Mr. Mitchell received Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle awards for his star turn in Kiss Me, Kate. He also gave Tony-nominated performances in Man of La Mancha, August Wilson’s King Hedley II, and Ragtime. Other notable Broadway shows include Kiss of the Spider Woman, Jelly’s Last Jam, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, and most recently in Shuffle Along. Off-Broadway includes Do Re Mi, Carnival, Kismet, and The Bandwagon at City Center Encores and Much Ado About Nothing at the Delacorte Theatre’s Shakespeare in the Park. Regional includes Sweeney Todd at the Sondheim Celebration at The Kennedy Center with Christine Baranski and The Light in the Piazza at the Los Angeles Opera with Renee Fleming. 

Stokes has received a number of other awards for both his charitable and artistic work, including the New Dramatist’s Distinguished Achievement Award, the Actors Fund Julie Harris Award, Canada’s Dora Mavor Moore Award (The Canadian “Tony”), the Americans for the Arts Outstanding Contribution to the Arts Award, The Actors Fund Medal of Honor, Chicago’s Sarah Siddons Award, and the Distinguished Performance Award from the Drama League. In November of 2016, he was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame.

Stokes charitable work is extensive. Since his 20s, has enjoyed working with multiple organizations beginning with tours for the USO and The March of Dimes. He received his most recent Tony Award in 2016 for his work as Chairman of the Board of Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actor’s Fund), a position he has continuously held since 2004.

He is also on the Board and Artist Committee of Americans for the Arts, and is a founding member of Black Theatre United. He is a tireless advocate for both artists and the importance of the Arts in a healthy society. This year the city of New York honored his contributions to charity and the arts by awarding him the Key to the City.