The theater award season continues with nominations announced today by Broadway Black for its second Antonyo Awards, intended to honor extraordinary achievements in the Black theater community. This year differs in several ways from the inaugural awards (which took place on Juneteenth — June 19 — 2020.) For one, the winners won’t be announced until the Fall, in a ceremony planned to be both in-person and online. There are also several innovative new categories, including two different awards for ensembles (one in plays, one in musicals), as well as for Best Digital Theater Production and Best Audio Theater Production. As in 2020, the performer categories do not distinguish by gender. It’s telling of how rich in Black theater the 2021-2022 season was that there are so many nominees in such categories as Best Direction (Broadway.)

List of nominees below:

BEST PLAY
Clyde’s by Lynn Nottage
Thoughts of a Colored Man by Kennan Scott II
Confederates by Dominique Morisseau
What To Send Up When It Goes Down by Aleshea Harris
Nollywood Dreams by Jocelyn Bioh
On Sugarland by Aleshea Harris
Cullud wattah by Erika Dickerson-Despenza

BEST MUSICAL
MJ: The Musical
Paradise Square
A Strange Loop
Caroline, or Change
Intimate Apparel
Black No More

BEST REVIVAL
Macbeth
Skeleton Crew
Trouble in Mind
Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992
Merry Wives
Skin of Our Teeth
*For Colored Girls…won this category in 2020. Artists are ineligible for nomination if previously won the category for the same work.

BEST DIGITAL THEATER PRODUCTION

The Last 5 Years,  Out of the Box Theatrics
Sembalancce, New York Theatre Workshop
After Midnight, Signature Theatre Streaming On Demand

BEST AUDIO THEATER PRODUCTION

Dreamgirls on Clubhouse, Leroy Church
Paradise Blue, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Audible Theater
The Lion King on Clubhouse, Noelle Chesnut Whitmore
Mugabe, My Dad & Me, Tonderai Munyevu, Audible Theater

BEST ACTOR IN A PLAY (OFF-BROADWAY)
Crystal A. Dickinson, Cullud wattah
Susan Kelechi Watson, Merry Wives
Kiki Layne, On Sugar Land
Kyle Beltran, Case for the Existence of God
Daniel J. Watts, The Last of the Love Letters
Jacob Ming-Trent, Merry Wives

BEST ACTOR IN A PLAY (BROADWAY)

Namir Smallwood, Passover
Phylicia Rashad, Skeleton Crew
Ruth Negga, Macbeth
Gabby Bean, Skin of Our Teeth
LaChanze, Trouble In Mind
Uzo Aduba, Clyde’s
Laurence Fishburne, American Buffalo

BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL ( OFF-BROADWAY)

Kearstin Piper Brown, Intimate Apparel Opera
Brittany Niccole Simpson, Penelope, or How the Odyssey Was Really Written 
Bryonha Marie Parham, A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet
Tariq Trotter, Black No More
Brandon Victor Dixon, Black No More
Justin Austin, Intimate Apparel Opera

BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL (BROADWAY )

Myles Frost, MJ: The Musical
Joaquina Kalukango (Jew-wah-keena kal-loo-kango), Paradise Square
Jaquel Spivey, A Strange Loop
Sharon D. Clarke, Caroline, or Change

BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY (OFF-BROADWAY)
Andrea Patterson, Confederates
Abena, Merry Wives
Stephanie Berry, On Sugarland
Billy Eugene Jones, On Sugarland
Britton Smith, To My Girls
Andrea Patterson, Cullud wattah
Alicia Pilgram, Cullud wattah

BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY (BROADWAY)

Kara Young, Clyde’s
Ron Cephas Jones, Clyde’s
Chuck Cooper, Trouble in Mind
Kenita R.. Miller, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Tendayi Kuumba,  for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Brandon J. Dirden, Skeleton Crew
Luke James, Thoughts of a Colored Man

BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL (OFF-BROADWAY)
Alysha Deslorieux, The Visitor (Deh-lor-eeuh) 
Tamika Sonya Lawrence, Black No More
Ephraim Sykes, Black No More
Lillias White, Black No More
Adrianne Danrich, Intimate Apparel Opera
Justin Cooley, Kimberly Akimbo

BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL (ON BROADWAY)

Tavon Olds-Sample, MJ: The Musical 
Ayana George, MJ: The Musical
L Morgan Lee, A Strange Loop
James Jackson Jr., A Strange Loop
Jared Grimes, Funny Girl
Sidney Dupont, Paradise Square
Charity Angel Dawson, Mrs. Doubtfire

BEST SOLO PERFORMANCE
*Laiona Michelle, Little Girl Blue
Ruben Santiago Hudson, Lackawanna Blues

BEST MUSICAL  ENSEMBLE 

MJ: The Musical
Paradise Square
A Strange Loop
Black No More
Intimate Apparel Opera
Caroline, Or Change
The Visitor

BEST PLAY ENSEMBLE 

Clyde’s
Thoughts of a Colored Man
Skeleton Crew
For Colored Girls…
Skin of Our Teeth
What To Send Up When It Goes Down
Wedding Band

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

Ellenore Scott, Mr. Saturday Night
Bill T. Jones, Chloe Davis, Gelan Lambert, Paradise Square
Raja Feather Kelly, A Strange Loop
Ellenore Scott & Ayodele Casel (ah-yo-deli), Funny Girl
Adesola Osakulumi,( Skeleton Crew
Darrell Grand Moultrie, Space Dogs

BEST DIRECTION (OFF-BROADWAY)

Stori Ayers, Confederates
Saheem Ali, Merry Wives
Candis C. Jones, Cullud wattah
Whitney White, On Sugarland
Awoye Timpo, Wedding Band
Saheem Ali, Nollywood Dreams

BEST DIRECTION ( BROADWAY)

Zhailon Levingston, Chicken & Biscuits
Steve H. Broadnax III, Thoughts of a Colored Man
Ruben Santiago Hudson, Skeleton Crew
Camille A. Brown, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Charles Randolph-Wright, Trouble In Mind
Lileana Blain-Cruz, Skin of Our Teeth

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
Stacey Derosier, Wedding Band
Alan C. Edwards, Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992

BEST SCENIC DESIGN

Chris Cumberbatch, Gong Lum’s Legacy
Lawrence E. Moten III, Chicken & Biscuits

BEST SOUND DESIGN

Mikaal Sulaiman, On Sugarland
Jimmy Keys, Confederates
*Rena Anakwe, Wedding Band
Justin Ellington, Clyde’s
Justin Ellington, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Twi McCallum (twee), Little Girl Blue

BEST COSTUME DESIGN (OFF-BROADWAY) 

Ari Fulton, Confederates
Dede M. Ayite, Merry Wives
Dede M. Ayite, Nollywood Dreams
Qween Jean, On Sugarland
Kara Harmon, Cullud wattah
Toni-Leslie James, Suffs

BEST COSTUME DESIGN (BROADWAY)

Paul Tazewell, MJ: The Musical
Toni-Leslie James, Paradise Square
Sarafina Bush, Passover
Emilio Sosa, Skeleton Crew
Sarafina Bush, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Montana Levi Blanco, Skin of Our Teeth

BEST WIG/HAIR  DESIGN

Nikiya Mathis, Nollywood Dreams
*Earon DiAnna (di-Anne-yah) On Sugarland
Cookie Jordan, Skin of Our Teeth
Cookie Jordan Clyde’s
Nikiya Mathis, Confederates
Earon Chew Nealey, Cullud wattah

BEST MUSIC IN A PLAY
Justin Hicks, Cullud wattah
Justin Ellington, Tambo & Bones
Starr Busby, On Sugarland
Alphonso Horne, Wedding Band
Bill Sims Jr., Lackawanna Blues
Jimmy Keys, Skeleton Crew

*Te’La ( Tayla) and Kamauu, & Keenan Scott II, Thoughts of a Colored Man

BEST ORCHESTRATION

Jason Michael Webb, MJ: The Musical
Joseph Joubert, Caroline, Or Change
Daryl Waters, Black No More

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Michael R. Jackson, A Strange Loop
James Posner, Daryl Waters, Anthony Tidd, Tariq Trotter, Black No More
Masi Asare, Paradise Square

BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL

John Ridley, Black No More
*Kwame Kweo-Armah, The Visitor
Lynn Nottage, Intimate Apparel Opera
Lynn Nottage, MJ: The Musical

*A Strange Loop won this category in 2020. Artists are ineligible for nomination if previously won the category for the same work.

KINFOLK AWARDS will be announced by Broadway Black at a later date.