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Joan Almedilla
Joan Almedilla
Born	Joan Richelle C. Almedilla; September 19, 1973 (age 51); Cebu City, Philippines
Other names	Kim
Occupation(s)	International Filipino singer and theater actress
Years active	1995–present
Spouse	Charles Uy
Parent(s)	Agapito and Rosario Almedilla
Awards	Champion, Best of Cebu Pop Music Festival (January 1993); Most Perfect Voice Music Mate Star (1989)

Joan Richelle C. Almedilla (born September 19, 1973) is a film and theater actress, composer, and singer who has starred as Kim in the Broadway musical Miss Saigon.

Life and career

Almedilla was born to Agapito and Rosario, whose roots are from Bohol and Cebu in the Philippines.

According to an interview by AsianWeek on June 1, 2000, Almedilla, who wanted to sing, did not want to be an actress. As a child, she enjoyed competing in vocal talent contests in the Philippines.^[1]

Almedilla moved to the United States in 1993 to pursue a college education and studied voice. Her first role was Kim in the Broadway production of Miss Saigon (1995–1997).^[2] She then moved on to portray the role of Fantine on the Third National Tour of Les Misérables (1999–2000 and 2005–2006).^[3] Almedilla is the first Filipino to play the role of Fantine. Her other credits include: Soul Girl in the Broadway National Tour of Jesus Christ Superstar (2002–2004); and Woman in Songs for a New World (2005) at the Rubicon Theater, which had been nominated for several Ovation Awards including Best Ensemble Cast.

In 2007, Almedilla starred as Imelda Marcos in Here Lies Love, opposite David Byrne at Carnegie Hall's main theater, the Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, with nearly 3,000 music patrons and enthusiasts in attendance.^[4] Almedilla recited two poems ("Wonderment" and "A Hill in the Land of Moriah") composed by Pope John Paul II to the United Nations.^{[citation needed]} She played the role of Himiko Hamilton, the lead in Tea, with Music at East West Players.^{[citation needed]}

In 2016, Almedilla joined Lincoln Center's North American tour of The King and I as Lady Thiang, directed by Tony Award Winner Bartlett Sher.^[5] Her son went on to play one of the Royal Twins.

She has directed several fundraisers including: Hope for a New World (benefiting the victims of tsunami disasters in South Asia) and Give a Child Hope (together with Places Please and World Vision to benefit The Children of Rwanda).

Almedilla supports Broadway Cares: Equity Fights Aids, and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Personal life

Almedilla is married to Filipino-American film director Charles Uy.^{[citation needed]}

Almedilla's son CJ Uy plays one of the Royal Children in the 2016 North American tour of The King and I.^[6]

Theater

Her theater work includes:^[7]

Les Misérables (as Fantine) National Tour
Miss Saigon (as Kim) Broadway
King and I (Lady Thiang) National Tour
Criers for Hire (as Baby)
Krunk Fu Battle Battle (as Jean Lee)
Songs for a New World
Jesus Christ Superstar (Soul Girl/ Magdelene Us.)
It's Only Life
Tea, with Music (Himiko Hamilton)

Film

Commencement
Ramona
The Speed Walker

Plays

Que Platon
PeregriNasyon
Making Tracks
Seer from Saigon

Recordings

Stage 3: True Colors (Featured Artist)
Joan A. (Solo Artist)^[8]

Solo concerts

Journeys of My Heart
September Songs
Simply Joan

Awards

Perlas Awards - Philippine Foundation, Cebu City
Certificate of Recognition in the field of Performing Arts - Bohol Circle of Eastern, USA (1998, 2000)
Apollo Awards for Best of Apollo Nights (1994)
Champion, Best of Cebu Pop Music Festival (January 1993)
Most Perfect Voice Music Mate Star (1989)
Regional Champion, Music Mate Star (Cebu City) (1989)

References

^ "AsianWeek: A&E: Joan Almedilla -- A Rising Star". Archived from the original on August 22, 2000.
^ "Review of Les Miserables - San Francisco, July 3, 2005". Mspt47.com. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
^ "Review of Les Miserables - San Francisco, July 3, 2005". Mspt47.com. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
^ "DavidByrne.com - Here Lies Love". www.davidbyrne.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2006. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
^ Murphy, Linda. "Review: The King and I wows audiences at PPAC", The Herald News, November 3, 2016
^ "The King & I on Tour: Cast/Creative", accessed December 2, 2016
^ "Joan Almedilla Theatre Credits". Broadwayworld.com. October 18, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
^ "News, reviews, interviews and more for top artists and albums – MSN Music". Music.msn.com. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2016.

External links

"Sag-Aftra | Aea". Joan Almedilla. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
"The King And I on Tour". Thekinganditour.com. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
Leo P. Udtohan (September 30, 2008). "Bared... Broadway star is a Boholana". Bohol.ph. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
"Karylle paired with Christian Bautista in "West Side Story"". Philippine Entertainment Portal. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
Peter Marks (February 2, 1996). "Broadway's Anonymous Stars". The New York Times. Retrieved November 5, 2016.