Early Life
Born in Calgary, Canada, Newart attended seven schools by Grade 12. He participated in school choirs, bands, fine arts and speech arts. At age 11, he received an award for Outstanding Success in Speech Arts from the Dr. F.H. Mewburn OBE Chapter of the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire (IODE). Newart's first paying job was at age 12 performing magic shows. At age 13, he home recorded an instrumental album of television and film songs. His first job after high school was co-writing and acting in murder mysteries, most notably at the Kilmorey Lodge in Canada's Waterton Lakes National Park .
He worked an Alfred Sung fashion show at Holt Renfrew Calgary, then joined the advertising and public relations departments of CinemaScope and CityScope magazines at Vantage Publishing Inc. Newart photographed Phyllis Diller on set during several days of filming The Perfect Man (1993).
He moved to Vancouver, Canada, to pursue a career in the arts at age 22.
Theatre, Charity and Public Relations
In Vancouver, Newart worked as a stage manager, publicist and producer. Shortly after moving to Vancouver in 1993, Newart began working with Thor Arngrim and Norma MacMillan. Thor was known for his work as a theatre producer and personal manager to Liberace and Debbie Reynolds, while Macmillan was best-known as the voice of TV cartoon characters The New Casper Cartoon Show (1963) and The Gumby Show (1956). Newart was their daughter Alison Arngrim's publicist for the former Unsere kleine Farm (1974) co-star's Healing Through Humour stand-up comedy show at the Coast Plaza Hotel on November 10, 1994 and co-hosting duties for Starry Night 9 The Orpheum theatre in Vancouver on November 13, 1994. Newart also recorded music with their son Stefan Arngrim (Planet der Giganten (1968)).
He stage managed the musical B-Average: A Musical About Passing in Vancouver during its six-week holdover from the 1993 Vancouver Fringe Festival at Celebrities Cabaret November 5 - December 13, 1993 and New York City's Unity '94 Cultural Festival during Gay Games IV at HERE Arts Center on June 21 & 22, 1994 - the Consulate General of Canada in New York hosted a reception on opening night. He also stage managed the Jessie Richardson Theatre Award-nominated play The Laundry at Studio J in Vancouver during December 1993.
Newart conceived and produced The Red Ribbon Party fundraiser at the Vancouver Art Gallery on April 1, 1994 as a consultant to AIDS Vancouver. The event, hosted by Denis Simpson (Polka Dot Door (1971)), featured Newart's parody theatrical production of the 1962 film Was geschah wirklich mit Baby Jane? (1962), plus a celebrity auction of items solicited by Newart from Oprah Winfrey, RuPaul, Carol Burnett, Bob Hope, Joan Collins, and Elizabeth Taylor, followed by a concert of local musicians.
Newart produced the theatrical holdover of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (re-branded as Baby Jane: The Impersonation) at Celebrities Cabaret in Vancouver from May 6 - 28, 1994.
He played the role of Peter Pan at Performance Works in Vancouver for a private function with Ellie Harvie (of TV's Die neue Addams Familie (1998)) as Tinkerbell in August 1994.
Newart designed the advertising centerfold of the Hollywood Reporter's Weekly International Edition on September 26, 1995 for Tarlington Talent.
Newart did street promotion for Penny Arcade (of Andy Warhol's film Andy Warhols Women (1971)) for her True Stories performances at The Cultch from January 11 - 13, 1996, and publicized Jerry Mathers (Erwachsen müsste man sein (1957)) and Dean Johnson (Hometime (1992)) for the BC Home & Garden Show celebrity stage at BC Place in Vancouver from February 17 - 25, 1996.
Newart, Thor Arngrim and William Simpson co-founded Crusaid Canada Foundation in 1996, with board members Norma Macmillan and Norman Young, to benefit HIV/AIDS support agencies. Crusaid Canada produced George Bernard Shaw's Don Juan in Hell (with co-presenter Western Gold Theatre Society ) at Bard on the Beach, starring Douglas Campbell CM, Mavor Moore CC OBC, Betty Phillips and Lee Taylor, with musical accompaniment by Harold Brown, on July 8, 1996. The sold-out event, directed by Joy Coghill, and co-hosted by Alison Arngrim, Christopher Gaze, and France Nuyen, was an official event of the 11th International Conference on AIDS Cultural Program. Show Boat's sold-out Crusaid Canada Nights at the Ford Centre for Performing Arts, featuring Ned Beatty and Cloris Leachman, took place on July 9 - 10, 1996. Crusaid Canada Foundation closed in 2004.
Newart was talent liaison at the AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) 12th Annual Summer Party comedy stage at Universal Studios Hollywood on August 3, 1996.
Newart publicized sold-out theatrical shows of Oscar Wilde's Salomé (Gerard Plunkett, Director) from September 12 - 17, 1995 at Station Street Arts Centre, Born Naked, Died Blond (EDAM Dance & NOW Orchestra) from November 6 - 9, 1996 at Firehall Arts Centre, and The X-Mas Files (Vancouver TheatreSports League) at Arts Club Theatre in December 1996.
Crusaid Canada produced a fundraiser for the cinematic premiere of Bravo! Channel's Editor's Pick of the month Motifs and Repetitions (1997) on March 25, 1997 at The Cinematheque in Vancouver. Newart publicized the movie and the event.
Newart worked advance publicity and media relations for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Vancouver (event dates November 21 - 25, 1997). Events included four public lunchtime lectures aboard the M.V. Abitibi, and the UNDP Seminar for APEC Business Media (co-organized with University of British Columbia), with guest speakers including Mike Harcourt (former Premier of British Columbia), Anders Wijkman, and Emil Salim.
During the 14th Vancouver Fringe Festival (1998), Newart wrote reviews of theatrical productions Cirque Poule, Strange Wednesday, Economies of Life, Basic Brown, Watching the Animals, and Samantha Panther, P.I. - Tough Girls Don't Sing, for online magazine Review Vancouver (founded by Edmundo Farolan).
Music
Newart released his debut album Exploits in a Modern World on July 21, 2006, on Immaculate Records, the record label he founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 2005. He showcased songs from the album during the Vancouver Pride Parade on August 6, 2006 for an estimated crowd of 300,000. Exploits in a Modern World ranked #30 on Montreal's CIBL-FM radio chart on September 3, 2006, and was sold at Toronto's Sam the Record Man and HMV's flagship store in Vancouver, Canada, plus online stores and retail order desks worldwide via distributors Indie Pool and Super D / Phantom Distribution. His music video for "Ridicule" was filmed in New York City and Vancouver in 2007, and his video for "I Would" was filmed in Mexico in 2008. Newart peaked at #4 in Vancouver, BC on March 13, 2009 (ReverbNation Pop Chart). The song "Real Life" was added to online music trivia game SongPop 2.
Newart spent 30 consecutive weeks on the ReverbNation Vancouver Pop Music Chart Top 10 with his original song "Perverse" from July 14, 2014 to February 8, 2015. He ranked #1 with the song from November 10-14, 2014, then again in January 2016, following his performance of "Perverse" during his set at New West Pride (Canada) on August 15, 2015, on the same lineup as Bif Naked. MTV published an artist biography of Newart on their official website.
Newart's second studio album Rock the Chandeliers (2018) was added to over 100 radio stations and charted at #43 on College Radio Charts for North America during the week of September 5, 2018. The album cover art was painted by celebrity tattoo artist Justin Lewis. Newart signed music licensing deals with Discovery, Inc, Oprah Winfrey Network, and NASCAR.
Lauperland: The World's Largest Cyndi Lauper Fansite
Between 1995 and 2005, the Cyndi Lauper fansite Page After Page (created by Jean-Marc Piraprez) was visited over four million times and was Lauper's official website before it was retired. In 2018, with contributions by a core group of Lauper supporters, Newart recovered much of the archives, then added interviews, and rebranded it as Lauperland: The World's Largest Cyndi Lauper Fansite. Lauperland hosted The Cyndi Lauper Library , and premiered Lauper's official "Hope (Live)" music video on October 2, 2020. The site featured original artwork by Brett Willis of TOONARAMA .
Newart did features with Grammy Award-winner William Wittman, Grammy Award-nominees Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman (of The Hooters), and Stephen Gaboury, plus New York Film Festival Award-winner Jan Pulsford, Matt Katz Bohen (Blondie keyboardist), percussionist Sue Hadjopoulos, makeup artist Jody Morlock, drummer Sandy Gennaro, fashion designer Veritée Hill, drummer Caitlin Kalafus, makeup artist Patrick Lucas, True Colors United, and Robin Christensen-Roussimoff (André René Roussimoff's daughter). Newart closed the site in 2022.
JAENY
Newart founded Jamestown Area Entertainment New York in 2019. He and his husband Robert Newart previewed, photographed, videographed, live-streamed and reviewed performances and attractions including Tom Wopat (Ein Duke kommt selten allein (1979)) for Tom Wopat Christmas on December 13, 2019 in Jamestown, NY, and Lucille Ball's childhood home .
The Rock Times
Newart founded The Rock Times online music magazine in March 2022, with a cover story on Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum, featuring Michael C. Hall, Matt Katz-Bohen and Peter Yanowitz. All musician Spotlights from Lauperland were re-homed to The Rock Times.
Government Work
Newart worked for the Government of Canada from 1997 to 2014, including contracts with HRDC, SDC, and CRA.
Home Life
Curtis Newart moved back to Canada in 2023 with his husband Robert Newart and their six cats and dogs.
