The African American Film Critics Association Salutes Broadway

The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) will present AAFCA Salutes Broadway on Monday, October 17th at the Lamb's Club in the heart of New York's theater district.

"It's no secret that some of our greatest actors have come from the stage or have tested their chops on it," says AAFCA co-founder, Gil Robertson IV. "Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, and Ossie Davis are just a handful of our beloved icons for which this was true, with Tony winners Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Audra McDonald, Adrienne Warren, and Myles Frost among those continuing that legacy. As a reliable pipeline for outstanding Black talent in front of the camera as well as behind it, Hollywood has benefited greatly from this esteemed training ground and AAFCA Salutes Broadway celebrates that rich heritage."

The inaugural ceremony spotlights several established actors who are best known for their work in film and TV, but who have returned to the stage this fall, as well as a highly-regarded stage actor making a splash on the big screen and a monumental production. Respected stage actor John Douglas Thompson, who is noted for his many Shakespearean roles, including his barrier-breaking turn in "The Merchant of Venice," and is featured on the big screen in "Till," which recently premiered at the New York Film Festival, will receive the Distinguished Achievement Award. Suzan-Lori Parks' Pulitzer Prize-winning drama "Topdog/Underdog" starring Corey Hawkins and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and directed by Tony winner Kenny Leon, which is in its first Broadway revival, will receive the Spotlight Award. Wendell Pierce, the celebrated actor known for "The Wire," "Selma," and "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" who is again rocking the Broadway stage as the lead in the reboot of Arthur Miller's classic "Death of a Salesman," will receive the Beacon Award. Finally, Tony-nominated actress LaTanya Richardson Jackson, who is making her Broadway directorial debut with the August Wilson classic "The Piano Lesson," starring Samuel L. Jackson, Tony-nominated "The Color Purple" actress Danielle Brooks, and John David Washington in his first Broadway role, as well as history as the first woman to direct an August Wilson play on Broadway, will receive the Vanguard Award. Plus there is an unannounced addition to the program that makes this celebration all the more special.

"The intersectionality that exists between the theater, TV, and film communities needs to be celebrated," says producer Debra Martin Chase, "The intersectionality that exists between the theater, tv and film communities needs to be celebrated," says Tony Award-winning producer Debra Martin Chase ("A Strange Loop"), who is also a producer for the CBS series "The Equalizer " and the feature film HARRIET. "I am absolutely thrilled that AAFCA continues to do the work of championing artists in these spaces."