Tony Award nominee is 1st among Baldwin Wallace alumni
BEREA, Ohio (WJW) — One of this year’s Tony Award nominees is a local alumnus.
Colton Ryan, who graduated from Baldwin Wallace University in 2017, is up for an award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for his role as Jimmy Doyle in in New York, New York.
His is the first individual nomination for an actor from the university’s music theatre department, according to a Friday blog post by the university.
“The entire Music Theatre Department is celebrating Colton’s Tony nomination,” music theatre director Victoria Bussert is quoted in the post. “He’s been racking up award nominations this season, including from The Drama League Awards, the Critics Circle and now the Tonys.”
(Baldwin Wallace University)
(Baldwin Wallace University)
(Baldwin Wallace University)
(Baldwin Wallace University)
Colton Ryan arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere For Peacock Original Series “Poker Face” at Hollywood Legion Theater on January 17, 2023, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/FilmMagic)
The 27-year-old performer who hails from Lexington, Kentucky, understudied the lead role in the Broadway hit Dear Evan Hansen and was also featured on the show’s TV adaptation. He also had other small and silver screen roles in The Girl from Plainville, Little Voice, Uncle Frank and Poker Face, according to the university.
“The thing I’m most proud of with it is how much love has shown up in my life,” Ryan said for a Meet the Nominees segment on Thursday in New York. “It’s come from every corner, every era — all of it I’ve needed, and it’s pushed me this whole way. I wouldn’t be here without it.”
The 2023 Tony Awards will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+ at 8 p.m. on Sunday, June 11. Ryan is expected to perform a number from New York, New York alongside other Baldwin Wallace graduates Mike Cefalo and Veronica Otim.
Source: WJW FOX 8 News Cleveland
