Pose Pose Returns to FX with Season 2 in 2019 - Foxflash
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Pose
Pose Returns to FX with Season 2 in 2019
Pose
Set in the 1980s, Pose is a dance musical that explores the juxtaposition of several segments of
life and society in New York: the ball culture world, the rise of the luxury Trump-era universe and
the downtown social and literary scene.
Making television history, Pose features the largest cast of transgender actors in series regular
roles, as well as the largest recurring cast of LGBTQ actors ever for a scripted series. The
transgender cast includes Mj Rodriguez, Dominique Jackson, Indya Moore, Hailie Sahar and
Angelica Ross, who co-star alongside Evan Peters, Kate Mara, James Van Der Beek, Tony
Award® winner Billy Porter, Charlayne Woodard, and newcomers Ryan Jamaal Swain, Dyllón
Burnside and Angel Bismark Curiel.
Evan Peters and Kate Mara play New Jersey couple “Stan” and “Patty Bowes,” who get sucked
into the glamour and intrigue of New York City in the 1980s, as epitomized by “Matt Bromley”
(James Van Der Beek), Stan’s boss. Mj Rodriguez stars as “Blanca Rodriguez,” who breaks from
the House of Abundance and her former house mother “Elektra Abundance” (Dominique Jackson)
to form her own “house,” a self-selected family that provides support to LGBTQ youth rejected by
their birth families. Indya Moore plays “Angel,” a streetwalker who develops feelings for her new
client, Stan. Ryan Jamaal Swain plays “Damon Richards,” a dancer who joins Blanca’s house.
Together they compete in the Balls—where house members challenge each other in various
categories and are judged on their outfits, attitude, or dance skills. Under the watchful eye of
“Pray Tell” (Billy Porter), Grandfather to all the children who compete in the house balls, Elektra’s
House of Abundance and Blanca’s upstart House of Evangelista face off in what may develop
into a legendary rivalry.
Pose was co-created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Steven Canals, with Murphy directing
the first two episodes. The series is executive produced by Murphy, Falchuk, Nina Jacobson,
Brad Simpson, Alexis Martin Woodall and Sherry Marsh. Canals and Silas Howard serve as co-
executive producers, and Janet Mock, Our Lady J and Erica Kay also serve as producers. The
eight-episode first season is produced by Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions.
Ryan Murphy
Co-Creator / Executive Producer / Writer / Director
Ryan Murphy is an Emmy®, Golden Globe® and Peabody® Award-winning screenwriter, producer
and director. He created the groundbreaking television drama Nip/Tuck, which won the Golden
Globe for Best Television Series in 2005 and ran for six seasons, the Emmy and Golden Globe
Award-winning series Glee, the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning anthology series
American Horror Story, Scream Queens, the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning anthology
series American Crime Story, FX’s Emmy-winning anthology series FEUD, and FOX’s 9-1-1. On
stage, he will next team up with David Stone to produce the Broadway revival of Boys in the Band,
starring Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer and Andrew Rannells. Murphy wrote and
directed the Golden Globe-nominated film Running with Scissors, starring Annette Bening andGwyneth Paltrow, and the box office hit Eat, Pray, Love, starring Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem.
In 2014, he directed the HBO movie The Normal Heart, which received Emmy and Golden Globe
awards including the Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie.
STEVEN CANALS
Co-Creator / Co-Executive Producer / Writer
Hailing from The Bronx, Steven Canals is a 2015 graduate of UCLA’s MFA Screenwriting
Program. He began his writing career as a Research Assistant at Hungry Jackal Productions for
Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black. In 2016 Canals served as a Staff Writer on
Freeform’s Dead of Summer. Later that year his short film, Afuera, about an undocumented
transgender woman, premiered at the LA Film Festival. FX's Pose, co-created with Ryan Murphy
and Brad Falchuk, is his first original series.
JANET MOCK
Producer / Director / Writer
Janet Mock is a writer, TV host and producer whose memoir, Redefining Realness, debuted on
The New York Times bestsellers list in 2014. Her second book, Surpassing Certainty, a memoir
about her twenties, was released this past summer with Atria Books. She is a sought-after
speaker, an advocate for trans women’s rights, and the founder of #GirlsLikeUs, a social media
project that empowers trans women. This past year Variety named her one of its 2017 “Power of
Women,” she was featured on Ebony’s Power 100 list, and the PEN Center USA honored her
with an Award of Honor during their 27th annual Literary Awards Festival. Currently, Mock is
making TV history as the first trans woman of color to write and produce for a series with Ryan
Murphy’s latest FX drama Pose, which has assembled the largest cast of trans actors in series
regular roles ever for a scripted series.
Born in Hawaii, Mock began her career as an editor at People.com and has written for The New
Yorker, The New York Times, Marie Claire, Interview and Allure. She has also worked as
a correspondent for Entertainment Tonight and a host for MSNBC, where she helmed the
groundbreaking series — So POPular!— interviewing Lena Dunham, Salma Hayek and Issa
Rae. Mock also produced and conducted all interviews for the HBO documentary, The Trans List.
TIME called Mock one of “12 new faces of black leadership” and one of “the most influential
people on the Internet” while Fast Company named her one of 2015’s “most creative people in
business.” She's appeared on the covers of ELIXIR, Paper, Out and Riposte magazines, and
she's been interviewed on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Wendy Williams, Desus & Mero and Real
Time with Bill Maher (February 2015). Mock was also featured in Jay-Z’s music video for “Family
Feud,” which also features Beyoncé, Mindy Kaling and Rosario Dawson. The Ms.
Foundation, Planned Parenthood, Feminist Press, GLSEN, Shorty Awards and the Sylvia Rivera
Law Project have all honored Mock for her work.
A native of Honolulu, Mock attended the University of Hawaii at Manoa, earned her M.A. in
journalism from New York University, and serves on the board of the Arcus Foundation. She lives
in New York City with her husband, photographer and filmmaker Aaron Tredwell, and
their cockapoo Cleo.
Our Lady JWriter / Producer
After a career of making music in both the pop and classical worlds (Sia, American Ballet Theatre,
Mark Morris Dance Group), Our Lady J transitioned to writing and producing on the Golden
Globe® and Emmy®-winning series Transparent. Our Lady J holds the honor of being the first out
trans woman to perform at Carnegie Hall, as well as the first out trans writer to be nominated for
a Writers Guild Award. She has been featured on Out Magazine's "Out 100" and the Huffington
Post's list of "transgender icons."
Mj Rodriguez
“Blanca Rodriguez”
Actress/Singer Mj Rodriguez is best known for her TV roles on Nurse Jackie and Luke Cage, as
well as her leading role in the feature film Saturday Church for which she received a nomination
for Best Actress at the Tribeca Film Festival. Born in New Jersey, Rodriguez started her career in
musical theater.
Dominique Jackson
“Elektra Abundance”
Model/Actress/Author /Advocate/Activist Dominique Jackson was born on the smaller island of
the twin island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. At the age of 15, she moved to the US to escape
traumatic situations. Jackson graduated in the tenth percentile of her class at Owings Mills High
School before going on to attend Fayetteville State University and Morgan State University.
Enduring intolerance, discrimination and prejudice, Jackson left school and moved to New York
City, where she became a member of The Underground House/Ball Community, the NYC LGBT
Entertainment Circle and The Pageantry System - winning six crowns/titles while competing
locally and nationally.
A leader in her community, Jackson has been awarded several accolades including the Jon
Michael Harrington Humanitarian Award (2003), The Pepper Labeija Image Award (2007), by the
House of Latex Project through G.M.H.C., Our Youth 2007 Community Activist of the Year,
presented by the Our Youth Organization NJ, The Leadership in Arts and Entertainment Award,
presented by People of Color in Crisis, the B/HAP Ayanna Elliott Excellence Award (2014 – 2015),
The House/Ball KiKi Coalition “You Make A Difference” Award (2015), The Inaugural Circle of Life
Celebration Award (2015), the Bronx Pride Committee “Brenda Howard Community Spirit of Pride
Award,” (2015) the Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.’s Citation of Merit, and the New
York State Senate Proclamation of Honor (2015). She was also inducted into the House and
Ballroom Hall of Fame and deemed Iconic on February 27, 2016 at the NYC Ball Awards. In 2017,
Jackson received the Legacy of Pride Award presented by Harlem Pride and received the first
Bronx LGBT Leadership Award presented by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and Allies
LGBT PRIDE CELEBRATION. That same year, she was honored with the New York State
Assembly Citation issued by Mark Gjonaj.
A fashion model since 2000, Jackson began her career at Brooklyn Fashion Week before moving
onto Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. In 2011, she served as Mistress of Ceremonies in SolomonHarris’ take on the ballroom scene “Newark Is Burning” at NJPAC (Newark, NJ). Jackson is one
of the resident models to Adrian Alicea Couture, Manuel Pelferes Couture and Angel Ayala
Couture. She added Gypsy Sport by Rio Uribe and Stevie Boi to her runway accomplishments
during 2016 Fall/Winter Fashion Week.
Jackson has been photographed by well-known photographers such as Trang Nhiem, Genesis
Ilada and Brawlio Elias. She has been featured in Paper Magazine, Get Out Magazine, Pop
Impresska Journal, Ellements Magazine, Playbill and has been featured in the Daily UK, The New
York Times and Vogue.
In 2014, Jackson released her autobiographical memoir The Transsexual from Tobago (Revised).
Later that year, she starred in Carla Pridgen’s Incongruence produced by Ivy Theatre. In 2016,
she starred in Oxygen Network’s GLAAD Award winning reality docu-series Strut, executive
produced by Whoopi Goldberg and Tom Leonardis, and the short film T Times by Gabriel Torres.
Jackson has served on the Community Health Program Board at the Montefiore South Bronx
Healthcare Clinic for the last two years.
Indya Moore
“Angel”
Indya Moore is an actor, model, and activist. Born in the Bronx, she has appeared in Vogue,
GQ and OUT, and has had assignments for Gucci and Christian Dior. In 2017, she performed
alongside Katy Perry and Migos on Saturday Night Live. Moore has also been seen in many
international music videos and video installations.
Billy Porter
“Pray Tell”
Billy Porter is best known for starring as “Lola” in the smash hit Broadway musical Kinky Boots,
for which he won the 2013 Drama Desk and Tony® Awards for Best Actor in a Musical. Other
Broadway acting credits include the Tony-nominated Broadway musical, Shuffle Along, directed
by George C. Wolfe. Miss Saigon, Five Guys Named Moe, Grease (all original cast), Smokey
Joe’s Café and Dreamgirls (20th Anniversary Broadway Concert and LA Ovation Award). Off-
Broadway and regional credits include Angels in America (Signature Theater), Romance In Hard
Times, The Merchant of Venice, House of Lear and Radiant Baby (The New York Shakespeare
Festival), Birdie Blue (Second Stage), Angels in America (Actors Theatre Of Louisville), Going
Native (The Long Wharf), Jelly’s Last Jam (Alliance), Topdog/Underdog (City Theatre), King
Lear (Exit, Pursued By A Bear), Jason Robert Brown’s Songs For A New World (original
cast), Jesus Christ Superstar, Antigone, A Chorus Line and Chicago. His one-man show, Ghetto
Superstar: The Man That I Am, debuted at The Public Theater in NYC in conjunction with City
Theatre of Pittsburgh and was nominated for a 2005 GLAAD Media Award. Porter was also
named “Pittsburgh’s Performer of the Year 2003-2004” by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Porter’s film and television credits include Baz Luhrman’s The Get Down (Netflix), TheHumbling co- starring Al Pacino and Greta Gerwig directed by Barry Levinson, Sundance Film Festival features The Broken Hearts Club (Sony Pictures) and Intern, Noel (with Susan Sarandon and Robin Williams), Shake Rattle & Roll as “Little Richard” (CBS miniseries) among others. His original song “Time” has been featured twice on the mega-hit television series So You Think You Can Dance as well as the 2011 Miss America Pageant. Porter’s concerts credits include opening act for Rosie O’Donnell and Aretha Franklin, Carnegie Hall, John McDaniel and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, as well as The Buffalo Philharmonic, Peter Nero and The Philly Pops, soloist for President Bill Clinton and various benefits throughout the U.S. As a director, Porter directed the revivals of George C. Wolfe’s plays, The Colored Museum and Top Dog/Underdog at the prestigious Huntington Theater. Porter also has directed a critically acclaimed recreation of The Wiz and conceived a musical revue entitled Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Music of Stevie Wonder, which starred Chaka Khan and ran at The Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas in the spring of 2002. Porter conceived and directed Being Alive, a musical celebration that aligns the cannons of Stephen Sondheim and William Shakespeare and combines them with the soulful musical styles of the African-American experience. Being Alive made its world premiere in the summer of 2007 at The Westport Country Playhouse and immediately transferred to The Philadelphia Theatre Company, inaugurating their new Suzanne Roberts Theatre. He directed the new musical Twilight In Manchego for the NYMF in the fall of 2008 and is the NAACP Theatre Award winner for Best Direction of a Musical for his production of Once On This Island at Reprise Theatre Company. Porter made his London directorial debut in the fall of 2009 with Olivier Award Nominee Patina Miller at Live in the Delfont Room. Primary Stages presented the highly successful World Premiere of While I Yet Live, which he wrote, that played at the off Broadway Duke Theater. Porter is a Tony and Grammy Award®-winning actor, singer, director, composer, and playwright from Pittsburgh. As a recording artist, Porter’s solo albums include his first CD, Untitled, on A&M records and his sophomore album, At the Corner of Broadway + Soul - LIVE. Billy’s Back on Broadway, was released in 2014. Porter’s newest album, The Soul of Richard Rodgers, is released on Sony Masterworks. Porter’s voice can also be heard on the albums A Very Rosie Christmas, Jim Brickman’s Destiny (top ten AC hit), Grease (revival cast album) and more. Porter is also a graduate of The Professional Program in Screenwriting at UCLA and is an adjunct professor at his alma mater Carnegie Mellon University’s School Of Drama, where he has directed productions of Company and Letters From ‘Nam. Porter also has received an honorary doctorate from Washington and Jefferson College.
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