BROADWAY ADVOCACY COALITION
ANNOUNCES BROADWAY VS 2022
A Virtual Event to Raise Funds for the Organization
Honoring Tony Award Nominees NORM LEWIS and JOSHUA HENRY
Hosted by AMBER IMAN
Monday, June 20th at 7:30PM ET
New York (Wednesday, June 1, 2022) – Inspired by the cultural phenomenon Verzuz, the Broadway Advocacy Coalition (BAC) has announced the second year of its beloved fundraising event BROADWAY VS.
Celebrating the legendary careers of Tony Award nominees Norm Lewis and Joshua Henry, BAC will honor the legacies of these Broadway stars while raising funds to support BAC’s initiatives to support and empower artist activists.
Hosted by Broadway favorite Amber Iman, BROADWAY VS will be livestreamed from New World Stages on Monday, June 20th at 7:30PM ET. To register to watch, enter to win a seat for the in-person taping, or donate, visit BroadwayVs.com.
Making space to uplift the vital impact of Black culture on Broadway, the evening will feature song selections from both artists’ extensive careers on Broadway and beyond and include music from Once on This Island, Carousel, The Little Mermaid, and more as well as conversations between the two iconic Black Broadway stars.
This year’s event will also coincide with Juneteenth and serve as a space for Black Broadway to celebrate not just these two men but the many Black men who have led the way for so many others.
“This year Broadway VS is honoring two Black men who have inspired and influenced the theater community for years,” said Director of Industry Initiatives Zhailon Levingston. “In that spirit, we want to use this event to intentionally bring together and lift up so many other Black men – too rarely given their own space to be celebrated – to honor our historic and invaluable presence onstage, but also backstage, front of house, in school and across all theatrical departments while continuing to push the need for broader celebration of all marginalized communities.”
Emmy, Grammy, Tony, and SAG Award nominee, NORM LEWIS, recently starred in Spike Lee’s critically acclaimed, “Da 5 Bloods,” and in the groundbreaking FX series, Pose. Additionally, Mr. Lewis can be seen starring in ABC’s newest series, Women of The Movement, and offscreen, his voice can be heard in the latest season of Apple TV’s animated series, Central Park. He was also seen as ‘Caiaphas’ in the award-winning NBC television special, “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert!,” alongside John Legend, Sara Bareilles, and Alice Cooper.
Mr. Lewis returned to Broadway in the Fall of 2021, starring in Chicken and Biscuits at the Circle In The Square Theatre. He previously appeared in the Broadway revival of Once on This Island and as Sweeney Todd in the Off-Broadway production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at the Barrow Street Theatre, receiving the AUDELCO Award for his performance. In May of 2014, he made history as The Phantom of the Opera’s first African American Phantom on Broadway.
He has been seen on PBS in the Live From Lincoln Center productions of Showboat with Vanessa Williams, Norm Lewis: Who Am I?, New Year’s Eve: A Gershwin Celebration with Diane Reeves, as well as American Voices with Renée Fleming and the PBS Specials First You Dream – The Music of Kander & Ebb and Ella Wishes You A Swingin’ Christmas. He can be seen recurring in the VH1 series, Daytime Divas, also alongside Vanessa Williams. His additional television credits include Dr. Riverdale, Law & Order, Dr. Death, Mrs. America, Better Things, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Bull, Chicago Med, Gotham, The Blacklist, and Blue Bloods, as well as in his recurring role as Senator Edison Davis on the hit drama Scandal.
Mr. Lewis is a proud founding member of Black Theatre United, an organization which stands together to help protect Black people, Black talent and Black lives of all shapes and orientations in theatre and communities across the country. He received Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle award nominations for his performance as Porgy in the Broadway production ofThe Gershwins’ Porgy & Bess. Other Broadway credits include Sondheim on Sondheim, The Little Mermaid, Les Misérables, Chicago, Amour, The Wild Party, Side Show, Miss Saigon, and The Who’s Tommy. In London’s West End he has appeared as Javert in Les Misérables and Les Misérables: The 25th Anniversary Concert, which aired on PBS.
Off-Broadway Mr. Lewis has performed in Dessa Rose (Drama Desk nomination, AUDELCO Award), Shakespeare in the Park’s The Tempest, The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Drama League nomination), Captains Courageous, and A New Brain. His regional credits include Porgy in The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess (A.R.T.), Ragtime, Dreamgirls (with Jennifer Holliday), First You Dream, Sweeney Todd, and The Fantasticks.
His additional film credits include Christmas In Tune (starring opposite Reba McEntire), Magnum Opus, Winter’s Tale, Sex and the City 2, Confidences, and Preaching to the Choir.
JOSHUA HENRY can currently be seen starring opposite Jason Mamoa in SEE Season 1 and 2 for Apple TV. Most recently, Joshua appeared on Broadway as Dr. Pomatter; in WAITRESS. Prior to WAITRESS, Joshua astounded audiences in THE WRONG MAN at MCC Theatre. Joshua starred on Broadway as the iconic Billy Bigelow in the revival of CAROUSEL for which he received a coveted Tony and Grammy nomination. Before headlining in CAROUSEL, Joshua starred as Aaron Burr in the cultural phenomenon, HAMILTON, in Los Angeles. Joshua has also starred on Broadway as Noble Sissle in George C. Wolfe’s Tony-nominated musical SHUFFLE ALONG. Joshua was Tony-nominated for his star turn as ‘Flick’ in the musical VIOLET. He received Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Drama League Award nominations for his thrilling, show-stopping performance. He was previously nominated for a Tony Award for his leading role in Susan Stroman’s THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS. Other Broadway credits include leading roles in PORGY & BESS and Green Day’s AMERICAN IDIOT. FILM: Tick, Tick…Boom (Netflix/ Imagine Entertainment). He recently released his debut EP called Guarantee available on all music platforms.
This event is sponsored in part by The Shubert Organization and produced by the Broadway Advocacy Coalition.
ABOUT THE BROADWAY ADVOCACY COALITION
Founded in 2016 by members of the Broadway community as a direct response to the nation’s pandemic of racism and police brutality, the Broadway Advocacy Coalition is a multidisciplinary organization which unites artists, legal experts and community leaders to create lasting impact on policy issues from criminal justice reform to education equity to immigration. In 2021, BAC received a Special Tony Award for providing an unparalleled platform for marginalized members of the theatre community and tools to help the theatre industry move toward a more equitable future. Via its partnership with the Center for Institutional and Social Change at Columbia Law School, BAC has collaborated with institutions across New York City, including the New York City Council, Bronx Defenders, and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office. To learn more about their work, and to get involved, visit their website at https://www.bwayadvocacycoalition.org/ or follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
