On November 8th, 2021 the couple celebrated the forthcoming newborn with close friends and family in the Presidential Suite at Hotel Edison and revealed the expected gender of Baby Jackson. Guests included Matt Manuel, Saint Aubyn, & Elijah Ahmad Lewis of Ain’t Too Proud, Dawnn Lewis of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Devere Rogers of Chicken & Biscuits, and more! Additional guests attended the celebration via zoom including the legendary Whoopi Goldberg.

Check out the photos & video of the reveal below and congratulate the couple as they welcome a baby BOY into the spotlight!

The post PHOTOS: Jawan Jackson & Amber Wright Celebrate Baby Jackson appeared first on Broadway Black.

Photo by Wikimedia via Rhododendrites

The book centers on a mother and daughter who dream together beyond what the world has for them. The young protagonist goes to bed at night and dreams of being and going anywhere she sets her mind, after her mother tells her, “Remember to dream, Ebere.” Erivo says, “I wanted to give the readers a little hope, knowledge, and a belief that their dreams are important, and no dream is too big or too small. This book is extremely close to my heart.” The book is illustrated by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow, and is inspired by Cynthia’s own relationship with her mother, being encouraged to dream and grow as a young girl. 

Dreaming bigger and bolder is a part of Cynthia’s natural charm. She will soon star as the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, in an upcoming docu-drama for National Geographic entitled, Genius: Aretha. She is also working on her debut solo music project as well as developing a film based on the life of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, which she will star in and produce. 

Congratulations, Cynthia! Thank you for reminding us to dream!!

The post She’s Beautiful and She’s Here: Cynthia Erivo Set to Publish a Children’s Book this Fall appeared first on Broadway Black.

According to their interview with Theatre Mania, the couple began dating in 2016 after a formal introduction by Janelle McDermoth (A Bronx Tale: The Musical) and they became engaged 2 years later.

 

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Both actors are muti-hyphenated. Bradley recently released his song “FOOL” in September, and Adam continues his activism work as he serves on the Board of Directors for Broadway For Racial Justice.

Congratulations from Broadway Black.

The post Congratulations To Newlyweds Bradley Gibson And Adam Hyndman appeared first on Broadway Black.

Photo Courtesy of Palm Springs International Film Society

The Palm Springs International Film Awards is an annual event that fosters and honors creativity in the cinematic arts. The organization that sponsors and hosts the gala, The Palm Springs International Film Society, “enthusiastically pursues its artistic and public service goals; to enrich, to educate, to entertain, to initiate cultural dialogue and celebrate cinematic excellence in any language.” This year, Tony, Oscar, and Emmy winner (all she needs now is a Grammy), Viola Davis, is receiving one of the night’s highest honors, the Desert Palm Achievement Award (Actress). Davis receives this honor for her transformative work as Ma Rainey in the Netflix stage-to-screen adaptation of August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Davis is only one of two Black actresses to be honored with this award (the other being Halle Berry).  Another Tony and Grammy Award winner, Leslie Odom, Jr. is receiving the Spotlight Award (Actor) for his strong performance as Sam Cooke in the film One Night In Miami. Odom, Jr. is also one of two Black men to receive this honor (the other being Jamie Foxx).

Photo courtesy of Palm Springs International Film Society

The annual gala will not be held this year as a result of COVID-19 limitations, however, a special segment will be aired on Entertainment Tonight on February 11 and February 25 (check your local listings for more information). And to hear more about the selections for the Palm Springs International Film Awards, please visit psfilmfest.org. 

The post Palm Springs International Film Society Honors Viola Davis and Leslie Odom, Jr. with Top Honors appeared first on Broadway Black.

Marcia Sells. Photo courtesy of The Met by Eileen Barasso

We will never stop supporting Black women getting their things! This past year has been rough, but from the pain, institutions are slowly starting to promote tangible change. The Metropolitan Opera has made Marcia Sells the company’s first-ever Chief Diversity Officer. Among her responsibilities in the new position, Sells will be tasked with implementing a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) plan which will be at the core of the company’s hiring, artistic planning, and audience engagement activities. She will also be helping to identify the company’s systematic and structural inequities while working with the marketing and development departments on broadening the company’s base audience. 

Her Black art roots run deep. She got her start as a dancer at Dance Theater of Harlem, then went on to earn her law degree from Columbia University. She has worked for countless corporations from the NBA to Reuters. Right before accepting this position, she was the Dean of Students at Harvard Law School since 2015. 

“At a time when social justice rightly demands that we address the inequities of our art form, I’m pleased that we have chosen the ideal candidate in Marcia for implementing long overdue and necessary change,” said Peter Gelb, the Met’s General Manager. 

Congrats Marcia! We cannot wait to see what you do with this company!

The post Marcia Sells: The Metropolitan Opera’s first Chief Diversity Officer appeared first on Broadway Black.

A Soldier’s Play rehearsal photos by Jeremy Daniel

Tony-winning director Kenny Leon has been a longstanding advocate for arts education for decades. As a result of his hard work, he will soon be honored by the Educational Theatre Foundation (ETF) at their third annual Theatre Alive! Gala as the Craig Zadan Theatre for Life Award recipient.

Through his own True Colors Theatre Company based in Atlanta, GA, Leon has set the stage for the next generation of theatre-makers; inspiring them to take the reigns of their own destinies and using the arts as a catalyst for social change. He already serves on the advisory board for the Educational Theatre Foundation’s Pathway Initiative, “which creates opportunities for high school students to work with industry professionals of color and perform works encouraging dialogue and racial equality.” His commitment to this cause comes at a time when a global pandemic halted the productions of not only Broadway, but also school productions across the country. Through the efforts of Kenny Leon and ETF, the gala will be raising funds for the Thespian Reliefs Grant to Save School Theatre, which supported in keeping struggling arts programs in school afloat; and Pathway, an initiative through ETF to counter racial disparities in the theatre. 

The award is named after famed producer and writer Craig Zadan. ETF president Julie Cohen Theobald says, “Kenny Leon embodies the spirit of the Craig Zadan Theatre for Life Award…and we’re thrilled to pay tribute to the resilience of school theatre programs through Theatre Alive!” Leon, who is only the third recipient of this award, has ignited the Broadway stage time and time again with productions that highlight the beauty and boldness of the Black experience. Those productions include: A Raisin In the Sun, A Soldier’s Play, Much Ado About Nothing, and Fences, for which he won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play.

The virtual gala will stream free on Playbill. To register for the event and to make a donation to the Educational Theatre Foundation, visit HERE. 

The post Arts Education Lives On with Kenny Leon Honored by Educational Theatre Foundation appeared first on Broadway Black.

 

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The first inaugural class consists of Jasmine Canjura (New York University), Auzsa Carberry-Walters (University of Central Florida), Tesia Childs (Columbia University), Avery Evans (University of California, Irvine), Jordan Fleming (Columbia University), Moses Garcia (Carnegie Mellon University), Jason Goodwin (New York University), Gabrielle Kunzika (University of Connecticut), Alex Luong (University of California, San Diego), David Parker (University of Alabama at Birmingham), Brillian Qi-Bell (University of Iowa), Anabel Manuela Romero (Columbia University), Annelise Salazar (San Diego State University), Gabrielle Scott (Georgia Southern University), and Joshua Wyatt (Carnegie Mellon University).

Cody comments on his gratitude and appreciation for the overwhelming support of the program by saying “I’m blown away by the talent, drive, and power that each of our applicants possesses. Our selection process was quite arduous and competitive, but we have selected an astounding cohort for the inaugural year,” said Cody Renard Richard. “As we begin to gather for work sessions, providing tools and resources that they can carry with them on their journey, I’m incredibly proud to welcome them to our community! And thanks to the overwhelming amount of support from that community, we’re able to significantly increase each student’s grant from $1,500 to $4,000.”

Additionally, the Seller Lehrer Family Foundation has further expanded the scholarship with the Seller Lehrer Producing Scholars, which will award two aspiring producers a mentorship with industry professionals through Adventureland, the producing company that produced Hamilton and other Broadway productions.

For more information on the Cody Renard Scholarship Program, visit HERE or Instagram. 

For more information on Broadway Advocacy Coalition, visit HERE or Instagram.

The post Cody Renard Richard Scholarship Program Announces First Round of Scholarship Recipients! appeared first on Broadway Black.

As part of a long list of playwrights who have had their works produced by DPT (including her own “Detroit Projects” cycle), her new role will oversee audience and community engagement, a focus in increasing donor sponsorship, attention to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility leadership. In a statement, she said, “I have been an advocate for this theatre since its inception in our city, mostly because of its original intent to not just provide professional Equity-level productions to our city, and Equity-contracted work to Detroit’s local theatre artists, but to also support a thriving theatre community by which Detroit’s pre-existing theatre companies can benefit and be supported in adjacent work. I was already an original board member of the theatre, but with the recent wave of activism in the theatre industry at large, and particularly around leadership in theatre administrations, I felt that it was time to shift in my position and participation level.” 

In her efforts to bring her own seat to the table, Dominique said, “I reached out to DPT’s producing artistic directors and told them that I wanted a leadership position at the theatre, and they enthusiastically agreed. I want people to know this origin story because it is important to see yourself in positions where people like you may be unrepresented or under-represented, and know that you can stake your claim to a seat at the table.” Dominique is a MacArthur Genius Grant recipient, a two-time NAACP Award recipient, and the Tony-nominated book writer for the musical Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations. Congratulations Dominique!

The post Detroit Public Theater Welcomes Dominique Morisseau as new Executive Artistic Producer appeared first on Broadway Black.

The role of Senior Resident Director gives Leon the opportunity to participate in the season selection of plays and musicals, but also lead the search for bringing more BIPOC directors and creatives to Roundabout’s company. His accolades of creating a space for Black performers continue with him being the Co-Founder of the prestigious August Wilson Monologue Competition. 

 

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Kenny Leon is also well known for winning the 2014 Tony Award for Best Play for the revival of A Raisin in the Sun, directing American Son, Gem of the Ocean, and the NBC performances of The Wiz Live and Hairspray Live. 

The post Kenny Leon named Senior Resident Director at Roundabout Theatre Company appeared first on Broadway Black.

The acclaimed theater, The Apollo, among a long list of grant recipients.

The grants, totaling $47.1 million, include new investments and measures to support the city’s nonprofit cultural sector as it continues to struggle through the pandemic. These include allocating funding to hard-hit BIPOC communities and supporting arts education programs.

The department also announced that those receiving funding this upcoming year will also be receiving funds in 2022 of a similar amount, pending final budgets. NYC really has been leading the way in America when it comes to actively working to protect and support its citizens. Not perfect, by any means, but as always, a win for any black group is a win for us all. 

Look below for a larger list of NYC arts organizations impacted. 

Up to $9,999

LAByrinth Theater Company

League of Professional Theatre Women 

Negro Ensemble Company

$10,000 – $19,999

Bedlam

Harlem9

The New Group

Rattlestick Playwrights Theater

The Shed

Sing for Hope

$20,000 – $49,999

Bushwick Starr, Inc.

National Black Theatre

Primary Stages Company

The Vineyard

$50,000 – $99,999

Ars Nova

Atlantic Theater Company

MTC

New Dramatists

Pan Asian Repertory Theatre

Second Stage Theatre

The Tank

$100,000+

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

The Apollo Theater

La MaMa

New York Theatre Workshop

New York Philharmonic

Playwrights Horizons

Roundabout Theatre Company

Signature Theatre Company

Repertorio Espanol

St. Ann’s Warehouse

TDF

The post Money Moves: Several Black Arts Organizations to Receive NYC Grant appeared first on Broadway Black.