Tonya Pinkins to be Awarded With the 2020 LPTW Rachel Crothers Leadership Award

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. Gifts above the suggested donation ticket prices are also 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. Musical guests include fellow Broadway veterans, Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel Theatre Awards nominee Luba Mason and Obie Award winner, Darius de Haas. 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. This year's honoree, the multi-award-winning actress, author and educator, Tonya Pinkins, exemplifies the spirit of the LPTW Rachel Crothers Leadership Award.

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.

Alongside her professional achievements, Pinkins was selected for the LPTW Rachel Crothers Leadership Award because of her #BlackPerspectivesMatter brand of activism in white theatre spaces. Throughout her career, Pinkins has been outspoken and unapologetic about the ways in which she feels the American theatre mirrors institutionalized racism. There are many paths to righting the wrongs of the epidemic of racism in our country. Due to the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others, Pinkins continues to champion individual action, often at great expense and sacrifice to herself.