Inaugural Antonyo Awards For Black Theater Artists Sets Date

The first annual Antonyo Awards honoring black Broadway and Off Broadway theater artists is set for streaming on June 19 (aka Juneteenth, the date commemorating the end of slavery in America).

Created by Broadway Black, a multimedia organization that includes a website and podcast, the new awards ceremony will feature presenters and performers including Audra McDonald, Tituss Burgess, Alex Newell, Jordan E. Cooper, Teyonah Parris, Ephraim Sykes, LaChanze, Derrick Baskin, Nicolette Robinson, Jelani Alladin, Christiani Pitts, James Monroe Iglehart, Amber Iman, Kalen Allen, Nzinga Williams, Jackson Alexander, Cody Renard Richard, Ashton Muñiz, Shereen Pimentel, Kirsten Childs, Aisha Jackson, Antoine L. Smith, Griffin Matthews, Michael McElroy, Jocelyn Bioh and L Morgan Lee.

Online voting is open to the public through midnight Friday, June 12. Four special “Kinfolk Awards” – the Lorraine Hansberry Award, the Langston Hughes Award, Welcome Award and The Doors of the Theatre are Open Award – will be presented to members of the black theatre community as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award to be announced prior to the event.

In addition to acting categories, nominees include:

BEST PLAY

One in Two by Donja R. Love
Toni Stone by Lydia R. Diamond
All The Natalie Portmans by C.A. Johnson
Stew by Zora Howard
BLKS by Aziza Barnes
Paris by Eboni Booth

BEST MUSICAL

The Secret Life of Bees
A Strange Loop
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
The Wrong Man
Girl From North Country
Jagged Little Pill

BEST REVIVAL

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
West Side Story
Native Son
Little Shop of Horrors
Fires in the Mirror
Two Can Play

The Antonyos will stream at 7 pm EST on June 19 on Broadway Black’s YouTube and Facebook pages. A pre-show virtual red carpet begins at 6 pm.