Anika Noni-Rose, Chloe Bailey, Erika Alexander, Nicco Annan, and TC Carson presented the nominees via Instagram. Noni-Rose & Annan garnering nominations for work in the holiday musical Jingle Jangle: A Christman Journey and Katori Hall‘s play turned television series,  P-Valley, respectively.

The nominees are Viola Davis, Debbie Allen, Angela Bassett, Keith David, Sterling K. Brown, Simone Missick, Jenifer Lewis, Aunjanue Ellis, Leslie Odom Jr., Daveed Diggs, Radha Blank, Phylicia Rashad, J. Alphonse Nicholson & so many more.

Check out the full list of nominees:

SPECIAL AWARDS

Social Justice Impact

April Ryan

Debbie Allen

Lebron James

Stacey Abrams

Tamika Mallory

Entertainer of the Year

D-Nice

Regina King

Viola Davis

Trevor Noah

Tyler Perry

TELEVISION + STREAMING 

Outstanding Comedy Series

#blackAF (Netflix)

Black-ish (ABC)

grown-ish (Freeform)

Insecure (HBO)

The Last O.G. (TBS)

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Anderson – Black-ish (ABC)

Cedric The Entertainer – The Neighborhood (CBS)

Don Cheadle – Black Monday (Showtime)

Idris Elba – In the Long Run (Starz)

Tracy Morgan – The Last O.G. (TBS)

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series

Issa Rae – Insecure (HBO)

Folake Olowofoyeku – Bob Hearts Abishola (CBS)

Regina Hall – Black Monday (Showtime)

Tracee Ellis Ross – Black-ish (ABC)

Yara Shahidi – Grown-ish (Freeform)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Andre Braugher – Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC)

Deon Cole – Black-ish (ABC)

Jay Ellis – Insecure (HBO)

Kenan Thompson – Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Laurence Fishburne – Black-ish (ABC)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Jenifer Lewis – Black-ish (ABC)

Marsai Martin – Black-ish (ABC)

Natasha Rothwell – Insecure (HBO)

Tichina Arnold – The Neighborhood (CBS)

Yvonne Orji – Insecure (HBO)

Outstanding Drama Series

All Rise (CBS)

Bridgerton (Netflix)

Lovecraft Country (HBO)

Power Book II: Ghost (Starz)

This Is Us (NBC)

Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series

Jonathan Majors – Lovecraft Country (HBO)

Keith David – Greenleaf (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)

Nicco Annan – P-Valley (Starz)

Regé-Jean Page – Bridgerton (Netflix)

Sterling K. Brown – This Is Us (NBC)

Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series

Angela Bassett – 9-1-1 (FOX)

Brandee Evans – P-Valley (Starz)

Jurnee Smollett – Lovecraft Country (HBO)

Simone Missick – All Rise (CBS)

Viola Davis – How To Get Away With Murder (ABC)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Clifford “Method Man” Smith – Power Book II: Ghost (Starz)

Delroy Lindo – The Good Fight (CBS All Access)

Alphonse Nicholson – P-Valley (Starz)

Jeffrey Wright – Westworld (HBO)

Michael Kenneth Williams – Lovecraft Country (HBO)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Adjoa Andoh – Bridgerton (Netflix)

Aunjanue Ellis – Lovecraft Country (HBO)

Lynn Whitfield – Greenleaf (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)

Mary J. Blige – Power Book II: Ghost (Starz)

Susan Kelechi Watson – This Is Us (NBC)

Outstanding Television Movie, Limited–Series or Dramatic Special

Hamilton (Disney+)

Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu)

Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker (Netflix)

Sylvie’s Love (Amazon Studios)

The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel (Lifetime)

Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Limited–Series or Dramatic Special

Blair Underwood – Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker (Netflix)

Chris Rock – Fargo (FX)

Daveed Diggs – Hamilton (Disney+)

Leslie Odom, Jr. – Hamilton (Disney+)

Nnamdi Asomugha – Sylvie’s Love (Amazon Studios)

Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Limited–Series or Dramatic Special

Aunjanue Ellis – The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel (Lifetime)

Kerry Washington – Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu)

Michaela Coel – I May Destroy You (HBO)

Octavia Spencer – Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker (Netflix)

Tessa Thompson – Sylvie’s Love (Amazon Studios)

Outstanding News/Information (Series or Special)

AM Joy: Remembering John Lewis Special (MSNBC)

Desus & Mero: The Obama Interview (Showtime)

The Color of Covid (CNN)

The New York Times Presents “The Killing of Breonna Taylor” (FX)

The Reidout (NBC)

Outstanding Talk Series

Red Table Talk (Facebook Watch)

Tamron Hall (Syndicated )

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Comedy Central)

The Oprah Conversation (Apple TV+)

The Shop: Uninterrupted (HBO)

Outstanding Reality Program, Reality Competition or Game Show (Series)

Celebrity Family Feud (ABC)

Iyanla: Fix My Life (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)

Shark Tank (ABC)

United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell (CNN)

Voices of Fire (Netflix)

Outstanding Variety Show (Series or Special)

8:46 (Netflix)

Black Is King (Disney+)

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion (HBO Max)

VERZUZ (APPLE TV)

Yvonne Orji: Momma I Made It! (HBO)

Outstanding Children’s Program

Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices (Netflix)

Craig of the Creek (Cartoon Network)

Family Reunion (Netflix)

Raven’s Home (Disney Channel)

We Are the Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited–Series)

Alex R. Hibbert – The Chi (Showtime)

Lexi Underwood – Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu)

Lyric Ross – This Is Us (NBC)

Marsai Martin – Black-ish (ABC)

Miles Brown – Black-ish (ABC)

Outstanding Host in a Talk or News/Information (Series or Special) – Individual or Ensemble

Don Lemon – CNN Tonight with Don Lemon (CNN)

Jada Pinkett Smith – Red Table Talk (Facebook Watch)

Joy Reid – The Reidout (NBC)

LeBron James – The Shop: Uninterrupted (HBO)

Trevor Noah – The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Comedy Central)

Outstanding Host in a Reality/Reality Competition, Game Show or Variety (Series or Special) – Individual or Ensemble

Alfonso Ribeiro – America’s Funniest Home Videos (ABC)

Iyanla Vanzant – Iyanla: Fix My Life (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)

Steve Harvey – Celebrity Family Feud (ABC)

Kamau Bell – United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell (CNN)

RuPaul – RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)

Outstanding Guest Performance – Comedy or Drama Series

Chris Rock – Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Courtney B. Vance – Lovecraft Country (HBO)

Dave Chappelle – Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Issa Rae – Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Loretta Devine – P-Valley (Starz)

Outstanding Animated Series

Big Mouth (Netflix)

Central Park (Apple TV+)

Doc McStuffins (Disney Junior)

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (Netflix)

Star Trek: Lower Decks (CBS All Access)

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance (Television)

Aisha Tyler – Archer (FX)

Courtney B. Vance – Hollywood’s Architect: The Paul R. Williams Story (PBS)

Dawnn Lewis – Star Trek: Lower Decks (CBS All Access)

Deon Cole – Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (Netflix)

Laya DeLeon Hayes – Doc McStuffins (Disney Junior)

Outstanding Short Form Series – Comedy or Drama

#FreeRayshawn (Quibi)

CripTales (BBC America)

Lazor Wulf (Adult Swim)

Mapleworth Murders (Quibi)

Sincerely, Camille (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)

Outstanding Performance in a Short Form Series

Giancarlo Esposito – The Broken and the Bad (AMC.com )

J.B. Smoove – Mapleworth Murders (Quibi)

Jasmine Cephas Jones – #FreeRayshawn (Quibi)

Laurence Fishburne – #FreeRayshawn (Quibi)

Stephan James – #FreeRayshawn (Quibi)

Outstanding Short Form Series – Reality/Nonfiction

American Masters – Unladylike2020 (PBS)

Benedict Men (Quibi)

Between The Scenes – The Daily Show (Comedy Central)

In The Making (PBS)

Inspire Change Series (NFL Network)

Outstanding Breakthrough Creative (Television)

Katori Hall – P-Valley (Starz)

Keith Knight – Woke (Hulu)

Ramy Youssef – Ramy (Hulu)

Raynelle Swilling – Cherish the Day (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)

Teri Schaffer – Cherish the Day (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)

RECORDING

Outstanding New Artist

Chika – High Rises (Warner Records)

Doja Cat – Say So (RCA Records/Kemosabe )

D Smoke – Black Habits (WoodWorks Records / EMPIRE)

Giveon – When It’s All Said And Done (Epic Records)

Skip Marley – Higher Place (Island Records/ Tuff Gong Records)

Outstanding Male Artist

Big Sean – Detroit 2 (Def Jam Recordings/G.O.O.D Music)

Black Thought – Streams of Thought, Vol. 3: Cane & Able (Republic Records)

Charlie Wilson – All of My Love (P Music Group/BMG)

Drake – Laugh Now, Cry Later (Republic Records)

John Legend – Bigger Love (Columbia Records)

Outstanding Female Artist

Beyoncé – Black Parade (Columbia Record/ Parkwood)

E.R. – I Can’t Breathe (RCA Records/MBK Entertainment)

Jazmine Sullivan – Lost One (RCA Records)

Ledisi – Anything For You (Listen Back Entertainment/BMG)

Alicia Keys – Alicia (RCA Records)

Outstanding Music Video/Visual Album

I Can’t Breathe – H.E.R. (RCA Records/MBK Entertainment)

Anything For You – Ledisi (Listen Back Entertainment/BMG)

Black is King – Beyonce´ (Columbia Record/ Parkwood)

Brown Skin Girl – Beyonce’ feat WizKid, SAINt JHN, Blu Ivy Carter (Columbia Record/ Parkwood)

Do It – Chloe x Halle (Columbia Record/ Parkwood)

Outstanding Album

Alicia – Alicia Keys (RCA Records)

b7 – Brandy (Brand Nu/eOne)

Bigger Love – John Legend (Columbia Records)

Chilombo – Jhené Aiko (Def Jam Recordings)

The Wild Card – LEDISI (Listen Back Entertainment/BMG)

Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Music from the Netflix Film) – Branford Marsalis (Milan)

Insecure: Music from the HBO Original Series – Various Artists (Atlantic Records)

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey – Various Artists (Atlantic Records )

Soul Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste, and Tom MacDougall (Walt Disney Records)

The First Ladies of Gospel: The Clark Sisters Biopic Soundtrack – Donald Lawrence (Relevé Entertainment)

Outstanding Gospel/Christian Album

Chosen Vessel – Marvin Sapp (RCA Inspiration)

Gospel According to PJ – PJ Morton (Morton Inspiration / Tyscot Records)

I Am – Koryn Hawthorne (RCA Inspiration)

Kierra – Kierra Sheard (Karew/RCA Inspiration)

The Return – The Clark Sisters (Karew/Motown)

Outstanding Gospel/Christian Song

“All in His Plan” – PJ Morton (Morton Inspiration / Tyscot Records)

“Never Lost” – CeCe Winans (Pure Springs Gospel)

“Something Has To Break” – Kierra Sheard feat. Tasha Cobbs-Leonard (Karew/RCA Inspiration)

“Strong God” – Kirk Franklin (Fo Yo Soul/RCA Records)

“Touch from You” – Tamela Mann (TillyMann Inc.)

Outstanding Jazz Album – Instrumental

Be Water – Christian Sands (Mack Avenue Music Group)

Music From and Inspired By Soul – Jon Batiste (Walt Disney Records)

Omega – Immanuel Wilkins (Blue Note Records)

Reciprocity – George Burton (Inner Circle Music)

The Iconoclast – Barry Stephenson (Independent)

Outstanding Jazz Album – Vocal

Donny Duke and Wonder – Nathan Mitchell (ENM Music Group)

Holy Room – Live at Alte Oper – Somi (Salon Africana)

Pulling Off The Covers – Mike Phillips (Sono Recording Group)

Stronger – Jeff Bradshaw (Bone Deep Enterprises)

The Eddy (From The Netflix Original Series) – The Eddy (Arista Records)

Outstanding Soul/R&B Song

“I Can’t Breathe” – H.E.R. (RCA Records/MBK Entertainment)

“Anything For You” – LEDISI (Listen Back Entertainment/BMG)

“S. feat. H.E.R” – Jhené Aiko (Def Jam Recordings)

“Black Parade” – Beyonce’ (Columbia Record/ Parkwood)

“Do It” – Chloe x Halle (Columbia Record/ Parkwood)

Outstanding Hip Hop/Rap Song

“Deep Reverence feat. Nipsey Hussle” – Big Sean (Brand Nu/eOne)

“Savage Remix” – Megan Thee Stallion feat. Beyoncé (300 Entertainment / 1501 Certified Ent. LLC)

“Cool Off” – Missy Elliott (Atlantic Records)

“Laugh Now, Cry Later” – Drake (Republic Records)

“Life Is Good” – Future & Drake (Epic Records)

Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration (Traditional)

Alicia Keys feat. Jill Scott – Jill Scott (RCA Records)

Chloe x Halle – Wonder What She Thinks Of Me (Columbia Record/ Parkwood)

Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis feat. Babyface – He Don’t Know Nothin’ Bout It (BMG)

Kem feat. Toni Braxton – Live Out Your Love (Motown Records)

Ledisi and PJ Morton – Anything For You (Listen Back Entertainment/BMG)

Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration (Contemporary)

Alicia Keys feat. Khalid – “So Done” (RCA Records)

Big Sean feat. Nipsey Hussle – “Deep Reverence” (Def Jam Recordings/G.O.O.D Music)

Chloe x Halle – “Do It” (Columbia Record/ Parkwood)

Jhené Aiko feat. H.E.R. – “B.S”. (Def Jam Recordings)

Megan Thee Stallion feat. Beyoncé – “Savage Remix” (300 Entertainment / 1501 Certified Ent. LLC)

Outstanding International Song

“Blessed” – Buju Banton (Roc Nation Records)

“Lockdown” – Original Koffee (Promise Land Recordings)

“Pressure (Remix)” – Original Koffee feat. Buju Banton (Promise Land Recordings)

“Tanana” – Davido feat. Tiwa Savage (RCA Records/Sony Music U.K./Davido Worldwide Entertainment)

“Temptation” – Tiwa Savage (Motown Records)

Outstanding Producer of the Year

Donald Lawrence

Hit-Boy

Jathan Wilson

Sean Keys

TM88

LITERATURE

Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction

Black Bottom Saints – Alice Randall (HarperCollins Publishers)

Lakewood – Megan Giddings (HarperCollins Publishers)

Riot Baby – Tochi Onyebuchi (TorDotCom Publishing, imprint of Tom Doherty Associates)

The Awkward Black Man – Walter Mosley (Grove Atlantic)

The Vanishing Half – Brit Bennett (Riverhead Books)

Outstanding Literary Work – Nonfiction

A Black Women’s History of the United States – Daina Berry (Beacon Press)

A Promised Land – Barack Obama (Crown)

Driving While Black – Gretchen Sorin (W. W. Norton & Company)

Long Time Coming: Reckoning with Race in America – Michael Eric Dyson (St. Martin’s Press)

We’re Better Than This – Elijah Cummings (HarperCollins Publishers)

Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author

A Knock at Midnight – Brittany Barnett (Penguin Random House)

Greyboy: Finding Blackness in a White World – Cole Brown (Skyhorse)

Lakewood – Megan Giddings (HarperCollins Publishers)

The Compton Cowboys – Walter Thompson-Hernandez (HarperCollins Publishers)

We’re Better Than This – Elijah Cummings (HarperCollins Publishers)

Outstanding Literary Work – Biography/Autobiography

A Most Beautiful Thing: The True Story of America’s First All-Black High School Rowing Team – Arshay Cooper (Macmillan)

A Promised Land – Barack Obama (Crown)

Olympic Pride, American Prejudice – Deborah Draper (Simon & Schuster)

The Dead Are Arising – Les Payne, Tamara Payne (W. W. Norton & Company)

Willie: The Game-Changing Story of the NHL’s First Black Player – Willie O’Ree (Penguin Canada)

Outstanding Literary Work – Instructional

Do Right by Me: Learning to Raise Black Children in White Space – Valerie Harrison (Temple University Press)

Living Lively – Haile Thomas (HarperCollins Publishers)

The Black Foster Youth Handbook – Ángela Quijada-Banks (Soulful Liberation)

The Woman God Created You to Be: Finding Success Through Faith–Spiritually, Personally, and Professionally – Kimberla Lawson Roby (Lenox Press)

Vegetable Kingdom – Bryant Terry (Penguin Random House)

Outstanding Literary Work – Poetry

Homie – Danez Smith (Graywolf Press)

Kontemporary Amerikan Poetry – John Murillo (Four Way Books)

Seeing the Body – Rachel Eliza Griffiths (W. W. Norton & Company)

The Age of Phillis – Honorée Jeffers (Wesleyan University Press)

Un-American – Hafizah Geter (Wesleyan University Press)

Outstanding Literary Work – Children

I Promise – LeBron James, Nina Mata (HarperCollins)

Just Like a Mama – Alice Faye Duncan, Charnelle Pinkney Barlow (Simon & Schuster)

Kamala Harris: Rooted in Justice – Nikki Grimes, Laura Freeman (Simon & Schuster)

She Was the First!: The Trailblazing Life of Shirley Chisholm – Katheryn Russell-Brown, Eric Velasquez (Lee & Low Books)

The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver – Gene Barretta, Frank Morrison (HarperCollins)

Outstanding Literary Work – Youth/Teens

Before the Ever After – Jacqueline Woodson (Penguin Random House)

Black Brother, Black Brother – Jewell Parker Rhodes (Hachette Book Group)

Dear Justyce – Nic Stone (Crown Books for Young Readers)

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning – Jason Reynolds (Hachette Book Group )

This is Your Time – Ruby Bridges (Delacorte Books for Young Readers)

MOTION PICTURE

Outstanding Motion Picture

Bad Boys For Life (Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Entertainment)

Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Netflix)

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)

One Night In Miami… (Amazon Studios)

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture

Anthony Mackie – The Banker (Apple)

Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)

Delroy Lindo – Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)

Forest Whitaker – Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Netflix)

Will Smith – Bad Boys For Life (Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Entertainment)

Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture

Issa Rae – The Photograph (Universal Pictures)

Janelle Monáe – Antebellum (Lionsgate)

Madalen Mills – Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Netflix)

Tracee Ellis Ross – The High Note (Focus Features)

Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture

Aldis Hodge – One Night In Miami… (Amazon Studios)

Chadwick Boseman – Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)

Clarke Peters – Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)

Colman Domingo – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)

Glynn Turman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

Anika Noni Rose – Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Netflix)

Gabourey Sidibe – Antebellum (Lionsgate)

Nia Long – The Banker (Apple)

Phylicia Rashad – Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Netflix)

Taylour Paige – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)

Outstanding Independent Motion Picture

Emperor (Universal Home Video)

Farewell Amor (IFC Films)

Miss Juneteenth (Vertical Entertainment)

The 24th (Vertical Entertainment)

The Banker (Apple)

Outstanding International Motion Picture

Ainu Mosir (ARRAY)

His House (Netflix)

Night of the Kings (Neon)

The Last Tree (ArtMattan Productions)

The Life Ahead (La vita davanti a se) (Netflix)

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture

Dayo Okeniyi – Emperor (Universal Home Video)

Dominique Fishback – Project Power (Netflix)

Jahi Di’Allo Winston – Charm City Kings (HBO Max)

Jahzir Bruno – The Witches (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Madalen Mills – Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Netflix)

Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture

Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Netflix)

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)

Soul (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

The Banker (Apple)

Outstanding Animated Motion Picture

Onward (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Over the Moon (Netflix)

Scoob! (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Soul (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Trolls World Tour (Universal Pictures)

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance – Motion Picture

Ahmir-Khalib Thompson aka Questlove – Soul (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Angela Bassett – Soul (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Chris Rock – The Witches (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Jamie Foxx – Soul (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Phylicia Rashad – Soul (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Outstanding Short Form. (Live Action)

Baldwin Beauty (Powderkeg Media)

Black Boy Joy (Film Independent Project Involve )

Gets Good Light

Home

Mr. & Mrs. Ellis (AMB Productions)

Outstanding Short Form (Animated)

Canvas (Netflix)

Cops and Robbers (Netflix)

Loop (Pixar Animation Studios)

The Power of Hope (The Power Of Hope)

Windup (Unity Technologies)

Outstanding Breakthrough Creative (Motion Picture)

Loira Limbal – Through the Night (Third Shift Media, Inc.)

Melissa Haizlip – Mr. Soul! (Shoes In The Bed Productions)

Nadia Hallgren – Becoming (A Higher Ground Productions and Big Mouth Productions Film for Netflix)

Radha Blank – The Forty-Year-Old Version (Netflix)

Remi Weekes – His House (Netflix)

DOCUMENTARY

Outstanding Documentary (Film)

All In: The Fight For Democracy (Amazon Studios)

Coded Bias (7th Empire Media)

John Lewis: Good Trouble (Magnolia Pictures/Participant)

Mr. Soul! (Shoes in the Bed Productions)

On the Record (HBO Max)

Outstanding Documentary (Television)

And She Could Be Next (PBS)

Black Love (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)

Enslaved: The Lost History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade (EPIX)

The Last Dance (ESPN / Netflix)

Unsung (TV One)

WRITING

Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series

Issa Rae – Insecure – “Lowkey Feelin’ Myself” (HBO)

Lee Eisenberg, Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordon – Little America – “The Rock” (Apple TV+)

Michaela Coel – I May Destroy You – “Ego Death” (HBO)

Mindy Kaling, Lang Fisher – Never Have I Ever º “Pilot” (Netflix)

Rajiv Joseph – Little America – “The Manager” (Apple TV+)

Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series

Attica Locke – Little Fires Everywhere – “The Spider Web” (Hulu)

Erika L. Johnson, Mark Richard – The Good Lord Bird – “A Wicked Plot” (Showtime)

Jessica Lamour – Little Voice – “Love Hurts” (Apple TV+)

Katori Hall – P-Valley – “Perpetratin’” (Starz)

Tanya Barfield – Mrs. America – “Shirley” (FX)

Outstanding Writing in a Television Movie or Special

Diallo Riddle, Bashir Salahuddin, D. Rodney Carter, Emily Goldwyn, Rob Haze, Zuri Salahuddin, Bennett Webber, Evan Williams, Will Miles – Sherman’s Showcase Black History Month Spectacular (IFC)

Eugene Ashe – Sylvie’s Love (Amazon Studios)

Geri Cole – The Power of We: A Sesame Street Special (HBO Max)

Lin-Manuel Miranda – Hamilton (Disney+)

Sylvia L. Jones, Camille Tucker – The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel (Lifetime)

Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture

David E. Talbert – Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Netflix)

Kemp Powers – One Night in Miami… (Amazon Studios)

Lee Isaac Chung – Minari (A24)

Pete Docter, Kemp Powers, Mike Jones – Soul (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Radha Blank – The Forty-Year-Old Version (Netflix)

Outstanding Writing in a Documentary (Television or Motion Picture)

Mary Mazzio – A Most Beautiful Thing (Peacock)

Melissa Haizlip – Mr. Soul! (Maysles Documentary Center)

Nile Cone – The Beat Don’t Stop (TV One)

Royal Kennedy Rodgers – Hollywood’s Architect: The Paul R. Williams Story (PBS)

Yoruba Richen, Elia Gasull Balada, Valerie Thomas – The Sit-In: Harry Belafonte Hosts the Tonight Show (Peacock)

DIRECTING CATEGORIES

Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series

Anya Adams – Black-ish – “Hair Day” (ABC)

Aurora Guerrero – Little America – “The Jaguar” (Apple TV+)

Eric Dean Seaton – Black-ish – “Our Wedding Dre” (ABC)

Kabir Akhtar – Never Have I Ever – “… started a nuclear war” (Netflix)

Sam Miller, Michaela Coel – I May Destroy You – “Ego Death” (HBO)

Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series

Cheryl Dunye – Lovecraft Country – “Strange Case” (HBO)

Hanelle Culpepper – Star Trek: Picard – “Remembrance” (CBS All Access)

Misha Green – Lovecraft Country – “Jig-a-Bobo” (HBO)

Nzingha Stewart – Little Fires Everywhere – “The Uncanny” (Hulu)

Steve McQueen – Small Axe – “Mangrove” (Amazon Studios)

Outstanding Directing in a Television Movie or Special

Beyoncé Knowles Carter, Emmanuel Adeji, Blitz Bazawule, Kwasi Fordjour – Black Is King (Disney+)

Christine Swanson – The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel (Lifetime)

Chuck Vinson, Alan Muraoka – The Power of We: A Sesame Street Special (HBO Max)

Eugene Ashe – Sylvie’s Love (Amazon Studios)

Kamilah Forbes – Between The World And Me (HBO)

Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture

David E. Talbert – Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Netflix)

George C. Wolfe – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)

Gina Prince-Bythewood – The Old Guard (Netflix)

Radha Blank – The Forty-Year-Old Version (Netflix)

Regina King – One Night in Miami… (Amazon Studios)

Outstanding Directing in a Documentary (Television or Motion Picture)

Keith McQuirter – By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem (EPIX)

Muta’Ali – Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn (HBO)

Sam Pollard, Maro Chermayeff – Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children (Ep. 1 & 2) (HBO)

Simcha Jacobovici – Enslaved: The Lost History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade (EPIX)

Yoruba Richen – The Sit-In: Harry Belafonte Hosts the Tonight Show (Peacock)

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Headshot of Katori Hall

All we do is WIN! Congratulations to Katori Hall for not only securing the bag AND the re-up with Lionsgate, but also for laying down brick by brick for those who will come behind her.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the new deal with Lionsgate, which purchased Starz in 2016, includes the development of new projects for the studio and a fund to commission Black playwrights, which will be mentored by Katori, herself.

For those of you who are fans of Katori’s work from “P-Valley”, here is a brief overview of how she has been, and continues to be, booked, busy, and blessed. In 2010 she won the Olivier Award in the New Play category for The Mountaintop and this year she earned a Tony nomination in October for Best Book of a Musical for Tina- The Tina Turner Musical.

 

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It’s clear to see that her strategy is not only to shine a light on Black talent that tends to be underrepresented but also to build a path for those who come behind her. When Katori wins, we all win.

A beautiful representation of what it means to be Broadway Black.

The post P-Valley’s Katori Hall Secures the Bag and a Future for Black Playwrights appeared first on Broadway Black.

Which is why Broadway Black has no choice but to share the release of Contemporary Plays by African American Women: Ten Complete Works by Sandra Adell. If there is one voice that’s been undervalued on stage, it’s that of the Black woman. That’s what makes this anthology so great. It’s a combined work that includes prominent Black female playwrights and some up-and-coming writers.

It features works from contemporary Black female playwrights including Blue Door by Tanya Barfield; Levee James  by S. M. Shephard-Massat; Hoodoo Love  by Katori Hall; Carnaval  by Nikkole Salter; Single Black Female  by Lisa B. Thompson; Fabulation, or The Re-Education of Undine by Lynn Nottage; BlackTop Sky by Christina Anderson; Voyeurs de Venus by Lydia Diamond; Fedra by J. Nicole Brooks; and Uppa Creek: A Modern Anachronistic Parody in the Minstrel Tradition by Keli Garrett.

The description reads:

African American women have increasingly begun to see their plays performed from regional stages to Broadway. Yet many of these artists still struggle to gain attention. In this volume, Sandra Adell draws from the vital wellspring of works created by African American women in the twenty-first century to present ten plays by both prominent and up-and-coming writers. Taken together, the selections portray how these women engage with history as they delve into–and shake up–issues of gender and class to craft compelling stories of African American life. Gliding from gritty urbanism to rural landscapes, these works expand boundaries and boldly disrupt modes of theatrical representation.

Sandra Adell (Ph.D., UW–Madison) is a professor of Literature in the department of Afro-American Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Comparative Literature. Her other works include Confessions of a Slot Machine Queen, Literary Masters: Toni Morrison, Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Culture: African American Culture, and Double Consciousness/Double Bind: Theoretical Issues in Twentieth-Century Black Literature.

Contemporary Plays by African American Women: Ten Complete Works was released December 15th and is available for purchase in hardcopy, paperback, and digital copy at Amazon here.

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Fishburne, Hall, and Richardson Jackson will join actors Bradley Cooper, Jake Gyllenhaal, Alec Baldwin, Ellen Barkin, Tony Kushner, Peter Sarsgaard, John Turturro and several others in reading excerpts from Miller’s autobiography, “Timebends,” and his unpublished works as well as scenes from his plays including Death of a Salesman, The Crucible, The Price, and All My Sons.

Tony Award winner Gregory Mosher who staged the 2010 Broadway revival of A View From the Bridge starring Liev Schreiber and Scarlett Johansson will direct the event. And, Cindy Tolan and Damon Cardasis are the evening’s producers. The current revival of A View From The Bridge will play at the Lyceum Theatre through February 21.

The one-night-only performance is a fundraiser for the Arthur Miller Foundation for Theater And Film Education, which promotes access and equity to public school theater and film education. The Foundation believes that “arts education is the right of every New York City public school student.”

Miller, a prolific playwright who is widely considered to be one of the greatest playwrights of the 20th century, won the Pulitzer Prize for Death of a Salesman. He also twice won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, received two Emmy awards and three Tony Awards for his plays, as well as a Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement.  Miller also won an Obie award, a BBC Best Play Award, the George Foster Peabody Award, a Gold Medal for Drama from the National Institute of Arts and Letters.

Tickets are available here.

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Brecht’s play follows trader “Anna Fierling” as she pulls her canteen wagon and her children through the carnage of Europe’s religious wars. According to the Classic Stage Company’s web site, “She’ll do anything to hold onto her money-making wagon, even if it means the loss of her children. Experience a timeless tale of war updated to the modern-day conflagration in the Congo, with a new and vibrant score by Tony Award-winning composer Duncan Sheik.”

Pinkins, who was last seen in Joel Drake Johnson’s Rasheeda Speaking, has enjoyed a long and successful career on the stage. She has been nominated for three Tony Awards, winning one for her performance as “Sweet Anita” in Jelly’s Last Jam. She also has won the Obie, the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards among many others. Pinkins has appeared on Broadway in Merrily We Roll Along, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, The Wild Party, House of Flowers, Radio Golf, A Time To Kill, and Holler If Ya Hear Me, the musical inspired by the work of Tupac Shakur.

Although Broadway has become a second home for Pinkins, Mother Courage isn’t her first appearance in an Off-Broadway production. She’s also performed in the role of “Mopsa, the Shepherdess,” in The Winter’s Tale in 1983. And, in 2012, Pinkins starred in the Off-Broadway production of Katori Hall’s Hurt Village, the gritty drama about life and change in a Memphis housing project.

Joining Pinkins on stage in Mother Courage will be Joshua Boone, Curtiss Cook, Jr., Kevin Mambo, Jacob Ming-Trent, Geoffrey Owens, Michael Potts, Deandre Sevon, Mirirai Sithole, and Zenzi Williams.

Mother Courage opens on December 9. For tickets, visit here.

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Director Michael Oatman re-imagined the hit  play by double-casting the role with both a White and Black “Martin Luther King Jr.”  Yes, a White “Martin Luther King Jr.” During an interview with Kent State on the University’s website he talks about the motivation behind such a decision:

While Oatman understands that the piece may stir some controversy he also hopes that it stirs discussion about America’s original sin: race.  “I truly wanted to explore the issue of racial ownership and authenticity.  I didn’t want this to be a stunt, but a true exploration of King’s wish that we all be judged by the content of our character and not the color of our skin,” said Oatman about his non-traditional cast.  “I wanted the contrast . . . I wanted to see how the words rang differently or indeed the same, coming from two different actors, with two different racial backgrounds.”

Is this even allowed? Technically, yes. The script at the time never explicitly stated that the actor playing Martin Luther King Jr. has to be black (they have updated it since then), however implicitly it makes total sense. Everything Dr. King stood for was making America value the Black body because he was, too, a Black body. I don’t see how casting a White actor to play an historic figure such as Martin Luther King, Jr. was a good idea. The show was brought to Katori Hall via Twitter and she went on to say this;

@ThatBrantDude: neither I or @DramatistsPlayS were contacted about this tone deaf casting choice. I have spoken to the director (1/2)

— Katori Hall (@KatoriHall) October 27, 2015

@ThatBrantDude who “did not think there was prohibition agnst non-traditional casting” @DramatistsPlayS has now included a casting clause

— Katori Hall (@KatoriHall) October 27, 2015

Now I get we are at the point in time where Hamilton exists, that show in particular casting people of color in roles that would otherwise have been for traditionally White actors. As great of a move as that was, it does, unfortunately, open the floodgates for very narrow-minded people to think that roles meant for people of color can now be played by White actors if traditionally (and/or historically) White characters can be played by actors of color. This argument and reasoning however isn’t valid. The reason shows like Hamilton and The Mountaintop exist is to create those opportunities for actors of color that have been short sided by this business- to even the playing field. Not to give White actors even more opportunities. That literally defeats the purpose. It defeats what African-American and other playwrights of color have been trying to do for years.

There is a lesson to take away from the Kent State casting though, even though at times it’s obvious, playwrights should include explicitly the ethnicities of actors they want in their plays. This is something I expect to see a lot more as African-Americans are making their unstoppable reign on and off Broadway this season, and we want to keep it that way.

Sound off in the comments below on your thoughts!

The post A White Man Went To ‘The Mountaintop’ At Kent State appeared first on Broadway Black.

Miss Robinson was born in Portsmouth, Va. While working in the advertising department of “The Amsterdam News,” she noticed that many small theater companies were not being covered and volunteered to review their productions for the newspaper. In 1973, she created Audelco ”to generate recognition, understanding and awareness of the arts in black communities and to build new audiences for nonprofit theaters and dance companies.”

Nominees were announced at a ceremony in Harlem, New York on October 15th. Nominees are a result of the consensus of the Audelco Nominating Committee. These committee members are members in good standing who have contributed $50.00 or more to Friends of Audelco.

We must never forget to honor and support organizations such as Audelco, as they put their passion for theatre and the arts into action. Without organizations like this, much of Black Theatre would go unrecognized. Our talent often goes ignored or is grossly undervalued in the world of mainstream award shows. The passion and commitment to honoring Black Theatre is underscored on the Audelco website:

The Committee reaffirms its commitment to recognizing excellence in Black theatre within the five boroughs in the New York metropolitan area. The Committee shall make every effort to see all productions produced primarily by, but not limited to, Black theatre companies, as well as productions showcasing the talents of the performers of color. To that end, due consideration shall be given to all artists regardless of ethnicity.

And now here are some of this years nominees:

Best Revival

Aint Misbehavin’ Irving Street Rep/Faison Firehouse Theater

A Band of Angels New York City Children’s Theater

Flambeaux Obsidian Media Group/Braata Prods.

For the Last Time Clement Arts/Epic Theatre Ensemble

Texas in Paris  York Theatre Company

The Fortress of Solitude  The Public Theater

Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical AnthonyKen, LLC/Sheryl L. Ralph

These are just a few of the nominees and categories. For the entire group of nominees scroll down. The awards ceremony will take place Monday, November 16th at the Peter Norton Symphonyspace in New York City. We salute all of the nominees and wish you best of luck during the awards!

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Kain, 51, first rose to prominence in his role as “Raheem” opposite Tupac in 1992’s “Juice.” But, he’s probably best know for his role as “Maya’s” husband “Darnell Wilkes” on the sitcom “Girlfriends” for seven years. Kain has also appeared in “Love Jones” (1997) and he played the lead in Showtime’s “The Tiger Woods Story” (1998). In a stark departure from his nice guy roles, Kain portrayed the rapist “Bill” in Tyler Perry’s “For Colored Girls” (2010).

Kain recently ventured into the theatre world, penning the stage drama Lambs to Slaughter which tells the story of a mourning single mother living alone in the city after the murder of her son “Emmett.” The play was read in December 2014 at the cell theatre in New York.

“Arkabutla” was inspired by an incident that Hall witnessed as a teenager and marks her first attempt at filmmaking. The film is scheduled to begin filming in Memphis on October 20.

Hall was the first African American playwright to win the Olivier Award for The Mountaintop. Since her rise on the Broadway scene, her work has been produced at acclaimed theatres across the nation, bringing her signature style to the forefront of the theatre scene.

Her most recent production was The Mixed Blood Theatre‘s Pussy Valley, which closed a successful run on May 10th. The play centered around the lives of four women working in a Mississippi strip club, a world that Hall describes as “the intersection of hip hop and strip club cultures.”

The post Katori Hall Finds Leading Man for Arkabutla in Khalil Kain appeared first on Broadway Black.

The official synopsis reads:

In the tradition of the moving Intimate Apparel and hilarious By the Way, Meet Vera Stark, Saturday Night/Sunday Morning is a “fresh, spontaneous, and highly watchable”* play that brings together seven African-American women in a Memphis beauty parlor/boarding house during the waning days of World War II. As they wrestle with the uncertainty of what the future will hold when, and if, their men return, they fight dirty — with each other and with their own fears and desires, uncovering newfound friendship and love.

The cast of Saturday Night/Sunday Morning stars Ramona Lisa Alexander, Jackie Davis, Meagan Dilworth, Jade Guerra, Cloteal L. Horne, Tasia A. Jones, Keith Mascoll, Omar Robinson, and Jasmine Rush.

Directed by Dawn M. Simmons, the creative team also includes scenic design by Mac Young, costume design by Elisabetta Polito, lighting design by Ian W. King, and sound design by Kelsey Jarboe.

Katori Hall is a playwright and performer from Memphis, TN.  Hall’s plays include: The Mountaintop (2010 Olivier Award for Best New Play), which ran on Broadway at the Bernard Jacobs Theatre starring Angela Bassett and Samuel L. Jackson, Hurt Village (2011 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, Signature Theatre), Children of Killers (National Theatre, UK and Castillo Theatre, NYC), Hoodoo Love (Cherry Lane Theatre), Remembrance (Women’s Project), Saturday Night/Sunday Morning, WHADDABLOODCLOT!!! (Williamstown Theatre Festival), Our Lady of Kibeho (Signature Theatre) and Pussy Valley (Mixed Blood).  Hall is an alumna of the Lark Playwrights’ Workshop, where she developed The Mountaintop and Our Lady of Kibeho, and a graduate of Columbia University, the A.R.T. at Harvard University, and the Juilliard School. She will also soon begin directing her first film, “Arkabutla,” as previously reported.

Preview performances of Saturday Night/Sunday Morning are set to start October 23 and run through November 21, with an official October 25 opening at the Lyric Stage in Boston, MA. Tickets range from $31 to $65 and can be purchased here.

The post Saturday Night/Sunday Morning Has Announced Its Cast appeared first on Broadway Black.

“Arkabutla,” a short film written and co-produced by Hall, follows “Chauncey,” a contemporary “cowboy,” who is reunited with his 10-year-old daughter (“an old soul with a fast mouth,” according to casting notes) and 7-year-old son (a “brat” with charm) after a long stretch away from home on the rodeo circuit.

To give his kids something of the elation he feels as a bull rider, he buys a jet ski for a family visit to DeSoto County’s Arkabutla Lake. When a white lake official sees Chauncey with the jet ski, he assumes the recreational watercraft is stolen, leading to a confrontation that causes anger and disillusionment — “the sense of hopelessness you take from a situation like that.”

The film was inspired by an incident that Hall witnessed as a teenager and marks her first attempt at filmmaking. The award-winning playwright plans to employ an entirely local cast and crew on the project with shooting scheduled for October 20-23 in Memphis-area locations.

She hopes to follow the short by directing a feature adaptation of her Memphis-set play Hurt Village, which debuted off-Broadway in 2011 and starred Tony Award winner Tonya Pinkins.

Hall’s most recent production was The Mixed Blood Theatre‘s Pussy Valley, which closed a successful run on May 10th. The play centered around the lives of four women working in a Mississippi strip club, a world that Hall describes as “the intersection of hip hop and strip club cultures.”

Katori Hall was the first African American playwright to win the Olivier Award, for The Mountaintop. Since her rise on the Broadway scene, her work has been produced at acclaimed theatres across the nation, bringing her signature style to the forefront of the theatre scene.

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