Billy Porter to make directorial debut at Soho Theatre this summer

Billy Porter will direct It's a Sin star Omari Douglas — recently seen on stage in the Bush Theatre's Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew — as Jesse, and Alexander Lincoln as Neil.

Cabaret and Pose star Billy Porter will make his directorial debut in London this summer at Soho Theatre. Performances will start on 18 June, running until 26 July.

Porter will direct Harrison David Rivers's play This Bitter Earth, which follows the romance between a young Black writer and a white activist.

He will direct It's a Sin star Omari Douglas — recently seen on stage in the Bush Theatre's Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew — as Jesse, and Alexander Lincoln as Neil. Stanton Plummer-Cambridge and Luke Striffler are understudies.

Porter, a Grammy, Emmy and three-time Tony Award winner, said: “Harrison David Rivers has written a searingly poignant and necessary play about love and loss through the lens of the fraying American Democratic experiment. Simple. Complex. Direct, and filled with compassion all at once. I’m thrilled to be a part of bringing this very special piece to life.”

Porter will host the 2025 Olivier Awards alongside Beverley Knight next month at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

The rest of the creative team includes Morgan Large (set and costume design), Laura Howard (lighting design), Sean Green (original composition), and Julian Starr (sound design).

Check back for This Bitter Earth tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk