Broadway star draws the line on being a true artist versus a fame seeker
Broadway actor and singer Amber Iman vows performing artists must consistently study and invest in their craft if they want to expand their professional endeavors.
The Atlanta-raised performer said creative professionals, especially in Atlanta, have no excuse for stunted growth, that they need to participate in classes and lectures in order to learn about their art form of choice.
“Learn the thing that you want to do,” she said. “Learn it backwards and forwards. Take as many classes as you can.”
Just ahead of Savannah College of Art & Design’s annual show “BAM! A Celebration of Black Artists in Music,” bringing together professional and student performers at SCADshow in Atlanta for Black History Month, Iman said that furthering one’s education doesn’t necessarily mean obtaining a higher degree. Instead, she believes creative professionals should be in sync with their art form, understanding its history and perfecting various techniques.
Artists should always strive to be the best, she said, and be around others who inspire them to be the best.
Iman acknowledged that some people just want to be famous rather than artists, which can result in the “death” of an art form.
“You have to sit down and open a book,” she said. “You’ve got to do some research, and you’ve got to take some classes. You’ve got to go and sit with artists and elders and soak up as much information as you can. That is, if you truly want to be an artist.”
Iman said she practically came out of the womb ready to perform. Her mother, actor Margo Moorer — who played roles in films “Forrest Gump” and “Runaway Jury” — showed her the dedication it took to become an artist.
Growing up in Atlanta, Iman was immersed in performance. She sang in her church choir and learned dance with Atlanta Ballet and Ballethnic Dance Company. She also participated in summer camps and performed with the Horizon and Alliance theater companies, Jomandi Productions and Atlanta Street Theatre. One of her earliest roles — at 3 years old — was playing Rosa Parks at the Spelman College Nursery School.
“So much of my training and discovering who I was as an artist happened through so many programs and organizations and artists who are Atlanta-based,” Iman said. “I love Atlanta. It really, truly raised me.”
Iman eventually left the city for college at Howard University in Washington, D.C., but she returned after graduating to dive into the professional field before venturing off to New York.
Atlanta “was a great bridge for me. I needed that right out of college,” Iman said. “I don’t think it would have been smart for me to go straight to New York.”
Just shy of 40, Iman has performed in “Stick Fly,” “Man of La Mancha” and “Joy.” She’s been nominated for a Clive Barnes Award for her role as Nina Simone in “Soul Doctor” and for a Tony Award for her performance as Rafaela in “Lempicka.” Iman is a current cast member in the off-Broadway musical “Goddess.”
At SCADshow on Monday, Feb. 23, she will sing songs from her repertoire.
Celebrating its fifth annual Black History Month event, “BAM!” will center Black love as its theme. In addition to professional and college actors, the performers include a full band and dancers.
“It’s really a beautiful, beautiful night of music and celebration,” Iman said, commending her fellow artists. “Just seeing how hard these college students are working is motivating to me. It’s been a really lovely experience.”
Husband-and-wife duo Mike and Tiffany Evariste — SCAD artistic director of executive ensembles and acting professor, respectively — tapped Iman to join the “BAM!” family through Broadway artist connections. Iman said she immediately jumped on board.
“I really loved how (Mike and Tiffany) were committed to … looking out for Black and brown students who just didn’t have as many opportunities,” she said.
Iman praises the couple’s work to expand Georgia’s artistic community as well as their efforts as New York-Atlanta liaisons, cultivating a space for performance professionals here.
Having already performed the show in Savannah, she’s looking forward to returning to her roots and sharing the stage with SCAD students in Atlanta.
“Atlanta audiences will probably come in with their own excitement and their own razzle dazzle and their own energy,” Iman said. “I’m excited about coming home.”
IF YOU GO
BAM! A Celebration of Black Artists in Music
7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 23. $45. SCAD Atlanta, 40 SCAD Way NW, Atlanta. scadshow.com.
About the Author
Brooke Leigh Howard is a reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Black culture team, UATL.