From a profile in TheatreWashington.org
The first show I remember seeing was as a D.C. Public School student at the Folger Theatre, renowned African American actress Franchelle Stewart Dorn was playing Titania in A Midsummer’s Night Dream. She was amazing- and somewhere inside, even as a young girl, I said to myself, “I want to do that!”
Almost 40 years later I did! Same stage, same role, same play. The power of intention, coupled with Black and Brown children seeing themselves represented onstage in powerful roles, cannot be overstated or underestimated. No actor who lasts for any period of time, does it alone.
CAROLINE STEFANIE CLAY’s D.C. credits include the National Tour of Doubt, A Parable (National Theatre, Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress), Gidion’s Knot (Forum Theatre/NextStop Theatre Company, Helen Hayes nomination for Outstanding Actress), plus roles at Shakespeare Theatre Company, Arena Stage, Woolly Mammoth, Ford’s Theatre, Folger Theatre, and the Kennedy Center (Millennium Stage reading of her play, Sepia Sculptress: The Life and Times of Edmonia Lewis).
On Broadway, Doubt, A Parable, The Royal Family, Drowning Crow, and Come Back Little Sheba (u/s), and Off-Broadway, roles at New York Theatre Workshop, Playwrights Horizons, Signature, Atlantic Theatre Company, and Cherry Lane Theatre.
Regionally, she has performed with McCarter Theatre, Yale Rep, Long Wharf, Goodman Theatre, LaJolla Playhouse, Hartford Stage, Alabama Shakespeare Theatre, and Milwaukee Rep.
Her film & TV credits include “House of Cards,” “The Knick,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order SVU,” “Sherrybaby,” “Everybody’s Fine,” “Morning Glory,” “The Heights.”
Education: BFA: University of the Arts, MFA: UMD: School of Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies.
She has also served as voice/dialect coach on several productions in the D.C. area and teaches privately. She is currently pursuing Linklater voice designation. Her proudest work is with her students at her alma-mater, The Duke Ellington School of the Arts.
| Credit Type | Production | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Actor | Joe Turner’s Come and Gone | 1996-97 Season |