Black Theatre United’s second annual gala, which was held September 30 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom, raised over $1.2 million.
The evening, celebrating the indelible mark Black culture has had on
Broadway and multiple industries, honored conductor, composer, and
music director Linda Twine with the 2024 Accountability Award; Chief
Diversity Officer of Meta, Maxine Williams, with the 2024 Advocacy Award;
and 16-time Grammy-winning artist Alicia Keys with the 2024 Aspire
Award.
BTU also announced three new initiatives: the BTU Designers Initiative, a three-part program aimed to inform and educate Artists of Color about the world and people designing for the theatre; the BTU Marva Hicks Musical Theatre Scholarship, which will provide $10,000 a year every year for four years to a student who is training in the field of musical theatre at Howard University's Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts (the first recipient is sophomore Keehnon Jackson); and BTU's Education Program, an educational initiative in underserved NYC public schools, offering a comprehensive theatre production curriculum that immerses students in every aspect of the craft, leading to a production presented to family, friends, and Broadway professionals.
The three-part Designers Initiative will include a series of mini documentaries entitled Before the Curtain Rises: The Designer Series, available on the BTU YouTube channel; BTU HUB, a database about upcoming scholarships, internships, grants, and more; and the BTU Design Expo, which will provide access to theatre designers through panels, discussions, presentations, portfolio review, and more.
Black Theatre United was founded in 2020 by a passionate group of theatre professionals to build pathways of access and opportunities for Black and other students and industry professionals who have been historically marginalized in the theatre community. Visit BlackTheatreUnited.com.
Go inside the September 30 gala, entitled Generations of Excellence, in the gallery below. Directed by Jerry Dixon with music direction by Joseph Joubert, the evening featured performances from André De Shields, Leslie Uggams, Stephanie Mills, Ephraim Sykes, Nichelle Lewis, and Audra McDonald plus newcomers Sydney Terry, Gabrielle Rice, Darrin Scott, Savannah Lee Henry, and Caleb Mayers.
Proceeds from the gala will support BTU’s empowering programs, including student internships and the newly announced BTU Designers Initiative, the Marva Hicks Musical Theatre Scholarship, and BTU’s Education Program.
André De Shields
Leslie Uggams
Maxine Williams, Linda Twine, Terria Joseph, and Alicia Keys
Kenny Leon and Nichelle Lewis
Gabrielle Rice, Leslie Uggams, and Renée Elise Goldsberry
Natasha Yvette Williams
Irene Gandy
Kandi Burruss
Linda Twine
Jonathan McCrory and Sade Lythcott
Kristin Chenoweth, Schele Williams, and Maxine Williams
LaChanze
Black Theatre United founders
André De Shields and Linda Twine
LaChanze and Charles Randolph-Wright
Josh Groban
Kandi Burruss and Schele Williams
Richard Jay-Alexander, Marc Shaiman, Norm Lewis, and Louis Mirabal
Renée Elise Goldsberry, Mario Cantone, and André De Shield
Kecia Lewis and Renée Elise Goldsberry
Shoshana Bean and Anna Deavere Smith
Linda Twine
Nichelle Lewis, Stephanie Mills, and Sydney Terry
Stephanie Mills
