Antonio Awards Inaugurated with Broadway Black Hosts Juventus – Variety

Six-time Tony Award-winner Adra McDonald Added to his trophy case on Friday night, the opening of Black Theater artists highlighted a win at the Antonio Awards.

“Let’s celebrate with each other,” McDonald’s said as he accepted his award for best actor in a play on Broadway in front of a virtual audience of theater passengers. “We have a lot to be proud of for our community, so let’s hold on to each other and move on.”

Presented by the Broadway Black organization, the Antonio Awards ceremony set foot in the Tony-less year, to make Black Theater the best it could be. “The Antonio Awards seek to bridge the gap between black talent and public recognition,” the executive producer said. Droid shed During the show. “Not in competition, but in a spirit of community and celebration, we promote black playwrights because our lives and our art are important.”

The awards ceremony – which gave the expected awards such as Best Actor, Drama, Musical Instruments and Revival Trophies, as well as some good fancy awards such as Best Quarantine Content – featured Broadway names and guests, including McDonald’s. Cynthia Arevo, Titus Burgess, Alex Newell, LaChanze, And Chuck Cooper. “It’s like the Christmas, Thanksgiving, Tony Knight and Nack Image Awards.” Michael Benjamin Washington, Who won for Best Single Performance.

In recent weeks, the theater industry, like many others, has been forced to see and address traditional racism in its operations, and the Antonio Awards, broadcast live, have been driven by that sense of change. “Tony Morrison once wrote, ‘No one cared about us, so we matched ourselves,'” the playwright said. Doja and profit, Who received a special Langston Hughes Award. “And this moment is a strong mind in itself.”

As anti-apartheid protests have taken the country by storm, BIPOC theater producers have condemned the power dynamics between white theater owners and black artists, called for tokenization of bipolar actors on stage and campaigned for the establishment of the Apollo Theater as a Broadway. Home. “We have a movement in our country and in the world, and that’s what we’re trying to do in the theater,” said Broadway Alum Cooper, a 16-time Broadway recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. “It’s a sympathetic effort and a collaborative effort, and it’s a movement for social justice, young people on the streets around the world who are rewarded for this important, vital work.”

Significantly, the annual commemoration of the formal end of slavery in America 15 years ago was held on the fifth of June. MattDonald explained that the holiday was always about storytelling – about remembering the institution of slavery to preserve the vital importance of freedom – so it was natural to respect the Black Theater, McDonald explained. “For black artists, it’s important to find a home in musical instruments,” he said. “Our stories are strong. Our songs are glorious, and our people are unceasing. The magic of storytelling is a legacy that we as black people must seriously protect. “

With this determination, the program coincides with the cheerful rise of free expression and the painful recognition of continued inequality. Sasha Allen “Black national anthem,” “Pick up every voice and sing.” Milestone black musical medals were served and favorite academics of black plays were read. Zoom in and out with a black groundwall style tap fight Shirin Pimetal, “West Side Story’s” The current Maria, gave a starting address for black youth.

In its main role Kenny LeoneAll-Blacks “Nothing about anything,” Daniel Brooks Off-Broadway won a Best Actor award for a play. “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical” won the best musical instrument and its stars, Adrian Warren Accepting the best music actors at home. The best play went to “BLKS” and the best renaissance of the house in the public theater production “For girls of color who have considered suicide / When the rainbow is in full swing”.

“Black resilience means that pop culture, art culture and American culture move forward in a country that doesn’t want us to be resilient,” in short. “Jagged Little Pill” Celia Rose Gooding, Receiving his award for best featured actor in a musical, When his mother Tony-award winner Lachanzio of Broadway took the trophy for Musical Best Actor.

“It’s so hard to find a place as a black woman that celebrates you as the most authentic version of yourself,” she added off-air, “Aponor Antonius?!?! Yes.”

Watch the full event in the video above and watch below for the full list of winners:

The best music
“Tina: Tina Turner Musical Instrument”

Play the best
“BLKS” by Aziza Burns

The best revival
“For girls of color who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is full”

A musical best actor on Broadway
Adrian Warren, “Tina: Tina Turner Musical”

A Play Best Actor on Broadway
Adra MacDonald, “Claire de Lune Frankie and Johnny”

Best Actor in a Musical of Broadway
Lachanje, “The Secret Life of the Bee”

Best Actor in a Playoff Broadway
Daniel Brooks, “A Lot About Nothing”

A musical best actor on Broadway
Celia Rose Gooding, “Jazed Little Pill”

Best featured actor on a play on Broadway
Chalia La Tour, “Slave Play”

Best Actor in a Musical of Broadway
Jasmine Cephas Jones, “Syrano”

Best featured actor in Play of Broadway
Okui Okpokwasili, “For girls of color who have considered suicide / when the rainbow has blossomed”

Best solo performance
Michael Benjamin Washington, “The In The Mirror”

The best book
Michael R. Jackson, “A Strange Loop”

Best original score
“The Mystery of the Bee’s Life”

Best director
Liliana Blaine-Cruz, “The Physiology of a Suicide”

The best choreography
Camille A. Brown, “For Colorful Girls Who Committed Suicide / When the Rainbow Filled”

Best lighting design
Allen Lee Hughes, “Play a Soldier”

The best scenic design
Lawrence E. Motten III, “Native Son”

The best sound
Rukil Frison, “The Body of a Suicide”

The best clothes
Tony-Leslie James, “For girls of color who have considered suicide / When the rainbow is full”

Best hair and wig designs
Nikia Mathis, “For girls of color who have considered suicide / When the rainbow is full”

The best orchestration
“Skinfolk: An American Show”

The best quarantine content
Daniel J. Watts, The Jam IG Live