015 Flesh and Bone Mia Bialy Leading role in miniseries that received 2016 Golden Globe nomination for best limited series. (8 Episodes, Starz)
2016-2018 Code Black Dr. Noa Kean Main Cast, Seasons 2 and 3 (29 Episodes, CBS)

Film[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
2019 Harpoon Sasha Horror-comedy film (Director: Rob Grant)

Theater[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
2009 Singin' in the Rain Ensemble Regional theater (Ordway Center)
2009 Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Ensemble Regional theater (Walnut Street Theater)
2009 Beauty and the Beast Silly Girl #1 Regional theater (Ordway Center)
2010 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Wife (Ensemble) Regional theater (North Shore Music Theatre)
2011 Little Dancer (Renamed Marie, Dancing Still) Delphine Workshop production (Lincoln Center)
2011-2012 Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway Emily Original Broadway Cast (Broadhurst Theater)
2012 The City Club[24] Candy (Understudy: Rose) Off-Broadway Cast (Minetta Lane Theatre)
2012-2013 Chaplin Lita Grey (Understudy: Oona O’Neill Chaplin) Broadway Cast (Barrymore Theatre)
2013 Can-Can Ensemble Staged reading in New York City, Director: David Lee
2013 Nice Work If You Can Get It Rosie (Understudy: Duchess Estonia Dulworth, Eileen Evergreen) Broadway Cast with Matthew Broderick (Imperial Theater)
2013 An American in Paris Ensemble Development Lab, Director: Christopher Wheeldon
2019-2020 A Chorus Line Cassie Ferguson Regional theater, Choreography: Denis Jones (Signature Theatre)
2023 Into the Woods Cinderella Regional theater (Guthrie Theater)[7]

Dance[edit]

Year Company Role Notes
2005-2006 Boston Ballet Dancer
2006-2009 James Sewell Ballet Dancer Improvisation and multi-disciplinary performance

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Brantley, Ben (November 10, 2011). "Theater Review, Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway". The New York Times. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Emily Tyra (Code Black Cast)". cbs.com. CBS Entertainment. Archived from the original on March 21, 2020. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  3. ^ "Celebrity Birthdays - November 9". missoulian.com. Missoulian. Retrieved April 5, 2020.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ Minutillo, Megan (July 10, 2013). "Actors & Actresses Q&A Series: Emily Tyra". Write the Teachers. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  5. ^ "Kaatsbaan International Dance Center". Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  6. ^ David, Carlos (February 16, 2016). "Beyond the Barre". athleisuremag.com. Athleisure Mag. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  7. ^ a b Preston, Rohan (June 22, 2023). "Look out for these five fresh faces in Guthrie's Into the Woods". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  8. ^ "James Sewell Ballet". James Sewell Ballet. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  9. ^ Macaulay, Alastair (October 18, 2007). "Dance Review: James Sewell Ballet". The New York Times. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  10. ^ "James Sewell Ballet at The O'Shaughnessy". The Morning After Blog. Mpls - St Paul Magazine. October 26, 2007. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  11. ^ "Emily Tyra (Performer)". playbill.com. Playbill. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  12. ^ "A Chorus Line". sigtheatre.org. Signature Theatre. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  13. ^ Gans, Andrew (November 9, 2019). "Signature Theatre's A Chorus Line, Featuring New Choreography by Denis Jones, Opens November 5". playbill.com. Playbill. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  14. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (November 13, 2013). "Starz Ballet Drama Eyes Green Light With Castings, Choreographer Hire". deadline.com. Deadline. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  15. ^ Rosenberg, Alyssa (November 5, 2015). "'Flesh and Bone': Behind the scenes of Starz's intense new ballet drama". Washington Post. Retrieved March 27, 2020 – via chicagotribune.com.
  16. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 1, 2016). "'Code Black' Adds Nafessa Williams, Noah Gray-Cabey & Emily Tyra For Season 2". deadline.com. Deadline. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  17. ^ Otterson, Joe (May 24, 2018). "Code Black' Canceled After Three Seasons at CBS". variety.com. Variety. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  18. ^ Bailey, Jason (November 7, 2019). "Harpoon Review: Three Friends, One Yacht, Copious Blood". The New York Times. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  19. ^ DeFore, John (October 3, 2019). "Harpoon: Film Review". hollywoodreporter.com. Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  20. ^ Harvey, Dennis (October 1, 2019). "Film Review: Harpoon". variety.com. Variety. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  21. ^ a b Black, Shelby (March 25, 2020). "Actress Emily Tyra Was Diagnosed With Brain Cancer, Got Married, And Was Back On The Stage In Less Than A Year". survivornet.com. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  22. ^ Floyd, Thomas. "This Actress Is High-Kicking Her Way Back To Health In Signature's 'A Chorus Line'". DCist.com. WAMU 88.5 : American University Radio. Archived from the original on December 1, 2019. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  23. ^ Loria, Keith (October 29, 2019). "Emily Tyra went from fighting brain cancer to dancing Denis Jones' brand new choreography for A Chorus Line". DCTheatreScene.com. DC Theatre Scene. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  24. ^ "The City Club". iobdb.com. Internet Off-Broadway Database: Lortel Archives. Retrieved March 31, 2020.

Further reading[edit]

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