Wendell Pierce, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, John Douglass Thompson and Suzan-Lori Parks are set to be honored by the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) at their inaugural Salute to Broadway event.
The event will take place on Oct. 17th at The Lambs Club in the heart of Midtown’s theater district.
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The inaugural ceremony will spotlight several established TV and film actors who have returned to the stage in current Broadway productions.
“It’s no secret that some of our greatest actors have come from the stage or have tested their chops on it,” said Gil Robertson, co-founder of AAFCA. “Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis are just a handful of our beloved icons for which this was true, with Tony winners Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Audra McDonald, Adrienne Warren and Myles Frost among those continuing that legacy. As a reliable pipeline for outstanding Black talent in front of the camera as well as behind it, Hollywood has benefited greatly from this esteemed training ground and AAFCA Salutes Broadway celebrates that rich heritage.”
Pierce will be honored with the Beacon Award for his lead role in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. The production is currently in its run at Broadway’s Hudson Theatre.
Tony-nominated actress Richardson Jackson, who made her Broadway directorial debut with August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson will receive the Vanguard Award. Jackson also made history as first woman to direct a Wilson play on a main Broadways stage. Its currently in production at Ethel Barrymore Theatre.
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Suzan-Lori Parks will receive the Spotlight Award for her Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Topdog/Underdog, which is currently in its first Broadway revival.
Stage actor John Douglas Thompson, who is noted for his many Shakespearean roles, including his barrier-breaking turn in “The Merchant of Venice,” and is featured on the big screen in Till, which recently premiered at the New York Film Festival, will receive the Distinguished Achievement Award.
“The intersectionality that exists between the theater, tv and film communities needs to be celebrated,” says Tony Award-winning producer Debra Martin Chase. “I am absolutely thrilled that AAFCA continues to do the work of championing artists in these spaces.”
There will be an unannounced addition to the program. The AAFCA’s inaugural Salute to Broadway event will take place on Oct. 17th at The Lambs Club in the heart of Midtown’s theater district.