A Conversation with Brian Stokes Mitchell

Dubbed “the last leading man” by The New York Times, two-time Tony Award® winner Brian Stokes Mitchell has enjoyed a career spanning more than 40 years in Broadway, television, film, recordings, and concert appearances with the country’s finest conductors and orchestras. Stokes received Tony®, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle awards for his star turn in Kiss Me, Kate. He also gave Tony®-nominated performances in Man of La Mancha, August Wilson’s King Hedley II, and Ragtime. Mitchell’s extensive TV appearances include Trapper John M.D., Glee, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Fraiser, The Good Fight, and dozens more. He also provided the singing voice of Jethro in the beloved movie The Prince of Egypt, including his stirring performance of ‘Through Heaven’s Eyes,” and made national news during the pandemic for performing “The Impossible Dream” every evening from the window of his Manhattan apartment as healthcare workers changed shifts. Stokes is a founding member of Black Theatre United, founded in 2020. These leading members of the Black theatre community “stand together to help protect Black people, Black theatre, and Black lives of all shapes and orientations in communities across the country.” Their stated goal is to “educate, empower, and inspire through excellence and activism in the pursuit of justice and equality.”