Antonyo Awards
| Antonyo Awards | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Excellence of Black artists in theatre |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Broadway Black |
| First awarded | 2020 |
The Antonyo Awards are awards recognizing excellence of Black artists in theatre. Founded in 2020, the awards ceremony was produced by Broadway Black and honors Black artists from both the Broadway and Off-Broadway theatre communities.[1]
Founding and inaugural ceremony
[edit]The Antonyo Awards were created in 2020[2] by Drew Shade. Shade founded Broadway Black in 2012, an organization that supports Black theatre and which helped produce the awards ceremony. Dustin Ross, a close friend of Shade, named the ceremony the "Antonyo Awards" as a light-hearted joke in reference to The Tony Awards.[3] An additional purpose of the awards is to shed light on systemic racism in the New York theatre, a mostly-white institution, in the light of the racial protests that rocked America following the murder of George Floyd, and the deaths of Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, and others. No one was paid to participate in or run these awards.[3]
The nominees were selected by a nominating committee. However, since it was not as easy to get voters to see every show due to the shutdown of theatres across the nation due to the pandemic, the winners were chosen by people voting online. Around 8,000 people voted. There were no gendered categories. Also, all presenters and winners had their pronouns listed as well as their names on screen.[4]
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there were no live awards in the inaugural ceremony. The awards took place over a YouTube livestream,[5] but may be in-person if future Antonyo Awards ceremonies are announced. The ceremony took place on June 19, 2020, since Juneteenth is the holiday commemorating the freedom from slavery for Black Americans in 1865.[6] However, despite there being no live ceremony, there was a "red carpet" livestream one hour before the ceremony hosted by Chadaé McAlister, as well as an after-party hosted by Amber Iman with music by DJ Dorian, Both featured interviews with nominees and winners. The ceremony was hosted by Drew Shade. The event not only included the announcing of the winners, but also musical performances, skits, and monologues by Black playwrights performed by Black theatre artists that highlighted the struggles, joys and resilience of Black artists. Additionally, due to the coronavirus preventing many graduations from happening, nominee and actor Shereen Pimentel gave a commencement speech to the class of 2020, as she would have been graduating in 2020.[7]
There were four non-competitive awards called the Kinfolk Awards which were created to honor individuals who were committed to the advancement of Black theatre in New York City. The Lorraine Hansberry Award was given to a female identifying or nonbinary femme Black playwright or book writer who incorporates themes of social justice into their work. The Langston Hughes Award was given to a male-identifying or nonbinary masculine Black playwright or book writer who balances storytelling and social justice ideology in their work. The Welcome Award is for a Black newcomer to New York City theatre. The Doors of the Theatre are Open Award is for a theatre company that has been dedicated to uplifting Black voices.[8]
Recipients
[edit]2020
[edit]| Award [9][10] | Recipient | Production |
|---|---|---|
| Best Play | Aziza Barnes | BLKS |
| Donja R. Love | One in Two | |
| Lydia R. Diamond | Toni Stone | |
| C.A. Johnson | All the Natalie Portmans | |
| Zora Howard | STEW | |
| Eboni Booth | Paris | |
| Best Musical | Tina: The Tina Turner Musical | |
| The Secret Life of Bees | ||
| A Strange Loop | ||
| 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 | ||
| Best Actor in a Play Off-Broadway | Danielle Brooks | Much Ado About Nothing |
| Kara Young | All the Natalie Portmans | |
| Portia | STEW | |
| April Mathis | Toni Stone | |
| Kristolyn Lloyd | Little Women | |
| Ato Blankson Wood | The Rolling Stone | |
| Best Actor in a Play On Broadway | Audra McDonald | Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune |
| LaChanze | A Christmas Carol | |
| Joaquina Kalukango | Slave Play | |
| Blair Underwood | A Soldier's Play | |
| Best Actor in a Musical Off-Broadway | LaChanze | The Secret Life of Bees |
| Ciara Renée | The Wrong Man | |
| Joshua Henry | ||
| Larry Owens | A Strange Loop | |
| Janelle McDermoth | We're Gonna Die | |
| Danyel Fulton | Broadbend, Arkansas | |
| Best Actor in a Musical On Broadway | Adrienne Warren | Tina: The Tina Turner Musical |
| Kimber Elayne Sprawl | Girl From the North Country | |
| Isaac Cole Powell | West Side Story | |
| Shereen Pimentel | ||
| Daniel J. Watts | Tina: The Tina Turner Musical | |
| Best Featured Actor in a Play Off-Broadway | Okwui Okpokwasili | For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf |
| Leland Fowler | One in Two | |
| Nicco Annan | The Hot Wing King | |
| Crystal Lucas-Perry | A Bright Room Called Day | |
| John-Andrew Morrison | Blues for an Alabama Sky | |
| Latoya Edwards | The Rolling Stone | |
| Best Featured Actor in a Play On Broadway | Chalia La Tour | Slave Play |
| David Alan Grier | A Soldier's Play | |
| Ato Blankson-Wood | Slave Play | |
| Zawe Ashton | Betrayal | |
| Grantham Coleman | The Great Society | |
| Jordan Barbour | The Inheritance | |
| Best Featured Actor in a Musical Off-Broadway | Jasmine Cephas Jones | Cyrano |
| John-Andrew Morrison | A Strange Loop | |
| L Morgan Lee | ||
| Starr Busby | Octet | |
| Saycon Sengbloh | The Secret Life of Bees | |
| Taylor Iman Jones | Scotland, PA | |
| Best Featured Actor in a Musical On Broadway | Celia Rose Gooding | Jagged Little Pill |
| Sahr Ngaujah | Moulin Rouge! | |
| Jeanette Bayardelle | Girl From the North Country | |
| Dharon E. Jones | West Side Story | |
| Best Solo Performance | Michael Benjamin Washington | Fires in the Mirror |
| Donnetta Lavinia Grays | Where We Stand | |
| Dierdra McDowell | Down to Eartha | |
| Best Director | Lileana Blain-Cruz | Anatomy of A Suicide |
| Stevie Walker-Webb | One in Two | |
| Robert O’Hara | BLKS | |
| Whitney White | Our Dear Dead Drug Lord | |
| Colette Robert | STEW | |
| Raja Feather Kelly | We're Gonna Die | |
| Best Choreography | Camille A. Brown | For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/when the rainbow is enuf |
| Raja Feather Kelly | A Strange Loop | |
| Edisa Weeks | Novenas for a Lost Hospital | |
| Adesola Osakalumi | Coal Country | |
| Byron Easley | Slave Play | |
| nicHi Douglas | Skinfolk: An American Show | |
| Best Quarantine Content | Daniel J. Watts | The Jam IG Live |
| Edward Mawere | #BroadwayRemixChallenge | |
| Camille A. Brown | Social Dance for Social Distance | |
| Drew Shade | Inside The Mind, a Mental Wellness Series | |
| Jordan E. Cooper | Mama Got A Cough | |
| Sis | Living with Sis IG Series | |
| Best Lighting Design | Allen Lee Hughes | A Soldier's Play |
| Toni Stone | ||
| Alan C. Edwards | The Hot Wing King | |
| Stacey Derosier | Novenas For A Lost Hospital | |
| Best Scenic Design | Lawrence E. Moten IIIs | Native Son |
| Best Sound | Rucyl Frison | Anatomy of a Suicide |
| Justin Ellington | One in Two | |
| Luqman Brown | The Hot Wing King | |
| Best Costumes | Toni-Leslie James | For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/when the rainbow is enuf |
| Dede Ayite | BLKS | |
| Andy Jean | One in Two | |
| Karen Perry | runboyrun/ In Old Age | |
| Sarita P Fellows | Native Son | |
| Ari Fulton | Novenas for a Lost Hospital | |
| Best Hair & Wig Design | Nikiya Mathis | For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/when the rainbow is enuf |
| STEW | ||
| Cookie Jordan | Toni Stone | |
| A Strange Loop | ||
| Greg Cooper Spencer | A Soldier's Play | |
| Best Orchestrations | Skinfolk: An American Show | |
| The Secret Life of Bees | ||
| A Strange Loop | ||
| Tina: The Tina Turner Musical | ||
| We're Gonna Die | ||
| The Wrong Man | ||
| Best Original Score | The Secret of Life Bees | |
| A Strange Loop | ||
| Broadbend, Arkansas | ||
| The Wrong Man | ||
| We're Gonna Die | ||
| Best Book | Michael R. Jackson | A Strange Loop |
| Lynn Nottage | The Secret Life of Bees | |
| Katori Hall | Tina: A Tina Turner Musical | |
| Harrison David Rivers | Broadbend, Arkansas | |
Non-competitive awards
[edit]- Lifetime Achievement Award: Chuck Cooper[11]
The Kinfolk Awards
[edit]| Award | Recipient |
|---|---|
| Langston Hughes Award | Donja R. Love |
| Lorraine Hansberry Award | Loy. A. Webb |
| Welcome Award | Dharon E. Jones |
| The Doors of the Theatre are Open Award | The National Black Theatre |
In memoriam
[edit]2020
[edit]
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|
References
[edit]- ^ "The Inaugural Antonyo Awards Honor the Best of Black Theater". Observer. 2020-06-17. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ "7 Things to Watch This Weekend". The New York Times.
- ^ a b Dowd, Vincent (June 19, 2020). "New US awards celebrate black theatre talent". BBC News. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ "Inaugural Antonyo Awards To Celebrate Best Of Black Theater". NPR. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ Cooper, Matt. "Martha Graham Dance's long-lost 'Immediate Tragedy': Your must-watch of the day". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ "Inaugural Antonyo Awards Celebrating Black Theatre Community to Stream June 19". Broadway Direct. June 19, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ Miller, Deb (June 20, 2020). "Winners of Broadway Black's inaugural Antonyo Awards for 2020". DC Metro Theater Arts. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ BWW News Desk (June 19, 2020). "VIDEO: TINA, A STRANGE LOOP, Audra McDonald, LaChanze and More Take Home 2020 Antonyo Awards!". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ McPhee, Ryan (June 9, 2020). "Vote Now for Broadway Black's Inaugural Antonyo Awards". Playbill. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ McPhee, Ryan (June 19, 2020). "Here Are the Winners of Broadway Black's Inaugural Antonyo Awards". Playbill. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ Evans, Greg (2020-06-20). "Audra McDonald, Adrienne Warren, 'Tina' & 'BLKS' Take Trophies In Inaugural Antonyo Awards For Black Theater Artists – Complete Winners List". Deadline. Retrieved June 20, 2020.