August Wilson, Playwright
“A theatre evolving not out of negative need, but positive potential…A theatre whose justification is not the gap it fills, but the achievement it aspires toward…”
Douglas Turner Ward, Founder of the Negro Ensemble Company 1967
“Like most Black Theatre Companies, the Chicago Theatre Company was founded out of a need to have a place for us, Black Folks, to properly tell our own stories.”
Douglas Alan Mann, Actor, Director, and Artistic Director of the Chicago Theatre Company (1984-2010)
The awards were founded to honor African Americans who achieve excellence in theatre, dance, and all the areas of the performing arts in the Chicagoland area. The awards also pay homage to Ira Aldridge (1807-1867), an African American actor famed for his performances in Shakespearean roles in Europe.
“Through theater, we can explore the past, understand the present, and shape the future.”
George C. Wolfe, a renowned Broadway director and playwright.
