Many of the actors up for awards this year are people of color, but it wasn’t always that way.
When the list of this year’s Tony Award nominees was announced last month, it sounded like the complete opposite of the Oscars. Many of the actors up for awards were people of color. Cast members from The Color Purple, Eclipsed, and Shuffle Along scored multiple nominations, along with the history-making musical Hamilton. Some of the plays are new, while others like Shuffle Along and The Color Purple had broken racial barriers in the past.
But there is a long history that precedes a moment like this, one that often excluded people of color from prominent roles on stage and backstage. And many black actors are still struggling to get attention. That neglect prompted Andrew Shade to launch BroadwayBlack.com, an online community celebrating the work of black theater performers who have been an integral part of American theater going back to the days of vaudeville.
