Inaugural Antonyo Awards to Celebrate Best of Black Broadway and Off-Broadway Season

Broadway Black, the multimedia organization highlighting the achievements of Black theater artists, will present the inaugural Antonyo Awards, celebrating the best of the Black Broadway and off-Broadway community, on June 19 at 7pm ET. The streamed ceremony, taking place on the holiday Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in America, will include a virtual red carpet, musical numbers, and live award presentations.

Broadway vets Bryan Terrell Clark and Kristolyn Lloyd will announce the nominations today, June 9, at 7pm ET on the company's YouTube page. Winners will be chosen by the public, with voting open from June 9 at 7:30pm through midnight on June 12.

Current presenters and performers include Audra McDonald, Tituss Burgess, Alex Newell, Jordan E. Cooper, Teyonah Parris, Ephraim Sykes, LaChanze, Derrick Baskin, Nicolette Robinson, Jelani Alladin, Christiani Pitts, James Monroe Iglehart, Amber Iman, Kalen Allen, Nzinga Williams, Jackson Alexander, Cody Renard Richard, Ashton Muñiz, Shereen Pimentel, Kirsten Childs, Aisha Jackson, Antoine L. Smith, Griffin Matthews, Michael McElroy, Jocelyn Bioh, and L. Morgan Lee.

Broadway Black founder Drew Shade serves as executive producer, with a creative team that includes Catherine Caldwell, Darius Barnes, Kim Exum, Neville Braithwaite, Zhailon Levingston, Elijah Lewis, Allen Louis, Eric Lockley, Edward Maware, Emma Claye, Ianne Fields Stewart, and the Press Room.

Four special "Kinfolk Awards" — the Lorraine Hansberry Award, the Langston Hughes Award, Welcome Award, and the Doors of the Theatre are Open Award — will also be presented to members of the Black theater community. A Lifetime Achievement Award will be announced prior to the event.