Royana Black started acting at 11 years old in the Broadway production of Neil Simon’s “Brighton Beach Memoirs”, which she did for over a year, never letting her understudy go on. Since then, she has continued to do off-Broadway and regional theatre, both in New York and Los Angeles. One of her fondest memories was developing and performing in the late Wendy Wasserstein’s semi-autobiographical musical “Miami” (alongside Jane Krakowski and Fisher Stevens, in which she played the playwright as an adolescent. The music was written by the famed Bruce Sussman and Jack Feldman and directed by the Tony Award winner Gerald Gutierrez.
She quickly made the transition into television, first co-starring opposite Robert Klein in the ABC pilot “Father’s Day”. By 15, she was starring as the title character in the CBS series “Raising Miranda”, alongside on Bryan Cranston (Walter White pre-meth days) and James Naughton, and worked steadily in television and theater on both coasts.
Royana took 4 precious years away from her career to get a B.A. in Victorian Literature from Yale University, which enables her to speak fairly articulately at cocktail parties with pretentious Anglophiles; however, it has not offered her the fallback career a liberal arts education promises (at least in the brochures). Upon graduating, she packed up a U-Haul with two of her best friends, moved back to NYC and promptly founded her first non-profit theater company, producing three shows while working three full-time jobs.
Finally exhausted, she packed up her apartment and her cat Jules and moved to Los Angeles, where she continues her work in television and films; she also does as much theater as she can. She is the Artistic Director of the Alliance Repertory Company, which produces original works all over town.
Royana is married to actor JP Hubbell and they have a cat (Jules from NYC) and a dog, both rescues.
She may be best known for getting Vanessa drunk on “The Cosby Show”.
Catch up with Royana on Twitter and at www.RoyanaBlack.com.
Cliff and Jenny are at the Bulldog Cafe. Seated at the counter are Goose, Skeets, and Malcolm. Millie is serving food behind the counter. Cliff just pulled a toy airplane wheel out of Jenny’s soup.
“Thanks, Cliff,” says Patsy. Jenny attempts to clean the soup stains off her dress by dabbing a napkin in a water glass.
“You know, Cliff,” says Jenny, “once in a while, it wouldn’t hurt to try some place new, maybe away from the airfield?”
“Like where?” asks Cliff. “The Copa? The Brown Derby? Why not the South Seas Club, while you’re dreaming?”
“Okay,” says Jenny, holding Cliff’s hand. “How about this: we’ll go out and have a real night on the town after you win the Nationals!”
“Yeah, swell,” says Cliff, “After I win the Nationals.” Goose, Skeets, and Malcolm quietly turn to look at Cliff’s reaction.
“You’re going to fly in the Nationals after all?” asks Malcolm. “Well, I’m glad to hear it — after that landing today!”
Millie interrupts. “How about a warm-up, Malcolm?” she asks, waving a coffee pot. “Huh?” says Malcolm.
Jenny realizes something’s been left unsaid. She looks at Cliff. “You said there were a few bumps?” asks Jenny.
“Boy, I’ll say!” interrupts Malcolm. “She folded like a kite when she hit the runway. We thought old Cliffy’s number was up, what with the fire and all!” Millie whacks Malcolm with a fly swatter. Jenny lets go of Cliff’s hand. Malcolm looks at Millie. Millie glares at Malcolm. Cliff looks guiltily at Jenny.
“I was gonna tell you,” says Cliff. Jenny exhales, exasperated.
“I didn’t want to ruin your evening,” explains Cliff.
In This Minute
Margot Martindale as Millie
Don Pugsley as Goose
William Sanderson as Skeets
Eddie Jones as Malcolm
Bill Campbell as Cliff Secord
Jennifer Connelly as Jenny Blake
America Martin as Patsy
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