On Monday (September 29th), Black Theatre United founders and co-chairs gathered at the Ziegfeld Ballroom to honor Black Broadway talent.
This year’s theme was “United: Today & Beyond,” and honorees included producers Mathew Knowles, Gena Avery Knowles, Tonya Lewis Lee, Lester Coney, and five-time Tony-nominated director and choreographer Camille A. Brown. Recently retired Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Executive Director Tom Viola received a Special Recognition Award. The gala was directed by Jerry Dixon for a third year, with musical direction by Joseph Joubert. The gala also received support from Mac, Starface, and Good Molecules.
The evening also featured performances and appearances by members of the Broadway community, BTU Founders including Vanessa Williams, Tamara Tunie and Wendell Pierce and the next generation of musical theatre performers including including Shoshana Bean, Nick Daly, Kayla Davion, Darius De Haas, Jason Gotay, Kecia Lewis, Kristina Nicole Miller, Okieriete Onaodowan, Billy Porter, Sherie Rene Scott, Matt Rodin, Maya Sistruck, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Marty Thomas, Lillias White & Anna Zavelson. The band includes Joseph Joubert, Deah Love Harriott, Michael Olatuja, Ayodele Maakheru, and Cory Rawls.
One of this year’s BTU Honorary co-chairs, Karine Jean-Pierre, said, “When you see Black theatre, you feel seen. You see yourself onstage, you see a character that you can say that’s me, that’s my story. One of the things that I’ve gotten to do is bring my daughter to see the theatre, and she has completely loved it. I hope it [inspires ] young people and they feel that creative magic and they take that on and know that they could do anything in this world.”
Common, Ariana DeBose, Whoopi Goldberg, Josh Groban, Tamron Hall, Karine Jean-Pierre, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Al Roker and Deborah Roberts & Sherri Shepherd, Robyn Coles and Evan Coles, Cynthia Erivo, Shonda Rhimes & LaTanya Richardson Jackson, and Julie Boardman are also BTU co-chairs.
Wendell Pierce spoke about the importance of supporting Black Theatre, saying, “The theatre for the community as a whole, particularly the Black community, [theatre helps] sustain ourselves, revive ourselves, and helps bring hope and rejuvenation to the [Black] community. It is the consciousness of the community.”
Black Theatre United was founded as an organization to build pathways of access and opportunities for students and industry professionals who have been historically marginalized in the theatre community. Proceeds from the Gala will support BTU’s empowering programs, including The BTU Rise Marketing and Press Internship, The New Deal for Broadway, Business of Show discussion series, Community Town Hall events, BTU Designer Initiative, the Marva Hicks Musical Theatre Scholarship, and BTU’s Broadway Bound Educational Program.
Schele Williams, a BTU cofounder, gave a remark about the need for theatre education in schools, stating, “If I didn’t have theatre in schools, I wouldn’t be here now. The idea that theatre in schools not only teaches you poise and confidence, it also teaches you incredible listening skills, and the idea of empathizing with someone different than yourself. Theatre is transformative, and I think it’s incredibly important to have in our school system. Williams also noted that seeing a pre-Broadway production of the original production of The Wiz inspired her to help create opportunities for young children to show them that they, too, belong within the theatre community.
Actress Vanessa Williams elaborated on the idea of learning as a key to advancing in theatre, stating, “Educate yourself, take classes, do your homework. Find out who you admire, where they went to school, and who their mentors were, and if there is someone that you study with that reflects where you want to be, start from there. Vanessa Williams also spoke about how seeing Stephanie Mills on Broadway in the original production of The Wiz inspired her to pursue a path in theatre.