Celebrating Black History Month
This month is black history month. We will be celebrating black theater history this month by every day posting on our social media accounts about a significant event in black theater history, or an achievement by an individual.
Some of these events warrant more discussion than 140 characters allow, so each blog this month will be devoted to a detailed discussion of a specific event.
Six Tony Awards Go To…
The Antoinette Perry awards are the premier awards in New York theater on Broadway. They began in 1947.
The Tony awards have four performance categories divided into subcategories by gender. They are:
- lead actor in a play
- lead actor in a musical
- supporting actor in a play
- supporting actor in a musical
The first person, ever to win best supporting actress in a musical was a black woman, Jaunita Hall. Only one actor in history has won a Tony award in each of the performance categories; this same person is the only person to have won a total of six Tony awards for performing.
This honor goes to Audra McDonald.
Her first win in 1994 was for a supporting actress in a musical, in Carousel, in 1994. Her latest Tony was in 2014 as the lead actress in a play, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill.
Audra McDonald is the best stage actor of her generation, and it is impossible to celebrate black theater history and not recognize the talent and achievements of the amazing Audra McDonald.
Brava!