The 2020 Black British Theatre Awards nominee list out . Voted almost entirely by the public, this year’s nominees represent some of the finest work by Black performers and creatives in UK theatre. Building on the ground-breaking inaugural live event hosted by Ore Oduba in 2019, the 2020 awards ceremony will engage and inspire audiences nationwide when it airs on Sky Arts this autumn, as part of the channel’s free to air line-up. (Image: credit: The cast of Three Sisters, photo by The Other Richard)
2020 has been a landmark year with unprecedented challenges presented by the impact of Covid-19 and the global call for racial justice, equity and inclusion across all aspects of society.
The 2020 Black British Theatre Awards programme will be:
Executively Produced by Kwame Kwei-Armah, Produced by Shantelle Rochester and Directed by Charlie Di Placido and Kojey Radical . The socially distanced event will take place at London’s Young Vic Theatre, and nominees together with special guests will attend a vibrant awards ceremony interspersed with live music, interviews, dance and artistic content. This year’s aim is to highlight, as well as champion, the recognition and representation of Black talent in British theatre.
The Black British Theatre Awards will be broadcast exclusively on Sky Arts late October. Host and presenters to be announced shortly.
BBTA Directors Solange Urdang and Omar F Okai say “This is an important year with UK Theatre coming to a standstill and The Black Lives Matter movement protests. We feel it is important now more than ever to highlight the wonderful Black British talent we have in abundance and hope to bring positivity to such a difficult time”.
Philip Edgar-Jones, Director, Sky Arts , said: “We are pleased to be able to provide a platform at Sky Arts to showcase the very best of Black British Theatre Talent – particularly at a time of such crisis for the theatre industry. Art and Culture is even more vital at this point and we know the incredible talent on display here will point the way to a brighter future when the recovery begins”.
