Broadway alum Anthony Wayne has collected a group of Black men in theatre to form a racial equality group to support fellow members of their community and industry. Black Broadway Men is open to all self-identifying Black men who work on stage or behind the scenes in theatre.
Created by Wayne (Tootsie), the group's founding members also include James T. Lane (Kiss Me, Kate), Terence Archie (Company), Ahmad Simmons (West Side Story), Sir Brock Warren (Summer: The Donna Summer Musical) and recent American Musical and Dramatic Academy graduate Isaiah Josiah, the group aims to provide a safe space for Black male theatre professionals.
“Our motto is, ‘Every black man in theatre is a Black Broadway Man,’ because we believe the situations we go through as Black men in the Broadway community are not just limited to our experience,” said Wayne, who also serves as the group's president and executive director. “To the young Black boy who’s dancing in his living room with a dream, to the man who hasn’t had the chance to grace a Broadway stage as of yet: We are all connected through the possibilities of what we can do and the impact we can make in this world if we just believe in ourselves.”
The group's first event will take place August 22 at 1 PM ET on its members-only Facebook page with a discussion on COVID-19 and mental health, led by the founders and special guest Dr. Robert Turner. Future episodes of Black Broadway Men Social Series Live will offer tools to handle various challenges that are a result of being a Black man in a theatre environment.
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