You may recognize Tracie as Anne Hathaway’s best friend from “The Devil Wears Prada” or as “Joanne” from the film “RENT” or perhaps as “Kat Miller” from “Cold Case.”
Clearly Tracie has had quite a successful career thus far but what you may not know is she’s also a classically trained stage actress with quite an impressive Broadway resume. Tracie grew up in Baltimore and attended the Baltimore School for the Arts and earned a BFA from Howard University. After graduating, Tracie went on to a graduate acting program at NYC’s prestigious Juilliard School, one of the most renowned performance schools in the world.
After she completed her training, Tracie made her Broadway debut in Manhattan Theatre Club’s production of Regina Taylor’s “Drowning Crow”, opposite Alfre Woodard. She also had the honor of playing “Joanne” in the closing cast of “RENT” on Broadway after starring in the film version of the same name. More recently, she starred in “Stick Fly” at the Cort Theatre opposite Dule Hill and Mekhi Phifer. She has also been a part of several off Broadway productions including “Up Against the Wind” at the New York Theater Workshop, “The Exonerated” with The Culture Project, and “10 Things to Do Before I Die” at Second Stage.
Starring in “RENT” on Broadway was a life long dream of Tracie’s. As a student in New York, she had seen the original Broadway cast of “RENT” multiple times and was driven to audition for the show because of the inspiring cast. While her first few auditions were unsuccessful, in 2005 she finally landed the role of “Joanne” in the film version of “RENT” when original cast member Fredi Walker decided not to reprise her role. In 2008, her dream came true when she was asked to join the closing cast on Broadway from July 26, 2008 to the final show on September 7, 2008. She was also a part of the production at the Hollywood Bowl in August 2010, directed by Neil Patrick Harris.
Tracie has also had a busy television and film career. In addition to a role in “The Devil Wears Prada” opposite Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway, Tracie was featured in “Meeting Evil” with Samuel L. Jackson and Christopher Nolan’s “Looper” with Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon Levitt. Tracie was also a series regular on the long running CBS series “Cold Case” from 2005-2010. She is also currently a recurring character on David E. Kelley’s “Harry’s Law” starring Kathy Bates.
Tracie has selected “Expectations II” and “Perspectives” as her performance pieces for “My Letter to Fear”. “Expectations II” discusses a woman being more than the sum of her society’s expectations, while “Perspectives” is a three-woman piece about life, love, and experiences at different stages in life. We’re thrilled to have a Broadway veteran like Tracie joining our reading and we hope to see you there too!
Check back in a few days for the next actress in our Get to Know blog series!
