The annual Antonyo Awards, which celebrate Black theater artists on and off Broadway, is going in-person for its second edition.
Presented by Broadway Black, the show, honoring the work of Broadway and Off-Broadway creatives, will host its 2022 ceremony at the Apollo Theater. The live event will take place on Oct. 10 at the legendary Harlem venue, where all 29 non-gendered competitive categories, along with five honorary categories, will be presented.
The brainchild of producer and actor Drew Shade, the awards were livestreamed on YouTube for their inaugural 2020 iteration, which took place on Juneteenth.
“The Antonyo Awards were born to remind ourselves of the joy that Black theater artists have created in a fractured country,” Shade, founder of Broadway Black and one of the show’s producers, said. “For almost 10 years Broadway Black has championed Black voices in many different ways, and we are thrilled to move from the well-received initial streaming broadcast in our first year to a fully produced awards ceremony at the legendary Apollo Theater, the centerpiece of live performance in Harlem.”
Nominations for the 2022 event, which celebrates the work of Black artists during the 2021-2022 theater season, were announced on June 20. The nominating committee included theater artists Shade, Alaina Newell, Ayanna Prescod, Brittani Samuel, Juan Michael Porter II, Eric Emauni, Judith Lovell and Cody Renard Richard.
Announcements for this year’s performances and guest appearances are forthcoming. Last year’s list of presenters and performers included Audra McDonald, Tituss Burgess, Alex Newell, Jordan E. Cooper, Teyonah Parris, Ephraim Sykes, LaChanze and more.
