Noma Dumezweni, Sonia Friedman Named Ambassadors for Performing Arts Support Program

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’s beloved Hermione, Noma Dumezweni, and esteemed producer Sonia Friedman are showing their love of the performing arts by becoming ambassadors for the Stage Supports, a program launched by the Stage earlier this year.

The Stage Supports offers assistance to talented newcomers in theater and the performing arts through scholarships, early career opportunities, awards, mental health resources, and more.

Dumezweni, who has recently won Best Supporting Actress at the Olivier Awards and Best Actress at the Mousetrap Awards for her portrayal of Hermione, explained why she was so happy to take on the position:

I’m very honored to be an ambassador of [t]he Stage Supports. Having not got into drama school, I am fully aware of the importance of taking advantage of as many opportunities for support as you can when you’re starting out as an actor.

 

“Cursed Child” producer Sonia Friedman

 

Dumezweni and Friedman are among five newly announced ambassadors for the program, the others being Olivier Award–winning director Michael Grandage, casting director David Grindrod, and School of Rock performer Preeya Kalidas.

The Stage’s print editor was excited to have such high-profile ambassadors:

We are thrilled that these five ambassadors have become champions of the work [t]he Stage Supports is doing. The breadth of experience reflects the ambition of [t]he Stage Supports and the impact the campaign we are undertaking can have for our industry.

This September, the Stage Supports will also host its first big event, the Stage Debut Awards, which will honor the most impressive professional debuts in acting, writing, designing, and composing. Each of the ambassadors will present awards, so we’ll be eagerly anticipating Noma’s appearance!

And while we’re sad that Noma’s time as Hermione is coming to an end this week, it’s great to see that she will continue to be a powerful influencer in the theater community.

Catherine Lai

I have been a fan of Harry since 2000, a fan of MuggleNet since 2005, and a MuggleNet team member since 2013. I believe in the power of stories to bring people together, and nothing does that quite like Harry Potter. I live in Toronto, Canada.