'Eclipsed' Playwright Danai Gurira and Producers Honored for Their Groundbreaking Work
'Eclipsed' playwright Danai Gurira and producers Stephen C. Byrd and Alia Jones-Harvey continue to make Broadway history.
Eclipsed made history when it debuted on Broadway earlier this year for bringing some much-needed diversity to the “Great White Way.” Written by Zimbabwean-American actor, playwright and star of The Walking Dead, Danai Gurira, the powerful drama tells the story of five women during the Second Liberian Civil War.
<p>When the play originally ran at the <strong>Yale Repertory Theater</strong> in 2009, a little-known <strong>Yale School of Drama</strong> student understudied for the principle role of the “Girl.” That same Yale School of Drama student would return to the stage—this time as the lead and with a few more accolades to her name—when New York’s <a href="http://www.okayafrica.com/culture-2/lupita-nyongo-eclipsed-danai-gurira-off-broadway-public-theater-new-york-city/" target="_blank"><strong>Public Theater</strong></a> staged a sold-out production of <em>Eclipsed</em> last September under the helm of South African-born director <strong>Liesl Tommy</strong>.</p><p><div class="preroll-video"></div><ora-player></ora-player></p><p>The student was Academy Award winner <a href="http://www.okayafrica.com/tag/lupita-nyongo/" target="_blank"><strong>Lupita Nyong’o</strong></a>. She and her co-stars, <strong>Pascale Armand</strong>, <strong>Akosua Busia</strong>, <strong>Zainab Jah</strong> and <strong>Saycon Sengbloh</strong> (who is herself Liberian), would reprise their roles when producers <a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/stephen-c-byrd-474988" target="_blank"><strong>Stephen C. Byrd</strong></a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AliaJHarvey" target="_blank"><strong>Alia Jones-Harvey</strong></a> of <strong>Front Row Productions</strong> brought <em>Eclipsed</em> to Broadway this past March, also under Tommy’s direction. (Byrd and Jones-Harvey, it’s important to note, are the only African-American lead producers on Broadway.)</p><p></p><p class="image-media media-photo-credit"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xMDk5Nzg1MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNTYzNDI2OX0.0E_GX0uC6EtYWxzroZWgCW8gEDTwYS7v5wMiLhtXVkI/img.jpg?width=980" id="259e0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1992a426979bf7b3d3ad7bce6e4b2d97" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"> La La Anthony (left), the cast of Eclipsed (left to right: Saycon Sengbloh, Akosua Busia, Lupita Nyong’o, Zainab Jah and Pascale Armand), director (top left: Liesl Tommy), writer (top right: Danai Gurira), and producer Stephen Byrd (right)</p><p>The show was a smashing success and resulted in <a href="http://www.okayafrica.com/culture-2/eclipsed-broadway-tony-award-nominations/" target="_blank">six nominations</a> at the 2016 <strong>Tony Awards</strong>, including Best Play (Gurira was the only woman writer nominated in the category this year), Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play, Best Costume Design of a Play and Best Direction of a Play.</p><p><div class="dfp_atf-slot" data-not-loaded="true"></div><script type="text/javascript">
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</script></p><p>Five months since <em>Eclipsed</em> played its final performance, the show’s mark on Broadway remains clear.</p><p>Tonight, Gurira and producers Byrd and Jones-Harvey are being honored at the annual <a href="https://www.tcg.org/" target="_blank"><strong>Theatre Communications Group</strong></a> (TCG) gala in New York City.</p><p>“We're thrilled to honor both the visionary artistry and activism of Danai Gurira as well as the groundbreaking work of producers Stephen C. Byrd and Alia M. Jones-Harvey,” said TCG’s executive director, <strong>Teresa Eyring</strong>. “By bringing the voices of women from Liberia’s civil war to the Broadway stage through their acclaimed production of Eclipsed, they’ve reaffirmed theatre’s power to humanize and connect us across borders.”</p><p>The gala is being held at the <strong>Edison Ballroom</strong>. For information on tickets and sponsorship contact gala@tcg.org or (212) 609-5931.</p>
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