Video: Nikiya Mathis Receives Special Tony Award

Earlier tonight at the 77th Annual Tony Awards, Nikiya Mathis took home a Special Tony Award for her work in Hair and Wig Design for Jaja's African Hair Braiding. After leaving the stage at the David H. Koch Theater, Nikiya checked in with BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge to share her initial reaction!

Nikiya Mathis is a multi hyphenate hair/wig designer and a classically trained actress, who holds an MFA in Acting from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. As an actress, she currently recurs on Season 3 of Powerbook 3: Raising Kanan on FX. After years of hearing the complaints of her peers & experiencing her own hair-horror stories, in theater and on television sets, she became the change she wanted to see in the world. Her desire to help her friends who were suffering in spaces that were not caring for them, turned into a mission to provide support for actors and actresses who suffered from hair discrimination. As a designer, Nikiya made Broadway history with her recent work on Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, by Jocelyn Bioh. Other Broadway credits include: The Heart of Rock and Roll; Uncle Vanya (where she designed the wigs specifically for Anika Noni Rose); Once Upon A One More Time; Death of A Salesman; Top Dog/Underdog and Chicken & Biscuits. On Broadway, she is currently designing Home at Roundabout Theater.