Joe Hernandez-Kolski is an American actor, spoken word poet, comedian and hip-hop theater artist. He appeared on the fourth and sixth seasons of HBO's Def Poetry Jam.

Early life and education

Hernandez-Kolski was born in Chicago, the son of Philip Edmund Kolski and Cynthia Marie Hernandez-Kolski. He is the oldest of two children. He began acting professionally as a child in Chicago, working with Chicago Actors Ensemble and Profiles Performance Ensemble. His first professional theater production was the Chicago premiere of Matt Williams' Between Daylight and Boonville.[1]

Hernandez-Kolski graduated from Whitney M. Young Magnet High School.[2] He then graduated from Princeton University with a degree in history.[3]

Career

Hernandez-Kolski moved to Los Angeles and acted in several theatrical productions, including the long-running Zoo District production of Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita.[4] Around the same time, Hernandez-Kolski began performing in the spoken word poetry scene.

In 2002, Hernandez-Kolski was cast in American Stage Theater Company's production of The Bomb-itty of Errors.[5] This production led to a long-running series of performances, including a run at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (where the cast received the Stage Award for "Best Ensemble"), The Helix (Dublin) and the Ambassadors Theatre (London).[6]

In 2004, Hernandez-Kolski debuted on the season finale of the fourth season of HBO's Def Poetry Jam then appeared again in the sixth season.[7][8]

Hernandez-Kolski was chosen to warm up the crowd for Hillary Clinton's speech at the 2015 National Council of La Raza annual conference.[9] Hernandez-Kolski currently tours around the country with his performances titled, "Refried Latino Pride" and "Cultural Collisions: Commentary for a Changing America."[10]

In addition to his solo work, he performs regularly with his comedy partner, comedian/beatboxer Joshua Silverstein. In addition to their live performances, they co-hosted Si TV's Not So Foreign Filmmakers Showcase and shot a political/comedy digital series for MiTu, Pocho Joe & Silverstein.[11]

Hernandez-Kolski hosts Downbeat 720, an open-mic for high school youth sponsored by the City of Santa Monica.[12] The televised version, Downbeat Showdown received the Los Angeles Emmy for "Outstanding Youth Programming."[13]

Hernandez-Kolski's first solo hip-hop theater show You Wanna Piece of Me? was published by the University of Michigan press in a hip-hop theater anthology, Say Word: Voices from Hip Hop Theater.[14]

Hernandez-Kolski has a guest role in the 2016 Netflix series Gilmore Girls[15]

References

  1. ↑ "Ensemble Finds Gems In 'Daylight'". Chicago Tribune.
  2. ↑ "Alumni Directory". Whitney Young Magnet High School.
  3. ↑ Laddy, Tamar. "PAW: Alumni Spotlight". Princeton Alumni Weekly.
  4. ↑ Martinez, Julio (21 June 2000). "Review: The Master and Margarita". Variety.com. Variety.
  5. ↑ Fleming, John. "Break Out Some Comedy". St. Petersburg Times.
  6. ↑ Koenig, Rhoda (7 May 2003). "Shakespeare in Black and White". Independent.co.uk. Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-06-09.
  7. ↑ "Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry - Season 4". TV.com.
  8. ↑ "Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry Season 6 Guide". TV Guide.com.
  9. ↑ "He Opened for Hillary Clinton, but Came Back Inspired by the Latino Youth". MiTu.
  10. ↑ Indiana University Northwest. "Joe Hernandez-Kolski to bring 'Refried Latino Pride' to IU Northwest on Nov. 19 in rescheduled performance". Indiana University Northwest.
  11. ↑ "MiTu Digital Series "Pocho Joe & Silverstein"". MiTu.
  12. ↑ Campodonico, Christina. "A Safe Place for Self-Expression". The Argonaut News. Argonaut Online.
  13. ↑ "WINNERS OF THE 58th ANNUAL LOS ANGELES AREA EMMY AWARDS ANNOUNCED". Emmys.com.
  14. ↑ Say Word! Voices From Hip Hop Theater. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  15. ↑ "Gilmore Girls Revival Actors". Gilmore Girls News. 14 November 2016.
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