Black Women on Broadway Announces Two Initiatives to Support the Next Generation

Black Women on Broadway (BWOB), an organization founded in 2020 by Tony nominees Amber Iman, Danielle Brooks, and Jocelyn Bioh, has announced the launch of two programs designed to uplift and amplify the voices of Black women in theater, from aspiring high school students to emerging professional playwrights.

Academy Award-nominated actor and BWOB co-founder Danielle Brooks returns to her South Carolina roots with the launch of the inaugural Century Cycle Continues Monologue Competition, hosted in partnership with Brooks’s alma mater, the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. The new annual competition, presented in the spirit of August Wilson’s “Century Cycle,” invites high school students to join in the tradition of Black American storytelling onstage and perform monologues from contemporary and classic playwrights of color.

To participate, students can submit a 1-to-2-minute video monologue here by January 3. On February 3, 2026, 10 finalists will be announced and invited to perform live at the Governor’s School on February 28. Danielle Brooks will host the event, with cash awards for the top three winners.

BWOB is also launching the Black Women on Broadway Reading Series, a new initiative to provide a platform for emerging Black women playwrights to develop their work through a one-day rehearsal process with the playwright, director, and cast of actors, culminating in a free public staged reading at the Shed NYC on January 12.