The Black British Theatre Awards (BBTAS) are presented annually and recognise excellence among Black performers and creatives in the UK.
The BBTAS were first established in 2019 and created by Solange Urdang and Omar F. Okai.[1]
After her award as Best Female Actor in a Musical in 2021, Lucy St Louis was the first Black female actress to be cast in the role of Christine Daee in the London production of The Phantom of the Opera.[2] Following this, she joined the cast of Wicked as Glinda, making history with Alexia Khadime (Elphaba) as for the first time both leading roles were played by actors of color.[3]
In 2022 the awards had great recognition, with public votes quadrupling since the previous year.[4]
Anyone can submit a nomination for each year's BBTAS, by completing an online form. Nominees must have lived in the UK for at least 3 years to be considered or be British Nationals and "of Black of African or Caribbean descent or of Mixed Ethnicity. Productions must have at least 50% of eligible performers.[5] Each individual can only nominate once.
Through the years the awards ceremony has been hosted by big names of the theatre industry, such as Cynthia Erivo, Danny Sapani, Clint Dyer, Giles Terera and Layton Williams.
These inaugural awards were held at The Old Finsbury Town Hall in Islington and hosted by Ore Oduba.[6]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony was broadcast on Sky Arts on 25 October and took place at the Young Vic Theatre.[7]
The ceremony was held at The Old Finsbury Town Hall again and were hosted by Cynthia Erivo and Danny Sapani. Guest presenters included previous winners Miriam-Teak Lee and Layton Williams, as well as Jason Pennycooke, Dawn Hope and Matthew Xia.[8]
This award ceremony was held at the National Theatre and presented by Danny Sapani again.[9]
It was announced that the 2023 Awards will be held on 29 October and returning to the National Theatre, Lyttelton.[10]
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