Thank you!!!

to the Desert Theatre League for naming me
“BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY”
​for Dezart Performs' production of “EVERY BRILLIANT THING.”
​
...You like me. You really like me...
"EVERY BRILLIANT THING"
by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe
Dezart Performs at the Pearl McManus Theatre, Palm Springs, CA
​DIRECTOR: Deborah Harmon
ROLE: Storyteller
​*WINNER: Desert Theatre League Award - Best Actor, Comedy

"Bryant is, without doubt, one of the most brilliant things in this show. His ability to evoke laughter and poignancy and take the entire audience with him on this journey of love, sadness and joy is pure magic.  Bryant is a master of his craft. In her ‘Director’s Notes,’ Harmon comments that Bryant 'owns this play in a way that I have never seen an actor own a role.'  I most definitely concur with that assessment."
— Dee Jae Cox, CV Weekly
"As with any one-person play, the quality of the production lies squarely on the actor—and Dezart wisely chose Joel Bryant. He hit this one out of the park. Because there is so much interaction with the audience, it’s crucial to have an actor who comes across as warm, friendly, affable and nonthreatening—and Bryant checks all those boxes. You also need someone with strong acting chops, who can segue easily from comedy to the very dark moments. Again, Bryant nails it. In near-constant motion, with no set and no other actors, The Storyteller is out there all alone. This only works if the audience feels a real connection with the character. That’s exactly what happens here, thanks to Bryant; there is not one false moment."
-- Bonnie Gilgallon, Coachella Valley Independent
"Thanks to the extraordinary talent of Mr. Bryant, he puts everyone at ease and gives the interaction a casual and fun feeling that is shared by everyone present.  It is very much an intimate evening that registers more like a close friend is telling you this story than a traditional theatre piece. The seriousness is balanced out by a generous supply of laughter and feel-good moments.  Thanks to Mr. Bryant’s beautiful performance, it fills you with warmth and leaves you feeling good all over.  If you don’t see EVERY BRILLIANT THING you are missing out on one of the best evenings of theatre I have seen in quite some time."
-- Stephen Radosh, Gay Desert Guide
"You have to be a very confident and accomplished actor to do a one person show, much less one with the possibility of your 'co-stars' aka the audience messing it up. However, Bryant not only has acting chops, he's got improvisational skills as well. That he can charm an audience member to take off their shoes and socks (twice) and make a sock puppet is a testament to his likability. The show is a remarkable play. It is well produced, well acted, and, well, funny and heartwarming."
-- Kay Kudukis, BroadwayWorld
“MAYTAG VIRGIN”
by Audrey Cefaly
Dezart Performs at the Pearl McManus Theatre, Palm Springs, CA
DIRECTOR: Deborah Harmon
ROLE: Jack Key
*WINNER: Desert Theatre League Award - Best Actor, Comedy

​“The process of watching Jack fall for Lizzy and she for him was a brilliant tour de force by both actors. Bryant checked so far into my heart he made me want a ‘him.’”
— BroadwayWorld
“Los Angeles actors Kay Capasso and Joel Bryant display great chemistry under Deborah Harmon's nuanced direction. We've seen Bryant's talent before with CVRep.”
-- Desert Sun
“Bryant is a talented actor who gives Jack all of the human qualities that make him so likeable.”
— CV Weekly
“As Jack, Joel Bryant is terrific. I’ve seen Bryant in several other valley productions, and he’s set the acting bar quite high for himself. He does not disappoint here: Attractive, well-built and charismatic, he commands the stage. Funny, friendly and kind, his Jack is the guy men want to be, and women want to be with. Bryant’s comic timing is marvelous, and he handles the serious moments equally well. Not every actor could pull off the scene in which Jack breaks down when recalling his wife’s death. Bryant nails it.”
— CV Independent
“With his good looking yet vulnerable face and a physique that does not get unnoticed, Joel Bryant’s Jack is a genuinely nice guy who has everyone rooting for him right from the start. When he finally drops his brave façade to show us the scared little boy beneath (he even curls up on the couch in a fetal position) he creates a moment that is truly touching in its honesty.”
— Gay Desert Guide
“However, as good as the creative team is, the evening belongs to actors Kay Capasso and Joel Bryant. This is an actor’s play, and these two marvelous actors know exactly how to please an audience. Their on-stage chemistry, stamina, and pacing allows them to always be in the moment in their performances. It’s good stuff.”
— Desert Local News
“2 ACROSS”
by Jerry Mayer
Coachella Valley Repertory, Rancho Mirage, CA
DIRECTOR: Deborah Harmon
ROLE: Josh
*NOMINEE: Desert Theatre League Awards - Outstanding Lead Actor, Comedy
*NOMINEE: BroadwayWorld - Best Actor, Comedy

​“Both of the actors are top-notch, and their chemistry together is perfect. They make it easy for us to like both of them by the end of the play.”
— BroadwayWorld
“With a two-character romantic comedy, chemistry between the leads is essential. Luckily, there is plenty between Andrea Gwynnel and Joel Bryant. Veteran actors with impressive national credits, both are attractive, charismatic and comfortable onstage. Every moment in the arc of their blossoming rings true.”
— CV Independent
“Joel Bryant is terrific. In highly nuanced performances...their comedy timing is impeccable and a joy to watch.”
— Desert Local News
“In the hands of a lesser actor, Josh could easily become irritating and totally unsympathetic. But Joel Bryant makes him both funny and endearing. Willing to lay on the self-deprecating humor and turn on the boyish charm, his Josh is insecure, likable and someone for whom the audience is rooting.”
— Gay Desert Guide
“Both actors displayed flawed characters with honesty and vulnerability. Yin and yang, two halves of a whole.”
— CV Weekly
​“Joel Bryant, who theater-goers have seen a lot of in two previous CVRep performances, is vibrant and delightful as a free spirit who draws a by-the-rules mother out of her shell.”
— Desert Sun
“KING LEAR” by William Shakespeare
Rubicon Theatre, Ventura, CA
DIRECTED BY James O’Neil
ROLE: Kent

​“Features skilled performances and a deep understanding of the text to illuminate the enduring relevance of Shakespeare’s cautionary tragedy. As Joel Bryant plays a stalwart Kent.”
— LA Times
“A lucid and lively version of the classic, and challenging, drama. ‘King Lear’ is a rare theatrical treat and Rubicon delivers it with wit and depth.”
-- VC Star
”Joel Bryant delivers a superb Kent.”
— Society 805

"LATER LIFE"
by A.R. Gurney
Coachella Valley Repertory, Rancho Mirage, CA
​DIRECTOR: Luke Yankee
ROLE: Various Characters
*NOMINEE: Desert Theatre League Awards - Outstanding Supporting Actor, Drama


​"But it is Joel Bryant who knocks us out with his five male characters. His transformation from one role to the next is so complete that he is unrecognizable every time he comes through the door. It is amazing work by Bryant; I predict awards"
-- CV Independent
"Some very quirky people (played by the chameleon-like stage and screen actor Joel Bryant) wander in and out, interrupting the conversation and providing much of the play's sophisticated humor. I was apparently not the only one impressed with Mr. Bryant's versatility; a lady sitting behind me wondered aloud why only four actors, instead of the entire cast, came out for the curtain calls."
-- BroadwayWorld
"Bryant, as one character, forced me to check my program to see who this fifth actor was in this four actor cast. These potential scene-stealing actors deliver many of the nuanced comedy moments."
-- Desert Local

"MOONLIGHT & MAGNOLIAS"
by Ron Hutchinson
Rubicon Theatre, Ventura, CA
​DIRECTOR: Stephanie Coltrin
​ROLE: Ben Hecht
*NOMINEE: BroadwayWorld - Best Actor in a Featured Role, Regional


​"Joel Bryant as Ben Hecht has brilliant comic timing."
-- Casa Magazine
"Together they mine the silliest situations for acting gold. True or not, Rubicon’s presentation is physical and verbal comedy polished to a bright gleam."
-- Ventura County Star
"...terrific cast for an antic evening that flies by in gusts not of wind but of laughter."
-- Santa Barbara Independent

"TABLE MANNERS"
by Alan Ayckbourn
Little Fish Theatre, San Pedro, CA
DIRECTOR: David Graham
​ROLE: Tom


​"...and Tom, Annie's shy and somewhat simple Scottish next-door neighbor played to perfection by Joel Bryant."
-- Broadway World
"Tom (Joel Bryant) who speaks in an amusing Scottish burr, is delightfully clueless."
-- Theatre Notes
"Bryant, in his LFT debut as the clueless, would-be boyfriend, has a patent on the befuddled expression and awkward stance."
-- Will Call

"FRANKIE & JOHNNY IN THE CLAIR DE LUNE"
by Terrence McNally
Coachella Valley Repertory, Rancho Mirage, CA
DIRECTOR: Ron Celona
ROLE: Johnny
*NOMINEE: Desert Theatre League Awards - Outstanding Lead Actor, Drama


​"I’m sure [Edie Falco] and [Stanley Tucci] were marvelous in the roles—but the CV Rep cast would give them a run for their money: Stephanie Dawn Greene and Joel Bryant are simply tremendous. In a two-character romantic comedy, chemistry is vital, and Greene and Bryant have it in spades...both Bryant and Greene are flawless."
-- CV Independent
"The on-stage chemistry between Bryant and Greene is literally palpable, and their performances are richly nuanced. Both actors move between comedy and drama with fluidity and expertise."
-- Desert Local
"We've witnessed a masterpiece. Joel Bryant’s Johnny and Stephanie Dawn Greene’s Frankie are mesmerizing. So believable is their exchange in their awkward post-first-date-one-night stand that one feels sort of embarrassed to be a witness to it."
-- InFlux Magazine

"THE BOOMERANG EFFECT"
by Matthew Leavitt
​Odyssey Theatre/Zephyr Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
DIRECTOR: Damaso Rodriguez
ROLE: Marcus


​"This production provides a heaping helping of fluffy summertime fun."
-- Frontiers LA
"The entire ensemble deliver superb performances, each actor delivering full-out committed work under the skilled direction of Damaso Rodriguez."
-- BroadwayWorld
"Add ten of the sharpest, brightest performances you’re likely to see this year and you come up with one of the funniest shows in town."
-- StageScene LA
"The Boomerang Effect is a triumph. Hilarious, intelligent, and bordering on realism, the play follows five couples through the various loopholes and pitfalls of love."
-- Examiner

"ART"
by Yasmina Reza
​Hermosa Beach Playhouse, Hermosa Beach, CA
DIRECTOR: Stephanie Coltrin
ROLE: Marc


​"'ART' rests on the actors to find depth and dimension, and this cast doesn't disappoint.  Bryant's visible anguish at lost opportunities to make fun of his friend radiates humor throughout the theater.  'ART' proves you don't need flash to hold an audience's attention, particularly when you have Reza's engaging script and three talented actors to bring it to life."
-- The Daily Breeze
"Brown, Bryant, and Vest do absolutely bang-up work.  Brown and Bryant set precisely the right tone from their very first scene together.  Bryant manages to make the pretentious Marc not only not insufferable but for the most part downright sympathetic, particularly in communicating to the audience Marc’s feeling of being betrayed by a trusted friend.
-- StageScene LA

"MOONLIGHT & MAGNOLIAS"
by Ron Hutchinson
​Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities, Hermosa Beach, CA
DIRECTOR: Stephanie Coltrin
ROLE: Ben Hecht
*WINNER: LA Scenie Award - Best Ensemble


​"The best acted fun you’ll see this or any month.  Bryant does vivid, memorable work as Hecht, sparring hilariously with his political opposite Selznick and revealing the real-life Oscar-winning screenwriter’s passionate desire to make Americans think rather than just sit back and be entertained."
-- StageScene LA
"So, if Joel Bryant’s Hecht is a bit nebbish at times, or if he seems a bit naive… so what? It works. It’s legend. It’s funny."
-- Easy Reader News
"With four steady performers, all of whom possess sharp comic timing, "Moonlight and Magnolias" is gently pleasing and should be a huge hit.  Brown, Bryant and Vest are fully committed to these desperate, exhausted characters, so a sense of reality is maintained even in the most outlandish situations."
-- Pasadena Star-News

"DRINKS PRIOR"
​by Bruce Reisman
​Ruby Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
DIRECTOR: Bruce Reisman
ROLE: Logan Wellman


​"As the at-first overage spoiled theatre brat, Joel Bryant as 'Logan' transcends manic depression into a wild-eyed pixie.  Lovable, sexy, and in Reisman's enthralling speeches, he tears himself apart from the inside out.  A perfect performance of an imperfect maestro.  When he moves on stage, Bryant mows everyone down in his path when Reisman's literary tirade cuts the actor loose.  He's all the Marx Brothers coiled into one actor, yet his stand-up comic experience allows him to split into his character's other personality; that of a tortured dramatist who can't seem to get a grasp on who he is anymore.  In both scenes totally devoted to the play-within-a-play, Bryant switches gears from confidence to fear in the blink of an eye."
-- The Daily News