Ma-Anne Dionisio

Ma-Anne Dionisio
Born (1973-07-16) July 16, 1973 (age 51)
Manila, Philippines
Occupation(s)Singer, actress
Years active1992–present
Children3

Ma-Anne Dionisio (born 16 July 1973)[1] is a Filipino-Canadian singer and actress.

Early life

She is the middle child of five sisters; her parents moved the family from the Philippines to Canada in 1990.[1][2][3][4]

Career

After some encouragement from people who had heard her sing, she won a leading role in Experience Canada, a musical tour that celebrated Canada's 125th anniversary.[1][3] A TV presentation of the show was seen by someone in the Toronto casting department Miss Saigon who arranged for an audition for the role of Kim in the musical.[1] She won the role and was a celebrated success, earning nominations for the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 1994 and in 2011.[5] Dionisio has since performed as Kim in British, Australian and American productions of Miss Saigon.[6]

She played the role of Éponine in the U.S. touring company of Les Misérables, joining Lea Salonga as the second Asian to play Éponine in western theater.

She played Bertrande de Rols in Martin Guerre in London,[7] performed in West Side Story as Maria at the Stratford Festival in 1999,[1] and appeared on Broadway as Little Girl in the 2002 revival of Flower Drum Song.[8]

In July 2008, Dionisio reprised her original role as Kim in the seated production of Miss Saigon at The Muny in St. Louis, Missouri.[9] In July 2010, she also reprised this role in the second Toronto, Ontario, Canada production.[10][11] She originally played this role in the original Toronto production in 1993, which also launched her career.[10][11]

She is a founding artist of Theatre 20, a musical theatre company in Toronto formed by artists in 2009, and performed in Theatre 20's 2011 Concert Series at the Panasonic Theatre.[12]

She has also had occasional film and television roles, including guest appearances in Flashpoint, Remedy and Schitt's Creek and a lead role in the film The Waiting Room.

Theatre

  • Miss Saigon (Toronto) 1993 - Kim
  • Les Misérables (US Tour) - Eponine
  • Miss Saigon (West End) - Kim
  • Martin Guerre (West End) - Bertrande
  • Miss Saigon (Sydney) - Kim
  • Next to Normal (Toronto) 2019 - Diana Goodman

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Richard Ouzounian (2010-07-09). "The real-life Miss Saigon". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2010-07-11.
  2. ^ Pat St. Germain (2001-02-02). "Ma-Anne teams with WSO for homecoming tour". Winnipeg Sun. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
  3. ^ a b Patti Conley (2003-06-05). "'Miss Saigon' grows into role". Beaver County Times. Retrieved 2010-07-11.
  4. ^ Victoria Ahearn (2010-05-13). "Ma-Anne Dionisio reprises lead role in 'Miss Saigon'". timestranscript.canadaeast.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
  5. ^ Canadian Who's Who 2003
  6. ^ John Hayes (2003-06-09). "Stage Review: CLO stages triumphant 'Miss Saigon'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2010-07-11.
  7. ^ Stephane Ly-Cuong (1998-03-02). "PBOL Reports from Closing Night of London's Martin Guerre". playbill.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-16. Retrieved 2010-07-11.
  8. ^ Andrew Gans (2002-09-04). "The Flowering of Drum Song: A Sneak Peek at the R&H Musical". playbill.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-16. Retrieved 2010-07-11.
  9. ^ Gans, Andrew (2008-07-16). "Jue, Dionisio, Kunze, Tower, Lee and Voytko Cast in Muny's Miss Saigon". playbill.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  10. ^ a b "Dionisio returns to Toronto in Miss Saigon". CBC.ca. 2010-04-22. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  11. ^ a b Gabriel, Maria Athena (April 30, 2010). "Ma-Anne Dionisio reprises role in Miss Saigon (Toronto)". The Philippine Reporter. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  12. ^ Jones, Kenneth (12 April 2011). "Colm Wilkinson, Louise Pitre and New Musical Amelia Will Be Heard in Toronto Concert Series". Playbill. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2011.