With a career spanning over four decades, Tony has established himself as a versatile and accomplished professional artist. His extensive experience encompasses television, film, stage, concert dance, and design work. Growing up in an entertainment-based family, Tony’s international travels and residencies across Europe, Australia, Japan, and the U.S. have enriched his exposure to diverse cultural practices and art forms, shaping the multifaceted artist and designer he is today. As a director and choreographer, Tony is award-nominated and triple-threat trained, excelling in acting, singing, and dance. His directing technique is distinguished by its emphasis on movement, gesture-work, creative staging, and detailed physical character development, all aimed at enhancing visual storytelling. Tony’s expressive style and pedagogy emphasize focus, fluidity, innovation, and precision, continually redefining the wisdom and artistry of the legends.
In performance, Tony has honed his craft under the guidance of industry luminaries such as Debbie Allen, Broadway’s David Saint and Joey McKneely, Psalmayene24, Steven Nachamie, Christopher Huggins (AAADT), Tony Powell, Mike Malone, Shawn Cosby, among others. Throughout his extended performance career, Tony has had the pleasure of playing Tio, a notorious Shark in the Broadway national tour of West Side Story, and Richie in A Chorus Line at Olney Theatre Center, where the cast won the 2014 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Musical. Always holding on to his performance roots, Tony more recently appeared in the leading role of Joseph in Theatre Alliance’s production of Black Nativity for two seasons. He has also segment hosted for Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, danced in the American Pops Concert series, and starred in the Fringe Festival as Renell Gonsalves in Paul Gonsalves on the Road, alongside renowned jazz saxophonist David Yarborough.
Tony’s directing and choreography credits are equally impressive, including Out of the Vineyard at Joe’s Movement Emporium, Mexodus at Berkeley Rep, Metamorphoses at Folger Theatre, Tempestuous Elements at Arena Stage, P. Nokio – A Hip-Hop Musical, Miss Nelson is Missing, and You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown (2019 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Production – TYA) at Imagination Stage; The Colored Museum, Fat Ham (Helen Hayes Award Nomination for Outstanding Choreography in 2024); Love, Love, Love; Good Bones; People, Places and Things, Flow, Pass Over, and P.Y.G. or The Misedumacation of Dorian Belle (Helen Hayes Award Nomination for Outstanding Choreography in 2019) at Studio Theatre; In the Middle of the Fields at Solas Nua; Native Son at Mosaic Theater Company; Mysticism & Music, The Last Five Years, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, and Aida at Constellation Theatre; and Word Becomes Flesh at Theater Alliance (Helen Hayes Award Nomination for Outstanding Choreography in 2016).
As he travels and leads numerous master classes and workshops, Tony is also active in arts education, having worked with various institutions such as Studio Theatre – Residency, Imagination Stage, The Kennedy Center, Ngoma Center for Dance, Levine, Connelly School of the Holy Child, Landon School for Boys, Georgetown Prep, Holton-Arms School, and Adventure Theatre Musical Theatre Center Academy (Pre-Professional Program).
Amid his early performance career, Tony began to develop an admiration for grand spaces, exquisite fine furniture, beautiful lighting, and urbane details, all of which would go on to heavily define his style of design – translating into his eye for staging, spacing, and stimulating movement patterns. After graduating design school, Tony initially developed his skills at MCG Architecture in Pasadena, Ca., under the expert guidance of Daniel Shapiro. With great success, he was soon selected to work with Starwood Hotels; contributing to the W Hotels and St.Regis brands in New York City. With this opportunity, he honed-in on his love for bespoke conceptual design, under the celebrated eye of Douglas Grieco. Today, Tony Thomas Designs/Tio Diaz Studio was developed in 2004 and effectively operates as a multi-faceted private studio, featuring creative direction, choreography, and Interior Architecture and Design for residential and commercial projects.