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Multihyphenate Artist
Actress | Singer | VO Artist
Writer | Cabaret Performer
All Videos
UPDATES & PERFORMANCES
The Highlight Reel
Broadway World Review of "Journey to the Center" (http://tinyurl.com/LaRaishaBroadwayReview)
Original cast member of the "I'm Sorry Monologues" directed by Jennifer Esposito & Alicia Coppola at LaMama
Winner of Mama's Next Big Act 2023
Several national voice over campaigns booked in the last few months
When I'm not onstage or in the studio, you can catch me teaching Pilates at Fringe Pilates in Brooklyn (www.fringepilates.com)
Upcoming Performances
March 2 & 3 - "Journey to the Center" solo cabaret debut
at Don't Tell Mama NYC | 2023 Mama's Next Big Act Winner (Tix: www.donttellmamanyccom)
REVIEW: Mama's Next Big Act Winner Bring JOURNEY TO THE CENTER to Don't Tell Mama (selected excerpts)
This reviewer headed back to Don’t Tell Mama on Saturday night to witness the greatness of the 2023 Mama’s Next Big Act Winner, LaRaisha DiEvelyn Dionne! Dionne’s range is out of this world, and her command of the stage, second to none. (Note: this is the first cabaret this reviewer has been to where the artist leaves the stage to change outfits!) When Dionne came back to the stage, she was no longer herself, but “LaRaisha’s Assistant.” It was in this moment that her comic abilities shone bright with a strip-teasing Maltby & Shire’s "Miss Byrd". Dionne shared wise words which have continued to resonate days later – “We are nothing without each other on this planet.” She then DELIVERED with the Shaina Taub arrangement of Eva Cassidy’s version of “How Can I Keep From Singing.” It was in sharing her soul through song that we journeyed to the center of LaRaisha DiEvelyn Dionne. And what a wonderful place it was to be.
~Analisa Bell
Broadway World
WELCOME RELIEF: TWO DECADES AFTER ITS AUDACIOUS DEBUT, ‘URINETOWN’ REMAINS A PRESCIENT DELIGHT
Once again, LaRaisha Dionne shows off why is she one of the dominant divas of Wilmington theatre. In the role of Penelope Pennywise, she’s something of a slumlord of the shitters. She controls her territory with an iron plunger and attitude for days. Her voice reaches its crescendo in the Act One number “It’s a Privilege to Pee,” which fills the venue yet never overpowers.
~Chase Harrison
Encore Magazine
TRANSPORTING EMOTION: LARAISHA BURNETTE CAPTIVATES IN ‘LADY DAY’
"Holiday’s life marked all the checklists for the formula of befallen celebrity, and Red Barn Studio Theatre welcomes audiences to experience a live version firsthand over the next few weeks. Only, it’s not narrated by VH1’s John Forbes (to be clear, nor is the show affiliated with the series). Instead, audiences will get a “real-life” storytelling session and concert from LaRaisha Burnette, who brings back to life the sultry jazz siren that was Eleanora Fagan, a.k.a. Billie Holiday.
This show is a double-first for [Dionne], who is helming a lead role and doing her first one-woman show. Here, there are no secondary characters to carry this story (aside from two very wonderful musicians who certainly add to the feel of the jazz club, Emerson’s Bar and Grill). Burnette must ride it out with every note, every inflection, every nuance of emotion, and every carefully constructed movement, and use of space. To be clear: She nails it on every account."
~Shea Carver
Encore Magazine
Former Editor-in-Chief
PRESSURES OF LOVE AND ART: "THE LAST FIVE YEARS" HITS ALL THE RIGHT NOTES
"[LaRaisha] Burnette's Cathy, on the other hand, is an object of great empathy. (Is this gender bias showing? Possibly.) Burnette is gifted with showstopping vocal prowess, but that can overshadow her gifts as an actress, which include a great sense of comedy. "A Summer in Ohio" and "Audition Sequence/Climbing Uphill" are two opportunities for Burnette to make us laugh--and she does. Brown's lyrics are incredibly funny and feature former strippers with snakes named "Wayne," gay little people playing Tevye, and other joys of being trapped in Ohio for summer rep instead of working in New York. But it is Burnette's delivery that makes the laughter bittersweet: part laughing at the absurdity and part laughing with her to keep from crying. This is especially true for "Audition Sequence/Climbing Uphill." It is awful hearing the internal monologue of an actress pounding the pavement and getting rejection after rejection...because art is hard. Such chosen dreams feel impossible because the likelihood of success is so slim."
~Gwenyfar Rohler
Encore Magazine
Connect with Me
For TV, Film, Theatre:
Nicole Sarro, npsarro@fsetalent.com
For Voiceover:
Allie Silber, allie@ddonyc.com
