It’s been quite a while since Richard Pruitt has called Kentuckiana home, but for the first 32 years of his life, that’s exactly what he did.
Now, the Jeffersonville native is back in town—this time as Monsignor O’Hara in the national tour of Sister Act, coming to the Kentucky Center January 7-12 as part of the PNC Broadway in Louisville Series.
Once destined to become an English teacher, Pruitt graduated from Jeffersonville High School (class of 1968) and went on to Indiana University Southeast. From there, he did stints at the Steamboat Cabin Theatre and the Guild Theatre,both now shuttered, before earning his Equity card at the original Beef and Boards Theatre in Simpsonville. Beef and Boards, once a chain of five booming dinner theatres throughout three states has dwindled to one operational location in Indianapolis.
In the years since, the 63-year-old Pruitt has kept himself busy, acting in countless television series and movies, including Boardwalk Empire, and as the voice of Russian gangster Kenny Petrovic in the videogame Grand Theft Auto IV. Pruitt has performed in nearly 100 Equity productions, including productions that ran only a week (On the Waterfront) to those that kept him busy for over three years (42nd Street). Actors Equity Association is the union that represents professional actors.
But for all of his past productions, Sister Act might be your last chance to see this once-local perform. Says Pruitt, “Despite the fact that they say actors never retire, I fully intend to hang up my greasepaint in about 2 years from now…if I last that long.”
You can catch Richard Pruitt and the rest of the cast of Sister Act, a Divine Musical Comedy, at the Kentucky Center January 7-12. Tickets start at $25 and can be purchased online, in person at the Kentucky Center box office, or by calling 502-584-7777.
Image: Courtesy of SisterActBroadway.com
