The Excaliber Shakespeare Company of Chicago's Darryl Maximilian Robinson and The Trap Door Theatre of Chicago's Danny Belrose Visit Hollywood!

26911938409 168604fbbb z — IN HOLLYWOOD, SHARING IS CARING: Excaliber Shakespeare Company of Chicago Founder and Director DARRYL MAXIMILIAN ROBINSON and Trap Door Theatre of Chicago Ensemble Member and Alum DANNY BELROSE pose with FAKE OSCARS at SWEET! at The Hollywood and Highland Center in Los Angeles. Photo courtesy of SWEET! PHOTO STAFF.

37799951355 7e4d5ce7b9 o — A TRUE HOLLYWOOD SWEET! SHOP: Logo of the noted snack and souvenir store SWEET! at The Hollywood and Highland Center in Tinseltown.

38631697786 c0df530995 z — GOOD FOOD IN HOLLYWOOD IS A GOLD STANDARD!: Actors DANNY BELROSE & DARRYL MAXIMILIAN ROBINSON ( who starred as JERRY & PETER in the 1993 EXCALIBER PRODUCTIONS, LTD. revival of EDWARD ALBEE'S "THE ZOO STORY" in St. Louis ) enjoyed their November 2017 cast reunion dinner at the popular STOUT RESTURANT in Hollywood, CA. Selfie Photo by DANNY BELROSE.

38631709156 55f24c9ef5 o — The popular STOUT RESTURANT in Hollywood, CA.

38655539122 879b5b0c29 z — AN EXCALIBER "ZOO STORY" CAST REUNION A QUARTER-OF-A-CENTURY IN THE MAKING: Excaliber Shakespeare Company of Chicago Founder and Director DARRYL MAXIMILIAN ROBINSON and Trap Door Theatre of Chicago Ensemble Member and Alum DANNY BELROSE ( who appeared as PETER and JERRY in the 1993 EXCALIBER PRODUCTIONS, LTD. revival of EDWARD ALBEE'S powerful one-act drama "THE ZOO STORY" at CUMMEL'S CAFE in St. Louis, MO. ) pose for a November 2017 CAST REUNION PICTURE under the marquee of Hollywood's Historic Classic Movie Palace, THE EL CAPITAN THEATRE in Tinseltown. Selfie Photo by DANNY BELROSE.

WHERE ALBEE PLAYED IN ST. LOUIS: The former downtown Gateway City entrance window of the excellent CUMMEL'S CAFE, where in 1993 THE EXCALIBER PRODUCTIONS, LTD. staging of DANNY BELROSE as JERRY and Director DARRYL MAXIMILIAN ROBINSON as PETER in the revival of EDWARD ALBEE's powerful one-act drama "THE ZOO STORY" was mounted.

Chicago Stage Veterans Darryl Maximilian Robinson and Danny Belrose Celebrate Old Times in Tinseltown![]

Veteran and critically-praised Chicago ( now L. A.-based ) stage actors Darryl Maximilian Robinson ( The multiple award-winning Founder of the multiracial, non-Equity professional classical and contemporary chamber theatre The Excaliber Shakespeare Company of Chicago ) and Danny Belrose ( well-regarded, critically-acclaimed ensemble member and alum of The Trap Door Theatre of Chicago ) first appeared onstage together 25 years ago in the 1993 Excaliber Productions, Ltd. revival production of acclaimed American playwright Edward Albee's powerful dramatic one-act The Zoo Story at the intimate Cummel's Café in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. A Greater St. Louis area native recently graduated from high school, Mr. Belrose, who played Jerry in Excaliber's revival of The Zoo Story, had been a highly popular student stage performer who captured the 1992 Webster Groves High School Thespian Award as Best Actor for his performance as The Witch Boy in the haunting stage drama Howard Richardson's and William Berney's Dark of the Moon directed by respected youth drama instructor Ron Kenny, and also had won a Presidential Scholarship which helped him to go on to earn a degree in The Performing Arts from Chicago's Columbia College. After college, from the mid-1990s through the early 2000s, Danny Belrose would go on to score a series of rave reviews for his performance work in roles in gritty, cutting-edge dramas such as Fernando Arrabal's The Automobile Graveyard, Patrick Meyers' Feedlot, Naomi Iilzuka's Polaroid Stories and Brian Silberman's Sugar Down, Billie Hoak with The Trap Door Theatre in The Windy City. Now, living and acting in Los Angeles, Mr. Belrose earned his SAG/AFTRA card and has successfully transitioned to television roles, including appearances on Portlandia, MTV'S Buzz Kill, Grimm and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. A 45-season veteran of the stage who directed and appeared as Peter opposite the gifted young Mr. Belrose's Jerry in Edward Albee's The Zoo Story, Darryl Maximilian Robinson has been awarded such honors as: the 1981 Fort Wayne News-Sentinel Reviewer's Recognition Award as Outstanding Thespian of the Season for a gallery of performances at northern Indiana's Enchanted Hills Playhouse of Syracuse ( particularly for his portrayal of Fagin in Lionel Bart's Oliver! ); a 1992 St. Louis Area Harpooners Of The Sea Unicorn Certificate Of Honourary Membership Award for his production, staging and performance as Sherlock Holmes in the 1992 Excaliber Productions, Ltd. mounting of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes: The Final Problem! at The Midtown Arts Center of St. Louis; and both a 1997 Chicago Joseph Jefferson Citation Award as Outstanding Actor In A Principal Role In A Play and a 1997 Chicago Black Theatre Alliance Award Nomination as Best Leading Actor In A Play for his noted performance as Sam Semela in The Excaliber Shakespeare Company of Chicago Jeff Citation Nominated Best Production revival of Athol Fugard's Master Harold and The Boys ( which he also directed ) at The Heartland Café Studio Theatre in The Windy City. Having worked with numerous local and regional theatre groups around the country over the years, Mr. Robinson moved to Los Angeles in 2005, worked several "day gigs" to make ends meet, and resumed his stage career in plays and musicals in 2010, capturing excellent reviews for his roles as the old Shakespearean actor Henry Albertson in Tom Jones' and Harvey Schmidt's The Fantasticks, Major-General Stanley in Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance, The Reverend Sykes in playwright Christopher Sergel's stage adaptation of Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, and District Attorney Flint in Ayn Rand's Night of January 16th, as well as earning a 2013 Los Angeles Marcom Masque Theatre Award Nomination as Best Actor In A Major Supporting Role for his performance as Booker T. Washington in a revival of the Tony Award-winning musical Ragtime and a 2015-2016 Los Angeles ELATE Season Ticket Holder Award Nomination as Best Actor for his portrayal of the debonair, but aging leading man Ernest in a revival of Tad Mosel's Impromptu. Back in the early 1990s, Darryl Maximilian Robinson was seeking new talent to expand his St. Louis Excaliber Company of Players and Danny Belrose ( who under Mr. Robinson's direction appeared as Amiens in William Shakespeare's As You Like It and also created the roles of Jake and Cruz in the world premieres of St. Louis playwright Robert Friedman's A Man of Experience and Fire and Brimstone ) was truly excellent as Jerry. But careers in The Theatre go in different directions, and the two actors would ultimately never appear onstage together during the time they were both doing some of their best stage work in Chicago. However, a completely chance meeting between the two performers occurred in Chinatown of L.A. in 2016 and briefly brought the two former Excaliber actors back together. And, a year later, in the Fall of 2017, the two men of the stage had what could be best called "An Actors' Summit" in Hollywood, and for the first time in nearly a quarter-of-a-century, Mr. Robinson and Mr. Belrose celebrating A Zoo Story Cast Reunion, enjoyed some laughs, theatre war stories, good food and SOME FAKE OSCARS in Tinseltown.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhWim4B2LR0

HIS MOST REVERED LORDSHIP, SIR RICHARD DRURY KEMP-KEAN!: For 15 years ( Between 1987 and 2001 ) DARRYL MAXIMILIAN ROBINSON appearing as His Most Revered Lordship, Sir Richard Drury Kemp-Kean in his critically-praised, original one-man show of Shakespeare and time-travel comedy "A BIT OF THE BARD" included Lord Jaques' "SEVEN AGES OF MAN" Speech as part of his presentation during numerous touring engagements throughout the country. 1993 Photo of Darryl Maximilian Robinson in "A Bit of the Bard" courtesy of THE ECHO YEARBBOOK OF NORTHEAST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY.

A CHICAGO STAGE VETERAN'S AWARDS UPDATE!:

Darryl Maximilian Robinson has become noted as the very first black actor in American Theatre History to portray on stage a trio of classic dramatic roles including: Sir Thomas More in Robert Bolt's "A Man For All Seasons" ( in a 1984 revival presented by The University Players of The University of Missouri-St. Louis and directed by AEA Member John Grassilli at The Benton Hall Theater ); King Henry II in a 1992 multiracial cast revival of James Goldman's "The Lion In Winter" ( directed by Mr. Robinson for his chamber theatre Excaliber Productions, Ltd in St. Louis and staged at The Wabash Triangle Cafe ); and Andrew Wyke ( opposite the talented actor Sean Nix as Milo Tindle ) in a 2000, 30th Anniversary, all-black cast revival of Anthony Shaffer's "Sleuth" presented under Mr. Robinson's direction by his chamber theatre The Excaliber Shakespeare Company of Chicago at The Harrison Street Galleries Studio Theatre of Oak Park, Illinois. Most recently, Darryl Maximilian Robinson was named a winner of a 2022 Making The World Happening Award for his numerous online theatre-related offerings at Allevents.in.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/VIDEO-Darryl-Maximilian-Robinson-Performs-Two-Versions-of-The-Bards-St-Crispins-Day-Speech-in-LA-20191226

Darryl_Maximilian_Robinson_Rehearses_Bard's_St._Crispin's_Day_Speech_At_LA's_Lincoln_Heights_Jail!-1576977012 — Darryl Maximilian Robinson Rehearses Bard's St. Crispin's Day Speech At LA's Lincoln Heights Jail!-1576977012

Darryl_Maximilian_Robinson_Presents_Bard's_St._Crispin's_Day_Speech_In_LA_(_The_Inside_Rendition_)!-1577080057 — Darryl Maximilian Robinson Presents Bard's St. Crispin's Day Speech In LA ( The Inside Rendition )!-1577080057

Note: The multiracial, non-Equity professional chamber theatre, The Excaliber Shakespeare Company of Chicago is pleased, proud and honored to share and present this archival article in acknowledgement of 2019: The Year of Chicago Theatre! This theatre article is also presented in appreciation of the fine and committed work of all of Excaliber Productions, Ltd. Company Members of St. Louis, Missouri and as part of The Excaliber Shakespeare Company Los Angeles Archival Project.

The Excaliber Shakespeare Company of Chicago's Darryl Maximilian Robinson and The Trap Door Theatre of Chicago's Danny Belrose Visit Hollywood!

Chicago Stage Veterans Darryl Maximilian Robinson and Danny Belrose Celebrate Old Times in Tinseltown![]

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