Darlene Hope as Lucille Wilson
Introduction to Darlene Hope. 0:49 sec. Interview: Raymond Elman Editing and Production: Matthew Garcia. Recorded: 3/10/2020 at the Colony Theatre, Miami Beach
DARLENE HOPE is an Orlando native who is known for her stage, commercial and television work.
Some of her work includes appearances on the procedural drama show FBI and the comedy shows God Friended Me and Don’t Shoot The Messenger.
Hope is also featured in the series, 22 Homes, produced by the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its global stay-at-home orders.
She started the year 2020 with her role in the musical, A Wonderful World, the bio-musical of Louis Armstrong as seen through the eyes of his four wives, in which she plays wife number four, Lucille Wilson.
The videos below are organized by topic and run between 30 seconds and 4 minutes. Click on any video. You must be connected to the Internet to view the videos.
INSIGHT AND INSPIRATION: 1:29 min.
What’s your awareness of the Hampton House?
INSIGHT AND INSPIRATION: 1:17 min.
What was your first awareness of art of any discipline?
STRONG DRIVE FOR ACHIEVEMENT: 3:59 min.
Talk about the arc of your career. How did you get involved with acting?
SEIZES OPPORTUNITIES: 3:55 min.
What was the path that led you to “A Wonderful World,” and what were your initial thoughts about the script and your character, Lucille Wilson?
CRITICAL THINKING: 2:15 min.
When you dug into the history of Louis Armstrong, were there many surprises?
INSIGHT AND INSPIRATION: 2:33 min.
It seemed to me that “A Wonderful World” underplayed Louis Armstrong’s presence in cinema — for example starring alongside Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Grace Kelly in “High Society.”
SERENDIPITY: 1:01 min.
The play doesn’t have much to say about Louis and Ella Fitzgerald as the world’s most famous scat singers.
CRITICAL THINKING: 2:36 min.
Talk about the process for selecting the four actresses who portray Louis Armstrong’s wives and how each of the wives is such a distinctive character.
INSIGHT AND INSPIRATION: 0:43 sec.
How were the songs selected?
CREATIVE FLEXIBILITY: 1:06 min.
Which songs in the play do you like the best?
UNDERSTANDS THE AUDIENCE’S PERSPECTIVE: 1:08 min.
Do you think your audiences will recognize most of the songs?
UNDERSTANDS THE AUDIENCE PERSPECTIVE: 2:52 min.
How do you think “A Wonderful World” will resonate with contemporary audiences?
COMMUNITY VALUES: 2:06 min.
Do you think that most Millennials will know who Louis Armstrong was?
PERSEVERANCE FURTHERS: 3:53 min.
Talk about the value of arts education. Were you the type of student that people always said would become a professional actress?
COLLABORATION: 2:20 min.
What has developing this musical in Miami Beach been like?
