Phylicia Rashad, Luis A. Miranda & More to be Honored at BTC 2025 Gala

BTC will honor Phylicia Rashad (Award winning Actor, Director, Activist, Humanitarian), Luis A. Miranda, Jr. (Activist, Philanthropist, Producer), John Gore Organization (leading presenter, distributor, and marketer of Broadway theatre worldwide), and Girl Be Heard (non-profit organization) at its 2nd Annual “Building the Change” Gala.
 
BTC will host its 2nd Annual Gala on Monday, March 3, 2025 in New York City at the Rainbow Room.  This event, the 2nd Annual BTC Gala, is celebrating entertainment professionals working in theater, film, television, cultural institutions, and music which will be held at the Rainbow Room at 6:00pm ET cocktails, followed by a 7:00pm ET dinner and tribute. Tickets to the “Building the Change” Gala begin at $1,000.
 
The evening will include special performances by Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose and cast members from the Original Broadway Cast of Motown the Musical including Valisia LeKae, Charl Brown, Bryan Terrell Clark, Ryan Shaw, and Morgan James.
 
“The Board of BTC is beyond thrilled as we approach our 2nd Annual Gala and the opportunity to acknowledge the work of Phylicia Rashad, Luis A. Miranda, Jr., John Gore Organization, and Girl Be Heard. It is truly humbling for us to have the blessing of Ms. Lynn Nottage, the Poitier, Belafonte, and Boseman families to honor individuals and organizations who are being the change in our world with their courage, vision, and activism. Our mission remains to remove the illusion of inclusion in the American Theatre and our vision for 2025 is to continue on that path as we reach for exponential growth in the number of fellows and apprentices in the theatrical ecosystem and expand our organization nationwide,” said the board of BTC.
 
BTC is deeply honored, with permission of the Poitier and Belafonte families, to present the Poitier-Belafonte Award for Cultural Activism at this year’s gala to Luis A. Miranda, Jr. This award was created in recognition of these two groundbreaking black artists and activists in the entertainment industry.
 
With the blessing of the Boseman family, the Chadwick Boseman Change Maker Award will be presented to Girl Be Heard. Boseman was an actor, playwright, and activist who promoted the Black Lives Matter Movement. He significantly impacted Black cinema and culture by writing plays and directing as well as instructing drama. He played the Black superhero King T’Challa in Black Panther and starred as other changemakers and Black icons such as Jackie Robinson in 42, James Brown in Get On Up, and Thurgood Marshall in Marshall.
 
The Lynn Nottage Bold Beacon Award will be presented to Phylicia Rashad. Phylicia Rashad is a trailblazing actress, director, and educator whose impact spans television, theater, and film. A Theater Hall of Fame inductee, Rashad’s legacy is defined by artistic excellence, education, and cultural preservation.
 
BTC will present the inaugural BTC Visionary Ally Award to the John Gore Organization. The John Gore Organization is committed to supporting theater access and education programs that introduce Broadway to the next generation of audiences and theater professionals.
 
To purchase tables or sponsor the event, please contact Dwight Johnson at djohnson@dwightjohnsondesign.com or visit the event page to purchase tickets at: https://givebutter.com/ri2kaW.