Videos: Alex Edelman, Nikiya Mathis, and Abe Jacob Accept Special Tony Awards

Tonight's the night! The 77th Annual Tony Awards are now underway!

Check out our full list of winners as it is updated live here.

Alex Edelman, Nikiya Mathis, and Abe Jacob received Special Tony Awards. Special Tony Awards are presented to outstanding productions, artists and organizations who do not fall into any of the competitive categories.

Check out their acceptance speeches below!

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Alex Edelman

The remarkable career of Abe Jacob has spanned over six decades. He started in Rock and Roll at McCune Sound in San Francisco and went on to create concert sound for such legendary artists as Jimi Hendrix; The Mamas and the Papas; Peter, Paul and Mary; and the historic rock celebration, The Monterey Pop Festival and then brought that rock sensibility to Broadway audiences with the original production of Hair. Abe’s remarkable achievements in theater sound design virtually brought the field into existence. His major Broadway, touring and world- wide production credits include: Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Pippin, The Who’s Tommy, Seesaw, Mack And Mabel, Rocky Horror Show, A Chorus Line, Chicago, Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Act, Dancin’, Gilda Radner - Live From New York, Evita, Woman Of The Year, Cats, Beatlemania, Big Deal, Black And Blue, The Gershwins’ Fascinating Rhythm, Rain: A Tribute To The Beatles, and many more. At New York City Opera, his work there included productions of A Little Night Music, 110 In The Shade, Sweeney Todd and Candide. Abe’s extraordinary career was acknowledged by the United States Institute for Theatre Technology with its highest honor, the USITT Award in 2008. In 2022, he was inducted into The Theater Hall of Fame. Abe also teaches sound design master classes and has mentored several generations of talented sound designers, many of whom are Broadway’s top theatrical sound designers today.

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Nikiya Mathis

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. Her off Broadway credits include Jordans and A Raisin in the Sun at The Public Theatre, Nollywood Dreams at MCC, Primary Trust at Roundabout Theatre, The Cotillion at the Movement Theatre Co, Crowndation at National Black Theater, This Land Was Made at Vineyard Theatre, Stew at Soho Rep/Page 73, and more. Off Broadway, she is currently designing the reimagining of Cats: the Jellicle Ball at the Perelman Center. Nikiya is the recipient of the Kathy A Perkins Behind the Curtain Award from Black Women on Broadway, an Obie Award, a Henry Hewes Award, 2 Broadway Black Awards, and a Drama Desk nomination. She also teaches hair/wig master classes to acting and design students at top universities including NYU Tisch Grad Acting and Grad Design, Yale, and Princeton.

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Abe Jacob

The remarkable career of Abe Jacob has spanned over six decades. He started in Rock and Roll at McCune Sound in San Francisco and went on to create concert sound for such legendary artists as Jimi Hendrix; The Mamas and the Papas; Peter, Paul and Mary; and the historic rock celebration, The Monterey Pop Festival and then brought that rock sensibility to Broadway audiences with the original production of Hair. Abe’s remarkable achievements in theater sound design virtually brought the field into existence. His major Broadway, touring and world- wide production credits include: Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Pippin, The Who’s Tommy, Seesaw, Mack And Mabel, Rocky Horror Show, A Chorus Line, Chicago, Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Act, Dancin’, Gilda Radner - Live From New York, Evita, Woman Of The Year, Cats, Beatlemania, Big Deal, Black And Blue, The Gershwins’ Fascinating Rhythm, Rain: A Tribute To The Beatles, and many more. At New York City Opera, his work there included productions of A Little Night Music, 110 In The Shade, Sweeney Todd and Candide. Abe’s extraordinary career was acknowledged by the United States Institute for Theatre Technology with its highest honor, the USITT Award in 2008. In 2022, he was inducted into The Theater Hall of Fame. Abe also teaches sound design master classes and has mentored several generations of talented sound designers, many of whom are Broadway’s top theatrical sound designers today.