Black Women on Broadway Announces Inaugural Awards Ceremony With Honorees Lynn Nottage, Qween Jean and Kara Young
Variety reports that in June 2020, Tony-nominated actor Danielle Brooks and her fellow award-winning artists Amber Iman and Jocelyn Bioh launched the Instagram account “Black Women on Broadway,” a platform to celebrate the history of Black women in theater. The trio of women had been working since 2019 to create a community to support Black women in the business, and amid the onset of the pandemic, the virtual route was the only method of connection.
Now, two years later, Brooks, Iman and Bioh are bringing their vision into the real world with their inaugural Black Women on Broadway awards ceremony, hosted on June 6 at the rooftop lounge of the Empire Hotel in New York City, with honorees Lynn Nottage, Qween Jean and Kara Young.
“We do need spaces like this. There are so many women that feel a disconnect within this community,” Brooks tells Variety, when asked what they’ve learned while building the organization over the last two years.
Beyond celebrating excellence in theater, Iman says, the purpose of the awards ceremony is to create an intentional opportunity for fellowship, much like Brooks did when she invited Iman to dinner. “We only see each other at the audition, at the call back, when we’re running down 8th Avenue trying to get to the train,” she shares. “We never have time to just celebrate ourselves, celebrate each other, our wins, the fact that we survived and we’re still here. This awards ceremony is another way for us all to be in the same room and say, ‘I see you sis, and let’s just love on each other a little bit.’”
The trio have wrangled a lineup of sponsors including Morgan Stanley, Mark Gordon Pictures, the Broadway Advocacy Coalition, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids, Adrienne Warren, Door 24, Creative Partners Productions and Fourth Wall Theatrical.
The intimate in-person event will feature approximately 75-100 Black women with a 50-50 split between actors and below the line artists.
During the ceremony, three honors will be awarded, all named for pioneering Black women who’ve made Broadway history. Playwright Lynn Nottage will receive the Audra McDonald Legacy Award, while actor Kara Young will be awarded the Florence Mills Rising Star prize. Costume designer Qween Jean will be presented with the Kathy A. Perkins Behind the Curtain award. The effort to put a name to things speaks to one of the pillars of the organization — education.
For more information on the Black Women on Broadway, follow along on social media.