Carlton Bell

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Carlton V. Bell II (born c. 1990 in Seattle, Washington) is an actor and founder of the Birmingham Black Repertory Theatre.

Bell grew up in Shelby County. They graduated from Shades Valley Theatre Academy in 2009 and studied theater arts at Florida State University in Tallahassee while also working as a boutique manager. Bell joined Birmingham Children's Theatre for the 2018–2019 season and was cast in "Charlotte's Web" and "Peter Pan". He also taught vocal performance at Mason Music and Red Mountain Theater, was active with Encore Theatre & Gallery, and served as associate director of Performing Arts Collective. He created and produced a web-based series "20 Something" about a young actor moving back to Birmingham from New York.

After having auditioned unsuccessfully for the Broadway production of Tarell Alvin McCraney's "Choir Boy", Bell obtained the rights for a Birmingham production. With little interest from existing theater companies in Birmingham, Bell founded Birmingham Black Repertory Theatre to stage it at Birmingham Festival Theatre in August 2019. The production sold out every performance and won numerous BroadwayWorld Birmingham awards, including "Best Play" and "Best Director" for Bell.

Having received additional grant funds from the Mississippi Center for Cultural Production, Bell created a fellowship program to promote Black queer artists around the country. During the same year he worked as lead production assistant for production of the pilot for Roy Wood Jr's sitcom "Jefferson County Probation".

At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic Bell was hospitalized for mental health treatment. They used the time there to write, and, with support from the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, adapted those writings into "Is Anybody Out There", which was adapted by director David Parker into an experimental multimedia production.

Bell identifies as non-binary with regard to gender and as queer with regard to sexuality. Their religious practice is Lucumí.

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