2nd Annual Antonyo Awards Will Take Place October 10 At The Apollo Theater

Broadway Black presents The 2nd Annual Antonyo Awards, which honors Black theatre artists during the 2021-2022 season. The live, in-person ceremony will be held on Monday, October 10 at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem (253 West 125th Street). Awards in 29 competitive categories and five honorary categories will be presented along with performances and guest appearances. The event will be produced by Broadway Black’s Drew ShadeEric EmauniJennifer FriedlandLaChanzeTituss BurgessShoshana BeanTina Johnson-MarcelRashad T. BaileyNational Black Theatre and Level Forward.  Co-Producers include DeRay MckessonEzra EzzardAlexander Robertson, Crissle West and Ashley C. Ford.

The Antonyo Awards were originally conceived in 2020 by Drew Shade of the multimedia company Broadway Black, which is dedicated to highlighting the achievements and successes of African American theatre artists on and off the Broadway stage. 

The inaugural ceremony, presented on Juneteenth, 2020, was livestreamed on YouTube and was heralded by international press including The New York Times, NPR and the BBC. The 2020 Antonyo Awards were the firstaward show to feature non-gendered categories.

“The Antonyo Awards were born to remind ourselves of the joy that Black theatre artists have created in a fractured country,” Shade commented. “For almost 10 years Broadway Black has championed Black voices in many different ways and we are thrilled to move from the well-received initial streaming broadcast in our first year to a fully produced awards ceremony at the legendary Apollo Theater, the centerpiece of live performance in Harlem.

The nominating committee consisted of theatre professionals Alaina NewellAyanna PrescodBrittani SamuelJuan Michael Porter IIEric EmauniDrew ShadeJudith Lovell and Cody Renard Richard.

Nominations for the 2021-2022 Antonyo Awards are: 

BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY (OFF-BROADWAY) 

Abena, Merry Wives

Stephanie Berry, On Sugarland

Billy Eugene Jones, On Sugarland

Andrea Patterson, Confederates

Andrea Patterson, Cullud Wattah

Alicia Pilgrim, Cullud Wattah

Britton Smith, To My Girls

BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY (BROADWAY)

Ron Cephas Jones, Clyde's

Chuck Cooper, Trouble in Mind

Brandon J. Dirden, Skeleton Crew

Luke James, Thoughts of a Colored Man

Tendayi Kuumba, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf

Kenita R. Miller, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf

Kara Young, Clyde's

BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL (OFF-BROADWAY)

Justin Cooley, Kimberly Akimbo

Adrianne Danrich, Intimate Apparel

Alysha Deslorieux, The Visitor

Tamika Lawrence, Black No More

Ephraim Sykes, Black No More

Lillias White, Black No More

BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL (BROADWAY)

Charity Angel Dawson, Mrs. Doubtfire

Sidney DuPont, Paradise Square

Ayana George, MJ: The Musical

Jared Grimes, Funny Girl

James Jackson Jr., A Strange Loop

L Morgan Lee, A Strange Loop

Tavon Olds-Sample, MJ: The Musical

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

Bill T. Jones, Chloe Davis, Gelan Lambert, Paradise Square

Raja Feather Kelly, A Strange Loop

Darrell Grand Moultrie, Space Dogs

Adesola Osakalumi, Skeleton Crew

Ellenore Scott & Ayodele Casel, Funny Girl

Ellenore Scott & Jeffrey Alkins, Mr. Saturday Night

BEST DIRECTION (OFF-BROADWAY)

Saheem Ali, Merry Wives

Saheem Ali, Nollywood Dreams

Stori Ayers, Confederates

Candis C. Jones, Cullud Wattah

Awoye Timpo, Wedding Band

Whitney White, On Sugarland

BEST DIRECTION (BROADWAY)

Lileana Blain-Cruz, The Skin of Our Teeth

Steve H. Broadnax III, Thoughts of a Colored Man

Camille A. Brown, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf

Zhailon Levingston, Chicken & Biscuits

Charles Randolph-Wright, Trouble in Mind

Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Skeleton Crew

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN

Stacey Derosier, Wedding Band

Alan C. Edwards, Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992

BEST SCENIC DESIGN

Chris Cumberbatch, Gong Lum's Legacy

Lawrence E. Moten III, Chicken & Biscuits

BEST SOUND DESIGN

Rena Anakwe, Wedding Band

Justin Ellington, Clyde's

Justin Ellington, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf

Jimmy Keys, Confederates

Twi McCallum, Little Girl Blue

Mikaal Sulaiman, On Sugarland

BEST COSTUME DESIGN (OFF-BROADWAY)

Dede M. Ayite, Merry Wives

Dede M. Ayite, Nollywood Dreams

Ari Fulton, Confederates

Kara Harmon, Cullud Wattah

Toni-Leslie James, Suffs

Qween Jean, On Sugarland

BEST COSTUME DESIGN (BROADWAY)

Montana Levi Blanco, The Skin of Our Teeth

Sarafina Bush, Pass Over

Sarafina Bush, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf

Toni-Leslie James, Paradise Square

Emilio Sosa, Skeleton Crew

Paul Tazewell, MJ: The Musical

BEST WIG/HAIR DESIGN (BROADWAY)

Cookie Jordan, Clyde's

Cookie Jordan, The Skin of Our Teeth

Nikiya Mathis, Nollywood Dreams

Nikiya Mathis, Confederates

Earon Chew Nealey, Cullud Wattah

Earon Chew Nealey, On Sugarland

BEST DIGITAL THEATER PRODUCTION

After Midnight, Signature Theatre Streaming On Demand

The Last 5 Years, Out of the Box Theatrics and Holmdel Theatre Company

Semblance, New York Theatre Workshop

BEST AUDIO THEATER PRODUCTION

Dreamgirls on Clubhouse, Leroy Church

The Lion King on Clubhouse, Noelle Chesnut Whitmore

Mugabe, My Dad & Me, Tonderai Munyevu, Audible Theater

Paradise Blue, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Audible Theater

BEST MUSICAL ENSEMBLE

Black No More

Caroline, Or Change

Intimate Apparel 

MJ: The Musical

Paradise Square

A Strange Loop

The Visitor

BEST PLAY ENSEMBLE

Clyde's

for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf

Skeleton Crew

The Skin of Our Teeth

Thoughts of a Colored Man

What To Send Up When It Goes Down

Wedding Band

BEST MUSIC IN A PLAY

Starr Busby, On Sugarland

Justin Ellington, Tambo & Bones

Justin Hicks, Cullud Wattah

Alphonso Horne, Wedding Band

Te'La and Kamauu, & Keenen Scott II, Thoughts of a Colored Man

Jimmy Keys, Skeleton Crew

Bill Sims Jr., Lackawanna Blues

BEST ORCHESTRATION

Joseph Joubert, Caroline, or Change

Daryl Waters, Black No More

Jason Michael Webb, MJ: The Musical

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Masi Asare, Paradise Square

Michael R. Jackson, A Strange Loop

James Posner, Daryl Waters, Anthony Tidd, Tariq Trotter, Black No More

BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL

Kwame Kweo-Armah, The Visitor

Lynn Nottage, Intimate Apparel

Lynn Nottage, MJ: The Musical

John Ridley, Black No More

*NOTE: A Strange Loop was ineligible, as it won this category in 2020. Productions are ineligible for nomination if they have previously won the category for the same work.

BEST SOLO PERFORMANCE

Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Lackawanna Blues

Laiona Michelle, Little Girl Blue

BEST ACTOR IN A PLAY (OFF-BROADWAY)

Kyle Beltran, Case for the Existence of God

Crystal A. Dickinson, Cullud Wattah

Susan Kelechi Watson, Merry Wives

Kiki Layne, On Sugarland

Kristolyn Lloyd, Confederates

Jacob Ming-Trent, Merry Wives

Daniel J. Watts, The Last of the Love Letters

BEST ACTOR IN A PLAY (BROADWAY)

Uzo Aduba, Clyde's

Gabby Beans, The Skin of Our Teeth

Laurence Fishburne, American Buffalo

LaChanze, Trouble in Mind

Ruth Negga, Macbeth

Phylicia Rashad, Skeleton Crew

Namir Smallwood, Pass Over

BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL (OFF-BROADWAY)

Justin Austin, Intimate Apparel 

Kearstin Piper Brown, Intimate Apparel

Brandon Victor Dixon, Black No More

Britney Nicole Simpson, Penelope, or How the Odyssey Was Really Written

Bryonha Marie Parham, A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet

Tariq Trotter, Black No More

BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL (BROADWAY)

Sharon D. Clarke, Caroline, or Change

Myles Frost, MJ: The Musical

Joaquina Kalukango, Paradise Square

Jaquel Spivey, A Strange Loop

BEST REVIVAL

Macbeth

Skeleton Crew

Trouble in Mind

Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992

Merry Wives

The Skin of Our Teeth

**NOTE: for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf

was ineligible, as it won this category in 2020. Productions are ineligible for nomination if they have previously won the category.

BEST PLAY

Clyde's by Lynn Nottage

Confederates by Dominique Morisseau

Cullud Wattah by Erika Dickerson-Despenza

Nollywood Dreams by Jocelyn Bioh

On Sugarland by Aleshea Harris

Thoughts of a Colored Man by Keenan Scott II

What To Send Up When It Goes Down by Aleshea Harris

BEST MUSICAL

Black No More

Caroline, or Change

Intimate Apparel

MJ: The Musical

Paradise Square

A Strange Loop

LORRAINE HANSBERRY AWARD

This award is given to a Black female-identified or nonbinary femme playwright/book writer whose contributions to the stage have exemplified the balance of dynamic storytelling and social justice ideologies. 

Erika Dickerson-Despenza

LANGSTON HUGHES AWARD

This award is given to a Black male-identified or nonbinary masc playwright/book writer whose contributions to the stage have exemplified the balance of dynamic storytelling and social justice ideologies.

Mansa Ra 

THE DOORS OF THE THEATRE ARE OPEN AWARD OR THE DR. BARBARA ANN TEER AWARD

This award is presented to a theatre company or brick-and-mortar theatre that has demonstrated a fervent commitment to celebrating and uplifting the full breadth of Black people’s humanity. 

Karamu House in Cleveland, Ohio

THE WELCOME AWARD OR THE KYLE JEAN-BAPTISTE AWARD

This award is presented to newcomers in the New York Black Theatre scene who show great promise to contribute a great deal to our community.

Esco Jouléy for their work in Wolf Play

THE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT ANTONYO AWARD

Leslie Uggams