Isaac Cole Powell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | December 30, 1994 |
| Education | University of North Carolina School of the Arts (BFA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Partner | Wesley Taylor (2017–2021) |
Isaac Cole Powell (born December 30, 1994) is an American actor and singer. He played the role of Daniel in the Broadway revival of the musical Once on This Island [1] and was cast as Tony in the 2020 Broadway revival of West Side Story . [2]
Powell was raised in Greensboro, North Carolina, the youngest of three children born to Terry and Will Powell, a three-time world CrossFit champion. [3] His father is African-American; his mother is white. [3] His sister, Jessica Powell, is a Certified Personal Trainer at their father's fitness studio and is featured on TLC's My Big Fat Fabulous Life as Whitney's fitness trainer. [4] [5] Powell began to act in middle school with the Community Theatre of Greensboro. [3] He attended Philip J. Weaver Academy, a performing arts high school, before transferring to a boarding program at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) during his senior year of high school. He graduated from UNCSA with an acting degree in May 2017. [3] [6]
While in college, Powell began to accumulate professional acting credits, playing Nikos in the musical Legally Blonde at the Barn Dinner Theatres. [7] After graduation, in the summer of 2017, he appeared in Newsies and Mamma Mia! with the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera [8] [9] and originated the title role in Nikola Tesla Drops the Beat at the Adirondack Theatre Festival in Glens Falls, New York. [3] [10]
Powell played the role of Daniel in the 2017 Broadway revival of Once on This Island , which began previews in November 2017 and opened officially in December. Jesse Green, writing in The New York Times called Powell's solo, "Some Girls," a "quietly sensitive rendering." [11] Robert Hofler, in TheWrap , wrote that Powell makes the song "the most poignant moment in this revival." [12] TheaterMania's review deemed Powell, "charismatic and silvery-voiced." [13] He recorded his role on the revival's cast album. [14]
Powell competed in May 2018 on the live Broadway game show, I Only Have Lies for You. [15] In the spring of 2018, he signed on with the New Pandemics modeling agency and modeled for Palomo Spain's and NIHL's fall 2019 lines at New York Fashion Week. [16] [17] [18] In W Magazine , Powell notes that "[M]odeling is a new thing ... I've been basically shooting all the gay publications, which is really, really great." [19] He models in addition to acting, and was featured in the final issue of Hello Mr. [20] [21]
Powell played Tony in the 2020 Broadway revival of West Side Story . The production, directed by Ivo van Hove, began previews on December 10, 2019, and officially opened on February 20, 2020 at the Broadway Theatre, but closed early on March 11th, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [2]
In November 2020, Powell was cast in Universal Pictures and director Stephen Chbosky's film adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen as new character Rhys, a high school jock. [22]
On August 29, 2021, Powell was featured in the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) network's aired concert for the musical Wicked which was hosted by Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel. Other featured artists were Rita Moreno, Cynthia Erivo, Ariana DeBose, Ali Stroker, Amber Riley, Mario Cantone, Jennifer Nettles, Stephanie Hsu, Alex Newell, Gavin Creel and Gabrielle Ruiz performing many of the musical's numbers. [23]
Powell is gay and came out at the age of 16. [16] In 2016, Powell met Broadway actor, Wesley Taylor, when Taylor was visiting University of North Carolina School of the Arts where Powell was a junior in the school's theatre program. [24] The two then began a relationship in 2017 and were engaged in May 2019. They ended their relationship in 2021.[ citation needed ]
| Year | Title | Role | Theatre | Director(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Nikola Tesla Drops The Beat | Nikola Tesla | Adirondack Theatre Festival | Marshall Pailet | |
| Newsies | Ensemble | Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera (at the Benedum Center) | Richard J. Hinds | ||
| Mamma Mia! | Barry Ivan | ||||
| 2017–19 | Once on This Island | Daniel | Circle in the Square Theatre | Michael Arden | |
| 2019–20 | West Side Story | Tony | Broadway Theatre | Ivo van Hove | |
| 2024 | Gatsby: An American Myth | Jay Gatsby | American Repertory Theatre | Rachel Chavkin | [28] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Just a Body | Pastor Dave | Short film |
| 2019 | XaveMePlease | Xavier | Short film |
| 2021 | Dear Evan Hansen | Rhys | |
| 2022 | Susie Searches | Ray Garcia | |
| 2023 | Cat Person | Clay | |
| 2023 | Past Lives | Guy | |
| 2023 | Our Son | Solo |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Broadway.com #LiveatFive | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2018 | Murphy Brown | Jack | Episode: "A Lifetime of Achievement" |
| 2018–2019 | Indoor Boys | Logan | 6 episodes |
| 2021 | Modern Love | Vince | Episode: "A Life Plan for Two, Followed by One" |
| 2021 | American Horror Story: Double Feature | Troy Lord | 4 episodes |
| 2022 | American Horror Story: NYC | Theo Graves | 7 episodes |
| 2024 | The Franchise | Bryson | Main role |
| Year | Awards | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Grammy Awards | Best Musical Theater Album | Once on This Island | Nominated | |
| 2020 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance | West Side Story | Nominated |
Mamma Mia! is a jukebox musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on songs recorded by Swedish group ABBA and composed by members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. The musical's title is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia". Ulvaeus and Andersson were involved in the development of the show from the beginning, while singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad was involved financially in the production and also appeared at many of the premieres around the world.
Idina Kim Menzel is an American actress and singer. Particularly known for her work in musicals on Broadway, she has been nicknamed the "Queen of Broadway" for her commanding stage presence, powerful mezzo-soprano, and reputation as one of the most influential stage actors of her generation. Having achieved mainstream success across stage, screen, and music, her accolades include an American Music Award, a Billboard Music Award, a Daytime Emmy Award, and a Tony Award, as well as nominations for three Drama League Awards, and four Drama Desk Awards. In 2019, Menzel received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was named a Disney Legend in 2022. She was the 2022 recipient of the National Medal of Arts. Menzel received a honorary doctorate from University of Pennsylvania in 2023.
Stephen Flaherty is an American composer of musical theatre and film. He works most often in collaboration with the lyricist/book writer Lynn Ahrens. They are best known for writing the Broadway musicals Ragtime, which was nominated for thirteen Tony Awards, two Grammy Awards, and won the Tony for Best Original Score; Once on This Island, which won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, the Olivier Award for London's Best Musical, and was nominated for a Grammy Award and eight Tony Awards; and Seussical, which was nominated for the Grammy Award. Flaherty was also nominated for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards for his songs and song score for the animated film musical Anastasia.
Gavin James Creel was an American actor, singer, and songwriter best known for his work in musical theater. Over his career he received a Grammy Award, a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award and a Laurence Olivier Award.
Carolee Carmello is an American actress best known for her performances in Broadway musicals and for playing the role of Maple LaMarsh on the television series Remember WENN (1996–1998). She is a three-time Tony Award nominee and a five-time Drama Desk nominee, winning the 1999 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical for her role in Parade.
Once on This Island is a coming-of-age one-act stage musical with a book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty. It is based on the 1985 novel My Love, My Love; or, The Peasant Girl by Rosa Guy, a Caribbean-set retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale The Little Mermaid. It concerns a peasant girl in the French Antilles who falls in love with a rich boy and makes a deal with the gods to save his life.
Michael Jerrod Moore, known professionally as Michael Arden, is an American actor, singer, musician, and theatre director. Arden won a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical in 2023 for the revival of the musical Parade.
Merle Dandridge is an American actress and singer. She is best known for performing in Broadway musicals such as Jesus Christ Superstar, Spamalot, Rent, and Once on This Island, as well as her video game roles as Alyx Vance in Half-Life 2 and Marlene in The Last of Us franchise. She played the leading role of Grace Greenleaf in the Oprah Winfrey Network drama series, Greenleaf (2016–2020). She's had recurring roles on television series such as Sons of Anarchy and The Night Shift and starred as Kim Hammond in the first season of HBO Max comedy-drama series The Flight Attendant in 2020. In 2022, Dandridge began starring as Natasha Seo-Yeon Ross in the ABC action series Station 19. She reprised her role as Marlene in the 2023 television adaptation of The Last of Us.
Julia Kathleen Murney is an American actress and singer, also known for television commercial voice-overs. Until 2005, she was commonly known as the Broadway actress who had technically never appeared on Broadway. This was because her fame came mostly from her performances on the Broadway charity circuit, and not traditional Broadway productions. She played the role of Elphaba in the musical Wicked, both on the US national tour (2006) and on Broadway (2007). She is also a two-time Drama Desk Award nominee, for The Wild Party (2000) and Falling (2013).
John Dossett is an American actor and singer.
Beth Leavel is an American stage and screen actress and singer.
Christine "Christy" Altomare is an American actress and singer-songwriter.
Wesley Taylor is an American stage actor and writer, best known for his work in musical theatre and television.
Phillip Boykin is an American actor and bass-baritone singer. He currently portrays Hades in the Broadway production of Hadestown.
Benjamin Tyler Cook is an American actor, singer and dancer, known for his work across stage and screen.
Michael James Scott is an American actor and singer, known for his work on the Broadway stage. He is best known for playing the Genie in Disney's Aladdin musical in the Original Australian Cast, as well as in the West End, U.S. National Tour, and Broadway productions.
Hailey Frances Kilgore is an American actress and singer. Kilgore's breakthrough role was as Ti Moune in the Broadway revival of coming-of-age one-act stage musical Once on This Island, a performance for which the 19-year-old was nominated for the 2018 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical, becoming one of the youngest nominees in the category.
Katrina Lenk is an American actress, singer, dancer, musician, and songwriter.
Ashley Jeein Park is an American actress and musician. She is best known for her portrayal of Mindy Chen on the Netflix comedy series Emily in Paris. She originated the role of Gretchen Wieners in the Broadway musical Mean Girls, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical.
Thomas Bracco is an American actor, reality television star and Broadway performer. He is best known for starring in Newsies as Spot Conlon on Broadway. He was a cast member on season 21 of Big Brother and placed 5th in the competition.
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