50TH ANNUAL VIVIAN ROBINSON AUDELCO RECOGNITION AWARDS “THE VIV” for Excellence in Black Theatre; Full List of Winners
The 50TH Annual Vivian Robinson AUDELCO Recognition Awards, “THE VIV” for Excellence in Black Theatre celebrated 50 years of AUDELCO Excellence at Tribeca Performing Arts Center in New York on November 28.
ELLA: FIRST LADY OF SONG 2022 AUDELCO winners Dionne Hendricks, Lee Summers, Harriet D. Foy. Photo by Benjamin Smith
Madison Theatre at Molloy College’s production of Ella: First Lady of Song, written and directed by Lee Summers and conceived by Maurice Hines, won five 2022 AUDELCO ”Viv” Awards including Best Musical, Best Director of a Musical for Lee Summers, Best Lead Actress in a Musical for Freda Payne, Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Harriett D. Foy, and Outstanding Musical Director for Dionne Hendricks.
The Public Theater’s production of Erika Dickerson-Despenza’s cullud wattah and New Federal Theatre’s world premiere of Charles L. White’s Gong Lum’s Legacy were both named Best Play. Theatre for a New Audience’s revival of Alice Childress’ Wedding Band garnered Best Revival and Featured Actress in a Play for Elizabeth Van Dyke, who was also honored with a 2022 Graces Jones Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Black Theatre.
Congratulations to all of the winners and honorees.
The company of The Public Theater’s production of FAT HAM. Photo by Joan Marcus
Ronald “Smokey” Stevens’ in his autographical show, “I Just Want to Tell Somebody,” with a photo of him in the Broadway musical “Bubbling Brown Sugar” presented by Theater for the New City. Photo credit: Jonathan Slaff
BEST SOLO PERFORMANCE
Ronald “Smokey” Stevens [I Just Want to Tell Somebody]
Leanne Antonio, Brandon Victor Dixon, Tariq Trotter, Oneika Phillips, in Black No More. Photo credit: Monique Carboni.
LEAD ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Brandon Victor Dixon [Black No More]
Dionne Hendricks, Gerald Lindsey, Greg Bufford, Freda Payne in ELLA: FIRST LADY OF SONG. Photo Credit: Jeff Wilson
LEAD ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Freda Payne [Ella: First Lady of Song]
Stephanie Berry, Lizan Mitchell, Adeola Role, KiKi Layne, Billy Eugene Jones, and Caleb Eberhardt in On Sugarland. Photo: Joan Marcus
Andrea Patterson, Lizan Mitchell and Crystal Dickinson in a scene from the world premiere of Erika Dickerson-Despenza’s “Cullud Wattah” at The Public Theater. Photo credit: Joan Marcus
BEST PLAY
Erika Dickerson-Despenza’s cullud wattah [The Public Theater]
Charles L. White’s Gong Lum’s Legacy (New Federal Theatre)
Standing: Lighting Designer Victor En Yu Tan, DeShawn White, Henry Yuk, Alinca Hamilton, Eric Yang, Anthony T. Goss; seated: Director Elizabeth Van Dyke and Playwright Charles L. White on the set of GONG LUM’s LEGACY at Theatre @ St. Clements in New York. Photo by Lia Chang
Lia Chang is an actor, a multi-media content producer, activist, documentarian and an Award winning filmmaker and co-founder of Bev’s Girl Films, making films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. Lia is also the host and Executive Producer of BACKSTAGE PASS WITH LIA CHANG, an Arts and Entertainment and Lifestyle program that airs on Sundays at 6:30pm on FIOS 34, RCN 83, Spectrum 56/1996.
Bev’s Girl Films’ debut short film, Hide and Seek was a top ten film in the Asian American Film Lab’s 2015 72 Hour Shootout Filmmaking Competition, and she received a Best Actress nomination. Her short film, When the World Was Young garnered a 2021 DisOrient Film Audience Choice Award for Best Short Narrative. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman. She stars in and served as Executive Producer for the short independent films Hide and Seek, Balancing Act, Rom-Com Gone Wrong, Belongingness and When the World was Young. She is also the Executive Producer for The Cactus, The Language Lesson, The Writer and Cream and 2 Shugahs. BGF collaborates with and produces multi-media content for artists, actors, designers, theatrical productions, composers, musicians and corporations.
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HUMANITARIAN – CIVIL RIGHT AWARD
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD HONOREES
PIONEER AWARD
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
BOARD OF DIRECTORS AWARD
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Backstage Pass with Lia Chang 