# Antonyo Awards

The Antonyo Awards are awards recognizing excellence of Black artists in theatre. Founded in 2020, the awards ceremony was produced by Broadway Black and honors Black artists from both the Broadway and Off-Broadway theatre communities.

## Founding and inaugural ceremony

The Antonyo Awards were created in 2020 by Drew Shade. Shade founded Broadway Black in 2012, an organization that supports Black theatre and which helped produce the awards ceremony. Dustin Ross, a close friend of Shade, named the ceremony the "Antonyo Awards" as a light-hearted joke in reference to The Tony Awards. An additional purpose of the awards is to shed light on systemic racism in the New York theatre, a mostly-white institution, in the light of the racial protests that rocked America following the murder of George Floyd, and the deaths of Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, and others. No one was paid to participate in or run these awards.
The nominees were selected by a nominating committee. However, since it was not as easy to get voters to see every show due to the shutdown of theatres across the nation due to the pandemic, the winners were chosen by people voting online. Around 8,000 people voted. There were no gendered categories. Also, all presenters and winners had their pronouns listed as well as their names on screen.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there were no live awards in the inaugural ceremony. The awards took place over a YouTube livestream, but may be in-person if future Antonyo Awards ceremonies are announced. The ceremony took place on June 19, 2020, since Juneteenth is the holiday commemorating the freedom from slavery for Black Americans in 1865. However, despite there being no live ceremony, there was a "red carpet" livestream one hour before the ceremony hosted by Chadaé McAlister, as well as an after-party hosted by Amber Iman with music by DJ Dorian, Both featured interviews with nominees and winners. The ceremony was hosted by Drew Shade. The event not only included the announcing of the winners, but also musical performances, skits, and monologues by Black playwrights performed by Black theatre artists that highlighted the struggles, joys and resilience of Black artists. Additionally, due to the coronavirus preventing many graduations from happening, nominee and actor Shereen Pimentel gave a commencement speech to the class of 2020, as she would have been graduating in 2020.
There were four non-competitive awards called the Kinfolk Awards which were created to honor individuals who were committed to the advancement of Black theatre in New York City. The Lorraine Hansberry Award was given to a female identifying or nonbinary femme Black playwright or book writer who incorporates themes of social justice into their work. The Langston Hughes Award was given to a male-identifying or nonbinary masculine Black playwright or book writer who balances storytelling and social justice ideology in their work. The Welcome Award is for a Black newcomer to New York City theatre. The Doors of the Theatre are Open Award is for a theatre company that has been dedicated to uplifting Black voices.

## Recipients
### 2020

| Award | Recipient | Production |
| Best Play | Aziza Barnes | BLKS |
| Best Play | Donja R. Love | One in Two |
| Best Play | Lydia R. Diamond | Toni Stone |
| Best Play | C.A. Johnson | All the Natalie Portmans |
| Best Play | Zora Howard | STEW |
| Best Play | Eboni Booth | Paris |
| Best Musical | Tina: The Tina Turner Musical | Tina: The Tina Turner Musical |
| The Secret Life of Bees ||
| A Strange Loop ||
| The Wrong Man ||
| Girl From North Country ||
| Jagged Little Pill ||
| Best Revival | For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/when the rainbow is enuf | For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/when the rainbow is enuf |
| West Side Story ||
| Native Son ||
| Little Shop of Horrors ||
| Fires in the Mirror ||
| Two Can Play ||
| Best Actor in a Play Off-Broadway | Danielle Brooks | Much Ado About Nothing |
| Best Actor in a Play Off-Broadway | Kara Young | All the Natalie Portmans |
| Best Actor in a Play Off-Broadway | Portia | STEW |
| Best Actor in a Play Off-Broadway | April Mathis | Toni Stone |
| Best Actor in a Play Off-Broadway | Kristolyn Lloyd | Little Women |
| Best Actor in a Play Off-Broadway | Ato Blankson Wood | The Rolling Stone |
| Best Actor in a Play On Broadway | Audra McDonald | Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune |
| Best Actor in a Play On Broadway | LaChanze | A Christmas Carol |
| Best Actor in a Play On Broadway | Joaquina Kalukango | Slave Play |
| Best Actor in a Play On Broadway | Blair Underwood | A Soldier's Play |
| Best Actor in a Musical Off-Broadway | LaChanze | The Secret Life of Bees |
| Best Actor in a Musical Off-Broadway | Ciara Renée | The Wrong Man |
| Best Actor in a Musical Off-Broadway | Joshua Henry | The Wrong Man |
| Best Actor in a Musical Off-Broadway | Larry Owens | A Strange Loop |
| Best Actor in a Musical Off-Broadway | Janelle McDermoth | We're Gonna Die |
| Best Actor in a Musical Off-Broadway | Danyel Fulton | Broadbend, Arkansas |
| Best Actor in a Musical On Broadway | Adrienne Warren | Tina: The Tina Turner Musical |
| Best Actor in a Musical On Broadway | Kimber Elayne Sprawl | Girl From the North Country |
| Best Actor in a Musical On Broadway | Isaac Cole Powell | West Side Story |
| Best Actor in a Musical On Broadway | Shereen Pimentel | West Side Story |
| Best Actor in a Musical On Broadway | Daniel J. Watts | Tina: The Tina Turner Musical |
| Best Featured Actor in a Play Off-Broadway | Okwui Okpokwasili | For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf |
| Best Featured Actor in a Play Off-Broadway | Leland Fowler | One in Two |
| Best Featured Actor in a Play Off-Broadway | Nicco Annan | The Hot Wing King |
| Best Featured Actor in a Play Off-Broadway | Crystal Lucas-Perry | A Bright Room Called Day |
| Best Featured Actor in a Play Off-Broadway | John-Andrew Morrison | Blues for an Alabama Sky |
| Best Featured Actor in a Play Off-Broadway | Latoya Edwards | The Rolling Stone |
| Best Featured Actor in a Play On Broadway | Chalia La Tour | Slave Play |
| Best Featured Actor in a Play On Broadway | David Alan Grier | A Soldier's Play |
| Best Featured Actor in a Play On Broadway | Ato Blankson-Wood | Slave Play |
| Best Featured Actor in a Play On Broadway | Zawe Ashton | Betrayal |
| Best Featured Actor in a Play On Broadway | Grantham Coleman | The Great Society |
| Best Featured Actor in a Play On Broadway | Jordan Barbour | The Inheritance |
| Best Featured Actor in a Musical Off-Broadway | Jasmine Cephas Jones | Cyrano |
| Best Featured Actor in a Musical Off-Broadway | John-Andrew Morrison | A Strange Loop |
| Best Featured Actor in a Musical Off-Broadway | L Morgan Lee | A Strange Loop |
| Best Featured Actor in a Musical Off-Broadway | Starr Busby | Octet |
| Best Featured Actor in a Musical Off-Broadway | Saycon Sengbloh | The Secret Life of Bees |
| Best Featured Actor in a Musical Off-Broadway | Taylor Iman Jones | Scotland, PA |
| Best Featured Actor in a Musical On Broadway | Celia Rose Gooding | Jagged Little Pill |
| Best Featured Actor in a Musical On Broadway | Sahr Ngaujah | Moulin Rouge! |
| Best Featured Actor in a Musical On Broadway | Jeanette Bayardelle | Girl From the North Country |
| Best Featured Actor in a Musical On Broadway | Dharon E. Jones | West Side Story |
| Best Solo Performance | Michael Benjamin Washington | Fires in the Mirror |
| Best Solo Performance | Donnetta Lavinia Grays | Where We Stand |
| Best Solo Performance | Dierdra McDowell | Down to Eartha |
| Best Director | Lileana Blain-Cruz | Anatomy of A Suicide |
| Best Director | Stevie Walker-Webb | One in Two |
| Best Director | Robert O’Hara | BLKS |
| Best Director | Whitney White | Our Dear Dead Drug Lord |
| Best Director | Colette Robert | STEW |
| Best Director | Raja Feather Kelly | We're Gonna Die |
| Best Choreography | Camille A. Brown | For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/when the rainbow is enuf |
| Best Choreography | Raja Feather Kelly | A Strange Loop |
| Best Choreography | Edisa Weeks | Novenas for a Lost Hospital |
| Best Choreography | Adesola Osakalumi | Coal Country |
| Best Choreography | Byron Easley | Slave Play |
| Best Choreography | nicHi Douglas | Skinfolk: An American Show |
| Best Quarantine Content | Daniel J. Watts | The Jam IG Live |
| Best Quarantine Content | Edward Mawere | #BroadwayRemixChallenge |
| Best Quarantine Content | Camille A. Brown | Social Dance for Social Distance |
| Best Quarantine Content | Drew Shade | Inside The Mind, a Mental Wellness Series |
| Best Quarantine Content | Jordan E. Cooper | Mama Got A Cough |
| Best Quarantine Content | Sis | Living with Sis IG Series |
| Best Lighting Design | Allen Lee Hughes | A Soldier's Play |
| Best Lighting Design | Allen Lee Hughes | Toni Stone |
| Best Lighting Design | Alan C. Edwards | The Hot Wing King |
| Best Lighting Design | Stacey Derosier | Novenas For A Lost Hospital |
| Best Scenic Design | Lawrence E. Moten IIIs | Native Son |
| Best Sound | Rucyl Frison | Anatomy of a Suicide |
| Best Sound | Justin Ellington | One in Two |
| Best Sound | Luqman Brown | The Hot Wing King |
| Best Costumes | Toni-Leslie James | For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/when the rainbow is enuf |
| Best Costumes | Dede Ayite | BLKS |
| Best Costumes | Andy Jean | One in Two |
| Best Costumes | Karen Perry | runboyrun/ In Old Age |
| Best Costumes | Sarita P Fellows | Native Son |
| Best Costumes | Ari Fulton | Novenas for a Lost Hospital |
| Best Hair & Wig Design | Nikiya Mathis | For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/when the rainbow is enuf |
| Best Hair & Wig Design | Nikiya Mathis | STEW |
| Best Hair & Wig Design | Cookie Jordan | Toni Stone |
| Best Hair & Wig Design | Cookie Jordan | A Strange Loop |
| Best Hair & Wig Design | Greg Cooper Spencer | A Soldier's Play |
| Best Orchestrations | Skinfolk: An American Show | Skinfolk: An American Show |
| The Secret Life of Bees ||
| A Strange Loop ||
| Tina: The Tina Turner Musical ||
| We're Gonna Die ||
| The Wrong Man ||
| Best Original Score | The Secret of Life Bees | The Secret of Life Bees |
| A Strange Loop ||
| Broadbend, Arkansas ||
| The Wrong Man ||
| We're Gonna Die ||
| Best Book | Michael R. Jackson | A Strange Loop |
| Best Book | Lynn Nottage | The Secret Life of Bees |
| Best Book | Katori Hall | Tina: A Tina Turner Musical |
| Best Book | Harrison David Rivers | Broadbend, Arkansas |

### Non-competitive awards

* Lifetime Achievement Award: Chuck Cooper

#### The Kinfolk Awards

| Award | Recipient |
| Langston Hughes Award | Donja R. Love |
| Lorraine Hansberry Award | Loy. A. Webb |
| Welcome Award | Dharon E. Jones |
| The Doors of the Theatre are Open Award | The National Black Theatre |