Broadway Black held a private ceremony for The Awards formerly known as The Antonyos on February 20th, 2023 at Chelsea Table + Stage. The ceremony was hosted by Broadway Black founder, Drew Shade, and playwright Loy A. Webb. Presenters and performers included Chuck Cooper, Ryan Jamaal Swain, Amber Iman, NaTasha Yvette Williams, Cody Renard Richard, Darius de Haas, Kayla Davion, and more. The Awards creative team consisted of musical direction by Manny Houston, Choregraphy by Chadaé, and direction by Drew Shade. Also, special recognition was given posthumously to The Awards Co-Creator Darius Barnes.
Ruben Santiago Hudson, L. Morgan Lee, Justin Cooley, & Nikiya Mathis were in attendance and amongst the winner’s circle. View the full list of winners and watch the entire show below.
* = denotes the winner
BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY (OFF-BROADWAY)
Andrea Patterson, Confederates
*Abena, Merry Wives
Stephanie Berry, On Sugarland
Billy Eugene Jones, On Sugarland
Britton Smith, To My Girls
Andrea Patterson, Cullud wattah
Alicia Pilgrim, Cullud wattah
BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY (BROADWAY)
Kara Young, Clyde’s
Ron Cephas Jones, Clyde’s
Chuck Cooper, Trouble in Mind
*Kenita R.. Miller, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Tendayi Kuumba, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Brandon J. Dirden, Skeleton Crew
Luke James, Thoughts of a Colored Man
BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL (OFF-BROADWAY)
Alysha Deslorieux, The Visitor
Tamika Sonja Lawrence, Black No More
Ephraim Sykes, Black No More
Lillias White, Black No More
Adrianne Danrich, Intimate Apparel Opera
*Justin Cooley, Kimberly Akimbo
BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL (ON BROADWAY)
Tavon Olds-Sample, MJ: The Musical
Ayana George, MJ: The Musical
*L Morgan Lee, A Strange Loop
James Jackson Jr., A Strange Loop
Jared Grimes, Funny Girl
Sidney Dupont, Paradise Square
Charity Angel Dawson, Mrs. Doubtfire
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Ellenore Scott & Jeffrey Alkins, Mr. Saturday Night
*Bill T. Jones, Chloe Davis, Gelan Lambert, Paradise Square
Raja Feather Kelly, A Strange Loop
Ellenore Scott & Ayodele Casel, Funny Girl
Adesola Osakulumi, Skeleton Crew
Darrell Grand Moultrie, Space Dogs
BEST DIRECTION (OFF-BROADWAY)
*Stori Ayers, Confederates
Saheem Ali, Merry Wives
Candis C. Jones, Cullud wattah
Whitney White, On Sugarland
Awoye Timpo, Wedding Band
Saheem Ali, Nollywood Dreams
BEST DIRECTION (BROADWAY)
Zhailon Levingston, Chicken & Biscuits
Steve H. Broadnax III, Thoughts of a Colored Man
Ruben Santiago Hudson, Skeleton Crew
*Camille A. Brown, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Charles Randolph-Wright, Trouble In Mind
Lileana Blain-Cruz, The Skin of Our Teeth
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
*Stacey Derosier, Wedding Band
Alan C. Edwards, Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992
Kathy A. Perkins, Trouble In Mind
BEST SCENIC DESIGN
Chris Cumberbatch, Gong Lum’s Legacy
*Lawrence E. Moten III, Chicken & Biscuits
BEST SOUND DESIGN
Mikaal Sulaiman, On Sugarland
Jimmy Keys, Confederates
Rena Anakwe, Wedding Band
Justin Ellington, Clyde’s
*Justin Ellington, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Twi McCallum, Little Girl Blue
BEST COSTUME DESIGN (OFF-BROADWAY)
Ari Fulton, Confederates
*Dede M. Ayite, Merry Wives
Dede M. Ayite, Nollywood Dreams
Qween Jean, On Sugarland
Kara Harmon, Cullud wattah
Toni-Leslie James, Suffs
BEST COSTUME DESIGN (BROADWAY)
*Paul Tazewell, MJ: The Musical
Toni-Leslie James, Paradise Square
Sarafina Bush, Pass Over
Emilio Sosa, Skeleton Crew
Sarafina Bush, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Montana Levi Blanco, The Skin of Our Teeth
BEST WIG/HAIR DESIGN
*Nikiya Mathis, Nollywood Dreams
Earon Chew Nealey On Sugarland
Cookie Jordan, The Skin of Our Teeth
Cookie Jordan Clyde’s
Nikiya Mathis, Confederates
Earon Chew Nealey, Cullud wattah
BEST DIGITAL THEATER PRODUCTION
*The Last 5 Years, Out of the Box Theatrics
Semblance, New York Theatre Workshop
After Midnight, Signature Theatre Streaming On Demand
BEST AUDIO THEATER PRODUCTION
*Dreamgirls on Clubhouse, Leroy Church
Paradise Blue, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Audible Theater
The Lion King on Clubhouse, Noelle Chesnut Whitmore
Mugabe, My Dad & Me, Tonderai Munyevu, Audible Theater
BEST MUSICAL ENSEMBLE
*MJ: The Musical
Paradise Square
A Strange Loop
Black No More
Intimate Apparel Opera
Caroline, Or Change
The Visitor
BEST PLAY ENSEMBLE
Clyde’s
Thoughts of a Colored Man
Skeleton Crew
*for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
The Skin of Our Teeth
What To Send Up When It Goes Down
Wedding Band
BEST MUSIC IN A PLAY
Justin Hicks, Cullud wattah
Justin Ellington, Tambo & Bones
Starr Busby, On Sugarland
Alphonso Horne, Wedding Band
*Bill Sims Jr., Lackawanna Blues
Jimmy Keys, Skeleton Crew
Te’La and Kamauu, & Keenan Scott II, Thoughts of a Colored Man
BEST ORCHESTRATION
*Jason Michael Webb, MJ: The Musical
Joseph Joubert, Caroline, Or Change
Daryl Waters, Black No More
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
*Michael R. Jackson, A Strange Loop
James Posner, Daryl Waters, Anthony Tidd, Tariq Trotter, Black No More
Masi Asare, Paradise Square
BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL
John Ridley, Black No More
Kwame Kweo-Armah, The Visitor
Lynn Nottage, Intimate Apparel Opera
*Lynn Nottage, MJ: The Musical
*A Strange Loop won this category in 2020. Artists are ineligible for nomination if previously won the category for the same work.
BEST SOLO PERFORMANCE
Laiona Michelle, Little Girl Blue
*Ruben Santiago Hudson, Lackawanna Blues
BEST ACTOR IN A PLAY (OFF-BROADWAY)
Crystal A. Dickinson, Cullud wattah
Susan Kelechi Watson, Merry Wives
Kiki Layne, On Sugarland
Kyle Beltran, Case for the Existence of God
Daniel J. Watts, The Last of the Love Letters
Jacob Ming-Trent, Merry Wives
*Kristolyn Lloyd, Confederates
BEST ACTOR IN A PLAY (BROADWAY)
Namir Smallwood, Pass Over
*Phylicia Rashad, Skeleton Crew
Ruth Negga, Macbeth
Gabby Bean, The Skin of Our Teeth
LaChanze, Trouble In Mind
Uzo Aduba, Clyde’s
Laurence Fishburne, American Buffalo
BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL ( OFF-BROADWAY)
Kearstin Piper Brown, Intimate Apparel Opera
Brittany Nicole Simpson, Penelope, or How the Odyssey Was Really Written
Bryonha Marie Parham, A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet
Tariq Trotter, Black No More
*Brandon Victor Dixon, Black No More
Justin Austin, Intimate Apparel Opera
BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL (BROADWAY)
Myles Frost, MJ: The Musical
*Joaquina Kalukango, Paradise Square
Jaquel Spivey, A Strange Loop
Sharon D. Clarke, Caroline, or Change
BEST REVIVAL
Macbeth
*Skeleton Crew
Trouble in Mind
Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992
Merry Wives
The Skin of Our Teeth
*For Colored Girls…won this category in 2020. Artists are ineligible for nomination if previously won the category for the same work.
BEST PLAY
Clyde’s by Lynn Nottage
*Thoughts of a Colored Man by Kennan Scott II
Confederates by Dominique Morisseau
What To Send Up When It Goes Down by Aleshea Harris
Nollywood Dreams by Jocelyn Bioh
On Sugarland by Aleshea Harris
Cullud wattah by Erika Dickerson-Despenza
BEST MUSICAL
MJ: The Musical
Paradise Square
*A Strange Loop
Caroline, or Change
Intimate Apparel
Black No More
