THOUGHTS OF A COLORED MAN Playwright Keenan Scott II Honored With Sardi's Portrait

Thoughts of a Colored Man producer Kandi Burruss announced today that the author of acclaimed Broadway play, Keenan Scott II, is the youngest Black playwright to be honored with a Sardi's portrait - one of the most enduring and coveted theatrical traditions.

The Broadway institution has amassed over 1,200 caricatures of famed faces connected to the theatre industry with approximately 900 portraits on display - from the first drawing by Alex Gard (of Ted Healy) in the late twenties to now Keenan Scott II's portrait which will go up at Sardi's in the next few months. Date to be announced.

"I can't tell you how proud it makes me that our brilliant Keenan's face will be up on the walls of Sardi's alongside incredible luminaries from the theater community - present and past," said producer Burruss. "It is truly an honor both for Keenan and our show Thoughts of a Colored Man," she added.

When Thoughts of a Colored Man opened on Oct. 13, 2021, it made history as the first Broadway show to be written, directed by, starring and lead produced by Black men.

Located in the heart of the Theatre District, Sardi's has been a staple of the American Theatre dining experience since it first opened by Vincent Sardi Jr. and Eugenia Sardi in 1921 - drawing both industry insiders and Broadway-loving visitors. Many famous actors and celebrities have dined here since its establishment, with many being featured on its iconic wall of celebrity caricatures. The menu offers traditional American cuisine.

Keenan Scott II is a playwright, poet, actor, director, and producer of original work from Queens, New York. His work has been workshopped and produced at notable theaters such as National Black Theater, New York Theater Workshop, Arena Stage and Woolly Mammoth. His critically acclaimed play Thoughts of a Colored Man world premiered at Syracuse Stage for their 2019-2020 season and transferred to Baltimore Center Stage to finish its regional run, before settling at the Golden Theater during the 2021-2022 Broadway Season, where he made his writing and unconventional acting debut.

Scott was chosen to be a part of the 2021 TED Fellow cohort to be among a global community of artists, inventors and scientists. His latest work The Migration LP and new original musical The Return of Young Boy is currently being developed at New York Stage & Film, while his other stage plays are in various stages of development. He is a part of the creative team of the miniseries A Luv Tale by Sidra Smith, now on BET+. He is also developing an array of projects for television and film, currently developing a pilot with UCP of NBCUniversal and adapting a novel by JJ Bola called The Selfless Act of Breathing with BRON Studios.