Carol Mayo Jenkins Honored by the Clarence Brown Theatre Advisory Board

Former Fame Actor to be Recognized

Carol Mayo Jenkins - Photo Courtesy of Clarence Brown Theatre

Carol Mayo Jenkins – Photo Courtesy of Clarence Brown Theatre

Carol Mayo Jenkins, a native of Knoxville and a renowned actor internationally, will be awarded the Clarence Brown Theatre Society Achievement Award at this year’s Gala event, Sunday, Feb. 24, the night of the Oscars. Knoxville actor David Keith, who was honored with the first such award, will present the award.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to recognized Carol,” said Liz Stowers, chair of the Clarence Brown Theatre Advisory Board. “She has shared her talent with audiences worldwide. Carol is a valued asset to the arts and we are so very fortunate to have her right here in Knoxville, performing regularly at the Clarence Brown Theatre.”

Jenkins trained for three years at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London and was one of the founders of the Drama Centre of London, now considered a the leading theatre school in England. She returned to the U.S., joined the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, and then made her Broadway debut as Natasha in William Ball’s production of Chekhov’s Three Sisters. Other Broadway appearances include Oedipus Rex with John Cullum (also a Knoxvillian), First Monday in October with Jane Alexander and Henry Fonda, and The Suicide with Derek Jacobi. Jenkins also appeared Off Broadway in The Lady’s Not for Burning, Little Eyolf, and The Old Ones, among many others.

Despite her stage presence, Jenkins may best be remembered for her role as English teacher Elizabeth Sherwood in the award-winning television series Fame filmed in Los Angles. She played Sherwood for five years.

After leaving LA. Jenkins toured the United States Lithuania, and Russia, playing Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, directed by the play’s author Edward Albee.

She has worked extensively in regional theatre since her years in television. At the Clarence Brown Theatre, some of Jenkins most memorable roles have included:

Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie, Helen Martins in The Road to Mecca, Her Ladyship in The Dresser, Kate Keller in All My Sons, Eulalie Shinn in The Music Man, Miss Poppenghul in Moonlight & Magnolias, and Gertie in Fuddy Meers. This April, Jenkins will be directing Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, about a group of Knoxville bridesmaids. The show will be in the Carousel Theatre on the UT campus.

“We are most happy that she is at home in Knoxville sharing her talent and love for theatre with all of us, and particularly with her students” added Cal MacLean, Artistic Producing Director for the CBT and Director of the University of Tennessee’s Department of Theatre. .

The CBT Gala “Hollywood’s Greatest Night” will be at The Orangery. Tickets are $175 per person. For more information on the Gala, call 865-974-6011.