BTC to Host 2nd Annual BUILDING THE CHANGE Gala in March

BTC will host its second annual Building the Change Gala on Monday, March 3, 2025 in New York City at the Rainbow Room.
 
This year's gala will celebrate inclusion in the arts with the presentation of three prestigious awards: the Poitier-Belafonte Award for Cultural Activism (2024 recipient: Ava DuVernay), the Chadwick Boseman Change Maker Award (2024 recipient: National Black Theatre), and the Lynn Nottage Bold Beacon Award (2024 recipient: LaLa Anthony). Honorees and special guests will be announced at a later date.
 
This event is celebrating entertainment professionals working in theater, film, television, cultural institutions, and music which will be held at the Rainbow Room at 6:00 pm ET cocktails, followed by a 7:00 pm ET dinner and tribute.  
 
During these unprecedented times, BTC warmly invites you to partner with them by contributing to help meet their fundraising goal. As they work tirelessly to bring more underrepresented professionals into the theatre and arts industry, all support will directly fund their Fellowship program and community initiatives, advancing BTC’s mission, “to remove the illusion of inclusion” in the American theatre.
 
Over the 158 years since the very first Broadway musical (The Black Crook) premiered in 1866, the “Great White Way,” as of 2019, had seen 3,002 musicals and 8,326 plays. Across all of these productions, there have been only 10 Black directors of a musical (0.3%), 11 Black directors of a Play (0.13%) and 17 Black choreographers of a Musical (0.56%). All of this directly correlates to the fact that there have only ever been 2 Black lead producers of a musical (representing 0.06% of all Broadway musicals). The numbers for Writers, Composers, Scenic, Lighting, Costume, Sound, Video, Music Contractors, Musical Directors, Arrangers, Orchestrators, Hair/Wigs/Makeup, Casting, General Management, Stage Management, Company Management, PR and Marketing/Advertising ranged from 0 to 5 in each category.
 
In a joint statement, Mr. Reid, Mr. Adams, and Mr. Van Lee said, “Once we identified just how vast the disparity is between the perceived inclusivity on stage and the utter dearth of black professionals off stage, we began outlining ways in which we could address and ultimately eradicate this invisible disparity. This outline provided a clear path forward for our organization and our entire industry. It’s high time to end this ‘illusion of inclusion’ by reshaping the theatrical ecosystem for those who have been marginalized by systematically biased power structures that have endured since the dawn of the American theater.”
 
Led by a dedicated board, including BTC’s Co-founders T. Oliver Reid and Warren Adams, Board Chair Reggie Van Lee, and Board members Aaliytha Stevens and Naila McKenzie-Ross, the theatre industry has significantly grown in the inclusivity of underrepresented individuals since 2020:
 
• Connected over 100 BIPOC Fellows and Apprentices with Broadway productions, including Disney Theatrical Group, The Nederlander Organization, John Gore Organization and current productions of Moulin Rouge, Swept Away, and more.
• Placed Fellows in major production companies, marketing, media, and design firms, including AMC Networks, Inc.
• Regional Apprenticeships at Broadway Across America offices across the continental US.
• Provided observation opportunities for 10 HBCU graduates on the Les Misérables tour.
• Increased Black General Managers on Broadway by 1200%, with over $1.5 million paid to emerging professionals.
 
Looking ahead to 2030, BTC is committed to increasing the number of BIPOC professionals in the theatre and arts sector by 500%, in every discipline. Your support today can drive this vision forward, enabling BTC to create opportunities for future leaders and artists of color.