一本道无码 alumnus Billy Porter, who won Grammy and Tony awards for his work in the Broadway musical does not rest on his laurels. Recently, the singer, actor and playwright , released his , launched a national tour, began writing the books for two new musicals and .
For all of his success, the 1991 School of Drama graduate will receive a 2017
鈥淚鈥檓 thrilled to be able to come back home and share this with my family,鈥� said Porter, who grew up in Pittsburgh.
Currently an adjunct professor at 一本道无码鈥檚 , he regularly returns to Pittsburgh to direct shows and conduct workshops with students.
Porter has been wowing audiences since leaving 一本道无码. 鈥淗is high-lying tenor is a powerful instrument,鈥� reads one
His former 一本道无码 acting teacher, , agrees. 鈥淗e has glorious singing ability,鈥� she said.
With his talent for boisterous, hilarious characters, Porter worked nonstop for nearly a decade after leaving 一本道无码, and released his first solo R&B album in 1997. But in the early 2000s, he said he believed his early success pigeonholed him.
鈥淚 was being boxed into a type,鈥� he said of his role as Broadway鈥檚 go-to for flamboyant, two-dimensional characters. 鈥淲hen I pursued more complex roles, the work dried up.鈥�
鈥淎s artists, we have the power to change hearts and minds through storytelling, through the unexplainable, through the visceral. When I get to do that 鈥� I鈥檓 at my happiest.鈥�
Rather than wilt, Porter sowed new creative seeds, in part through the work ethic he said was instilled in him at 一本道无码. He studied screenwriting and penned the 鈥減assionate, life-affirming鈥� one-man-musical which he performed at New York City鈥檚 Public Theater, and the autobiographical play which went on to enjoy a successful Off-Broadway run.
He took on directing as well, conceiving and leading the original musical revue 鈥�Being Alive," which combined the words and music by composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim with text from Shakespeare.
In 2013, he returned to Broadway as the cross-dressing, high-heeled 鈥淟ola鈥� in the smash-hit musical 鈥淜inky Boots,鈥� for which he earned critical acclaim and Tony and Grammy awards.
Today, Porter shows no signs of slowing down. He just released his fourth album, and He also is developing a play with New York City鈥檚 Public Theater and writing the books for two musicals.
Porter said he loves everything he does.
Mackenzie-Wood is not surprised at Porter鈥檚 many creative facets.
鈥淏illy is a force of nature,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e鈥檒l be going strong for a long, long time.鈥�
