Lorraine Vélez (born November , ) is an American singer and actress
of Puerto Rican descent, who has specialized in musical theatre. Her
name has sometimes appeared as Loraine Velez. She is the twin sister
of actress Lauren Vélez.Lauren and Lorraine's parents moved from
Puerto Rico in the early s and lived in Brooklyn, a borough of New
York City. The twins were born in Brooklyn, New York.[citation needed]
They have five other sisters and one brother. Their father, a New York
City Police Department officer, eventually bought a house in Far
Rockaway, Queens, and moved there with his wife and eight children.
The twins enjoyed setting up improvised plays and acting for the
family, and they participated in nearly all their high school
productions, such as Fiddler on the Roof. After graduating from high
school, they each received scholarships to attend the Alvin Ailey
Dance School. They both went on to study acting at the Acting Studio
with its founding artistic director James Price, the protégé and
personal friend of Sanford Meisner.Lorraine's first professional job
was singing and acting for the Theater for the New City (TNC) in the
East Village. She went on to play in Dreamgirls at the Ambassador
Theater on Broadway, and she performed in the off-Broadway production
of Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie? She played Leah and Sister Hilton in
the original Black Nativity at the Master Theater, Young Maria in
Maria de Buenos Aires at Houston Grand Opera, and Anita in West Side
Story at the Lakeview Theater, Virginia. In the independent film A Day
Out of Days, she took the role of Roxanne. With a production of Blues
in the Night, she toured throughout Central and South America, and she
sang in Japan and France.[citation needed]In , Vélez moved to London,
where she worked regularly for a number of years on the West End
stage. She played Carmen in the original cast of the musical Fame,
which opened to standing ovations at the Prince of Wales and Cambridge
Theatres. Vélez recorded the title track of the Fame CD, which was
released by Polydor Records. Fame also played at The Theatre Royal,
Plymouth.[when?]
of Puerto Rican descent, who has specialized in musical theatre. Her
name has sometimes appeared as Loraine Velez. She is the twin sister
of actress Lauren Vélez.Lauren and Lorraine's parents moved from
Puerto Rico in the early s and lived in Brooklyn, a borough of New
York City. The twins were born in Brooklyn, New York.[citation needed]
They have five other sisters and one brother. Their father, a New York
City Police Department officer, eventually bought a house in Far
Rockaway, Queens, and moved there with his wife and eight children.
The twins enjoyed setting up improvised plays and acting for the
family, and they participated in nearly all their high school
productions, such as Fiddler on the Roof. After graduating from high
school, they each received scholarships to attend the Alvin Ailey
Dance School. They both went on to study acting at the Acting Studio
with its founding artistic director James Price, the protégé and
personal friend of Sanford Meisner.Lorraine's first professional job
was singing and acting for the Theater for the New City (TNC) in the
East Village. She went on to play in Dreamgirls at the Ambassador
Theater on Broadway, and she performed in the off-Broadway production
of Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie? She played Leah and Sister Hilton in
the original Black Nativity at the Master Theater, Young Maria in
Maria de Buenos Aires at Houston Grand Opera, and Anita in West Side
Story at the Lakeview Theater, Virginia. In the independent film A Day
Out of Days, she took the role of Roxanne. With a production of Blues
in the Night, she toured throughout Central and South America, and she
sang in Japan and France.[citation needed]In , Vélez moved to London,
where she worked regularly for a number of years on the West End
stage. She played Carmen in the original cast of the musical Fame,
which opened to standing ovations at the Prince of Wales and Cambridge
Theatres. Vélez recorded the title track of the Fame CD, which was
released by Polydor Records. Fame also played at The Theatre Royal,
Plymouth.[when?]
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