BLACK THEATRE UNITED ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL PERFORMERS, PRESENTERS & CO-CHAIRS FOR FOURTH ANNUAL GALA: “WORK TO DO” HONORING GEORGE CHEEKS, DELROY LINDO AND PAUL TAZEWELL

Black Theatre United (BTU) is proud to announce an additional lineup of presenters, performers and co-chairs for its fourth annual Gala on Monday, October 5, 2026 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom. The thrilling evening will now include performances by Todrick Hall and Tony nominee Jasmine Amy Rogers as well as special appearances by Academy Award winner Ariana Debose; Emmy, Grammy, Tony winner and BTU Founder Billy Porter; and Tony winner Qween Jean. Academy Award and Tony nominee Danielle Brooks and Richard Jay Alexander join the lineup of honorary co-chairs.

They join previously announced performers Wayne Brady, Jonathan Burke, Darius de Haas, Sydney James Harcourt, Dava Huesca, Capathia Jenkins, Keehnon Jackson, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Vanessa Williams and Natasha Yvette Williams. Special appearances will be made by  Carin Ford, LaChanze, Norm Lewis, Wendell Pierce and Tamara Tunie.

Co-chairs for this annual gala include Mathew Knowles and Gena Avery Knowles, and Priscilla Sims Brown. Honorary co-chairs include Steven Reineke, Karine Jean-Pierre, Qween Jean, Mister Fitzgerald, Michael Oloyede, Ezra Ezzard, Kara Young, Josh Groban, Ann James and Sonia Manzano.

Jerry Dixon will serve as Gala Director, Joseph Joubert as Music Director and Patrick Tully as Auctioneer.

This year’s theme is “Work to Do” and will honor Paramount Chair of TV Media George Cheeks with the Accountability Award, Academy Award-nominated actor Delroy Lindo with the Advocacy Award and Tony and Academy Award-winning costume designer Paul Tazewell with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

“Work to Do,” is a declaration as much as it is a theme. At a moment when the gains so many fought for are being challenged, and when the spaces that Black and brown artists have worked so hard to build and occupy feel more contested than ever, BTU believes the answer is the same one it has always been: keep going. The evening will celebrate the indelible mark Black culture has made on Broadway, and the artists, advocates, and institution-builders who refuse to slow down.

This year’s Gala will also be supported by the BTU Collective, a distinguished group of artists and industry leaders who help advance the organization’s mission year-round through advocacy, mentorship and community engagement. Members participating in this year’s Gala include Lakisha May (Co-chair), Michael Oloyede (Co-chair), Kaliswa Brewster, Kalyne Coleman, Ezra Ezzard, Mister Fitzgerald, Erica Hart and Nikiya Mathis.

BTU, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, was founded to build pathways of access and opportunities for students and industry professionals who have been historically marginalized in the theatre community. Proceeds from the Gala will support BTU’s empowering programs, including The BTU Rise Marketing and Press Internship, The New Deal for Broadway, Business of Show discussion series, Community Town Hall events, BTU Designer Initiative, the Marva Hicks Musical Theatre Scholarship and BTU’s Broadway Bound Educational Program.

Tables are almost sold out and begin at $10,000. They are available now at https://onecau.se/btugala.

You can also be a part of the call to action to inspire the next generation of Black theatre professionals in all communities across the country by becoming a sponsor.