Trinbagonian actor and opera singer Kendall Joseph has landed a role in the popular PBS ‘Reading Rainbow’ remake.

The most-watched PBS series which was launched in 1983 initially began as a summer program but quickly grew into a broadcast blockbuster, classroom staple, and cultural icon. During its 26-year run from 1983 to 2006, Reading Rainbow garnered more than 250 awards, including the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award, Telly Awards, Parent’s and Teacher’s Choice Awards, and a total of 26 Emmy Awards, including ten for outstanding series. The original series was also famously led by Roots and Star Trek actor LeVar Burton.

Today, the series is gearing up to return to screens next year, reworked for a live studio audience of youngsters, and led by a diverse ensemble cast. Its mandate is the same as its predecessor, aiming to reach a new crop of young readers by bringing on board millennial actors who would themselves have been fans of the original programme. As a former fan of the series, Trini actor Kendall Joseph says that he is excited to begin filming early next year.

During an interview with Loop News, he shared his enthusiasm for the show, his varied profile as an artist, and his passion for performing. Kendall, a Sangre Grande native wasn’t exposed to the local classical music and theatre scene until his late teens. Referring to himself as a newcomer back then, he threw himself into as much training and performing as he could before compiling a successful audition package in a short space of time, landing him a spot at Plattsburgh University in New York to read for a BA in Music with a minor in Theatre.

While most of his work was in vocal performance, Joseph made his best effort to immerse himself in acting as much as he could, taking classes, attending readings and performing roles on stage. Most notably, he played Jud in the school’s production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! and Booth in Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/ Underdog. In both 2017 and 2018, he was nominated for the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) Award as part of the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Competition, where a small number of students across colleges in the US are chosen based on outstanding performance in their schools’ productions.

According to Kendall: “Acting has always been more of a natural thing for me. It’s easier than singing because I feel freer.”

Today, with his Master’s journey almost at its end, Kendall is also set to graduate from Ball State University’s Master of Music programme, where he sharpened his chops as an operatic bass-baritone in the coming months. As a firm believer in the idea that you can do whatever you set your mind to, Kendall hopes that this is just the beginning as his goal for next year is to audition for more projects.

For more updates on Kendall, be sure to follow him on Instagram.

You can also follow the Reading Rainbow for more updates on the series.

Sources include: https://www.readingrainbow.org, https://tt.loopnews.com

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