Alan Muraoka
Encyclopedia
Alan Muraoka is an actor and theatre director who plays Alan, the current owner of Hooper's Store
on the television show Sesame Street
.
.
Muraoka studied at the Theater Department of UCLA and won the Carol Burnett Musical Theatre Award for performance. While at college, he performed in several Walt Disney World productions during sabbaticals and summer breaks. He received his B.A.
in Theatre Arts from UCLA in 1985.
Muraoka then worked with East West Players
in Los Angeles, and spent time as a performer on Princess Cruises
.
He made his Broadway
debut performing six roles in the musical Mail. After Mail opened (and closed, after one month) in 1988, Muraoka remained in New York.
For the next ten years, Muraoka continued to act in theatrical productions, both on Broadway and in regional and touring productions. Most notably, he was a member of the original cast of Shogun: The Musical
on Broadway and had a long run in the lead role of "The Engineer" in Miss Saigon
.
after doing improv with Telly Monster
. He joined the cast in 1998, playing Alan, the new owner of Hooper's Store. In his debut episode, Alan is introduced to the other characters on the street by Big Bird
in a scene that ends with the song Welcome to the Party.
While appearing in Sesame Street, Muraoka has continued to perform in theater, most recently earning good reviews in the 2004 Broadway revival of Pacific Overtures
. He also appeared in the PBS Emmy nominated special, Day of Independence
from Cedar Grove Productions
in 2003. In 2007 he had a small part on Showtime's series Brotherhood as Li Fang, the owner of a Rhode Island brothel.
As a director, Muraoka was highly praised for his work on the seemingly incongruous, non-traditional
(all-Asian) version of William Finn
and James Lapine
's largely Jewish musical Falsettoland
for the National Asian American Theater Company in New York in 1998. Peter Marks
of The New York Times
wrote about the production "Does the gambit work? Let's put it this way: You should be so talented."
In 2004 he directed veteran Sesame Street and Avenue Q puppeteers John Tartaglia
, Stephanie D'Abruzzo
, and Jennifer Barnhart
in Empty Handed and John Tartaglia AD-LIBerty. He also directed Ann Harada
, of Avenue Q and also his 1998 Falsettoland, in her 2004 one-woman show.
In 2007, he directed the stage production of High School Musical
at the Lyric Theatre in Oklahoma City. He also directed The Muny
's 2008 production of High School Musical in St. Louis winning praise for drawing "appealing performances from his attractive young leads.".
In 2007, Muraoka joined the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.
In 2009, he directed Urinetown: The Musical at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX. He was hired on for the semester as the university's "Stieren Guest Artist." In addition, he taught a class on musical auditioning techniques and gave a lecture for the public.
organizations. In 2004 he was honored with the Inspiration Award from APEX
, a mentoring organization in New York City.
Hooper's Store
Mr. Hooper's Store is an integral business and meeting-place on the television show Sesame Street. Its owners have been Mr. Hooper, David, Mr. Handford, and Alan; these managers have been assisted by Tom, Cookie Monster, Bert, Petey, Gina, Carlo, Natalie, and Gabby at times.-Overview:Founded by Mr...
on the television show Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
.
Early career
Muraoka's first experience as a performer came at the age of ten, where he appeared as "The Candy Man" at a movie theatre during the intermission of a double feature. According to the biography on his official site, he performed throughout high school where he also had his first experience as a director - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a play by Edward Albee that opened on Broadway at the Billy Rose Theater on October 13, 1962. The original cast featured Uta Hagen as Martha, Arthur Hill as George, Melinda Dillon as Honey and George Grizzard as Nick. It was directed by Alan Schneider...
.
Muraoka studied at the Theater Department of UCLA and won the Carol Burnett Musical Theatre Award for performance. While at college, he performed in several Walt Disney World productions during sabbaticals and summer breaks. He received his B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Theatre Arts from UCLA in 1985.
Muraoka then worked with East West Players
East West Players
East West Players is an Asian American theatre organization in Los Angeles, founded in 1965. As one of the nation's first Asian American theatre organizations, East West Players today continues to produce works and educational programs that give voice to the Asian Pacific American...
in Los Angeles, and spent time as a performer on Princess Cruises
Princess Cruises
Princess Cruises is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Santa Clarita, California in the United States. Previously a subsidiary of P&O Princess Cruises PLC, the company is now one of ten cruise ship brands operated by Carnival Corporation & PLC and accounts for approximately 19% share...
.
He made his Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut performing six roles in the musical Mail. After Mail opened (and closed, after one month) in 1988, Muraoka remained in New York.
For the next ten years, Muraoka continued to act in theatrical productions, both on Broadway and in regional and touring productions. Most notably, he was a member of the original cast of Shogun: The Musical
Shogun: The Musical
Shōgun: The Musical is a musical with a book and lyrics by John Driver and music by Paul Chihara.Based on James Clavell's 1976 epic novel and the 1980 television mini-series of the same name it spawned, it centers on shipwrecked English sea captain John Blackthorne, who finds himself drawn into a...
on Broadway and had a long run in the lead role of "The Engineer" in Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr.. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover...
.
1997-present
After auditioning several times through 1997, Muraoka won a part on Sesame StreetSesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
after doing improv with Telly Monster
Telly Monster
Telly Monster, known usually as just Telly, is an eternally worrying, fuchsia monster Muppet on Sesame Street. He is puppeteered by Martin P. Robinson....
. He joined the cast in 1998, playing Alan, the new owner of Hooper's Store. In his debut episode, Alan is introduced to the other characters on the street by Big Bird
Big Bird
Big Bird is a protagonist of the children's television show Sesame Street. Big Bird, like many of the other Sesame Street characters, is a Muppet character. He is sometimes referred to simply as "Bird" by his friends....
in a scene that ends with the song Welcome to the Party.
While appearing in Sesame Street, Muraoka has continued to perform in theater, most recently earning good reviews in the 2004 Broadway revival of Pacific Overtures
Pacific Overtures
Pacific Overtures is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, a libretto by John Weidman, and additional material by Hugh Wheeler. The musical is set in 1853 Japan and follows the difficult Westernization of Japan, through the lives of two friends caught in the change...
. He also appeared in the PBS Emmy nominated special, Day of Independence
Day of Independence
Day of Independence is a short film, broadcast as a half-hour PBS television special. It is a drama, set during the Japanese American internment of World War II, produced by Cedar Grove Productions with Visual Communications as fiscal sponsor....
from Cedar Grove Productions
Cedar Grove Productions
Cedar Grove Productions is an independent production company based in Los Angeles, CA., specializing in media and theatre arts representing the Asian Pacific American community...
in 2003. In 2007 he had a small part on Showtime's series Brotherhood as Li Fang, the owner of a Rhode Island brothel.
As a director, Muraoka was highly praised for his work on the seemingly incongruous, non-traditional
Colour-blind casting
Colour-blind casting, non-traditional casting or integrated casting is the practice of casting a role without considering the actor's ethnicity. It derives its name from the medical condition of colour blindness...
(all-Asian) version of William Finn
William Finn
William Alan Finn is an American composer and lyricist of musicals. His musical Falsettos received the 1992 Tony Awards for Best Music and Lyrics and for Best Book.-Biography:...
and James Lapine
James Lapine
James Lapine is an American stage director and librettist. He has won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times, for Into the Woods, Falsettos, and Passion. He has frequently collaborated with Stephen Sondheim and William Finn.-Biography:Lapine was born in Mansfield, Ohio and graduated...
's largely Jewish musical Falsettoland
Falsettoland
Falsettoland is a musical with a book by James Lapine and music and lyrics by William Finn.Following In Trousers and March of the Falsettos, it is the third in a trio of one-act musicals centering on Marvin, his wife Trina, his psychiatrist Mendel, his son Jason, and his gay lover Whizzer Brown...
for the National Asian American Theater Company in New York in 1998. Peter Marks
Peter Marks
Peter Vincent Marks is a British businessman, who is the current Chief Executive of the British member-owned retailer The Co-operative Group.-Early life:He went to St...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
wrote about the production "Does the gambit work? Let's put it this way: You should be so talented."
In 2004 he directed veteran Sesame Street and Avenue Q puppeteers John Tartaglia
John Tartaglia
John Nicholas Tartaglia is an American singer, actor, dancer, puppeteer.Tartaglia was born in Maple Shade, New Jersey, U.S.. He joined Sesame Street's puppetry team at the age of 16 part-time, performing as a right hand and many minor characters, including Phoebe and being the backup for Kevin...
, Stephanie D'Abruzzo
Stephanie D'Abruzzo
Stephanie D'Abruzzo is an American actress and puppeteer.-Early life:D'Abruzzo grew up in McMurray, Pennsylvania, a Pittsburgh suburb she has described as a "plastic bubble kind of town." She graduated from Peters Township High School, where she was active in the theater program, and attended the...
, and Jennifer Barnhart
Jennifer Barnhart
Jennifer Barnhart is a puppeteer, American actress and voice-over talent, with a portfolio of television and theatre performances...
in Empty Handed and John Tartaglia AD-LIBerty. He also directed Ann Harada
Ann Harada
Ann Harada is an American New York-based actress who is best-known for the musical Avenue Q in which she originated the role of Christmas Eve, the heavily-accented Japanese therapist.-Early life:...
, of Avenue Q and also his 1998 Falsettoland, in her 2004 one-woman show.
In 2007, he directed the stage production of High School Musical
High School Musical on Stage!
High School Musical on Stage! is a musical based on the Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical, with music and lyrics by Matthew Gerrard, Robbie Nevil, Ray and Greg Cham, Drew Seeley, Randy Petersen, Kevin Quinn, Andy Dodd, Adam Watts, Bryan Louiselle, David N. Lawrence, Faye Greenberg...
at the Lyric Theatre in Oklahoma City. He also directed The Muny
The Muny
The Muny, short for The Municipal Theatre Association of St. Louis, is an outdoor musical theatre, located in Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri...
's 2008 production of High School Musical in St. Louis winning praise for drawing "appealing performances from his attractive young leads.".
In 2007, Muraoka joined the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.
In 2009, he directed Urinetown: The Musical at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX. He was hired on for the semester as the university's "Stieren Guest Artist." In addition, he taught a class on musical auditioning techniques and gave a lecture for the public.
Charity work
Alan Muraoka is active with many Asian AmericanAsian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
organizations. In 2004 he was honored with the Inspiration Award from APEX
Asian Professional Exchange
The Asian Professional Exchange is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan, community-based organization with multi-faceted goals and purposes that are charitable, cultural and educational in nature...
, a mentoring organization in New York City.