# Black British Theatre Awards

The Black British Theatre Awards (BBTAS) are presented annually and recognise excellence among Black performers and creatives in the UK.

## History

The BBTAS were first established in 2019 and launched in October of that year, to coincide with Black History Month. They were created by Solange Urdang and Omar F. Okai.
The Awards were created to celebrate all those black artists and creatives that have contributed to British theatre from the 1950s. They have contributed a rich cultural influence and new ways of approaching theatre. Founders Urdang and Okai recognised that in the past 70 years, there has been a lack of recognition towards Black talent and hope the prize will bring visibility and recognition to artists in all creative fields.
After her award as Best Female Actor in a Musical in 2021, Lucy St Louis was the first Black female actress to be cast in the role of Christine Daee in the London production of The Phantom of the Opera. Following this, she joined the cast of Wicked as Glinda, making history with Alexia Khadime (Elphaba) as for the first time both leading roles were played by actors of color.
In 2022 the awards had great recognition, with public votes quadrupling since the previous year.

### Voting System

Anyone can submit a nomination for each year's BBTAS, by completing an online form. Nominees must have lived in the UK for at least 3 years to be considered or be British Nationals and "of Black of African or Caribbean descent or of Mixed Ethnicity". Productions must have at least 50% of eligible performers. Each individual can only nominate once.

## Ceremony

Through the years the awards ceremony has been hosted by big names of the theatre industry, such as Cynthia Erivo, Danny Sapani, Clint Dyer, Giles Terera and Layton Williams.

### 2019

The 2019 Black British Theatre Awards were held at The Old Finsbury Town Hall in Islington and hosted by Ore Oduba.

### 2020

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 Black British Theatre Awards were broadcast on Sky Arts on 25 October and took place at the Young Vic. Founders and directors Urdang and Okai said regarding this year's awards: "This is an important year with UK Theatre coming to a standstill and The Black Lives Matter movement protests. We feel it is important now more than ever to highlight the wonderful Black British talent we have in abundance and hope to bring positivity to such a difficult time".

### 2021

The 2021 Black British Theatre Awards were held at The Old Finsbury Town Hall again and were hosted by Cynthia Erivo and Danny Sapani. Guest presenters included previous winners Miriam-Teak Lee and Layton Williams, as well as Jason Pennycooke, Dawn Hope and Matthew Xia.

### 2022

The 2022 Black British Theatre Awards ceremony was held at the National Theatre and presented by Danny Sapani again.

### 2023

The 2023 Black British Theatre Awards were held on 29 October 2023 at the National Theatre, Lyttelton.

### 2024

Thanks to the sponsorship of Disney Theatrical Group, the Lyceum Theatre was announced as the venue for the 2024 Black British Theatre Awards ceremony. The awards will be held on 4 November.

## Award categories

The Awards have various categories, recognising excellence in Drama, Musicals, behind-the-scenes creatives, producers. A recognition award is given to people who identify, nurture and develop talent through the stage school process, as well as a Lifetime Achievement.

### Drama

* Best Production - Play
* Best Director
* Best Male Lead Actor in a Play
* Best Female Lead Actor in a Play
* Best Supporting Male Actor in a Play
* Best Supporting Female Actor in a Play

### Musical Theatre

* Best Musical Production
* Best Musical Director
* Best Male Lead Actor in a Musical
* Best Female Lead Actor in a Musical
* Best Supporting Male Actor in a Musical
* Best Supporting Female Actor in a Musical

### Various

* Best Producer
* Best Choreographer or Movement Director
* Best Dance Production or Performer
* Best Use of Innovation and Technology (not awarded in 2023 and 2024)
* Best Lighting Design
* Best Sound Design
* Best Theatre Design
* Best Playwright (launched in 2023)
* Best Casting Director (not awarded in 2023 and 2024)
* Costume Design Recognition (not awarded in 2023)
* Theatre Design Recognition (launched in 2023)
* Book and Lyrics Recognition
* LGBTQ+ Champion Award
* Disability Champion Award
* Best Child Performer
* Best Non Binary Performer (launched in 2023)
* Best Teacher
* Best Graduate
* Founders Choice Award
* Lifetime Achievement Award
* Lord Michael Hastings of Scarisbrick Award (launched in 2023)