A Black History Month Special
When We Asked Alexandra burke @alexandraburke On The Night How It Felt To Be Attending The BBTAs She Told Us It Was: “Unbelieveable. Great To Be Here. Very Inspiring.”
She Also Said “It’s Just A Shame It’s Taken Me So Many Years And To Be Off Tour To Be Here.”
As Well As Giving A Surprise Performance She Also Announced That She Will Be Playing Chukka Khan In A New Original Production Called “I’m Every WomanTheMusical” Next Year. Comment: We’re So Happy For Her. It’s Very Much Deserved. A Long Time Coming!
Soulfull Songstress Beverley Knight @beverleyknight Is A Very Proud Windrush Daughter. She Appeared On ITV’s GMB Just Days After @thebbtas To Promote Her Upcoming ‘Born To Perform’ Tour Next Year. The Contrast In Tour Timings And Availability Between Alexandra And Beverley Highlights How Timing Is Everything (Further To Alexandra’s Statement To Us As Reported Above).
Knight Won Her BBTA For Her Role In Marie And Rosetta (Which Tells The Story of Music Pioneer Sister Rosetta Thorpe). It’s Her First Ever Lead Role In A Play (Despite Winning Previous Awards For Her Role In Musicals). Check Out A Video of Her On The Night (Including Celebrating With Alexandra Burke And Being Moved To Tears) Here
“ Magical. Melanated. Affirmational. And The Best Thing I’ve Ever Experienced. I’ve Never Been To An Award Show So To Celebrate And Be Celebrated By The Connosenti of Black British Theatre Darling, Is Everything I Could Ever Wish For. “
Newtion matthews. winner lgbtqia champion award black british theatre awards 2025
Directly Below; Tour De Force Newtion Matthews @newtion Tells Us How He Feels About Winning One of His Two BBTAs Nominations (As He Speaks Alongside Two of His Fellow Winners, Wrtier Trish Cooke And Producer Chuchu @cnwagu – Whose Team Speech For The ‘Shifters’ Win Can Be Seen Below End of Third Column). We’ll Be Doing A Seperate Interview With Trish Soon So Do Stay Tuned!
@orangecultureeng (Haut Couture) (Founder & Creative Director Adebayo Oke-Lawal)
Our Powerful Interviews With @TheBBTAs 2025 Winners Ca$h Holland @cash_holland (Best Supporting Actress In A Play – A Raison In The Sun), Cedric Neal @iamcedricneal (Best Supporting Actor In A Play – Hadestown), And Nicola Blackman @tittyblackbum (Lifetime Achievement Award) Are Also Available In A New Edition of Our Audio ‘Pods On A Page’ Interview Series In This Month’s Issue of TheOrator.Press (TO.P) @theorator.press.on.insta
‘Illuminating Achievement In The Performing Arts‘
The Winners List 2025
(Official Photos @ivan.wiesslondon)
- CREATIVES GROUP*
(i) BEST PRODUCER – BODY OF WORK OR PRODUCTION
Chuchu Nwagu (ii) BEST DIRECTOR
Lynette Linton, Intimate Apparel, Donmar Warehouse (iii) BEST MUSICAL DIRECTOR Takisha Sargent, The Women of Llanrumney, Theatre Royal Stratford East (iv) BEST CHOREOGRAPHER OR MOVEMENT DIRECTOR
Ingrid Mackinnon, Princess Essex, Shakespeare’s Globe (v)BEST DANCE PRODUCTION OR PERFORMER
Our Mighty Groove, Sadler’s Wells East & Uchenna Dance
2. RECOGNITION GROUP (BODY OF WORK) AWARDS*
(i) BEST SOUND AND/OR LIGHTING DESIGN
Eamonn O’Dwyer
(ii) THEATRE DESIGN
Georgie Lynch (Sponsor; Disney Theatrical Group) (iii) BOOK AND LYRICS
Trish Cooke (Sponsor: Theatrical Rights Worldwide UK) (iv) BEST PLAYWRIGHT Anne Odeke
(Sponsor: Brixton House in Association with The Writers Group)
(v) BEST CASTING DIRECTOR
Heather Basten (Sponsored by Spotlight)
3 PLAY AWARDS*
(i) BEST MALE LEAD ACTOR IN A PLAY
Arinzé Kene, Alterations, National Theatre, (Sponsor: London Production Studios, Dick Fiddler is Dead)
(ii) BEST FEMALE LEAD ACTOR IN A PLAY Beverley Knight, Marie & Rosetta, The Rose Theatre
(Sponsor: LAMDA – London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art)
(iii) BEST SUPPORTING MALE ACTOR IN A PLAY
Emmanuel Akwafo, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Bridge Theatre
(iv) BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE ACTOR IN A PLAY Cash Holland, A Raisin in the Sun, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre
(v) BEST PRODUCTION – PLAY
Shifters, Duke of York’s Theatre (Sponsor: AKA Agency)
Legendary Star of Stage And Screen Vanessa Williams @vanessawilliamsofficial And @littledropsofglam Looked Amazing As She Attended The Black British Theatre Awards @thebbtas This Year. In 983 She Became The First African-American To Win Miss America. Now Aged 62 She’s Still A Beauty Queen, But Currently Playing Infamous Fashion Industry Ugly Monster Character Miranda Priestly At The Dominion Theatre In The Devil Wears Prada Devilwearsprademusical.com (The Role Was Originally Played By Meryl Streep In The 2006 Film)
She Adapted The Musical’s Title In Support of The Annual Pride March This Summer, Changing It To ‘The Devil Wears Pride’. She Marched With Various Celebrity Friends Including Award-Winning Co. Star Matt Henry @mrmatthenry And Georgie Buckland @georgiebuckland (Centre).
In June This Year Multi-Award Winning ‘Wicked: For Good’ Lead Actress Cynthia Erivo @cynthiaerivo Presented The Emmy Awards In America. But She Presented @TheBBTAs In The Early Years (After They Launched In 2018) And Still Features On Their Home Page Today. She Too Is Also A Passionate LGBTQIA Advocate. https://blackbritishtheatreawards.com
Best Production: Shifters, Duke of York Theatre
Director Lynette Linton @lynettelinton1
Writer Benedict Lombe @missbenedictlombe
Producer Chuchu Nwagu @cnwagu
Cast Includes Tosin Cole @mrtosincole & Heather Agyepong @heathatrottlives
TheOrator.Press ~ A New, Monthly, Online, Independent Magazine 