Bryan Terrell Clark started out his virtual event Feb. 3 with a shout out to his fellow “Hamilton” colleague Lin Manuel Miranda for his Golden Globe nomination.
Clark was the first guest in ETSU’s Spring 2021 Virtual Music and Comedy Tour. It is a similar format to last semester, in which celebrities such as Rico Nasty, Jonathan Van Ness and The Aces made appearances to perform and speak with participating schools.
In addition to a different kind of lineup, there was also an in-person element offered for interested students.
“The first 45 students that show up, they will be allowed to view in person in The Cave actually,” said SGA Secretary of Exterior Larissa Copley. “We like to be able to do the two options for students that way. If they want to do that in person interaction, I know everybody is kind of craving that right now, so that option is out there.”
Viewing online was also still an option for registered ETSU community members. Through the Looped Live platform, guests could chat with other universities across the nation or stay within their own ETSU viewing room. Other participating schools ranged from Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts, to Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, Tennessee.
During his hour-long session, Clark talked about how his personal life impacted his career on Broadway and beyond, as well as sprinkled in some performances in between. He did his own live rendition of George Washington’s introduction in “Right Hand Man” from “Hamilton” and reflected on some of his favorite memories in the role, like finding Rihanna in the audience one of his first nights.
He sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing” in honor of Black History Month and “No One Is Alone” from “Into The Woods” as he spoke about how he came to enjoy musicals. He attributed his love and understanding of the art to his friend Billy Porter, who explained that the reason he did not like musical theatre was because he did not understand why they were singing.
The night ended with Clark taking pre-submitted questions and answering them for viewers. Of the two questions submitted by ETSU students, he mentioned who and what inspires him.
“I honestly feel like every single day I find something else that inspires me,” said Clark. “Right now I am working on a project because we have had some time being home, and I just finished this Disney film that I was shooting in Canada. Since I have been back, I have been so inspired by parts of myself that I think I have forgotten because I have been an adult for so long.”
The next performer in the lineup for the virtual tour is comedian, actor and writer Rob Funches on Feb. 10 at 9 p.m. Students are once again invited to attend in-person at The Cave or virtually via Looped Live. Students can register at loopedlive.com with their ETSU email to reserve a viewing spot.
