Ann Duquesnay

Ann Duquesnay is an American actress, singer, composer, and lyricist whose Broadway career spanned from 1984 to 2006. Born to Southern sharecropper parents who relocated to Harlem when she was five years old, Duquesnay converted to Catholicism during childhood and developed an early passion for theatre, a pursuit that was encouraged by director George C. Wolfe. Her formal music training came later in life, after her stage career was already underway.

Duquesnay first appeared on Broadway in 1982 as a standby in the revue Blues in the Night, and made her credited Broadway debut two years later playing Glinda in a revival of The Wiz. She subsequently took on the roles of Gran Mimi and Ancestor in Jelly's Last Jam, and later joined the cast of It Ain't Nothin But the Blues as a replacement.

Her most celebrated Broadway work came with Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk, which opened on April 25, 1996. Duquesnay performed the roles of 'Da Singer and Chanteuse while also serving as a co-composer of the show's music alongside Daryl Waters and Zane Mark. The production earned her the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, as well as a Tony nomination for Best Original Score and a Grammy Award nomination. She returned to Broadway a decade later in the 2006 revue Hot Feet, which featured music by Maurice White.

Beyond Broadway, Duquesnay built an extensive career in regional theatre, off-Broadway productions, and international touring. She received a Drama League Recognition Award and a Drama Desk nomination for her portrayal of Alberta Hunter in Cookin at the Cookery, and won a Bay Area Critics Circle Award for playing Billie Holiday in Lady Day. Additional regional credits include Sheila's Day at Hartford Stage, Crossroads Theatre, and the Market Theatre in Johannesburg, South Africa; Sammy at the Old Globe Theatre, for which she received an NAACP Theatre Award nomination; a revival of Hallelujah Baby at Arena Stage, which brought her a Helen Hayes Award; Our Leading Lady at Manhattan Theatre Club, for which she received an Audelco Award nomination; Spunk, on whose music she collaborated; Porgy and Bess in the role of Maria with Houston Grand Opera and on a Japan tour; and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom at Denver Centre Theatre. She also served as a narrator for documentaries by Ken Burns and contributed to the biographical audiobook Aretha From These Roots.