Segerstrom Center For The Arts to Present AN EVENING WITH BRIAN STOKES MITCHELL This Month

Segerstrom Center for the Arts will present Broadway's Brian Stokes Mitchell for one night only on Friday, June 23, 2023 at 8 pm.

Two-time Tony Award-winner Brian Stokes Mitchell, who has been called Broadway's “last leading man” by The New York Times, will perform a wide range of songs, including fan favorites from both the American songbook and Broadway. Mitchell has enjoyed a career that spans Broadway, television, film, and concert appearances with the country's finest conductors and orchestras. An extremely versatile and in-demand singer, Stokes has performed at many venues spanning the jazz, opera, pop, country, and musical theater worlds.

Mitchell 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.  Other notable Broadway shows include Kiss of the Spider Woman, Jelly's Last Jam, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and most recently in Shuffle Along.  

Off-Broadway appearances includes Do Re Mi, Carnival, Kismet and The Bandwagon at City Center Encores and Much Ado About Nothing at the Delacorte Theatre's Shakespeare in the Park.  Regional engagements include Sweeney Todd at the Sondheim Celebration at The Kennedy Center with Christine Baranski and The Light in the Piazza at Los Angeles Opera with Renee Fleming. 

Stokes was four days from opening LOVE/LIFE at City Center Encores when all of Broadway, and most of the country, shut down due to the pandemic.  However, that didn't stop him completely. Even while recovering from Covid in March of 2020, he received unexpected additional acclaim and attention for singing “The Impossible Dream” from his apartment window every night for a number of weeks during the pandemic in honor of the essential workers.

Stokes (as he prefers to be called) was born in Seattle, Washington on Halloween.  His father, George Mitchell, was a civilian electronics engineer working for the Navy and later the chief Radio officer with both Scripps Institute of Oceanography and Exxon. His father was also one of the original “Tuskegee Airman” having taught radio and blinker code at Moton Field, Alabama. His mother, Lillian Mitchell was an educator.  Stokes spent his childhood in Seattle, San Diego, Guam, and the Philippines. He moved back to the United States at the age of 14 and began studying acting, singing, and dancing at San Diego Jr. Theatre. 

Within two years, he was performing on various San Diego stages including The Old Globe Theatre and San Diego's Starlight Opera Company.  A transfer to Los Angeles with the 12th Night Repertory Company while performing multi-cultural theatre for students gave him the opportunity to start a long career in television and film.

Currently, he guest starred on CBS' police procedural East New York, as medical examiner Ken Corley. His extensive screen credits began with a guest starring role on Roots: The Next Generations which led to a 7-year stint on Trapper John, MD.  His 40-yearlong TV/Film run continued with memorable appearances on everything from PBS' Great Performances to Frasier, The Prince of Egypt (singing “Through Heaven's Eyes”), Glee, Jumping the Broom, Madam Secretary, The Blacklist, Bull, Elementary and Prodigal Son.  He has had recurring roles on numerous series of late including Mr. Robot, The Path and this season on Evil.  As a voice-over artist, he has portrayed dozens of characters on hundreds of animated TV episodes. NPR aired his narration of Aaron Copland's Lincoln Portrait with the U.S. Marine Band. His second performance at the White House, “A Celebration of American Creativity”, was aired on PBS.  This season, Stokes begins a new segment of his career hosting a live-streamed talk show called Crossovers. The show will feature icons who've made the jump from stage to film, television, or music.  The six-part series will livestream from New York City and will also be available on video on demand at StellarTickets.com.

An extremely versatile singer, he has performed with John Williams, Gustavo Dudamel, Marvin Hamlisch, Keith Lockhart, Michael Tilson Thomas, Leonard Slatkin, Bobby McFerrin, Dianne Reeves, The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Big Band, The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and The Muppets. Stokes has made multiple appearances at Carnegie Hall beginning with his debut with the San Francisco Symphony through his televised performance in South Pacific opposite Reba McEntire to his sold-out solo concert, which he continues to perform throughout the U.S.   Venues he has appeared at include Walt Disney Concert Hall, Tanglewood, Ravinia, The Hollywood Bowl, Radio City Music Hall, Boston's Symphony Hall, Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center. He has twice been invited to perform at the White House and has sung for Presidents Clinton and Obama.

Stokes has delved deeply into various music disciplines. In addition to singing, he began piano studies at the age of 6.  His musical curiosity led him to an interest in orchestration, arranging and film scoring which he first started studying on his own in his late teens.  He later studied film scoring, orchestration, and conducting through UCLA and scored and conducted a number of “Trapper John, MD” episodes, a series on which he was also a regular cast member. His musical talent has extended to the present day as producer, arranger and orchestrator on his three solo albums including his newest release, Plays with Music.

Plays with Music is an album of classic Broadway tunes that have been musically reimagined but still retain the spirit of the originals. It features the Tony-winning singer accompanied by a full orchestra. “I see each of my solo albums as a continuation of the same artwork. My first eponymous album was my introduction, full of personal references to my musical influences and experiences, The second, Simply Broadway, celebrates my Broadway life - but pared down to piano and vocal.  Plays with Music continues with the Broadway theme, but it's really an album about joyful creativity.” The song selection includes works from Camelot, The Bandwagon, Mack and Mable, Company, and includes 2 premiers including Flag Song by Stephen Sondheim. Stokes has appeared on more than 20 albums, including a recording of What The World Needs Now with other members of the Broadway community, to help those affected by the tragedy at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

Stokes has received a number of other awards for both his charitable and artistic work including the New Dramatist's Distinguished Achievement Award, the Actors Fund's Julie Harris Award, Canada's Dora Mavor Moore Award (The Canadian “Tony”), the Americans for the Arts Outstanding Contribution to the Arts Award, The Actors Fund Medal of Honor, Chicago's Sarah Siddons Award, and the Distinguished Performance Award from the Drama League. In 2016, he was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame.  

Stokes' charitable work is extensive.  Since his 20s, he has enjoyed working with multiple organizations beginning with tours for the USO and also The March of Dimes.  He received his most recent Tony Award in 2016 for his work as Chairman of the Board of Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actor's Fund), a position he has continuously held since 2004.   He is also on the Board and Artist Committee of Americans for the Arts and is a founding member of Black Theatre United.  He is a tireless advocate for both artists and the importance of the arts in a healthy society.  This year the city of New York honored his contributions to charity and the arts by awarding him with the Key to the City.  

As a writer, Stokes has contributed to the book “Hirschfeld's Harlem,” wrote the preface to “At This Theatre,” and co-authored the children's book “Lights on Broadway.”  For fun he has been known to fly planes and jump out of them (usually not at the same time), and he can ride a bicycle on a high wire.  He resides in New York City.

Tickets start at $39 and are available at online at SCFTA.org, at the Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, or by calling (714) 556-2787. For inquiries about group ticket discounts for 10 or more, call the Group Services office at (714) 755-0236. 

Brian Stokes Mitchell

Friday, June 23, 2023 at 8:00pm

Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall

Tickets start at $39

In-person and Phone-

Box Office

600 Town Center Drive

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

(714) 556-2787

Monday 10am – 2pm

Tuesday through Friday Noon- 5pm

Closed Saturdays and Sundays

Online - SCFTA.org

Group Sales - (714) 755-0236

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is an innovative, nonprofit arts organization committed to supporting artistic excellence, creating impactful educational programs, and dedicated to engaging a culturally connected, inclusive and vital Orange County community for all, through the power of live performance.

As the leading cultural arts hub, the Center presents a variety of programming with performances by international dance companies, Broadway national tours, jazz and cabaret musicians, chamber orchestras and ensembles, comedy, and speaker series. Through the Education and Community Engagement departments, the Center also delivers family-friendly programming and performances on the Julianne and George Argyros Plaza; these events include outdoor movie screenings, concerts, dance classes, diverse festivals and more.

With six venues on a beautiful multi-disciplinary campus, Segerstrom Center for the Arts proudly serves as the artistic home to three of the region's major performing arts organizations: Pacific Symphony, Philharmonic Society of Orange County and Pacific Chorale as well as two independently acclaimed organizations: Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory and the Orange County Museum of Art. Segerstrom Center is also home to the American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School and Studio D, Arts School for All Abilities.

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