Cinderella’s Ivano Turco & Caleb Roberts are among the winners at the Black British Theatre Awards 2021

There was a double win for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new musical Cinderella at the 2021 Black British Theatre Awards with two members of the cast – Ivano Turco and Caleb Roberts – winning acting prizes. Decided entirely by public vote, the awards took place at the illustrious Old Finsbury Town Hall, London, hosted by Grammy, Tony and Emmy award winner and two-time Academy Award nominee Cynthia Erivo and Black Panther, Star Wars and Killing Eve actor Danny Sapani.

Other musical theatre award winners included Lucy St. Louis (The Phantom of the Opera), Natasha May-Thomas (Carousel), West End Musical Celebration at the Palace Theatre and Ryan Carter for The Secret Society of Leading Ladies at the Barn Theatre, Cirencester.

Guest presenters at the ceremony included renowned names in theatre: Jason Pennycooke (Moulin Rouge!, Hamilton, Memphis, Rocketman), Miriam-Teak Lee (Hamilton, & Juliet), Dawn Hope (Follies, The Scottsboro Boys, Porgy and Bess, Coronation Street, Hollyoaks), Kenneth Olumuyiwa Tharp CBE (Interim CEO – Eclipse Theatre Company), Mzz Kimberley/Kim Tatum (‘Straight White Men’, Southwark Playhouse and ‘I Threw it’, Old Vic), Matthew Xia (Director – Blue/Orange, One Night In Miami, Shebeen, Blood Knot, 846 Live, Family Tree, The Wiz), Brenda Emmanus OBE (arts, culture and entertainment correspondent most recently across BBC London and BBC Network news), Verdi Soprano Nadine Benjamin MBE, Layton Williams (Everyone’s Talking About Jamie, Bad Education, Benidorm, The Cleaner) and Ahmet Ahmet (director of Get Into Theatre).

A key aspect of this year’s awards was to acknowledge and celebrate the legacy of Black theatre trailblazers who have shaped the UK’s performing arts landscape. A touching interview and tribute honoured national treasure and Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Derek Griffiths. It featured contributions from cross-generational UK talent who spoke of how Griffiths’ theatre training shaped his multidisciplinary genius that led to a five-decade career across stage, TV and film; and how his presence as a Black man on children’s TV programme Play School transformed their ideas of what was possible for them as Black British performers.

As theatre navigates an important juncture with the focus on cultural recovery and authentic representation across on stage and behind the scenes, the awards spotlight dynamic theatre that thrives, diverse representation and pushing through boundaries with the Best Use of Innovation & Technology and LGBTQ+ Champion awards.

The Black British Theatre Awards runs an annual Outreach programme providing young Black talent with access to leading performers, productions and experiences. The programme helps Black children to develop their capabilities in performance as well as behind the scenes leadership and creative roles. The empowerment of future generations was acknowledged during the ceremony with the Best Teacher of Performing Arts as a Subject Award and the Best Graduate Award.

The 2021 Black British Theatre Awards winners are:

MUSICALS GROUP

BEST MALE ACTOR IN A MUSICAL AWARD

Ivano Turco, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella, Gillian Lynne Theatre

BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A MUSICAL AWARD

Lucy St. Louis, The Phantom of the Opera, Her Majesty’s Theatre

BEST SUPPORTING MALE ACTOR IN A MUSICAL AWARD

Caleb Roberts, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella, Gillian Lynne Theatre

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE ACTOR IN A MUSICAL AWARD

Natasha May-Thomas, Carousel, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

BEST MUSICAL PRODUCTION AWARD

West End Musical Celebration, Palace Theatre

CREATIVES GROUP

BEST DIRECTOR AWARD FOR A PLAY OR MUSICAL

Miranda Cromwell, and breathe…, Almeida Theatre

BEST MUSICAL DIRECTOR

Femi Temowo, and breathe…, Almeida Theatre

BEST PRODUCER AWARD

Chris Steward and Shanay Holmes, West End Musical Celebration at Palace Theatre

BEST CHOREOGRAPHER AWARD

Ingrid Mackinnon, Romeo and Juliet, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

BEST DANCE PERFORMANCE IN A DANCE PRODUCTION AWARD

Joseph Sissens, The Statement, The Royal Ballet

BEST DANCE PRODUCTION AWARD

‘And Still We Dance!’, Afro Dance Xplosion

BEST USE OF INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY

Ryan Carter, The Secret Society of Leading Ladies, Barn Theatre

RECOGNITION GROUP (BODY OF WORK)

LIGHT AND SOUND RECOGNITION AWARD

Tony Gayle

COSTUME DESIGN RECOGNITION AWARD

Jodie-Simone Howe

BOOK AND LYRICS RECOGNITION AWARD

Benedict Lombe

MUSICAL DIRECTOR RECOGNITION AWARD

Ian Oakley

CASTING DIRECTOR RECOGNITION AWARD

Chandra Ruegg

ACHIEVEMENTS GROUP

LGBTQ+ CHAMPION AWARD

Jay Perry

BEST TEACHER OF PERFORMING ARTS AS A SUBJECT AWARD

Ashley Campbell, British Theatre Academy

BEST RECENT GRADUATE AWARD

Natasha May-Thomas, Urdang Academy

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Derek Griffiths MBE

PLAYS GROUP

BEST MALE ACTOR IN A PLAY

David Jonsson, and breathe…, Almeida Theatre

BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A PLAY

Isabel Adomakoh Young, Romeo and Juliet, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

BEST SUPPORTING MALE ACTOR IN A PLAY

Andrew French, Romeo and Juliet, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE ACTOR IN A PLAY

Aretha Ayeh, Romeo and Juliet, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

BEST PRODUCTION PLAY

and breathe…, Almeida Theatre

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