Testimonial from 18 Year old Master Class Student June 2020

 

"Hi! I just wanted to privately say thank you. Seriously. I’ve been acting for like 8 years and it’s been my favorite thing in the world for so long and I’ve never felt so impacted in my life. I’ve had amazing teachers but I feel like I see things so much differently now, I was working on a monologue and I was listening to songs and the way my mind was processing was so much different. Thank you for pushing me, thank you for your time, and for really genuinely caring about us and about our ability, and for creating a space for us to just let go and really just go for it. It would be easy for someone to just look down because we’re younger or in college and just say eh that’s good enough for them. But you pushed us and made us think outside of what we’re all used too, and I can’t tell you how much the means to me and how much it’s affected me. So thank you again, you really have changed everything".

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AWARDS & NOMINATIONS 

 

2019 Helen Hayes Award WINNER, OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL for Fosca in PASSION 

 

2017 Helen Hayes Award Nomination, OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL for Anita in WEST SIDE STORY 

 

2013 Helen Hayes Award WINNER, OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL for Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well and Living In Paris 

 

2015 Helen Hayes Nomination, OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL for Jenny in THREEPENNY OPERA 

 

2009 Helen Hayes Award WINNER, OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL, (in a tie with Chita Rivera) as Monica P. Miller in ROOMS 

 

2013 Suzie Bass Award Nomination, for Inez in ZORRO (Alliance Theatre, Atlanta)

 

2012 St. Louis Theatre Critics Nomination, for Velma in CHICAGO (The Muny, St. Louis)

 

2006 St. Louis Kevin Klein Award WINNER, BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL, for Anita in WEST SIDE STORY (The Muny, St. Louis)

 

2006 Ovation Award Nomination BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL, for Susan in TICK TICK BOOM! (Los Angeles)

 

1996 Joseph Jefferson Award WINNER, BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL, for Anita in WEST SIDE STORY, International Tour (Chicago)

 

 

BIO

 

WASHINGTON POST REVIEW IN CONCERT; The Versatile Natascia Diaz Sings @54Below

 

Most widely recognized for her potent presence in the Broadway documentary Every Little Step, from musicals to Shakespeare, Natascia has performed professionally since the age of nine. A New York native, she began her training at The School Of American Ballet, going on to receive a BFA with Honors from Carnegie Mellon University. After dancing the role of Anita with the New York City Ballet for their West Side Story Suites helmed by Jerome Robbins, she was hand picked by both Mr. Robbins and librettist Aurthur Laurents to perform the role in the subsequent National and International touring production of West Side Story. 

 

Among her Broadway credits are the original companies and cast albums of Paul Simon’s The Capeman (Yolanda), and Seussical (Bird Girl), and the 2004 revival of Man Of La Mancha (Antonia), in which she also understudied the role of Aldonza, performing opposite Brian Stokes Mitchell. Off-Broadway, she starred opposite Patrick Wilson in Bright Lights, Big City directed by Micheal Greif, Saturday Night at Second Stage directed by Kathleen Marshall, in tick, tick...BOOM! opposite New Kid On The Block Joey McIntyre, the 2006 revival of Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well And Living in Paris, and in Lynn Nottage's play, By The Way, Meet Vera Stark.

 

Performing at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, she caught the eye of Signature Theatre in the 2002 Sondheim Celebration as Petra in A Little Night Music, and then as Rosalie in Carnival. In a review by Trey Graham of the City Paper; "Natascia Diaz, on the other hand, is the very embodiment of Broadway brass as Rosalie. She’s the real thing, and when she’s on, the stage comes reliably to life—and one of those times, she’s locked in a box with swords stuck through her, just sayin'." Making her debut at Signature Theatre she was cast without an audition in the lead role of Aurora/Spiderwoman opposite Will Chase and Hunter Foster in their production of Kiss Of The Spiderwoman. At the 2009 Helen Hayes Awards for her transformation into Scottish punk-rocker Monica P. Miller in the two-hander musical Rooms at Metro Stage, her presence in the D.C. theater scene cemented when she won her first Helen Hayes Award for Best Actress in A Musical in a tie with theatre legend, Chita Rivera. 

 

When Paul Simon and Diane Paulus chose her for the central role of Esmeralda Agron in the New York Public Theatre’s concert remount production of The Capeman at the Delacorte Theater in Central park, she captured the attention of The New York Times giving a performance that was, “heartbreaking…one of the most magnetic musical theatre performances of the year”, in addition to receiving a rave from Michael Riedel of the NY Post; "The cast was indeed exceptional, the standout being Natascia Diaz as Agron’s long-suffering mother. Diaz is a remarkable performer, as anyone who saw her in the fine documentary “Every Little Step,” about the casting of “A Chorus Line,” can attest. As I was leaving the park, I heard a critic singing her praises, adding: “Why don’t we see more of her?” Hear, hear!"

 

She took home her second Helen Hayes Award for Lead Actress in a Musical for her performance in Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well And Living In Paris, MetroWeekly and The Washingtonian calling her, "one of DC theatre's greatest performers". Later that year two English directors cast her in two very different pieces; first Christopher Renshaw to star in ZORRO at The Alliance Theatre opposite ALLADIN star Adam Jacobs, then Johnathan Munby cast her as Mariana in Measure For Measure at The Shakespeare Theatre. Subsequent roles in DC: her performance Jenny in Signature Theatre’s production of The Threepenny Opera won her another HH nomination capturing the headline of The Washington Post review, and making her debut at Woolly Mammoth Theatre, she originated the role of Betty #3 in the world premiere of Jen Silverman's feminist play, Collective Rage.

 

Pre-pandemic credits include Rafaella in Grand Hotel at NYC Encores, the world premiere play, American Underground at Barrington Stage; and performing in the most demanding role of her career, she took home her third Helen Hayes Award for her "obsessively watchable and gorgeously sung" (Washington Post) role in a "career-defining performance" (BroadwayWorld) as Fosca in Stephen Sondheim's sumptuous Passion. Newly signed with DGRW as her new agency, she continues to enjoy a bi-state career and presence in both New York and Washington. Follow her journey on IG:@LadyDiaz777 and Twitter:@NatasciaDiaz

 

 

On A Personal Note:

 

Sing or Soar?

Anyone can sing a song. But there is a difference between someone just singing a song and when the room disappears and time stands still. That's when you Soar. 

Both in group settings for Masterclasses and privately, I am passionate about imparting and sharing my approach to this work, and have worked closely with performers from as young as 8 years old, to in their 70's. I consciously and purposefully foster and enlist participation, inclusion, respect for and interest in each student's process, whatever their age, experience or whatever level they are at, and I join them wherever they are in their process with guidance, not judgement. There is a big difference; one inhibits, and one invites bravery. I aim to invite transforming fears, blockages and insecurities into a learning adventure of uncovering and discovering your own power with each piece keeping performers, at whatever point in their journey, in a place of curiosity, bravery and expansion...which results in work that makes your auditions and performances linger in people's minds and capture people's hearts long after you've left the room. I strive to give you tools to help keep you in that place wherever you are in your evolution in this work, and if you ever falter, we can meet again as many times as you need to tackle your challenges together. We all are always in process. Most importantly, and paramount to me, whether you are preparing for an audition, or looking to keep working on your craft in these crazy times, we will find our way to experiencing that magic and transportation in yourself as the performer, and how you provide magic and transportation for your audience, no matter where you are.  

 

I look forward to hearing from you. Let's walk together through unlocking and revealing ever more potency, precision, and bravery in your work.  :)