The Return of the Antonyo Awards (With Another Name)

Have no fear, the Antonyo Awards will be back, though under a new name. Voting is currently underway for the 2022 edition of the awards, which looks to be a permanent fixture in theater awards.

On October 7, 2022--a mere three days before 2nd Annual Antonyo Awards were supposed to take place at the Apollo Theater--the Antonyos were canceled. The related press release was light on details. Rumors swirled. Broadway Black founder Drew Shade, who originally conceived of the awards in 2020, stayed silent publicly.

"I didn't--and I don't--want anything hijacking the mission of what the awards is," Shade said in a recent interview. "The awards are about bringing joy to life."

Shade created the awards to celebrate black excellence in the theater. He foresaw it as a show that would supplement and live alongside all the existing awards, including the AUDELCO Awards, which also honors black theater and its artists. The inaugural Antonyos ceremony, presented on Juneteenth, 2020, was streamed on YouTube.

"I see a lot of artists that deserve recognition, that deserve acknowledgment for things that they break their backs to create," Shade said. "They deserve a time just to feel good about themselves and dress up, come together and hug on each other without limitations. I also want people to know there is a lot of stuff happening that you should see, that you should support."

Shade considered the first Antonyos a rousing success and sought to get sponsorship and additional support for the second year of the prize. Because of the pandemic, 2021 was not the year, but rather 2022. While the public voted on both nominees and winners for the first edition, a more formal nominating committee was created for the second awards. Nominations for those awards were announced on Monday, June 20, 2022 (the day Juneteenth was legally observed last year) and, in August, it was announced that the awards would be held in-person at the legendary Apollo. All seemed to be going well, until it was not.

While Shade did not want to speak about what led to the cancelation, it appears it was all in the name. The American Theatre Wing was, rumor has it, not happy with the name the Antonyo Awards, which bears an obvious similarity to the Tony Awards. Discussions ensued. While the Wing seemingly did not force the cancelation (by legal means or otherwise), the name change pressure is likely what led to it. The producers of the Awards Formerly Known as the Antonyos are now soliciting name suggestions from the community.

The good news is that the delay allowed additional time for the public to vote on their favorite nominees. Voting is currently open through tomorrow, February 14, 2023, on the nominees announced in 2022. Voters can also suggest a new award show name on the voting form.

Shade declined to say when and how the 2nd set of awards would be given because he wished it to remain a surprise, but he did promise recipients will be acknowledged. And nominations for the 2022-2023 season will be announced in May with an eye toward a large in-person ceremony.

"My whole goal has been to get black people that normally would not feel as though the theater was meant for them, or would welcome them, to get them to come along for the ride," Shade said. "I try to cultivate ways to make that happen. This is a great tool for that and it will happen every year."