Details Announced for 2020 LPTW Rachel Crothers Leadership Award Event Honoring Tonya Pinkins

The League of Professional Theatre Women will bestow the 2020 LPTW Rachel Crothers Leadership Award to multi-award-winning actress, author, and activist, Tonya Pinkins. The award will be presented on Monday, December 7 from 7:00pm - 9:00pm on Zoom. Suggested Donation Ticket Pricing: LPTW Members $10; Non-Member Artists $15; Non-Member Single Ticket $50 (includes Friend of the League membership); VIP ticket $65 (includes name in program and Friend of the League membership); $120 two VIP tickets (includes both names in program and two Friend of the League memberships). Sponsorships are available (which include the aforementioned plus a virtual journal ad; for more information contact RCLA@theatrewomen.org). In consideration of COVID-19, all suggested donations are tax deductible and a "pay what you wish" option is available. And yes, gifts above the suggested donation ticket prices are welcome! To purchase tickets or make a donation visit https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pe.c/10591794.

The host for the event is Broadway veteran and Tony-winner, Chuck Cooper. Cooper says of the LPTW Rachel Crothers Leadership Award honoree, "Anything that might be said of Tonya Pinkins in a mere quote is doomed to fall short. The majesty of her character and the depth of her artistry is why I simply call her a Goddess." Cooper won the Tony award for his performance in Cy Coleman's The Life. He has been featured in 16 Broadway shows in every theatrical genre from Shakespeare to musical comedy. His most recent guest starring TV appearances include Little Voice, New Amsterdam, City on a Hill, Power, Ghost, The Good Wife, House of Cards, Madam Secretary, and Bluff City Law. Other awards: The Lucille Lortel Award, The San Diego Critics' Circle Award, two AUDELCO Recognition Awards for Excellence in Black Theatre, one Outer Critics Circle, and two Drama Desk Nominations.

Congratulatory remarks will be made by Sylvia Sprinkle Hamlin of the National Black Theatre Festival who says of Pinkins receiving this honor, "Ms. Pinkins is a committed and dedicated professional who is deserving of such an honor, not only because of her Marvtasktic talent, but also for the example she sets for young black and brown performers to speak out if something's not right in the theatre's where they may find themselves working." Hamlin is the wife of the late Larry Leon Hamlin who founded the National Black Theatre Festival in 1989. This bi-annual festival presents over 100 performances, attracting 65,000 visitors to Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Hamlin's goal in creating the Festival was "to unite black theatre companies in America to ensure the survival of the genre into the next millennium". And indeed, thirty-one years later under the leadership of Sylvia Sprinkle Hamlin and Jackie Alexander, the National Black Theatre Festival continues to bring the theatre-going public the best of Black Theatre both nationally and internationally. The New York Times once said, the "National Black Theatre Festival is one of the most historic and culturally significant events in the history of black theatre and American theatre in general." In 2019 the National Black Theatre Festival was honored at Theatre Communication Group's Arts Advocacy for the Field Gala.

Tonya Pinkins is a Tony, Obie, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel Award-winning actor, among other awards and honors. She has appeared in nine Broadway shows, including the original Merrily We Roll Along, Caroline, Or Change (Tony nominee), and Jelly's Last Jam (Tony Award, Best Supporting Actress). In addition to her extensive work in the American theatre, she is a veteran of daytime television, most notably for her role as Livia Frye on All My Children. She has also appeared on a variety of television shows including Gotham, Fear the Walking Dead, Wu Tang-American Saga, and Madam Secretary. Pinkins is also an educator, a motivational speaker and the author of a book, Get Over Yourself: How to Drop the Drama and Claim the Life You Deserve. Her podcast, You Can't Say That, can be heard on the Broadway Podcast Network. Pinkins produced, directed, and co-wrote Truth & Reconciliation: Womyn Working It Out! She is currently writing, producing, directing, and starring in a socio-political horror film, Red Pill.

The LPTW Rachel Crothers Leadership Award is given to a theatre woman of high achievement who has distinguished herself in exemplary service and sacrifice for a common cause while simultaneously making significant contributions to the American theatre. Multi-award-winning actress, author and activist, Tonya Pinkins, exemplifies the spirit of the LPTW Rachel Crothers Leadership Award.

Photo Credit: James Alexander, Sneak Peek Photography