Theater News

Drama Desk Award-Winning Playwright Danai Gurira Will Be Honored at Annual TCG Gala

Producers Stephen C. Byrd and Alia Jones-Harvey, along with the Vilcek Foundation, led by Rick Kinsel, will also be recognized.

Playwright Danai Gurira will be honored at the 2016 CTG Gala.
Playwright Danai Gurira will be honored at the 2016 CTG Gala.
(© David Gordon)

Theatre Communications Group has announced that its 2016 gala will honor Tony-nominated playwright and The Walking Dead actress Danai Gurira; as well as Tony-nominated and Olivier Award-winning theatrical producers Stephen C. Byrd and Alia Jones-Harvey; and the Vilcek Foundation, led by Rick Kinsel. This year’s gala will be held on November 14 at the The Edison Ballroom.

Danai Gurira is a playwright and actress who received a 2016 Tony Award nomination for Best Play for Eclipsed. Her other plays include Familiar, The Convert, and In the Continuum. She also received a special 2016 Drama Desk Award.

Stephen C. Byrd and Alia Jones-Harvey hold the distinction of being the only African-American lead producers on Broadway. Together they make up Front Row Productions, which aims to bring a unique brand of diversity to Broadway and London’s West End, evidenced by their Olivier-winning production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof as well as Danai Gurira’s Eclipsed.

The Vilcek Foundation, led by Rick Kinsel, is dedicated to raising awareness of immigrant contributions to the arts and sciences.

"We're thrilled to honor both the visionary artistry and activism of Danai Gurira as well as the groundbreaking work of producers Stephen C. Byrd and Alia M. Jones-Harvey," said Teresa Eyring, Executive Director, TCG, in a statement, "By bringing the voices of women from Liberia’s civil war to the Broadway stage through their acclaimed production of Eclipsed, they’ve reaffirmed theater's power to humanize and connect us across borders."

"We are also delighted to honor the Vilcek Foundation," she continued, "Under the leadership of Rick Kinsel, and working closely with TCG, the Vilcek Foundation devoted its 2016 Vilcek Prizes in the Arts to identifying and supporting immigrants whose work will undoubtedly become part of the American canon."