Cynthia Erivo to Receive Inaugural Icon Award at University of Oxford

Cynthia Erivo will receive the inaugural Icon Award from the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at Oxford's Schwarzman Centre. The award will support two scholarships, one at USC and one at Oxford, to further support students entering the entertainment, film and media industry

Academy Award nominee and current star of Dracula on the West End, Cynthia Erivo, will join Dr. Stacy L. Smith of the USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at University of Oxford for a special conversation on 5 May 2026. The event, which will occur in the newly opened Sohmen Concert Hall at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, brings Erivo’s unique perspective on storytelling and entertainment to Oxford for the first time.

Erivo and Dr. Smith will not only discuss the ascendancy of Erivo’s career, but will also announce a new Cynthia Erivo Scholarship for the USC School of Dramatic Arts and Cynthia Erivo Film Bursary for Oxford. Both will provide opportunities for university students to expand their study of drama, theatre, film, or other areas of entertainment. Supported by Jason and Yvonne Lee, the USC School of Dramatic Arts, and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, the awardees will be selected by the beginning of the Fall/Autumn 2026 terms.

The event is part of the cultural programming in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, a world-class centre for the arts and humanities at Oxford University. The new academic and cultural centre provides a unique mix of exceptional performance venues, research spaces, and academic teaching facilities.

This discussion will be the first stand-alone event in its 500-seat Sohmen Concert Hall following the launch of the public programme on 25 April 2026, which will comprise a day of free events and performances open to all.