From Alabama, to Louisiana, to New York, with a golden heart filled with passion, Dawn Elizabeth Clements, aspires to positively impact lives through her gained acting skills.
With now over 10 years of education and on stage experience under her belt, she has more than what it takes to be a successful actress and performer! She has a well-developed imagination, emotional facility, physical expressivity, vocal projection, clarity of speech, and the ability to interpret drama, oh wait did I tell you she can sing too?!
“I am extremely excited about my future as an actress and I am looking forward to new adventures that await me on my progressive journey towards change,” Clements said.
Clements has now been a performer most of her life. Her love for acting grew stronger and stronger while attending The Alabama School of Fine Arts. This is a public school for talented 7-12 graders in Birmingham, Alabama. Admission to this school are by audition only in one of six areas of study: dance, creative writing, math/science, music, theatre arts and visual arts.
She was able to gain countless opportunities to participate in local school and community productions as an actress, set designer and crew and stage manager. She performed in “The Raisin in the Sun” (as Mama), “The Twelfth Night” (as Ophelia), “The Young and the Fair” (as Boots) and many many more.
As she prepares to take the performing arts industry by storm, a few other big names like Ajiona Alexis, a film & television actress in ‘Thirteen Reasons Why’, ‘Breaking In’, ‘Empire’ and ‘Acrimony’. Author of ‘The Hunger Games’, Suzanne Collins also attended ASFA lead by example and show that anything is possible, as they are listed a notable alum.
After graduating from ASFA, she traveled to to Grambling, LA where she decided to attend Grambling State University and study Visual and Performing Arts. She spent many of days and nights at Floyd L. Sandle Theatre, located in the Conrad Hutchinson Performing Arts Center, where she was under the direction of Dr. King Godwin, Mary Fran Crook and Karl Norman.
Some of the other many productions she has starred in include "The State of Mississippi and the Face of Emmett Till" (Mamie Bradley), "The Bad Seed" (Rhoda PenMark), “Miss Evers’ Boys” (Miss Evers), “How I Learned to Drive” (Lil’ Bit), "The New Mrs. Jones" (Elizabeth McKay), “The Great Gatsby” (Myrtle Wilson), "Presidential Gala” (Lorraine Hansberry/Ruby Davis/Rosa Parks/Fannie Lou Hamer) "Romeo and Juliet" (Juliet) and "In the Red and Brown Water" (Mama /Nia/The Woman That Reminds).
With one of the largest smiles in the room and sweetest souls, Clements loves to serve. Some summers ago she worked with Alabama's Governor's Office of Volunteer Services. Serving is one of her first loves, but she says when she is not serving its a 95% chance she is acting!
"I find performing arts fascinating." she saids."Whether it is developing a character, creating a different voice, or simply studying how someone else walks. An artist is an explorer and honestly, it is only in theatre that I am able to really live."
In April of 2013, she was awarded the Grambling State University’s Top Academic Excellence Award for the Visual and Performing Arts Department and the Grambling State University’s Best Actress Award.
“I remember 1 a.m. rehearsals up practicing lines, but it comes with the job and I am thankful,” Clements said.
As a senior at GSU, she directed 'Semblance of Madness', a play about three women who meet for a therapeutic drama session in a psychiatric hospital set for a murder investigation. This was really neat because as a high school student at ASFA, Clements casted in it as Jones, Aggie, Sadie and Ivy Carr.
While at GSU in 2015 Clements created a campaign in order shine a light on the importance of reintegrating music, art, dance, drama (etc.) within the curriculum of public education.
“My belief has always been that art programs give students the ability to express themselves through creativity, impact academic discipline and teach creative thinking skills necessary for the 21 century,” the Bessemer native said.
She believes because the arts has blessed her with innumerable opportunities that it is her duty to be an advocate for successful art programs worldwide.
"I believe Mahatma Gandhi said it best, 'be the change you wish to see in the world' and I plan on doing just that," she said.
According to Katy I.S.D., studies show that the fine arts reach students that are not normally reached, in way and methods not normally used. This leads to better attendance and lower drop out rates.
She is now a 2012 graduate of The Alabama School of Fine Arts, a 2016 graduate of Grambling State University in the Visual and Performing Arts Department and a 2019 graduate of Columbia University, with a Master’s of Fine Arts in Acting
In an interview with Columbia University, she says in the near future she definitely see's herself on Broadway!
"That’s my dream," she explained. "I've always wanted to do The Color Purple or The Lion King and maybe even more of Tarell’s plays. I have always loved contemporary plays, but I love the classics as well. "
She means business! She's is not stopping until that very dream comes true, still putting in work, earlier this year, the rising actress auditioned for a part in ‘Harry Potter and The Cursed Child’ (as Rose Granger). Take a look!
Was that enough? We've got more! Check her out here doing as monologue from 'As You Like It' by the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist, William Shakespeare.
Clements says she attempts to always speak positivity to herself and others. She said if she could talk to her younger self she would say, "You are a good person and grateful and because you're a hard worker, what you do won’t go unnoticed, you’re prepared." She is right about that! We believe that she is UP NEXT and we hope to see her name in flashing Broadway lights soon. Be sure to stay tuned!
For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)
CONNECT WITH DAWN ON SOCIAL MEDIA; @iamdawnelizabeth
