“Magical, outstanding, phenomenal.”
These are all words used by Chautauqua Theater Company Artistic Director Andrew Borba to describe the acting and stage presence of Jonathan Majors.
Majors will be the guest of honor at the Chautauqua Theater Company Cocktails, Concerts and Conversation at 5 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, July 29, on the CHQ Assembly Virtual Porch. Viewers can tune in for an evening of discussion and camaraderie, where Majors will talk about his upcoming projects, discuss the transition from stage acting to film acting and offer advice to young actors.
A two-time CTC alum, Majors graced the Bratton Theater stage in 2014 and 2015, the first time as a lead in Raisin In The Sun, and the second as the lead in Shakespeare’s Henry V.
Majors graduated with a Masters in Fine Arts from the Yale School of Drama and went on to establish himself as a screen actor with the role of young Ken Jones in the 2017 ABC miniseries “When We Rise.” He continued to climb the ladder of success, landing roles in the movies “White Boy Rick,” “The Last Black Man In San Francisco” and “Gully.” He most recently appeared in Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods,” airing on Netflix.
He will take the lead in the upcoming HBO series “Lovecraft Country,” an American drama-horror show about a young Black man who travels across the 1950s segregated United States in search of his father, produced by Jordan Peele, J. J. Abrams and Ben Stephenson. The show is set to premiere on Aug. 16, 2020, on HBO.
“His star is certainly rising, if not already ablaze,” Borba said.
Though the conversation will touch on his current projects as well as working in the era of COVID-19, Borba said the main topic of discussion was advice for young and upcoming actors, specifically regarding the first years after graduation.
“I was most excited about his advice for young actors,” Borba said. “I thought it was the clearest and most useful advice I have possibly ever heard.”
Borba looks forward to the projects in Majors’ future, and is excited to explore his career and time at Chautauqua, calling Majors “a superb actor and human being.”
“There’s fairy dust on him, I mean he’s magical,” Borba said. “It’s great to know that he is connected to Chautauqua and he really values his time here.
