Brandon Victor Dixon
| Brandon Victor Dixon | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1981 (age 33–34) Gaithersburg, Maryland, US |
| Residence | New York City, New York, US |
| Occupation | Actor, singer, theatrical producer |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Website |
BrandonVictorDixon |
Brandon Victor Dixon (born 1981) is an American actor, singer and theatrical producer. As an actor, he is known for creating the roles of Harpo in The Color Purple (2005), for which he was nominated for a Tony Award, and Berry Gordy Jr. in Motown: The Musical (2013). In London's West End, in 2014–2015, he is playing the role of Hayward Patterson in The Scottsboro Boys.
His producing credits include Of Mice and Men (2014) and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.
Education and career
Dixon was born in Gaithersburg, Maryland and is a graduate of St. Albans School and Columbia University.[1] He attended the British American Drama Academy at Balliol College, Oxford, England, in the summer of 1999.[2]
In 2003, Dixon played Royal in the Encores! production of House of Flowers and Simba in the Chicago production of The Lion King. In 2005, he created the role of Harpo on Broadway in the musical The Color Purple, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.[3] In 2010, Dixon originated the role of Haywood Patterson, in the Off-Broadway production of The Scottsboro Boys, for which he was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical.[4] In 2011, he portrayed Tom Collins in the Off-Broadway revival of Rent.[3]
Dixon created the role of Berry Gordy Jr. in the original Broadway production of Motown: The Musical, which opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on April 14, 2013. For this role, Dixon was nominated for a Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance.[5] In 2014, he returned to the role of Haywood Patterson in the London West End production of The Scottsboro Boys.[6]
Also in 2013, Dixon and Motown the Musical choreographer Warren Adams founded WalkRunFly Productions to support productions for young artists.[7] Through WalkRunFly Productions, he co-produced the 2014 Broadway productions of Of Mice and Men, which was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical and also garnered the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical.[8]
Dixon is expected to appear in the role of Eubie Blake in the new musical based on the making of Shuffle Along, scheduled to open on Broadway on March 14, 2016 in previews, officially on April 21 at the Music Box Theatre. The musical is titled Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed.[9]
References
- ↑ "Motown’s Brandon Victor Dixon Remembers Break-Ups and Boyz II Men in High School", Broadway.com, September 9, 2013, accessed December 25, 2014
- ↑ Wolf, Matt. "Brandon Victor Dixon on Coming Home to The Scottsboro Boys in London & His Side Gig as a B’way Producer", Broadway.com, October 8, 2014
- 1 2 "Brandon Victor Dixon Theatre Credits". Broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
- ↑ Healy, Patrick (2010-04-29). "Brandon Victor Dixon to Play Ray Charles on Broadway - NYTimes.com". Artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
- ↑ Evans, Suzy (23 April 2013). "2013 Drama League Awards Nominees Announced". Backstage.com. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
- ↑ Gardner, Lyn. "The Scottsboro Boys review – a dazzling civil rights musical", The Guardian, October 20, 2014
- ↑ Rapp, Ilana (24 April 2014). "Grammy and Tony Award Nominated Brandon Victor Dixon is on Broadway in MOTOWN: The Musical". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
- ↑ "WalkRunFly Productions". IBDB: the Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
- ↑ Purcell, Carey. "Brian Stokes Mitchell and Audra McDonald Will Reunite on Broadway in Shuffle Along, Billy Porter Joins Them", Playbill.com, August 9, 2015