Move over, Barrymores. There's a new theatrical acting dynasty on the horizon, with roots right here in Atlanta.
The youngest member of the family, 18-year-old Tate Durand, is following in the footsteps of her two older siblings — at least in a manner of speaking. Her sister, Paige Faure, 25, appeared alongside Daniel Radcliffe in the hit musical revival of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" on Broadway, where their stepbrother, Andrew Durand, 26, is playing the lead (human) role in the acclaimed Tony Award-winning drama "War Horse."
All three of them graduated from North Springs High School and initially honed their skills under the tutelage of former drama teacher Brian Kimmel, who left the school two years ago to assume the position of producing artistic director at Company J, the resident theater company of the Marcus Jewish Community Center.
"Because my sister and stepbrother are older than me, I basically started out as the little kid who was always running around after their shows," Tate recalled with a laugh. "When I was younger, acting wasn't something I was interested in doing myself. For the longest time, I deliberately tried to stay away from it. I figured, what was the point, when they would always be better at it? So I played soccer, rode horses, ice-skated, anything else instead."
By the time Tate was a student at North Springs, however, the showbiz bug had bitten her, and she proceeded to land parts in such musicals as "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," "Little Shop of Horrors," "Cinderella" and "Aladdin."
"I don't know if it's genetic or what, but there's something that just seems to run in the family, a really unique vibe surrounding them," Kimmel observed. "All three of them are amazingly talented. When I first met each of them, there was no question that they were bubbling with the potential to be triple threats who could sing, dance and act. I couldn't be more proud of them."
Kimmel's upcoming Company J production of the dark rock musical "Spring Awakening" reunites him with the youngest Durand. The story involves the coming-of-age of several teenagers in late-19th-century Germany. Tate plays an impulsive (and ill-fated) romantic named Wendla Bergman.
"It's a highly emotional role and no easy task to play, because it requires an intellectual maturity that you hardly ever see in a person of Tate's age, but she really pulls her weight," Kimmel said.
For her part, the young actress admits that "Spring Awakening" is her most challenging undertaking yet. As she explains it, "This role isn't just the standard ingénue who basically only exists to win the guy. She's smart, insightful, curious and freethinking. She has her own story and arc, which is really rewarding compared to a lot of my other theater ventures.
"It requires a lot more exploration from me than I'm used to in the other shows I've done," she said. "A few of the scenes are a little dangerous, private moments between characters that are hard to play in front of an audience."
Despite its period setting, she continued, "It's a universal story that's still very relatable to kids today. It's all about self-discovery and growing up, about making decisions, right or wrong, and then dealing with the consequences of those decisions."
This fall, Tate is joining her siblings in New York, where she will be attending Columbia University's Barnard College. Interestingly, however, she isn't planning to pursue a theater arts degree. "I want to study economics, with a concentration in math. There will be plenty of audition opportunities there, if I ever change my mind. For now, though, I'm really excited to be taking advantage of other educational opportunities."
It's that sort of levelheadedness that gives her mother, Karyn, a certain peace of mind. "Tate has a good head on her shoulders, and knowing that she'll be so near her sister and stepbrother makes it a lot easier not to worry about her leaving home," she said.
"Tate isn't allowing her passion for theater to completely obliterate everything else. She's open to other interests, discovering new things, developing into a well-rounded person, and that's exactly what college ought to be about."
THEATER PREVIEW
"Spring Awakening"
Aug. 8-19. 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. $12-$20. Marcus Jewish Community Center, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. 678-812-4002, companyjatl.org.
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