Taraji P. Henson, Thomas Schumacher to be Honored at BTC 2026 Gala

BTC will honor Academy Award-nominated Actor, Producer, Author Taraji P. Henson; Tony Award-winning Producer and Author Thomas Schumacher; Executive Producer, Writer and Arts Advocate Susan Fales-Hill; and President of 7 Forward Entertainment Jessica Matten/Indigenous Film Academy at its 3rd Annual “Building the Change” Gala on Monday, March 9 at the Rainbow Room (30 Rockefeller Plaza, 65th Floor). The annual event will celebrate entertainment professionals working in theater, film, television, cultural institutions, and music beginning with a 6:00pm cocktail hour, followed by a 7:00pm ET dinner and tribute. Tickets to the “Building the Change” Gala begin at $1,000. 

“BTC has placed 126 diverse individuals in Fellowships and Apprenticeships with leading Broadway Productions and arts organizations. There have been more than 2,000 applicants to date with those placements.

As we recently touched upon the milestone of five years of work and service to the entertainment industry, BTC is committed to continuing the work we and our partners set out to do, even in these harrowing times. 

We stand firm in our mission to bring equity to the theater landscape and we are thrilled to honor these four trailblazing individuals this year for their humanity,” said the board of BTC.

With the blessing of the Boseman family, the Chadwick Boseman Change Maker Award will be presented to Academy Award-nominated actor, producer, #1 New York Times Best Selling author, mental health advocate, and entrepreneur, Taraji P. Henson. With a globally celebrated career that extends beyond the screen, she is making her on-stage Broadway debut with Cedric the Entertainer in the Debbie Allen directed Joe Turner’s Come and Gone this spring. 

BTC will present the BTC Visionary Ally Award to Thomas Schumacher, who for more than three decades, has set standards of excellence in film, television, and theatre.

BTC will present the Poitier-Belafonte Award for Cultural Activism at this year’s gala to award-winning television writer/producer, author, and arts advocate, Susan Fales-Hill. This award was created in recognition of these two groundbreaking black artists and activists in the entertainment industry.

The Lynn Nottage Bold Beacon Award will be presented to trailblazing actress and producer, Jessica Matten/Indigenous Film Academy. For her, the spotlight is more than just a stage—it’s a platform for change.