Amber Iman was born for Broadway. Following in the footsteps of her mother actress Margo Moorer best known for “Forrest Gump” and “Drop Dead Diva”, it wasn’t long before Iman decided to she wanted to be a part of theatre, too. Iman made her Broadway debut playing the role of the iconic Nina Simone in Soul Doctor. Soul Doctor told the fascinating story of the father of popular Jewish music, Shlomo Carlebach, and his unlikely friendship with Nina Simone.
The Howard University graduate has also appeared Off-Broadway, as “Hannah” in Civil War Christmas and as “Mrs. Jefferson/Seasons of Love Soloist” in Rent. And while it hasn’t always been smooth sailing the chanteuse with the velvet pipes seems to have hit her stride. That’s why it’s no surprise that Iman has been named as one of this year’s recipient of the Emery Battis Award for Acting Excellence. The award, given by The Shakespeare Theatre Company, recognizes two actors per season who have demonstrated exceptional skill and technique on the stage. Iman was chosen for her riveting and smokey hot Mainstage performance during the 2014-2005 season as Aldonza in Man of La Mancha.
Michael and I enjoyed Man of La Mancha @ShakespeareinDC. Amber Iman's charismatic Aldonza is a performance to remember.
— Jonathan Rauch (@jon_rauch) March 18, 2015
The award is named after Dr. Emery Battis, a beloved character actor who during the span of his 70 year long career acted in all but one of Shakespeare’s plays. He specialized in bringing to life secondary characters. The Shakespeare Theatre Company focuses on works with profound themes, complex characters and heightened language written by Shakespeare, his contemporaries and those playwrights he influenced.
Amber Iman is still in the arly stages of her career and we look forward to seeing what she has planned next for fans. There is no doubt, however, that she has already put the world on notice that she has what it takes to be a Broadway Black star and we wish her continued success and congratulate her on receiving this outstanding award!
