Let It Be Art - Ronald Rand

The Soul of the American Actor newspaper

CELEBRATING ITS 20TH YEAR!
25 COUNTRIES! 20 STATES!
RONALD RAND starring as HAROLD CLURMAN
in RONALD RAND’s acclaimed Solo Performance Play

RONALD RAND Ronald Rand as Harold Clurman

Ronald Rand, painting by
Martha Carpenter

U.S. Goodwill Cultural Ambassador, Performing Artist, Artistic Director and Playwright of the critically-acclaimed solo performance play, “LET IT BE ART!”

Mr. Rand has enjoyed immense response across five continents over 20 years performing in his celebrated solo play, “LET IT BE ART! Harold Clurman’s Life of Passion” on five continents in 26 countries, twenty U.S. states, five tours across India and three Off-Broadway critically-acclaimed productions.

Two months after the devastating attacks in Colombo, Mr. Rand traveled to Sri Lanka and represented the United States at the Colombo International Theatre Festival performing to standing ovations in "LET IT BE ART!” and taught his Master Acting Workshop. During that trip, he was also invited to perform “LET IT BE ART!” at the University of Performing & Visual Arts in Colombo, and taught his Master Acting Workshop for over 75 students.

In 2018, Mr. Rand was invited to represent the USA in the 8th Theatre Olympics performing to standing ovations in "LET IT BE ART!" in New Delhi's famed Kamani Auditorium, and at the Tagore Theatre in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

He was invited to teach his Master Workshop, "Art of Transformation" at the National School of Drama, then he flew to Chelyabinsk, Russia. Mr. Rand performed to standing ovations in the CHELoVEK International Theatre Festival. He was also invited to teach master workshops for Russian students at the Chelyabinsk Primary Academy and Secondary Academy, and for the Drama students at the Chelyabinsk State Academy of Culture and Arts.

Mr. Rand has received standing ovations in “LET IT BE ART!” three critically-acclaimed Off-Broadway productions at the Sande Shurin Theatre, Century Center of the Performing Arts, and at the ArcLight Theatre presented by The Mirror Repertory Theatre.

LET IT BE ART! has received ovations in London-Spiro Ark Theatre; Paris-Filmotheque Theatre; Kathmandu’s International Theatre Festival; Zimbabwe’s BAFA International Festival of the Arts (First American Artist); “Voices of History” International Theatre Festival-Vologda, Russia (First American Artist); SLAVIJA International Theatre Festival, Belgrade, Serbia; Colombo International Theater Festival, Sri Lanka; University of Visual and Performing Arts, Colombo, Sri Lanka; 2nd International Theatre Festival for Peace-Barrancabermeja, Colombia; San Vicente Cultural Center, Colombia (First American in a solo play); Athens-International Festival of Making Theater; Harquail Studio Theatre, Cayman Islands, British West Indies; and Internationales Theatre-Frankfurt.

Mr. Rand also appeared in "LET IT BE ART!" as the first solo performer in the grand marble courtyard of the Palace Dar El Majzen, Palace Dar El Majzen in the Casbah-International Intermediality Theatre Conference, Tangier, Morocco; XXVIII International Winter Festival, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; MERCOSUR International Theatre Festival-Paysundu, Uruguay; Patravadi Theatre-Bangkok; Kafka Theatre-Buenos Aires; Sehir Tiyatrolari-Eskisehir, Turkey; Kerala’s International CPRASSIS International Theatre Conference; Palace of Culture, Minsk, Belarus; National School of Drama’s Festival of Fame, Johannesburg, South Africa; Sri Aurobindo Auditorium, Auroville, India; Calicut University, Thrissur, Kerala, India; Indo-French Cultural Centre, New Delhi, India; Invisible Theatre-Tucson; Cyrano’s Theatre-Anchorage; Cape May Stage; Last Frontier Theatre Conference, Gonzaga University & Western Washington University.

Ronald Rand as Harold Clurman He began his acting career appearing in over 250 plays at a professional children's theatre in Florida.

Mr. Rand made his Off-Broadway debut (while still at NYU) in “Julius Caesar” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music with Richard Dreyfuss, Thomas Hulce, Rene Auberjonois, and George Rose, was followed by numerous New York appearances including Hamm in “Endgame” directed by Joseph Chaikin (at La Mama, E.T.C.), the lead in Goldoni's “The Liar”, First Gravedigger in “Hamlet,” leads in several of Bernard Shaw's plays with The Shaw Project, and all three male roles in “Perfect Crime” over two years.

Mr. Rand toured for five months across Europe with American Drama Group Europe as the Fool in “King Lear.” (In the cast was Tom McGowan, who became his roommate).

Mr. Rand appeared as Sturdyvant in a sold-out run in The Classical Theatre of Harlem's production of “Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,” directed by Arthur French.

His television appearances include as Milton Sterns in “A Marriage: O'Keefe and Stieglitz” opposite Christopher Plummer and Jane Alexander on PBS American Playhouse, several roles on “Guiding Light,” “All My Children,” “One Life to Live,” as the Judge in a KRS-1 Video, and several seasons on “Saturday Night Live” in scenes with cast members Billy Crystal, Phil Hartman, Dana Carvey, and Martin Short.

Mr. Rand has appeared in over two hundred films, including Robert Redford auditioning and casting him as Milt, a barfly in “Quiz Show” in a scene with Ralph Fiennes and Paul Scofield. Aaron Russo cast Mr. Rand to play President Richard Nixon opposite Eric Roberts in “Rude Awakening, and Mark Steven Johnson auditioned and cast him as the CEO of the Guggenheim Museum in a scene opposite Angelica Huston in “When in Rome.”

Mr. Rand’s film roles also include opposite Yoko Ono in Yukihito Tsutsumi’s film, “Homeless,” as an Assistant Defense Attorney in “Family Business” with Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman and Matthew Broderick, an Investigator in “Vanilla Sky” with Tom Cruise, one of the doctors pushing a gurney racing down the hall with Bill Murray in “The Royal Tenenbaums,” a News Reporter in “In & Out” with Kevin Kline, chosen by Peter Bogdanovich as a Business Executive in scenes with Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor in “Another You”, a passport official in “The Return of Superfly,” and an irate bus passenger in “The Jerky Boys.”

A renowned international director, Mr. Rand’s award-winning production of Murray Schisgal’s comedy, “LUV”, (“LJUPAF”) was performed for eight sold-out years in repertory at the renowned Chamber Theatre 55 in Sarajevo, starring Zana Marjanovic, Moamer Kasumovic and Muhamed Hadzovic. Visit www.kamerniteatar55.ba

From 2005 to 2014, Mr. Rand read poetry in Stan Tannen's “TIPA Literary Programs” across New York City appearing with Ed Asner, Alan Bates, Kathleen Chalfant, Betsy von Furstenberg, Richard Griffiths, Tammy Grimes, Maria Gay Harden, Anne Jackson, Brian Murray, Marian Seldes, Eli Wallach, Marian Seldes, Eli Wallach and Fritz Weaver, in tributes to Anne Frank, Abraham Lincoln, Herman Melville, Walt Whitman and sharing great American speeches.

Mr. Rand performed “LET IT BE ART!” in the 53rd M.E.S.S. International Theatre Festival in Sarajevo, and was a Member of the Jury with Maurizia Settembri and Safet Zec.

Mr. Rand was chosen by the U.S. State Department as a Fulbright Specialist Scholar twice (2021-2025), (2013-2018).

In 2017, Mr. Rand became the 1st Fulbright Specialist to perform and teach at the Workshop Theatre of Paysandu, Uruguay. He taught a series of four 7 hour Master Acting Workshops on Stanislavsky’s “Method of Physical Actions” Chart, performed twice as Harold Clurman in his solo play, “LET IT BE ART!” to standing ovations, and became the first American director to direct a production of a special adaptation of Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer-prize winning play, “Our Town” in Paysandu, performed in Spanish - a language he does not speak - with a company of Spanish-speaking actors at the Aras Theatre. He also gave a series of workshops at the English Family Institute in Paysandu to students ages 9-12, and ages 13-16.

In 2015, Mr. Rand became the 1st Fulbright Specialist to teach at the University of Malaya’s Cultural Centre’s Drama Department for 6 weeks. He also became the 1st American Visiting Guest Professor/Performing Artist to be invited to teach and perform across Malaysia by the Malaysian Ministry of Culture, Arts & Tourism at their JKKN State Theatres in 3 states: Ipoh (Perak), Alor Setar (Kedah), and Kuala Terengganu (Terengganu).

Mr. Rand also taught in Kuala Lumpur at Aswara National Arts, Culture and Heritage Academy and the Islamic International State University; Universiti Teknologi Mara in Shah Alam, Selangor; and at the Temple of Fine Arts Academy on the island of Penang. In 2013, Mr. Rand was chosen as the 1st Fulbright Specialist to teach at the University of Sarajevo’s Academy of Dramatic Arts, University of Tuzla’s Academy of Dramatic Arts, Mostar Theatre Mladih Academy, and at the Third Gymnasium in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Prior to his visit in Malaysia, Mr. Rand completed his 5th Tour across India performing and teaching at Rangayana State Theatre in Mysore, Manipal University in Jaipur, in The Baptizer Festival at Christ University in Bangalore, Chilsag Chilies Acting Academy in New Delhi, and with the Auroville Theatre Group in Auroville.

LET IT BE ART! has also received acclaim at The GIFT Festival-Tbilisi Georgia, Spiro Ark-London, Internationales Theatre-Frankfurt, Villanova University, Philadelphia, Jean-Claude van Itallie’s Shantigar Retreat-Massachusetts, Donald T. Oat Theatre-Norwich, Robert Wilson’s Watermill Center-Long Island, Central Florida Community College-Ocala, Orange Country Community College-Middletown, Actors' International Retreat Experience (A.I.R.E.)-Seabeck Conference Center-Seattle, New York City at Proshansky Auditorium, Martin E. Segal Theater Center, CUNY Graduate Center, The Players, Stella Adler Studio, William Esper Studio, T. Schreiber Studio, New Actors Workshop, Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre, Maggie Flanigan Studios, Sande Shurin Theatre, Penny Templeton Studio, Actors Movement Studio, and the Episcopal Actors’ Guild of America.

As a Librettist, Mr. Rand wrote the libretto for the new opera, “IBSEN,” the first opera ever written about the great Norwegian playwright, Henrik Ibsen. Mr. Rand collaborated with the German composer, Hartmut von Lieres. The World Premiere of IBSEN, directed by Nancy Rhodes, with co-executive producers Dennis D’Amico & Ronald Rand, is being planned for the 2022-2023 season. “IBSEN” had a reading presentation with music in Auroville, India, directed by Jill Navarre, Artistic Director of the Auroville Theatre Group.

Mr. Rand has written a new feature film about the Group Theatre, “GROUP PARADISE.” His play about The Group Theatre, “The Group!” received its World Premiere at Northern Illinois University. “The Group!” also received the distinction of having a week’s workshop at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, directed by Mr. Rand. Mr. Rand has appeared as Harold Clurman and directed fifteen Staged Reading Presentations including in the prestigious York Theatre's New Play Series and in The Cherry Lane Theatre New Play Festival, at The Actors Studio in New York City (cast included Avram Ludwig, Peter Maloney, Valentina Quinn, and Angelica Page), Harold Clurman Theatre, Stella Adler Theatre (cast included Tom Oppenheim as Luther Adler), Judith Anderson Theatre, Lambs Theatre, Sandy Meisner Theatre, Neighborhood Playhouse (cast included Aaron Eckhart as Franchot Tone and Stefanie Zadravec as Beanie Barker), Century Center of the Performing Arts, and at The Players (cast included Joanna Rotte as Stella Adler and David Pressman as Stanislavsky). Over the years those attending performances included dear friends including Robert Anderson, Alec Baldwin, Phoebe Brand, Hume Cronyn, Kim Hunter, Marian Seldes & Garson Kanin.

As a playwright, Mr. Rand's plays also include Ode to the Moon; Ziz, King of the Birds; The Site of Human Life; and The Group! about the life of The Group Theatre (World Premiere at Northern Illinois University).

Mr. Rand is the Founder, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief of "The Soul of the American Actor," now in its 21st year of international circulation. It is the only newspaper in America dedicated to the art and craft of the actor and the art of the theatre.

As a producer, Mr. Rand has produced Off-Broadway Inigo Ramirez de Haro's controversial play “We couldn't call it what we wanted to call it so we called it Holy Crap!” At the Players in New York City, he also produced Libby Skala in "LiLiA!", Janis Stevens in "Vivien," "An Evening with Vijay Tendulkar" (India's greatest living playwright a staged reading of Ty Jones' Emancipation, Vinie Burrows in Rose McClendon: Harlem's Gift to Broadway), John Rothman as "H.L. Mencken", Andrea Reese in "Cirque Jacqueline," and "An Evening of Exceptional Women Poets" with Ruby Dee, Irene O'Garden, Hasna Muhammad & Sandy Rochelle.

Mr. Rand was an Adjunct Professor of Acting at Pace University in New York City for four years, and has taught at over 75 universities, festivals, conferences, and schools around the world, including Academy of Dramatic Art, Zagreb; Anadolu University, Eskisehir, Turkey; Belarusian State University, Minsk; Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares, Mumbai; Kathmandu International Theatre Festival; R.K. Film & Media Academy, New Delhi; Espacio Blanco Leis Studio, Buenos Aires; New York University; Lousiana State University; Lycoming College; University of Alaska; Northern Illinois University; University of Missouri-Columbia; University of San Diego; Stella Adler Studio, New York City; Last Frontier Theatre Conference, Valdez; Great Plains Theatre Conference, Omaha; and Rustavelli State University of Theatre & Film, Tbilisi, Georgia.

Across the nation “LET IT BE ART! Harold Clurman's Life of Passion” has also received standing ovations at the 13th Annual Frontier Theatre Conference (Valdez, Alaska), Governor’s School for the Arts (Norfolk, Virginia), Northern Illinois University (Dekalb, Illinois), University of the Arts & Villanova University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), Vaudeville Muse Theatre (Des Moines, Iowa), and as a special presentation at The New England Theatre Conference’s Annual Convention (NETC) in Bedford, New Hampshire.

Mr. Rand starred in “LUV” at The Barnstormers Theatre, and has appeared at the Greensboro Arts Alliance Summer Stock Theatre in Vermont as the Stage Manager in Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize winning play, “Our Town,” Captain Keller in William Gibson’s “The Miracle Worker” opposite Marla Schafel, and as Polonius in “Hamlet.”

He studied with Stella Adler for over 5 years, receiving a B.F.A. in Acting at NYU's School of the Arts, and was also fortunate to have studied with Harold Clurman.

He counts among his mentors: Jerzy Grotowski, Joseph Chaikin, Richard Schechner, John Strasberg, Sabra Jones, and Bobby Lewis. He also studied at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

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