Common Joins Honorees at Black Theatre United Gala; Josh Groban, Lorna Courtney & More to Present

Emmy, Grammy & Academy Award winner Common has been added to the list of honorees at Black Theatre United's inaugural Gala on Monday, October 30 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom. Supported by Business for Good (BFG), the star-studded evening in celebration of the indelible mark that Black culture has had and continues to have on Broadway will also include presenters Andrea Burns, Nicholas Christopher, Tony Award nominee Lorna Courtney, Wilson Cruz, Seth Rudetsky and Tony, Emmy & Grammy Award nominee Josh Groban. They will join previously announced honorees Grammy-winning producer, singer and songwriter Kandi Burruss; actress, director, producer and philanthropist LaTanya Richardson Jackson; Academy Award-winning actor and philanthropist Samuel L. Jackson; President of Trate Productions Robyn Coles; Chairman of the Board for Cerevel Therapeutics Dr. N Anthony Coles; and Award-winning Arts & Culture Executive and Director of Steve Jobs Theatre at Apple Dr. Indira Etwaroo. The theme is “A Salute to Broadway Legends: Past, Present, and Future” and will feature previously announced performances by BTU Founders Vanessa Williams, Norm Lewis, Audra McDonald, LaChanze, Billy Porter, Capathia Jenkins, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Darius de Haas, NaTasha Yvette Williams and Lillias White.
 
In addition to an evening of performances honoring trailblazing leaders in Black theatre who are inspiring the next generation of Black theatre professionals, there will also be a live auction featuring one-of-a-kind experiences.
 
Tickets begin at $1,000 and tables begin at $10,000. They are available now at https://us.givergy.com/BTUGala.
You can also be a part of the call to action to inspire the next generation of Black theatre professionals in all communities across the country by becoming an inaugural sponsor.
 
BTU, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, was founded to build pathways of access and opportunities for Black and other students and industry professionals who have been historically marginalized in the theatre community. Proceeds from the gala will support BTU’s empowering programs in Mentorships, Student Internships, BTU’s Annual Advocacy Summit and BTU’s Education program.

For more information visit www.BlackTheatreUnited.com.
 
Passionate and committed, BTU’s founding group of actors, directors, musicians, writers, technicians, producers and stage management includes: Lisa Dawn Cave, Darius de Haas, Carin Ford, Capathia Jenkins, LaChanze, Kenny Leon, Norm Lewis, Audra McDonald, Michael McElroy, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Wendell Pierce, Billy Porter, Anna Deavere Smith, Allyson Tucker, Tamara Tunie, Lillias White, NaTasha Yvette Williams, Schele Williams and Vanessa Williams.
 

ABOUT BUSINESS FOR GOOD

With values rooted in equity, access, opportunity, and prosperity, Business for Good has advanced the model of traditional venture philanthropy to Do Good and Give Back to communities in the Greater Capital Region of Albany. Formed in 2020, BFG seeks to give back to move forward and is rooted in the core principle of “for good, not gain.” Its efforts were recognized on a national level with a 2022 Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas Honorable Mention, which recognizes pioneering teams that are playing an important role in the betterment of the world through intentional philanthropy. Comprised of a mission-focused team, Business for Good™ believes no challenge is insurmountable through hard and thoughtful work. With a goal to provide businesses and organizations with sustained support, BFG invests in people for the long term and in every way. Business for Good: building better businesses, stronger communities, and a more equitable world. To learn more, visit bfg.org.
 

ABOUT COMMON

Academy Award, Emmy and Grammy-winning artist, actor, author, and activist, COMMON was most recently seen on Apple TV+’s new sci-fi drama series, “Silo,” where he stars opposite Rebecca Ferguson, Tim Robbins, Rashida Jones and David Oyelowo. Last Winter, Common made his Broadway debut in Stephen Adly Guirgis’ Between Riverside And Crazy. He starred as Junior opposite Stephen McKinley Henderson. During the run of the show, Common also hosted “Justice Nights on Broadway,” inviting justice advocates, formerly incarcerated and system impacted people, their family members, and community changemakers, for a special performance and talk back of BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY.
 
Last fall, he wrapped production on Stefon Bristol’s Breathe opposite Jennifer Hudson, Milla Jovovich, and Quvenzhané Wallis, and was seen starring opposite Keke Palmer in the film ALICE, which premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.  Other film and television work includes Mindy Kaling’s hit Netflix series “Never Have I Ever;” Ava for director Tate Taylor; The Informer with Joel Kinnaman and Rosamund Pike; The Kitchen opposite Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish and Elisabeth Moss; The Hate You Give with Amanda Stenberg, Issa Rae and KJ Apa; the Warner Bros animated film Smallfoot; the indie film All About Nina; the action film Hunter Killer with Gerard Butler, Gary Oldman and Linda Cardellini; David Ayer’s Suicide Squad; John Wick: Chapter 2; and A Happening of Monumental Proportions with Allison Janney. He serves as an executive producer of Showtime’s hit TV series “The Chi” and the Netflix drama Burning Sands. He starred in the Oscar nominated film, Selma, and co-wrote with John Legend the song, “Glory,” for which he won the 2015 Academy Award and 2016 Grammy Award for “Best Original Song in a Motion Picture.” His many albums include A Beautiful Revolution Parts 1 and 2, Let Love, and Black America Again, among others. He has written two memoirs, Let Love Have the Last Word and One Day It’ll All Make Sense, both of which became New York Times best-sellers. For the past several years, Common has dedicated countless hours and has been deeply engaged in social justice and advocacy work around mass incarceration, mental health, and voting. After the success and impact of his Imagine Justice concert in 2017 and his Hope & Redemption Tour to eight different prisons, Common decided to establish and launch “Imagine Justice” as a new nonprofit in 2018. Through his Common Ground Foundation, Common is dedicated to empowering high school students from underserved communities to become future leaders.
 

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