Photo Flash: The Riant Theatre Hosts THE STRAWBERRY ONE-ACT FESTIVAL Gala

The Riant Theatre (Van Dirk Fisher, Artistic Director), a nonprofit theatre supporting playwrights and theatre makers of diverse cultural backgrounds, held the Gala for its annual Strawberry One-Act Festival, which takes place from February 12th through February 23, 2020 at Theatre 54 @ Shetler Studios and Theatres, 244 West 54th St, 12th Floor, NYC.

Check out photos below!

The evening continued at the Peter Norton Symphony Space with a special performance by two of the night's honorees, which included the presentation of the 2020 Pioneer of the Arts Award For Outstanding Achievement In Theatre and Entertainment to 2 time Tony Award Nominee Vivian Reed, whose Broadway credits include: Bubbling Brown Sugar, High Rollers and Hallelujah Baby to name a few; Alton Fitzgerald White, whose set a record with 4,308 performances as King Mufasa in Disney's The Lion King on Broadway. Other starring roles include: Mister in The Color Purple, Coalhouse Walker Jr. in Ragtime, Ken in Smokey Joe's Cafe, John in Miss Saigon and The Hawker in The Who's Tommy; and Kamilah Forbes, who is an award winning director and producer, who is the Executive Producer for the World Famous Apollo Theater in Harlem. In her diverse body of work, Forbes is noted for having a strong commitment to the development of creative works by, for, and about the Hip-­Hop Generation.

Since 2009, the Pioneer of the Arts Award For Outstanding Achievement In Television and Theatre has been awarded as a tribute to the trailblazing artists who have paved the way for the diversity and inclusion in the world of entertainment. Past recipients of this honor include: Camille A. Brown, the Tony-nominated choreographer of Choir Boy, Emmy-winning Jesus Christ Superstar on NBC, Tony-winning revival of Once on This Island and Porgy & Bess at the MET, Andre De Shields, Tony Award Winner for Hadestown for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and Play On, Tony Award Nominated for Best Featured Actor in a Musical: Play On, Liesl Tommy, the Tony-nominated director of Eclipsed; Sam Pollard, the Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning filmmaker and editor (Four Little Girls; When The Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts); George Faison, the first-ever African American TONY Award winner choreographer and director; and Hope Clark, a singer, actress and a former principal dancer of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Among the presenters for the 2020 ceremony were choreographer, dancer and actor Derric Harris, Chief Transformation Officer at the Carlyle Group, Reggie Van Lee and Van Dirk Fisher, AUDELCO Award recipient, Founder/ Artistic Director of The Riant Theatre and Producer of the acclaimed Strawberry One-Act Festival.

For more information on the Strawberry One-Act Festival, visit www.therianttheatre.com.

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