New Orleans actor KC Simms (“Hit Man,” “Mike”) is bound for Broadway, starring in a new play set in the 7th Ward — one of 12 new productions in this year’s 10th-anniversary Broadway Bound Theatre Festival in Manhattan.
The festival is a launching pad for Off-Broadway and Broadway transfers. Oddly, Simms was a bit of a Johnny-come-lately to the theater scene.
“You know theater wasn’t always my goal,” Simms explained. “I was working toward a film career, but as I’ve grown and met these really talented people in theater, I’m loving this opportunity to work on stage.
“Considering that there’s not much film opportunity right now in Louisiana, I’m more than happy to spread the word that we have talented actors in Louisiana by performing at the Broadway Bound Festival in Manhattan.”
Simms’ entrée into the theater world began with The NOLA Project, an ensemble theater company in New Orleans which engages in the production of innovative and adventurous new plays. Simms had worked with the group on a series of theatrical snippets that are performed as part of the Rough Draft series around New Orleans.
KC Simms rehearses in New York with Xavier Rodney who plays Louis Armstrong in “One Night at the Blackbird.”
Provided by KC Simms
It was through this group that he met writer and producer Thomas Mullen, who had Simms read a new play called “One Night at the Blackbird,” which he co-wrote along with fellow playwright Maria Messias Mendes. When Mullen decided to enter it in the Broadway Bound Theatre Festival, he asked Simms if he’d be interested in reprising his role as Herman Godfrey.
“Godfrey is the devoted manager of this hidden New Orleans 7th Ward speakeasy,” Simms said. “There’s a supernatural plot element within this nightclub because it’s visited by ghosts. And not just any ghosts — the ghosts of Louis Armstrong, Allen Toussaint and Mahalia Jackson. But Godfrey must continually bargain with club owner Lucy (Lucifer herself) who’s burned out and wants to close the club. Godfrey may be making a deal with the devil but believes he must save the souls of the legendary music royalty which still gathers there.”
For Simms, who is currently in New York for rehearsals preceding the show’s August premiere, this is his first time in the Big Apple in over 18 years. As a child, his mother took him and his siblings to New York City to watch the ball drop on New Year’s Eve.
At the time, the 9-year-old wanted to be an astronaut. As he grew up, he began to realize just how long he’d be in college to attain that goal. In the meantime, he happened to see the remake of “The Karate Kid” in 2010 with Jaden Smith, and realized there might be room in the film industry for him, too.
With that notion cemented in his mind, he began to think about drama classes in middle school.
“I was living in Baton Rouge as a kid, and I didn’t initially know what to do, but I knew my school had an excellent drama department with a lot of talented kids who were a part of it, so I signed myself up,” Simms recalled. “My mom didn’t even know about it, and in fact, I forged her signature on the papers that I needed to take those classes. .. When she found out what I was trying to do, she supported me and even took me to the audition.”
Table read for “One Night at the Blackbird” which took place in New Orleans. KC Simms (3rd from left) and Aria Franklin (2nd from right) moved on to New York.
Provided Photo
Simms majored in theater at LSU New Orleans, formerly the University of New Orleans, and began to audition for local films. While he’s garnered roles that have shot in Louisiana, auditioning as of late has slowed to a crawl with the absence of studio films shooting in the state — a situation that Simms, like most other actors in this community, finds frustrating.
But he’s been prepared for the slump since the strikes, acting in microdramas (short, episodic formats for mobile viewing) and local theater productions, with roles in “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner?” and “A Streetcar Named Desire.”
“Sometimes, for better or worse, you have to make a leap somewhere, just to keep honing your craft,” Simms said. “I feel very lucky to be a part of such a creative acting community in Louisiana, which has supported me no matter what and even helped me find a place in New York where I can couch-surf for the few weeks I’m up there.
“So, I’m proud to represent Louisiana, Baton Rouge and New Orleans on a Broadway stage, because the last time I was in New York I was watching a ball drop in Times Square, and now I’m performing right around the corner.
Of the five cast members in “One Night at the Blackbird,” two are from New Orleans — Simms and Aria Franklin as Lucy (Lucifer). The rest of the cast is from the New York area. The play runs from Aug. 12-16 at the AMT Theater in New York City.