And we're back with part II of our Artistic Mentors Series! In this week's episode, Brandon sits down with his mentor and teacher, Byron Nora, to discuss everything from the impact of performing arts programs in school systems to the importance of learning professionalism early in one's acting career and how to stay grounded in an industry that often promotes competition over collaboration.

A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Byron Nora is a humble NAACP award winner and a recipient of numerous prestigious nominations from the NAACP Theatre Awards nominating committee; garnering nominations in the coveted categories of Best Director, Best Director of a Musical, and Set Design for his numerous productions.  He is the Artistic Director of Versatility Dance Company and former Artistic Director of ICEF (Inner City Education Foundation) and Colors United.   

Byron is Managing Director of both BAMN Ensemble and BAMN-BAMN Youth Ensemble, as well as E.T.I. (Educational Theatre Institute).  He is the Program Manager of the youth arts and educational program, PEACE 2000 (Promoting Educational, Artistic, and Career Excellence).  He is an accomplished actor having appeared in many stage productions, film, and television roles, as well as numerous commercial spots. 

Byron is a highly respected and sought after director and set designer. He is the director of the riveting dramatic stage play, “Grandpa’s Truth” at the Inglewood Playhouse, which had a solid 3 month sold out run.  He has also directed the dramatic NAACP Award Winning “Civil Rites” at Southwest College, the heavily acclaimed version of the musical stage play “Shades”, the innovative multi-award nominated production of “The Wiz” at the Washington Prep Theatre, Barry Manilow’s world-acclaimed “Copacabana” at the historic Ricardo Montalban Theatre in Hollywood, and the NAACP-nominated “A Shrine To Junior“ at the Stella Adler Theatre, just to name a small part of his lengthy body of work.

Byron is highly in demand and is often requested to work his magic as an acting/dialog coach on many projects.  He has traveled the world as a singer and a successful model having had the honor of being chosen to be a “Calvin Man” for Calvin Klein Cologne. Byron also appeared in the national tour of the hit musical “U Don’t Know Me!” where he played the role of Mr. Webb and was the Assistant Director and the acting dialogue coach. 

Get ready to roll up your sleeves and dig into the crates. Join us for episode 6 of The Melanated Archives Podcast.