Black Theater Alliance/Ira Aldridge Awards Nominees Announced

The House That Will Not Stand / Photo: Victory Gardens Theater
The House That Will Not Stand / Photo: Victory Gardens Theater

The Black Theater Alliance announced its nominees for the 22nd Annual Black Theater Alliance/Ira Aldridge Awards. The event will be held Monday, October 17, 2016 at eta Creative Arts Foundation, located at 7558 S. South Chicago Avenue from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a reception before the awards ceremony.
Here is a complete list of the nominees:
The Negro Ensemble Company Award
Outstanding Stage Production
Dynamite Divas A Tribute to Women of Soul – Black Ensemble Theater
Maya’s Last Poem – Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre
Migration – eta Creative Arts Foundation
Supreme Love – Tapman Productions
What I Learned In Paris – Congo Square Theatre Company
 
The Target Community Relations Award
Best Ensemble
Direct From Death Row The Scottsboro Boys  (An Evening of Vaudeville and Sorrow) – Raven Theatre Company
Fabulation, Or The Re-Education of Undine – Pulse Theatre Company Chicago
The Hairy Ape – Oracle Theatre
The House That Will Not Stand – Victory Gardens Theatre
Migration – eta Creative Arts Foundation
 
The Lloyd Richards Award
Best Direction of a Play
Monty Cole – The Hairy Ape – Oracle Theatre
Ron OJ Parson – Sunset Baby – TimeLine Theatre Company
Kemati Porter – Migration – eta Creative Arts Foundation
Aaron Mitchell Reese – Fabulation, Or The Re-Education of Undine – Pulse Theatre Company Chicago
Tim Rhoze – Maya’s Last Poem – Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre
 
The Lorraine Hansberry Award
Best Writing of a Play
Michael Bradford – Migration – eta Creative Arts Foundation
Kevin Douglas – Thaddeus and Slocum  a Vaudeville Adventure – Lookingglass Theatre Co.
Marcus Gardley – The House That Will Not Stand – Victory Gardens Theater
Ike Holter – Prowess – Jackalope Theatre Company
Dominique Morisseau – Sunset Baby – TimeLine Theatre Company
Roy Williams – Sucker Punch – Victory Gardens Theater
 
The Sidney Poitier Award
Best Leading Actor in a Play (Drama or Comedy)
Maurice Demus – Sucker Punch – Victory Gardens Theater
Osiris Khepera – Bars and Measures – Prop Theatre Company
Julian Parker – The Hairy Ape – Oracle Theatre
Marc Rogers – Sins of the Father – eta Creative Arts Foundation
Namir Smallwood – The Grapes of Wrath – The Gift Theatre Company
Eamonn Walker – Between Riverside and Crazy – Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Dexter Zollicofer – Charm – Northlight Theatre
 
The Ossie Davis Award
Best Featured Actor in a Play (Drama or Comedy)
David Alan Anderson – Gem of the Ocean – Court Theatre
Bernard Gilbert – Our Lady of 121st Street – Eclipse Theatre Company
Denzel Love – Sucker Punch – Victory Gardens Theater
Kevin Patterson – Direct From Death Row The Scottsboro Boys (An Evening of Vaudeville and  Sorrow) –Raven Theater Co.
Kelvin Roston, Jr. – Sunset Baby – TimeLine Theatre Company
Phillip Edward Van Lear – Sunset Baby – TimeLine Theatre Company
 
The Ben Vereen Award
Best Performance By An Actor In A Musical
Kenny Davis – Those Sensational Soulful Sixties – Black Ensemble Theater
Direoce Junirs – Doo Wop Shoo Bop – Black Ensemble Theater
Eric Lewis – Dreamgirls – Porchlight Music Theatre
Evan Tyrone Martin – Dreamgirls – Porchlight Music Theatre
Travis Turner – Thaddeus and Slocum  A Vaudeville Adventure – Lookingglass Theatre Co.
 
The Ruby Dee Award
Best Leading Actress in a Play (Drama or Comedy)
Shanesia Davis – What I Learned In Paris – Congo Square Theatre Company
Lizan Mitchell – The House That Will Not Stand – Victory Gardens Theater Company
Toya Turner – For Her As A Piano – Pegasus Theatre Chicago
Anji White – Sunset Baby – TimeLine Theatre Company
Jacqueline Williams – Gem of the Ocean – Court Theatre
 
The Hattie McDaniel Award
Best Featured Actress in a Play (Drama or Comedy)
Kona N. Burks – The Grapes of Wrath – The Gift Theatre Company
Linda Bright Clay – The House That Will Not Stand – Victory Gardens Theater Company
Kristin Ellis – What I Learned In Paris – Congo Square Theatre Company
Kiki Layne – Byhalia, Mississippi – Definition Theatre Company and The New Colony
Katrina Richard – Direct From Death Row The Scottsboro Boys (An Evening of Vaudeville and Sorrow) – Raven Theatre Co.
Jacqueline Williams – The House That Will Not Stand – Victory Gardens Theater Company
 
The Diahann Carroll Award
Best Performance By An Actress In A Musical
Shari Addison – Dynamite Divas A Tribute To Women of Soul – Black Ensemble Theater
Candace C. Edwards – Dreamgirls – Porchlight Music Theatre
Kyla Frye – Those Sensational Soulful Sixties – Black Ensemble Theater
Donica Lynn – Dreamgirls – Porchlight Music Theatre
Alexis J. Roston – Don’t Make Me Over In Tribute To Dionne Warwick – Black Ensemble Theatre
 
The Denzel Washington Award
Most Promising Actor
Donald Conley
Kai A. Ealy
Gregory Fenner
Jeffery Owen Freelon
Juwan Lockett
 
The Phylicia Rashad Award
Most Promising Actress
Demetria Drayton
LaQuis Harkins
Kiki Layne
Alexis Syncere
Alexis Willis
 
The Duke Ellington Award
Best Musical Direction
Raji Halim – Supreme Love – Tapman Productions
Robert Reddrick – Doo Wop Shoo Bop – Black Ensemble Theater
Robert Reddrick – Dynamite Divas A Tribute to Women of Soul – Black Ensemble Theater
Clifton Robinson – One Root, Many Branches – Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago
 
Best Costume Design
Jos N. Banks – Fabulation, Or The Re-Education of Undine – Pulse Theatre Company Chicago
Andrea Brown – Migration – eta Creative Arts Foundation
Rueben Echoles – Don’t Make Me Over In Tribute To Dionne Warwick – Black Ensemble Theater
Ruthanne Swanson – Doo Wop Shoo Bop – Black Ensemble Theater
 
Best Lighting Design
Jared Gooding – Maya’s Last Poem – Fleetwood-Jordain Theatre
Denise Karczewski – Don’t Make Me Over In Tribute To Dionne Warwick – Black Ensemble Theater
Richard Norwood – A Small Oak Tree Runs Red – Congo Square Theatre Company
Kathy Perkins – Migration – eta Creative Arts Foundation
 
Best Set Design
Phyllis Griffin – Lines In The Dust – eta Creative Arts Foundation
Justin Longnecker – Maya’s Last Poem – Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre
Andrei Onegin – What I Learned In Paris – Congo Square Theatre Company
Tianyu Qiu – Sins of the Father – eta Creative Arts Foundation
 
Best Sound Design
Phyllis Curtwright – Migration – eta Creative Arts Foundation
Mahmoud Khan – Repairing A Nation – eta Creative Arts Foundation
Rick Sims – What I Learned In Paris – Congo Square Theatre Company
Aaron Quick – Dynamite Divas A Tribute to Women of Soul – Black Ensemble Theater
 
The Katherine Dunham Award
Best Choreography 
Beon Arzell – The Hairy Ape – Oracle Theatre
Idy Ciss – Tomanka/Liberte – Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago
Rueben Echoles – Don’t Make Me Over In Tribute To Dionne Warwick – Black Ensemble Theater
Joel Hall – Anja: The Unexpected – Joel Hall Dancers and Center
Jumanne Taylor – Supreme Love – Tapman Productions
 
The Alvin Ailey Award
Best Choreography (Non-Resident)
Robert Battle – No Longer Silent – Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Camille A. Brown – Black Girl: Linquistic Play – Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago
Samantha Speis and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar – Walking With Trane – Dance Center of College Chicago
 
Tickets are $25. To purchase or for more information, call 773-624-5729.

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