Choir Boy wins the triple at Black British Theatre Awards 2024

Choir Boy won a total of three awards, including this year’s Best Play award, with a Best Director award for Nancy Medina, and Terique Jarrett won Best Male Lead Actor for his role as Pharus, the young, Black, gay student leading the legendary gospel choir at his elite, all-boys school in America.

Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Choir Boy is a tender, coming-of-age story, threaded throughout with soul-stirring a cappella gospel hymns and spirituals. A beautiful, joyous play which rejoices in all that it means to march to your own drum. The keystone production of Nancy Medina’s first season as Artistic Director at Bristol Old Vic and marked only the second time McCraney’s play has been produced in the UK.

Choir Boy was produced in association with Chuchu Nwagu productions and played for an exclusive and limited four-week run garnering rave reviews from critics and audiences alike. (★ ★ ★ ★“Hits all the right notes” – The Observer; ★ ★ ★ ★ “Excels in moments of intimacy” – The Stage; ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ “One of the best nights of theatre I’ve ever experienced” – Bristol Post).

The production was Nancy Medina’s first production as Artistic Director for Bristol Old Vic and ran from 12 Oct - 11 Nov 2023. Speaking about the production, Nancy said:
"I fell in love with Tarell Alvin McCraney’s characters long ago. The musicality in his writing, the earnest voices of love and humanity demand to take up space in our minds and hearts. I feel humbled to bring this epic play to Bristol, brought to life with so much love and talent from an incredible cast and creative team. The memories of this creative process will stay with me, nourish me and remind me to always be brave with art and life."

The winners were announced  4 November 2024, at a ceremony at the Lyceum Theatre (The Lion King) in London. Now in their sixth year, The Black British Theatre Awards, or BBTAs, honour the outstanding achievements and contributions of Black artists to the UK’s theatre industry. To be eligible for the awards, productions and performances must have run between 1 August 2023 to 31 July 2024.

Nancy said:
“It means so much to be recognised by this peer group of Black British artists and to see Choir Boy marked in a night of celebration and reflection was truly inspiring and beautiful. It’s so rare that we can see all of ourselves in the same space and be in the majority. I am so grateful to have been part of this production; to have been trusted with the responsibility by Tarell Alvin McCraney, and to have been supported by the love, laughter and artistry of the brilliant company at every step was unforgettable”

The BBTAs were founded in 2018 with the objective of increasing diversity within the UK theatre industry and providing a platform for Black creatives to be recognised for their exceptional work. The awards have become a vital part of the theatre calendar, celebrating achievements across acting, writing, directing, and technical production.

The criteria for nominees is that they must be a Black British national of African and/or Caribbean descent or of mixed ethnicity of African and/or Caribbean descent, and a long-term resident in the UK (three years or more). For productions to qualify, they must have at least 50% of Black performers in the cast of African and/or Caribbean descent or of mixed ethnicity of African and/or Caribbean descent, and the production can also be of Black subject matter.