Alton Fitzgerald White - My Pride: Mastering Lifes Daily Performance

Copyright 2017 Alton Fitzgerald White

All rights reserved. Published by Disney Editions, an imprint of Disney Book Group. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. For information address Disney Editions, 1101 Flower Street, Glendale, California 91201.

ISBN 978-1-368-01768-8

Cover design by Winnie Ho

Book design and composition by Arlene Schleifer Goldberg

T HIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO MY SIBLINGS, G LORIA , J IMMY , M ARCIA , P AULA , A NNA, AND D ARLENE; AND TO MY FATHER, P AUL W. W HITE, WHO WALKS WITH ME AND GUIDES ME IN SPIRIT EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE; AND MOSTLY TO MY GREATEST FAN, MY MUMMY-WUMMY , M ARIETTA W HITE, WITH MORE GRATITUDE THAN ANY SON COULD EVER EXPRESS TO HIS MOTHER .

I have known Alton Fitzgerald White for more than fifteen yearsand when I think of him, my first reaction is to smile. His giant talent, kindness, and compassion are his signatures. And beneath all of that is a man of extraordinary dignity.

When Alton first told me that he wanted to write a book about his experiences on the stage, I immediately thought it was a sensational idea. What I could not have anticipated was that it would simultaneously be a memoir, a how to, a chronicle of our time, and a workbook for young artists.

Often we think the primary occupation of the actor is the complex and frequently heartbreaking task of auditioning, and (if lucky) getting a gig. But in this insightful, personal, and clear-eyed book, Alton not only tells us about his beginnings, but also about the life of the actorand what goes in to keeping a job. His advice and point of view are essential reading.

Talk about keeping a job, Altons more than four thousand performances as Mufasa in Julie Taymors landmark production of The Lion King is hardly rivaled by other stage actors. It is nothing short of astounding how many times he has played our King, and become the spiritual leader of the production.

Altons well-documented experiences facing cultural bias as a black man living in contemporary Washington, DC, and particularly in New York City, which ironically occurred when he was perfoming as Coalhouse Walker Jr. in Ragtime, are both shattering and inspiring. Alton is not afraid to share with readers this saga and describe the part it played in shaping his art.

Alton selflessly reveals his story, his heart, and his expansive performance history to bring readers into his world and acquaint them with the nuances and facets of that world as an example, a guide, and an analysisoffering a caveat about exploring a career in the complex culture of the stage.

By sharing his story, Alton is certainly offering insight into his life and work. But much more importantly, he is opening doorsparticularly for young actors of color for whom it is imperative that we build a home onstage and on the screen.

As a young man with dreams of working in the theater, there were very few (if any) deeply personal books that I could turn to for an honest assessment of a career in this profession, and of the challenges every actor faces, as well as guidance on how to get there.

Blessedly, Alton Fitzgerald White has also filled this void with his bookand brought so much more to it. The result is a one-of-a-kind view on the state of the twenty-first century American theater, from a perspective only Alton Fitzgerald White could offer.

Thomas Schumacher
Producer and President, Disney Theatrical Group

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you havent found it yet, keep looking. Dont settle. As with all matters of the heart, youll know when you find it.

Steve Jobs, cofounder and CEO of Apple, Inc.

My name is Alton Fitzgerald White, and I am an actor. I do some other things, too, of course, but actor and singer pretty much sums up my professional life. Until recently you could have seen me on Broadway playing King Mufasa in The Lion King, the megahit stage musical based on Disneys 1994 animated blockbuster film. My thirteen-year tenure with The Lion King in New York, Las Vegas, and on tour around the United States has been without a doubt the highlight of my thirty-year careerat least so far! By the time I left the show on July 5, 2015, I had performed the role 4,308 times. Its not a world record, but I am extremely proud of my longevity and even prouder of the work I did at every one of those 4,308 shows.

As an actor, and as a man, I have learned a lot over the yearsprinciples that I use to guide my life, practices that help keep me going no matter how tough things get, and insights into ways of enriching both my life and career. I may not be as wise as Mufasa, arguably Disneys wisest father, but I think there are things I have learned that might interest and even help othersnot just fellow actors and singers, fellow performers, and fellow artists, but everyone. Because the principles, practices, and insights that inform my life are, I believe, universal.

As the always-insightful William Shakespeare wrote in As You Like It, All the worlds a stage, and in many ways, it certainly is. For one thing, I think its safe to say that most of us seek applausethe validation that we have done wellboth from our loved ones and colleagues and from the greater community. And we hope that our hard work and commitment will earn us the accolades we seek and the benefits of success. There is nothing more natural than wanting recognition for our efforts in both our careers and in our personal lives.

Now, your personal stage may be a boardroom or a classroom, or at the head of a household, or along an assembly line. Regardless, in every scenario, that desire to succeed and be recognized remains the same. My stage of choice has been the performing arts, and my lifewhich did not have the most auspicious beginninghas been made richer and fuller by the extraordinary, satisfying, and sometimes-glamorous life I have led. But all lives, no matter the professional and personal choices, share certain challenges that are identical for everyone. The aspiration to achieve and maintain consistent excellence and to reap the fruits of our labor is universal.

As an actor, I have worked consistently for more than thirty years in a notoriously difficult arena, with more than twenty of those years on Broadway. I may not be a household name, but thankfully I am well-known in the rarefied world of the theater, thanks to having played leading roles in some major hitsshows that were socially meaningful as well as popular, including Ragtime, Miss Saigon, The Color Purple, and, of course, The Lion King. But I would never have been able to accomplish any of this without the lessons I learned along the waylessons that, once learned, became the motivators for even greater professional and personal aspiration, achievement, and satisfaction.