One of the most exciting events every year is covering the Red Carpet at the Tony Awards. On Sunday, June 8, the Red Carpet outside of Radio City at the 78 Annual Tony Awards was incredibly exciting to be on. This has been one of the most exciting Broadway seasons in a long time and you could feel it on the carpet as the stars came out, many nominated this year for productions including “A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical”; “Gypsy”, and “Purpose”. What made the Tony Awards this year, personally gratifying for me, was that the winner of the Excellence in Theatre Education Award bestowed by the Tony Awards and Carnegie Mellon University was Mr. Gary Edwin Robinson, Theatre Teacher at Boys & Girls High School in Brooklyn, who was actually my younger daughter, Jasmine’s theater teacher at her performing arts middle school!
As I looked down the red carpet, I could see him doing interviews, dressed in an elegant tuxedo. When he saw me on the press line his face lit up, as did mine. At a time when arts programs are being cut, Robinson talked about the importance of having the program for his students. “It’s very important because what I have discovered in the theater classroom black box experience, when I ask –– have you ever had art? The answer is often no. Well did you have fine arts, drawing class, chorus, band? No. Did you have some kind of drama? No. It’s shocking that in the 21st century, many children have never had any kind of art. That’s unacceptable. At Boys & Girls they have this opportunity…Many students come to me and ask me what is this? That’s when my job really begins because now I know that I’m starting at base and I have to build. When students buy into this, it looks strange, you get a little resistance, a little push back, but that’s because they don’t know who they are within the arts and when they discover it, it’s like I can’t get them out of my room, I need them to go to class. So, they buy into it and it’s a love for themselves, which they found through theater and an understanding of themselves. It’s an awakening moment when they can say, hey I didn’t know that about myself yesterday. I’m pretty good at that. He said I have a good voice, he said I can act, he said I can direct, he said I know how to run lights, look for colors, all those are career starters. If it doesn’t lead you to theater it will lead you to film and television. With all of these social medias all over the place, you have major opportunities to have a job that you really enjoy,” Robinson shared. Discussing the $10,000 Award, he said, “It’s about the students, how is this money going to benefit them, what are their needs and the program that they are in? It’s not just about textbooks, what theater experiences can we get for these students? How do we further expose them? They go to the Broadway Theater constantly, what else can we do? College tours have a major impact, because when I take you on a college tour you are not just walking through the campus, you have to sit in a college classroom. For a student of color you have to see others sitting in a classroom at a higher educational level. The $10,000 has to be mapped out dollar for dollar.”.
Camille A. Brown, nominated for choreography for “Gypsy” , was appreciative of the nomination. “I feel good. It’s very nice to be acknowledged, this is my fifth one.” Brown uses a mixture of dance genres, explaining why she stated, “I believe that’s what they called for and I was trained for everything in school. When we’re thinking about a jazz or tap routine I really leaned on the knowledge I had as a dancer. Since we’re also talking about story, that opens us up to doing different things and incorporating different styles.”
Linda Armstrong photos
Amber Iman, star of “Goddess” at The Public Theatre, was on the red carpet. 
“Purpose” playwright, Brandon Jacob-Jenkins nominated for best play 
Brian Stokes Mitchell and wife Allyson Tucker, Mitchell was the Tony Award’s announcer. 
Choreographer Camille A. Brown nominated for “Gypsy”. 
Costume designer Dede Ayite on the red carpet nominated for costumes for “Buena Vista Social Club.” 
Gary Edwin Robinson awarded the Theater Educator Tony honor. 
Actor/Producer “Purpose”, Glenn Davis on the red carpet. 
James Monroe Iglehart, nominated for lead performance by an actor in a musical for “A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical.” 
Joy Woods, nominated for featured actress in a musical for “Gypsy” on the red carpet. 
LaChanze, a producer for “Purpose” nominated for best play and five other nominations for the cast members. 
LaTanya Richardson Jackson nominated for lead performance by an actress in a play for “Purpose.” 
Michelle Williams stars in the Tony nominated “Death Becomes Her.” 
Original “Hamilton” cast member, Okieriete Onaodowan, on the red carpet performing in the 10th anniversary performance of the show at the Tony Awards.
Original “Hamilton” cast member “Oak”—Okieriete Onaodowan who plays Hercules Mulligan/James Madison was thrilled to be back with the show for the 10th anniversary and to be part of the cast performing at the Tony Awards. Talking about being part of a show that is a legacy and how much people still love it, he said, “It means that we put out good art. At the end of the day we’re artists and we really want to make something that’s successful, makes money, but as artists we want people to feel, people to resonate with it. We want it to help them get through some things and I think that’s the most inspiring thing for me is having people say I listened to this..That’s how I got through my chemo treatment. For me that’s more important than any smash success that I could be a part of or have been a part of. After 10 years, people put it on after a hard day or to celebrate something that is a gift and a testament to true artistry.”
James Monroe Iglehart nominated for actor in a leading role in a musical for “A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical”, which he starred in and also co-directed. Talking about the production he shared, “I was one of the co-directors with Christopher Renshaw and Christina Sajous and that means we directed the show. We got our crew together, we sat in a room for 7 months and moved songs around and choreography around and we put together what you saw.” Explaining why it was important to bring this show to Broadway, he explained, “Because most people think they know Louis Armstrong and they don’t. He is one of the most authentic Black men in the world. A smiling nice guy, where everything was always okay, that’s not truly who he was. It wasn’t who he was at all, it’s who they tried to portray him as and when he got real, they tried to cancel him. You can’t cancel greatness. The one song he came back with that destroyed everybody was ‘Hello Dolly.’ He knocked the Beatles out of the top spot with that song and he went on to be one of the biggest stars in the world and I wanted to tell that story. I wanted to tell the authentic story of this Black man because I’m standing on his shoulders, he knocked down doors so that we could do this and I wanted people to know.”
Dede Ayite, nominated for costume design for a musical for “Buena Vista Social Club” shared what she was trying to convey about the people of Cuba through the costumes. “It’s such a complicated existence and I wanted the clothes to represent them as real people, to also highlight the joy and also the resilience in their lives. I had to find fabrics that felt resilient and strong and could stand the test of time and [portray] the culture. Hopefully the clothes help highlight that existence.” Regarding research, she said she looked at photos and leaned on her cast mates who are Cuban “to get a bit of truth infused into my work.”
Paul Tazewell nominated for custom design of a musical for “Death Becomes Her,” regarding the nomination said, “I [am] very moved, I’m very honored to have my work acknowledged, especially for a musical like this, it’s so outlandish and not what I usually do, but I had an amazing time…There are illusions of a hole in a person’s body and a twisted neck so it was figuring out how the costumes could support that, so it was a lot of fun,” he added.
Brian Stokes Mitchell and wife Allyson Tucker stopped by to speak to AmNews –– Mitchell was an announcer for the Tony’s this year, considering the Black talent on Broadway this season –– on Audra, the cast of “Purpose” and how excited should people feel about coming to Broadway, Mitchell remarked, “They should feel very excited, if you want to see yourself on a Broadway stage, no matter who you are or what you look like, this is the year to do it. Everybody seems to be represented this year in a beautiful way and the work is extraordinary between the performers, designers, the writers, the creators, the directors, it’s blowing my mind.”
Branden Jacob-Jenkins, playwright “Purpose” nominated for best play. Talking about his feelings regarding the Tony nomination, he shared, “It’s wild. It’s really a group effort. I feel like this company was so connected, so collaborative, it really feels like a celebration of the work we did together, so I feel very honored to be here and be here with five actors that were nominated and Alana is here tonight, so it’s just a big party.” Considering how many Black people this show brought to Broadway, Jacob-Jenkins said, “I just want people to come to a place to feel safe and express how they feel and I think we’ve done it. I’m just touched, I’m very moved.”
LaChanze, a producer for “Purpose” shared how she found out about the project. “It was in Chicago at Steppenwolf Theatre, I knew it was happening and I had been working with Branden and I was excited to be working with him. I read the script and loved it. I spoke to the lead producer and he said, I’d love to have you join the team and here I am. I’m about producing work that I think is going to increase our audience development. Branden’s work is brilliant.” Continuing her tradition of producing a musical and a play, LaChanze is also a producer on Buena Vista Social Club.
Joy Woods, nominated for performance by an actress in a featured role in a musical for “Gypsy” remarked, “The nomination is very surreal. I just came here to learn and to be recognized in this way is very special. It feels good to know I’m on the right track in terms of learning.” Working with Audra McDonald, Woods said, “Every show with this lady, it’s the best class. She’s a student herself and to feel safe enough and to figure out what is what with her, it’s an honor.” Regarding working with George C. Wolfe and Audra, Wood stated, “I’ll be pinching myself for years to come that I was a part of this.”
Harry Lennix, nominated for performance by an actor in a leading role in a play for “Purpose” said, “I feel very good about the nomination. It’s very humbling and uplifting. I’ve been inspired to continue to dig deep in the work and continue to find what is new, what is fresh and what will continue to resonate with the audiences.” Explaining what it means to him to be a part of this work, Lennix said, “It means a great deal. This is the first play I’ve been in, in 18 years. I’ve done television and film. But to be in this production, it means a great deal. I grew up without my father. My father died when I was not quite two. I studied to be a Catholic priest where I called a bunch of other men father and to be able to be a father in a family that I think is relevant, that is identifiable, not just for Black families, but for every family. I can’t tell you, I hear from people, old people, young people, White people, Black people, Asian people, stating, you remind me of my father… it’s been quite remarkable in that way and I think that’s a testament to the ingeniousness of the writer, but I also think it’s something that was instilled in me that fulfills a desire that since I did not have a father, I could in some way be that for other people.”
Glenn Davis, nominated for performance by an actor in a leading role in a play also for “Purpose”, who is also one of the producers of the play, talked about the production’s nominations. Davis shared, “You came and saw the play and you told me you’re going to win a Tony, so we’re here. I feel great, here with six Tony nominations and with this brilliant cast…I couldn’t be more proud having bought this production from the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago to the Helen Hayes here on Broadway. Nothing beats success other than success with your friends, so a lot of these folks are long time friends of mine and we’re having the most amazing time.” Regarding what it means to be part of a production that is so meaningful, Davis shared, “Each day before we start the play we huddle in a circle, we talk about what this play means to the moment, to the culture, to the community. It feels like we’re doing something important. We love the work, we enjoy the work, but it’s another level, you feel like you’re doing it and you’re really affecting lives, affecting people, speaking to a specific moment in our culture right now. To have this be something that people can digest and engage in and think about with all that’s going on in the world, I feel very proud that we’re bringing this play to fruition right now…I pinch myself to be working with this cast and director Phylicia Rashad.”
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, nominated for performance by an actress in a leading role in a play for “Purpose”, was overjoyed to talk about the nomination for her matriarch character who stands by her family no matter what. “Brandon has written an epic piece that thematically translates into different communities, but for our community in particular, it’s someone that we recognize. We also recognize the men in this piece, we do stand by them, we’re critical of it, I hope that came across as well, but there’s something about holding the nucleus of the family in any form that we can do. Women hold up the world. I stole everything that I do from all the women I have met and I have homogenized in my life,” Jackson said.