Storey's Time

With Steady Gigs On Daytime And PrimeTime, This Is The Best Chapter Yet For Y&R’s Ptosha Storey.

- Devin Owens

Growing up in the projects of Dallas, Texas, Ptosha Storey “was just trying to find my way,” as she puts it. “I tell people that my extracurricular activity was fighting and trying to survive.”

But in the 7th grade, a special teacher, Ms. Perry, forever altered the trajectory of her life. Recalls Storey, “Ms. Perry introduced me to mime — you know, the Marcel Marceau type of performance. And I looked at her, like, ‘What the hell is that?’ So that was my first exposure to the arts and I really enjoyed playing emotions through my body without saying a word. Then she took me to my first musical, Annie.... I was instantly hooked.”

With Ms. Perry’s encouragement, Storey auditioned for the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts — and she got in. “When you’re raised like I was, you learn to express yourself through fighting,” Storey says. “I remember having my first fight on the campus, and the teacher who broke it up said, ‘Young lady, we don’t do that here!’ ” She is forever grateful to the staff, who “took in this girl with no direction, exposed her to a better way of life ... and I started channeling that fighting spirit into doing musicals and plays, which fed my soul.” The faculty also ensured that her education continued after high school. “College was never on my radar because we just couldn’t afford it, but every scholarship that came along, my counselor would tell me, ‘Apply for this one!’ ” she recounts. “Before I knew it, I had 15 college acceptances, more than anyone in my class. I had