Broadway Black will commemorate Juneteenth with its inaugural presentation of the Antonyo Awards. Nominations for the celebration of the Black Broadway and Off-Broadway community were revealed by Bryan Terrell Clark and Kristolyn Lloyd June 9, hours after the initial announcement of the June 19 virtual ceremony (watch below).
“We decided on Juneteenth for the awards, as it is a more accurate date of freedom from slavery for Black Americans,” Broadway Black Founder Drew Shade said earlier. “The Antonyos honor contributors to Black theatre, from actors to stage and company managers, administrators, and designers. Everyone in our community deserves to be acknowledged in what we hope will be a funny, authentic, celebratory event that is for us, by us.”
Among those set to take part in the ceremony as presenters or performers are Audra McDonald, Jordan E. Cooper, LaChanze, Shereen Pimentel, and L Morgan Lee—each of whom are up for awards themselves.
Winners will be determined by the public; voting is now open through June 12. Check out the full list of nominees below.
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
Best Actor in a Play Off-Broadway
Kara Young, All The Natalie Portmans
Portia, STEW
April Mathis, Toni Stone
Kristolyn Lloyd, Little Women
Ato Blankson Wood, The Rolling Stone
Danielle Brooks, Much Ado About Nothing
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
Ciara Renée, The Wrong Man
Larry Owens, A Strange Loop
Janelle McDermoth, We’re Gonna Die
Danyel Fulton, Broadbend, Arkansas
Joshua Henry, The Wrong Man
LaChanze, The Secret Life of Bees
Best Actor in a Musical on Broadway
Kimber Elayne Sprawl, Girl From the North Country
Adrienne Warren, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Isaac Cole Powell, West Side Story
Daniel J. Watts, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Shereen Pimentel, West Side Story
Best Featured Actor in a Play Off-Broadway
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
Okwui Okpokwasili, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf
Best Featured Actor in a Play on Broadway
David Alan Grier, A Soldier’s Play
Ato Blankson-Wood, Slave Play
Chalia La Tour, Slave Play
Zawe Ashton, Betrayal
Grantham Coleman, The Great Society
Jordan Barbour, The Inheritance
Best Featured Actor in a Musical Off-Broadway
John-Andrew Morrison, A Strange Loop
Starr Busby, Octet
Jasmine Cephas Jones, Cyrano
Saycon Sengbloh, The Secret Life of Bees
L Morgan Lee, A Strange Loop
Taylor Iman Jones, Scotland, PA
Best Featured Actor in a Musical Broadway
Sahr Ngaujah, Moulin Rouge!
Celia Rose Gooding, Jagged Little Pill
Jeanette Bayardelle, Girl From the North Country
Dharon E. Jones, West Side Story
Best Solo Performance
Donnetta Lavinia Grays, Where We Stand
Michael Benjamin Washington, Fires in the Mirror
Dierdra McDowell, Down to Eartha
Best Director
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
Lileana Blain-Cruz, Anatomy of A Suicide
Best Choreography
Raja Feather Kelly, A Strange Loop
Camille A. Brown, for For Colored Girls Who Have Committed Suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
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
Drew Shade, Inside The Mind, a Mental Wellness Series
Jordan E. Cooper, Mama Got A Cough
Sis, Living with Sis IG Series
Camille A. Brown, Social Dance for Social Distance
Best Lighting Design
Allen Lee Hughes, Toni Stone
Alan C. Edwards, The Hot Wing King
Stacey Derosier, Novenas For A Lost Hospital
Allen Lee Hughes, A Soldiers Play
Best Scenic Design
Lawrence E. Moten III, Native Son
Best Sound
Justin Ellington, One in Two
Rucyl Frison, Anatomy of a Suicide
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
Cookie Jordan, Toni Stone
Nikiya Mathis, STEW
Greg Cooper Spencer, A Soldier's Play
Nikiya Mathis, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Cookie Jordan, A Strange Loop
Best Orchestrations
The Secret of Life Bees
A Strange Loop
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
We’re Gonna Die
The Wrong Man
Skinfolk: An American Show
Best Original Score
The Secret of Life Bees
A Strange Loop
Broadbend, Arkansas
We’re Gonna Die
The Wrong Man
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
Click here to vote.
In addition to the competitive categories, a Lifetime Achievement honor will be presented to Chuck Cooper. Additional honorary Kinship Awards (the Lorraine Hansberry Award, the Langston Hughes Award, the Welcome Award, and the Doors of the Theatre Are Open Award) will be announced later.
Joining Shade on the creative team for the awards are Catherine Caldwell, Darius Barnes, Kim Exum, Neville Braithwaite, Zhailon Levingston, Elijah Lewis, Allen Louis, Eric Lockley, Edward Maware, Emma Claye, Ianne Fields Stewart, and The Press Room.