The incomparable Emmy, Grammy, and Tony award winner from Pose and Kinky Boots sits down with fashion designer Christian Siriano to discuss his powerful and revealing autobiography about race, sexuality, and art.
This event was previously scheduled on October 19. All tickets purchased for this earlier date will be valid for this event.
“There is only one Billy Porter. He is blazing a trail where none existed. Whether you noticed the brilliant blaze early (for me, it was his brilliant 2005 live album, At the Corner of Broadway and Soul) or his transcendent portrayal of Lola in Kinky Boots or the unforgettable Pray Tell on Pose, once you see the light, there’s no going back. And it turns out his voice rings just as true on the page as it does on the stage. How lucky we are to witness it in our time.” —Lin-Manuel Miranda
Special bonus: Tickets come with a copy of Unprotected. There are a limited number of companion tickets available, these tickets are $20 and do not include a book. To purchase a companion ticket, add a standard ticket and a companion ticket to your cart. The companion ticket will be discounted at checkout. Note that companion tickets are only available to purchase with a full-price ticket.
Books will be available for purchase, but there will not be a book signing at this event.
Billy Porter is an Emmy, Tony and Grammy Award-winning, and Golden Globe-nominated actor, singer, director, composer, and playwright. His portrayal of Pray Tell in the FX breakthrough series Pose earned him the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, as well as Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice Award, and Television Critics Association nominations. He most recently earned a third Emmy nomination for this role. Porter was the recipient of the Dorian Award for TV Performance of the Year from GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, as well as nominated for a Black Reel Award for Outstanding Actor. Previously, he starred in the eighth season of Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story: Apocalypse, HBO Max’s That Damn Michael Che, the second season of The Twilight Zone, and he narrated HBO Max’s four-part docu-series Equal. Upcoming, Porter will be heard in the Disney+ animated series The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. Additional film and television credits include Amazon Prime’s Cinderella; Like a Boss; Baz Luhrman’s The Get Down; The Humbling; Noel;
The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy; Intern; Anastasia; Twisted; the Law & Order franchise; Unit; The Big C; Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story; and Another World.
He is currently making his film directorial debut with the coming-of-age film What If? and is set to direct the queer teen comedy To Be Real. A veteran of the theater, Porter most previously reprised his role as Lola in the smash hit Broadway musical Kinky Boots, for which he won the 2013 Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Tony Awards for Best Actor in a Musical, as well as a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. Additional Broadway acting include Shuffle Along,Miss Saigon, Five Guys Named Moe, Grease, Smokey Joe’s Café, and Dreamgirls. As a recording artist, Porter recently released the singles Finally Ready, For What It’s Worth, Love Yourself, and Children. His solo albums include The Soul of Richard Rodgers, Untitled, At the Corner of Broadway + Soul - LIVE, and Billy’s Back on Broadway. Porter’s memoir, Unprotected, was published on October 19th.
Award-winning Council of Fashion Designers of America designer Christian Siriano launched his collection in 2008 following his studies in London under Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen. Known for whimsical and show-stopping design, the collection is shown each season at New York Fashion Week and sold in retailers across the globe. In 2012, the first flagship Christian Siriano store opened in NYC, and his latest retail venture, “The Curated NYC,” was located in the heart of midtown. Siriano’s designs have been worn by current FLOTUS, Dr. Jill Biden; former FLOTUS, Michelle Obama; Angelina Jolie; Oprah Winfrey; Zendaya; Ariana Grande; Julianne Moore; Lady Gaga; Tiffany Haddish; Billy Porter; Cardi B; Amy Adams; Scarlett Johansson; Whoopi Goldberg; and Julia Roberts, to name but a few. Siriano was named among Time’s 100 Most Influential People for his leading contributions on body diversity on the runway and red carpet. He has been heralded for leading the PPE charge during the COVID-19 pandemic. His atelier shifted entirely from clothes to masks, and to date, he and his team have shipped more than one million masks to frontline workers in the New York area. 2020 also saw Siriano launch his own digital BRAVO talk show, So Siriano, which saw him break down all things fashion and pop culture with guests ranging from Drew Barrymore, Leslie Jones, Billy Porter, Ashley Graham, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Sia. And he fulfilled a longtime passion when he added Interior Designer to his impressive list of credits with the debut of his newest venture, Siriano Interiors and a full custom furniture collection. With more than a decade of fashion experience, the Siriano design studio continues to celebrate beauty and diversity in this ever-changing fashion industry. Currently, the prestigious SCAD (Savannah College of Art & Design) Museum of Art is presenting his first-ever solo work retrospective with the “Christian Siriano: People Are People Exhibition,” running now until January 30, 2022. In 2017, Siriano added the title of Author to his credits when he released a photographic retrospective book with Rizzoli Books called Dresses to Dream About, now in its third printing. Due to high demand, he will release a new version in Fall 2021. Titled Christian Siriano: Dresses to Dream About Deluxe Edition, it will feature brand-new images from his ever-growing/impressive body of work.
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