Isaac Cole Powell

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]

Not to be confused with Izaack Powell.
Isaac Powell
Born (1994-12-30) December 30, 1994
EducationUniversity of North Carolina School of the Arts (BFA)
Occupation
  • Actor
  • singer
Years active2017–present

Early life and career

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 Native American and African-American and his mother is Caucasian.[3] 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][4]

While in college, Powell began to accumulate professional acting credits, playing Nikos in the musical Legally Blonde at the Barn Dinner Theatre.[5] After graduation, in the summer of 2017, he appeared in Newsies and Mamma Mia! with the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera[6][7] and originated the title role in Nikola Tesla Drops the Beat at the Adirondack Theatre Festival in Glens Falls, New York.[3][8]

Powell played the role of Daniel in the 2017 Broadway revival of Once on This Island, which began previewed 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."[9] Robert Hofler, in TheWrap, wrote that Powell makes the song "the most poignant moment in this revival."[10] TheaterMania's review deemed Powell, "charismatic and silvery-voiced."[11] He recorded his role on the revival's cast album.[12]

Powell competed in May 2018 on the live Broadway game show, I Only Have Lies for You.[13] 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.[14][15][16] 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."[17] He models in addition to acting, and was featured in the final issue of Hello Mr.[18][19]

Powell plays Tony, the protagonist, in the 2020 Broadway revival of West Side Story.[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.[20]

Personal life

Powell is openly gay and came out at the age of sixteen.[14] In 2016, Powell met Broadway actor, Wesley Taylor, when Taylor was visiting North Carolina School of the Arts where Powell was a junior in the school's theatre program.[21] The two then began a relationship in 2017 and were engaged in May 2019.[21]

Theatre credits
Year Title Role Theatre Director(s) Ref.
2017 Nikola Tesla Drops The Beat Nikola Tesla Adirondack Theatre Festival Marshall Pailet
[22]
Newsies Ensemble Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera
(at the Benedum Center)		 Richard J. Hinds
[6]
Mamma Mia! Barry Ivan
[23]
2017–19 Once on This Island Daniel Circle in the Square Theatre Michael Arden
[10]
2019–20 West Side Story Tony Broadway Theatre Ivo van Hove
[24]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2015 Just a Body Pastor Dave Short film
2019 XaveMePlease Xavier Short film
2021 Dear Evan Hansen Rhys Post-production

Televison
Year Title Role Notes
2018 Broadway.com #LiveatFive Himself 1 episode
2018 Murphy Brown Jack Episode: "A Lifetime of Achievement"
2018-19 Indoor Boys Logan 6 episodes

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2019 Grammy Award Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album Once on This Island Nominated
[25]
2020 Drama League Award Distinguished Performance West Side Story Nominated
[26]

References
  1. "Once on This Island – Cast And Creative". Once On This Island. Retrieved 2018-06-03.
  2. Rooney, David. "West Side Story Broadway Revival Cast Unveiled", The Hollywood Reporter, July 10, 2019
  3. DeCwikiel-Kane, Dawn. "Greensboro native lands big role on Broadway", News & Record, August 6, 2017, accessed June 4, 2018
  4. Murawski, Katie (December 12, 2017). "Isaac Powell takes Broadway: Greensboro native and UNCSA graduate debuted his role on Dec. 3". Yes! Weekly. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  5. "Isaac Powell", Backstage, accessed July 13, 2019
  6. Gans, Andrew (July 13, 2017). "Check Out Who Will 'Seize the Day' in Pittsburgh CLO's Newsies". Playbill.
  7. "Mamma Mia! Cast". Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  8. Broadway.com #LiveatFive with Isaac Cole Powell of Once on This Island, Broadway.com, May 7, 2018, retrieved 2018-06-03
  9. Green, Jesse. "Review: Once on This Island, Revived and Ravishing", December 3, 2017
  10. Hofler, Robert. "Once on This Island Broadway Review: A Middling Musical Revival About a Long-Suffering Woman", TheWrap, December 3, 2018
  11. Levitt, Hayley. "Once on This Island", TheaterMania.com, December 3, 2017
  12. Ahrens, Lynn and Stephen Flaherty. "Breaking Down the Once on This Island Revival Cast Album Track by Track", Playbill, May 23, 2018
  13. Hetrick, Adam. "Betsy Wolfe and Isaac Powell Are Upcoming Contestants on I Only Have Lies for You", Playbill, May 18, 2018
  14. "Broadway star Isaac Cole Powell on racial identity in Trump's America". GayTimes. September 29, 2018.
  15. "The Best BTS Moments from NYFW: Mens". CFDA. February 2, 2019.
  16. "About | New Pandemics". www.newpandemics.com. Retrieved 2018-07-15.
  17. Eckardt, Stephanie. "These LGBTQ+ Models Just Might Change the Industry Forever". W Magazine. Retrieved 2018-07-15.
  18. Mr., Hello. "About - Hello Mr". hellomrmag.com. Retrieved 2018-07-15.
  19. "And now, our time has come". mailchi.mp. Retrieved 2018-07-15.
  20. https://deadline.com/2020/11/isaac-powell-dear-evan-hansen-cast-universal-broadway-west-side-story-1234613075/#comments
  21. "Broadway First Dates: Wesley Taylor and Isaac Powell". March 14, 2018 – via YouTube.
  22. Goepfert, Bob (June 27, 2017). "Bob Goepfert Reviews "'Nikola Tesla Drops the Beat'". WAMC.
  23. "Mamma Mia! at Pittsburgh CLO". Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera.
  24. McPhee, Ryan (July 10, 2019). "Isaac Powell, Shereen Pimentel, More Set for West Side Story Broadway Revival". Playbill.
  25. "61st Annual GRAMMY Awards". Recording Academy. 2018-12-06. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  26. "Adrienne Warren, Danny Burstein, and Danielle Brooks Among 2020 Drama League Award Nominees". Playbill. 2020-05-01. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
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