“The only thing constant in life is change, and change takes time,” Porter continues. Porter’s semi-autobiographical coming-of-age play with music chronicled his experiences growing up as a gay black Christian man in 1980s Pittsburgh, PA and received laurels. Epatha Merkerson, Primary Stages helmed While I Yet Live in 2014. With a cast that included Lillias White and S. Building his confidence as a writer, his first play was fast-tracked after the entertainer took home Broadway’s top prize.
It’s our turn,” says actor and playwright Billy Porter via e-mail, in between rehearsals for Shuffle Along.įrustrated with not seeing characters that reflect his own upbringing, Porter, who earned the Tony Award for his portrayal of the show-stopping drag artist Lola in the Broadway hit musical Kinky Boots, began to pen his own material. “I believe it’s one of the last frontiers in the landscape of commercial storytelling. While many note the need for further progress, a slight-but-present trend, nonetheless, has found its way to the theatrical stage this season: For the first time, theatre-makers unapologetically put the gay black man’s experience in the spotlight. Forest Whitaker will revive Eugene O’Neill’s Hughie, marking the first African-American to play the titular part on Broadway. On and off the Great White Way, theatregoers have experienced the most diverse season in years with productions like Allegiance, Hamilton, Eclipsed, Skeleton Crew, Pageant: The Musical, Gloria, On Your Feet! and revivals of The Color Purple and The Gin Game, as well as a star-studded reimagining of the much-anticipated Shuffle Along. On the small screen, however, networks made a greater push for racial diversity in television with shows like Black-ish, Fresh Off The Boat, Empire, Jane the Virgin, Cristela and Telenovela receiving glowing reviews. At the Academy Awards this year, all of the nominees in the 20 acting categories are white, and the outrage has ignited a dialogue on representation and equal opportunity in showbiz.