Billy Porter named Artistic Director of Upright Cabaret

Upright Cabaret, a wildly popular theatrical showcase featuring an eclectic mix of artists from stage, screen and recording, has named veteran Broadway star, director and recording artist Billy Porter as Artistic Director.

In his new role with Upright, Porter will work with affiliated artists on shaping their performances, liaise with musical directors on song selection and interpretation and provide added structure to existing shows.  Porter will also work with Upright on cultivating new shows which further expand the cabaret art form, using Upright's home base of Mark's Restaurant in West Hollywood as a workshop for the development of new work.

Porter takes the helm of Upright just as producers prepare to kick off a national concert tour, with tickets for a planned "Upright Cabaret Wicked Summer Nights' series set to go on sale April 1st at the Ford Amphitheater in Los Angeles and more shows in-the-works around the country.  Upright is also taking concert bookings and has tapped veteran booking agent Siobhan O'Neill to sell tours to performing arts centers around the country.  Porter will direct all such concerts and touring shows.

"I'm thrilled and honored to be joining the Upright family as Artistic Director," says Porter.  "This opportunity couldn't come at a better time.  Audiences and performers alike are once again craving the intimacy and visceral connection that only live music in a cabaret-style can afford.  Especially given their commitment to training and showcasing new talent alongside seasoned performers, I'm excited to be on board to help take Upright Cabaret to the next level."

Porter has extensive experience as a director, having directed a critically acclaimed re-imagining of The Wiz at the Byham Theatre in Pittsburgh.  He conceived a musical revue, Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Music of Stevie Wonder, which starred Chaka Khan and ran in Las Vegas in 2002.  Porter has also directed Being Alive: The Soul of Sondheim, which premiered at the Westport Country Playhouse in 2007 before transferring to the Philadelphia Theatre Company, Once On This Island for Reprise Theatre Company and Twilight In Manchego for the New York Musical Theatre Festival.  He is a graduate of the Professional Program in Screenwriting at UCLA and is an adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University's School Of Drama, where he has directed productions of Company and Letter's From 'Nam.

Billy Porter portrayed R&B legend Little Richard in the CBS mini-series, Shake Rattle & Roll.  He was also the 1992 Star Search Male Vocalist Grand Champion.  He has appeared in over a dozen films and TV shows, including The Broken Hearts Club, Intern, Noel as well as a recurring role on NBC's Another World.  His Broadway credits include Miss Saigon, Five Guys Named Moe, Grease, Smokey Joe's Café, Dreamgirls, Miss Saigon and Hair.  Porter's recordings include two solo CDs,"Untitled" (A&M Records) and "LIVE from Joe's Pub - At The Corner of Broadway & Soul" (Sh-K-Boom Records). His one-man show, Ghetto Superstar: The Man That I Am debuted at the Public Theater in NYC in the winter of 2005 transferring to City Theatre in Pittsburgh. The show was nominated for a 2005 Drama League Award for Distinguished Production of a Musical and Distinguished Performance as well as a GLAAD Media Award.

Upright Cabaret, which is produced by Hollywood impresarios Chris Isaacson and Shane Scheel, seeks to celebrate old style cabaret while simultaneously turning it on its ear, bringing young Broadway and young Hollywood together in a live intimate setting. Upright Cabaret was born and bred four years ago in West Hollywood.  Since that time, Upright has been taking Southern California by storm, with shows in Palm Springs, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Avalon.

For more information about Upright Cabaret, please visit www.uprightcabaret.com or for tickets for the "Upright Cabaret Wicked Summer Nights" on sale April 1st please visit, www.fordtheatres.org

 

 

 

Photo Credit: Kerry Long