*Tony-nominated actor Danielle Brooks and her fellow award-winning peers Amber Iman and Jocelyn Bioh have announced the inaugural Black Women on Broadway awards ceremony is set to go down next week in New York City.
For the past three years or so, the trio has been working to create a community to support Black actresses. Last year, they launched the Instagram account “Black Women on Broadway,” to celebrate the history of Black women in theater.
The awards show is set to go down on June 6 at the rooftop lounge of the Empire Hotel with honorees Lynn Nottage, Qween Jean and Kara Young, Variety reports.
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“We do need spaces like this. There are so many women that feel a disconnect within this community,” Brooks tells the publication.
“The thing that separates us from other organizations is we’re really tapping into the spaces that get ignored — the lighting departments, sound departments, the understudies, the writers, the producers, the people that are not always in the front of the stage, that aren’t the actors. We’re bringing space for them to be in the room,” she explains. “That’s really great for networking, but also for reminding this industry we are out here. Reminding younger girls that look up to us that there are different positions in this industry that you can aspire to that aren’t just being an actress. To expand our sphere and say, ‘Black women can take on all of it.’”
It was Iman’s idea to form a supportive community for Black women in the theater biz.
“I have always just dreamed of creating spaces for Black women to thrive,” Iman said. “I’ve been really blessed in my life to work with, commune with, network with some of the most brilliant Black women in the world — two of them being on this call. And these two women, they have always made space for me.”
She added, “We only see each other at the audition, at the call back, when we’re running down 8th Avenue trying to get to the train. We never have time to just celebrate ourselves, celebrate each other, our wins, the fact that we survived and we’re still here. This awards ceremony is another way for us all to be in the same room and say, ‘I see you sis, and let’s just love on each other a little bit.’”
“The thing that excites me about this too, is often when it comes to [these type of events] the Broadway girls don’t get no love,” Brooks explained. “We be coming out the gate, eight shows a week, having babies and being wives, and doing all the things, without the same check or recognition. So, it’s also to remind people that we’re here, and the work that we do should be valued and held space for.”
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