Terri White: Homeless to Broadway- Page 2

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 10/27/09 at 12:55pm

A warm hand on your opening, Terri.

Heh.

Yes, I'm immature. Deal with it.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/27/09 at 1:35pm

would it have ever crossed anybodys mind that somebody who makes it to broadway can have a downfall?

Well... yeah. Especially someone not playing leading roles.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 10/27/09 at 2:01pm

What a great article! Ms. White is a joy in FINIAN'S.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/27/09 at 2:38pm

Beautiful article, marred by such a stupid error. I sent an email to the writer asking her to correct it.

God bless you, Terri White. Be well and be happy.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/27/09 at 2:42pm

Oh, Terri!

[DAME]

Posted: 10/27/09 at 3:05pm

Really nice lady. Met her a few times at Roses turn and and then again when she was playing with Liza Minnelli at the Luxor 4 years ago.

[Tom1071]

Posted: 10/27/09 at 4:09pm

"SHAME on the responsible parties of Chicago. Especially given the lackluster Kecia Lewis Evans currently in the role of Mama, Terri White just seems like a ideal and superior choice."

It's the same casting office that cast her in Finian's Rainbow.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/27/09 at 4:10pm

EL OH EL

[fflagg]

Posted: 10/27/09 at 4:26pm

Nice lady, great talent, makes a mean martini.

Question: why didn't Actor's Equity come to her aid? Did she not ask out of pride? Couldn't one of her friends have told Equity?

Three cheers for a great talent getting a paycheck. A Tony would be nice, too. . .

And she'll be on the cast recording if/when they get a label.

[Tom1071]

Posted: 10/27/09 at 4:38pm

Actors' Equity is not a aid organization. They are nothing more than a labor union. She would have had to seek help from the Actor's Fund of America, however, they have strict criteria that you must meet in order to receive aid from them.

Specifically..."A minimum of five years of industry employment with earnings of at least $6,500 for three out of the last five years."

As far as housing in an Actor's Fund building, some of the waiting lists are several years long and again you must meet specific criteria.


Actors Fund of America Updated On: 10/27/09 at 04:38 PM

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/27/09 at 4:43pm

Question: why didn't Actor's Equity come to her aid? Did she not ask out of pride? Couldn't one of her friends have told Equity?

The article says she was "Severely depressed, she was too proud to reach out to social services, and kept the extent of her problems from friends."

There's also the quick line about her getting back into mental shape, which makes me wonder if she wasn't battling some kind of mental illness as well.

[Kev]

Posted: 10/27/09 at 4:43pm

It's the same casting office that cast her in Finian's Rainbow.

Binder is credited with Chicago's "original casting" but, I was under the impression that Duncan Stewart now casts the show.

[Tom1071]

Posted: 10/27/09 at 4:58pm

You are correct, Kev. I was not aware of that change.

Incidently, this situation with Terri White is not the first of its kind. Tonya Pinkins went through something very similar.

Melba Moore also was homeless sometime prior to her run in Les Miserable.
Updated On: 10/28/09 at 04:58 PM

[question2]

Posted: 10/29/09 at 12:00am

So what's going on here? Her website says she was nominated for a Tony, and I remember her being announced as a "Tony nominee" years ago when she sang at the piano bars downtown.

Is she really fibbing -- and has she been fibbing about this for years? How strange. She's so talented.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/29/09 at 12:06am

I would guess so. And I would guess that that's why the Times didn't doublecheck it. I guess they just assume if someone tells you they got a Tony nomination, you believe them.

She probably believes it, too.

[jsg03jd]

Posted: 10/29/09 at 2:01am

I read this article before seeing FR on Tuesday, October 27th.

What a sad but ultimately inspirational story. God bless, Terri!

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 10/29/09 at 2:07am

Who was it - oh this was a while ago - that also claimed to be a Tony winner in their personal bio when they weren't. It was somebody random like Joan Collins. None of us could figure it out...

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/29/09 at 2:09am

Raul Esparza?

[Kevn520]

Posted: 10/29/09 at 2:36am

LOL@ Phylliss!

[Q]

Posted: 11/29/09 at 6:42am

It's not on her site anymore.