The Thanksgiving Play
This October, Thomas returns to Lean Ensemble Theater in Hilton Head Island, appearing in Larissa FastHorse’s The Thanksgiving Play, directed by Maggie Kettering. Running October 21—31, 2021. Tickets and information available at leanensemble.org.
Good intentions collide with absurd assumptions in Larissa FastHorse’s wickedly funny satire, as a troupe of terminally “woke” teaching artists scrambles to create a pageant that somehow manages to celebrate both Turkey Day and Native American Heritage Month.
This Is Derek
Thomas recently starred in the short “This Is Derek”, part of the Warehouse Theatre’s Long Story Short, written by Paul Grellong (Manuscript, Amazon’s The Boys) and directed by Quinn Xavier Hernandez (assistant director for Warehouse’s Hedwig & the Angry Inch and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson).
We commissioned 9 of the best playwrights working today and asked them to create short pieces specifically for Warehouse actors working with Upstate directors. The result is LONG STORY SHORT: 9 Short Plays From the Longest Year Of Our Lives.
Divided States
The pilot for Divided States won the Best TV Pilot award at the Bare Bones International Film & Music Festival and Circle City Film Festival! Here are some upcoming festivals that feature Divided States as an official selection:
- Web Series Festival (Nominated, Best Comedy Pilot)
- Orlando Film Festival
After a religious vision convinces him he’s the chosen one to stop the President’s agenda, cash-advance tycoon Teddy Richardson (Thomas Azar), with help from his mischievous nonagenarian grandmother, launches a bid to take over the his local Democratic Party chapter, much to the consternation of his wife and friends.
Cry It Out
Due to an abundance of caution, Lean Ensemble Theater has come to the difficult decision that live performances of the upcoming production of Cry It Out are cancelled. Thank you to all those who made plans to see the show. If you would like to inquire about exchanges or refunds, or if you would like to turn your ticket purchase into a tax-deductible donation to Lean Ensemble Theater, please contact the theatre at info@leanensemble.org.
John Proctor Is the Villain
Thomas recently appeared as Mr. Smith in the 2019 Kilroy List play John Proctor Is the Villain by Kimberly Belflower, directed by Clemson University Performing Arts chair Becky Becker.
In present-day Appalachian Georgia, an English assignment becomes uncomfortably relevant when scandal swirls and old heroes are questioned. What does it mean to inherit centuries of trauma and come of age in a world that has always prioritized a man’s reputation above a woman’s experience? The line between wit ch and heroine blurs in this post-#MeToo examination of power, literature, and sex education. Plus there’s Lorde.
Recently
Thomas appeared as Mr. Darcy in Kate Hamill’s new adaptation of Pride and Prejudice at The Warehouse Theatre, directed by Jay Briggs (Clybourne Park, Important Hats of the Twentieth Century).
Thomas Azar’s Darcy is delightfully and comically rigid, stiff-necked, properly postured, and expertly unbending. This makes it only more hilarious in moments when he stoically grimaces through the pain after having hot rum punch on his groin, or moments when he must diffuse overt sexual advances of a drunken partygoer. Azar also perfectly builds Darcy’s inner conflict.
The cast is uniformly terrific. Thomas Azar [has] demonstrated dramatic and comedic chops many times on upstate stages, and with a play like this that can border on cartoonish at times, the fact that [he] can still conjure some human moments amidst the chaos is a wonder indeed.
Thomas made his debut at Lean Ensemble Theater in Hilton Head, South Carolina, as Paul in Barefoot in the Park, directed by artistic director Blake White.
“What a riot […] this work, start to finish, is explorative and through it all, entertaining.” – The Island Packet