TOR’S STORY

You have to be creative with a vivid imagination to be innovative in “the hood,” especially in Milwaukee, WI.

You aren’t afforded many of the luxuries that the upper middle class or the more affluent neighborhoods of the city have, so you learn pretty quickly to take the hand of cards you’ve been dealt, and play the best darn game of spades that you can. (Fun fact: Every black person growing up has either played spades or watched someone who has, along with dominoes, but that’s another story). When you couldn’t afford to go buy the latest bike or scooter, you’d go outside and find random pieces of plywood, tear the wheels off of an old garbage bin, get a hammer and some nails and voilá, YOU HAVE THE LOCAL VERSION OF THE LATEST SCOOTER OR BIKE OUT ON THE MARKET! Suddenly, it becomes the “new thing” for the entire neighborhood to play with and you are insta-famous on the block! That was life in the hood.

Growing up in the ‘hood meant you had to have resourcefulness and a gifted imagination to be innovative. When you didn’t have money for dance class, you’d watch music videos on T.V. and imitate the choreography of the hottest artists in pop culture. You didn’t need to worry about acting classes because life’s experiences in the neighborhood, along with your family’s “flare for the dramatic”, were all the classes you needed to “get in where you fit in” and expose your personality, character & talents. That’s right, there is no school better than the school of hard knocks. Getting knocked on your behind in life teaches you how to stand up and stand out on your own two feet and walk into your greatness, fully prepared for whatever life throws at you. So was the case with Tor Campbell.

See, “life for him ain’t been no crystal stair” 😉

He may have had a hard life growing up, but he overcame every obstacle which is why he is such an overcomer today. Where & when there were hardships, there was also love and those were the times that proved to be the catalysts for his vision and ingenuity. He had dreams and aspirations, not only for himself but for his family, that he was determined to attain and it was clear for all to see. He exuded greatness in all that he did. He just couldn’t stop dancing and singing, despite the adversity life presented him. He smiled, laughed, and pressed on through, with the love of his family as his fuel and oxygen.

In his house and his neighborhood, it was a daily improv musical theatre production on life’s stage. There was always some “act or scene” playing out for him to showcase his acting, singing & dancing skills. Oh yes, he was a triple threat in the making for sure. He and his siblings would use the entire house as a set around the holidays and put on performances for the family. Oh Chile, the classic Christmas song “Silent Night” was a show stopper in his household! Each sibling (there were 4) had a part to sing or act, and the entrance and exit cues were all meticulously staged by Tor. His baby sister would start off singing in front of the family, then suddenly another sibling would pop out of the pantry on cue, then Tor would “pop out of the closet” (pun intended 😂), and so on, each one with their part to play. You could say that his stage directing career began right in his own childhood living room!

Tor began to nurture his talents in school and it was quickly apparent to his teachers that he was gifted. He joined the drama team and slayed every competition he entered! By high school, he had the leads in all the school musicals. Finally, a stage bigger than his house where he could show his natural, raw talent and be seen by thousands of people and not just his family. Baby, it was SHOWTIME! The first high school musical he did was “42nd Street”. Now, y’all know this is a tap-dancing musical, right? Yet, Tor who never had a tap-dancing class a day in his life (outside of watching Gregory Hines on TV), stepped into the audition, dancing, singing & acting the only way he knew how, just as he had learned as a child, and landed the lead role! Now who does that? TOR CAMPBELL, THAT’S WHO!

By the time Tor had graduated high school and went on to attend college, he not only had a roster of musicals under his belt, but he was beginning to come into his own as a choreographer!

I know right, just adding LAYERS to that already triple threat star quality! Continuing his higher education at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City, he majored in communications with a minor in musical theater. There in New York he spread his wings and FLEW! He soared like an eagle and excelled in all that he did, accomplishing many well-deserved achievements and successes, a result of all the years of hard work. Things were finally looking up for Tor Campbell as an adult and he couldn’t have been happier.

Upon completing his undergrad & graduating from Marymount, Tor went on a local tour in NYC with a theater company taking the lead role in “The Wiz”. He later took a hiatus from American life, taking a job as a choreographer in Macau, China of all places! He flourished in China for 3 years and then returned to America for an opportunity of a lifetime in the entertainment capital itself, Los Angeles, California. Life in LA was a comfortable fit for Tor and the doors of opportunity opened for him at every turn. He quickly landed a wonderful opportunity that would catapult his status as a choreographer, working with Billy Blanks Jr. (of legendary Tae Bo instructor fame) as a master choreographer and dance instructor! Talk about shakin’ your booty for money, honey, Tor was making it RAIN and didn’t have to strip to do it, he just had to make the people SWEAT! He became the HOTTEST dance instructor on the LA circuit and filled the studios to the rafters at each class! Later, he became a Musical Theater Professor at the prestigious University of California, Irvine, as well as a guest choreographer at the famous Juilliard School in New York City. He choreographed and directed musicals at popular neighborhood theaters across Los Angeles, always growing, expanding and finessing his craft. 

Being the high achiever that he is, Tor wanted more and decided to embark on a new endeavor.

Although he was now well established in California, having been there more than a decade and a half, he made up in his mind to return to graduate school and study for his master’s degree in theater directing. (Talk about a mid-life crisis!) I mean, who feels like a fish out of water, sitting in a classroom all over again with a bunch of Gen X’s that make you feel old? TOR CAMPBELL, THATS WHO! And does it stop him?? Nah!

He applied to universities with excellent Theater programs, received a full scholarship into a master’s program at the prestigious Northwestern University where he is now, once again, a full-time student in the theater graduate program. Tor is now in windy Chicago doing what he does best, shining like the star that he is and helping others to shine in the process, all while pursuing his masters in musical theater. See, told you….OVERCOMER. Remember the name, TOR CAMPBELL. You will see it in lights real soon.