The American Theatre Wing announced that it has been named a finalist in the inaugural Anthem Awards for its following projects:

  • Working in the Theatre – Awareness Categories (Not-For-Profit); Education, Art, & Culture – Special Projects
  • Counting Together – Awareness Categories (Not-For-Profit); Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion – Partnership or Collaboration
  • Counting Together – Community Engagement Categories; Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion – Partnership or Collaboration

The American Theatre Wing advances the full breadth of American theatre – commercial and nonprofit, on Broadway, off-Broadway and nationwide . Through the Tony Awards, Obie Awards, and its suite of linked programs, the Wing aims to create equitable opportunities for diverse theatre-makers nationwide to discover the art form, deepen their knowledge, build networks of support, launch careers, and celebrate achievement.

“The American Theatre Wing has set the standard for excellence for the Impact Industry. We are so proud of what we are building at The Anthem Awards and are humbled by the positive response and extraordinary support from global brands and national organizations to artists, creators and local individuals making an impact in their community,” said Jessica Lauretti, Managing Director, The Anthem Awards. “It is our distinct honor to showcase and highlight this work and recognize its impact across Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion as well as Education, Art, & Culture areas.”

Heather Hitchens, American Theatre Wing President & CEO, commented,  “The Anthem Awards celebrates exactly the kind of work that drives the Wing’s mission and focus. We are humbled and inspired to be in such fine company amongst our fellow finalists. The programs that the Anthem Awards have chosen to recognize are vital parts of our overarching strategy on working to make sure the American theatre is an accessible, equitable, and inclusive breeding ground for engaging work and bold ideas.”

Working in the Theatre is The Wing’s Emmy® Nominated documentary series produced to entertain audiences by revealing theatre’s inner-workings, profiling industry luminaries, and taking a closer look at unique stories that surround important work. Spanning four decades of programming and featuring extraordinary work across the nation, Working in the Theatre is the most comprehensive theatre series to date.

Counting Together is a growing coalition of theater artists, arts professionals, and organizations engaged in separate, long-term studies of race, gender, and disability in the American Theatre. By telling the stories of its findings, Counting Together’s goal is to identify and forge pathways to greater equity and inclusion.

“From its inception, this has been a truly collaborative effort,” said Hitchens. “With our friends and co-hosts at the Dramatists Guild, we launched the Counting Together website to provide free and easy access to data and statistics collected by members of the Counting Together coalition. This industry resource will help to build effective, evidence-based equity, diversity and inclusion solutions. Such a goal is only made possible by the tireless efforts of Counting Together’s partners, and we are proud and honored to share this achievement with them.”, Hitchens stated.

To explore any of  the studies of Counting Together’s partners, please visit CountingTogether.org.

Winners for the inaugural Anthem Awards will be announced on Tuesday, February 15, 2022 and celebrated at the first annual Anthem Voices virtual conference as well as at a star-studded virtual Awards Show on Monday, February 28, 2022.  Fans will be able to watch the virtual show on-demand featuring special moments, and hallmark Speeches from all the Winners at www.anthemawards.com

The Anthem Awards was launched in response to the prevalence social good has taken within the national conversation and cultural zeitgeist in recent years. The inaugural competition received nearly 2,500 entries from 36 countries worldwide. By amplifying the voices that spark global change, the Anthem Awards are defining a new benchmark for impactful work that inspires others to take action in their communities. A portion of program revenue will fund a new grant program supporting emerging individuals and organizations working to advance the causes recognized in the inaugural Anthem Awards.

Anthem Finalists are selected by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Members include Daniel Dae Kim (actor, producer and activist);  Ashley Judd (Author, Actor, and Social Justice Humanitarian); Mitchell Baker (CEO and chairwoman, Mozilla); Lisa Sherman (president and CEO, Ad Council), Sarah Kate Ellis (president and CEO, GLAAD); Renata Erlikhman (chief investment officer, OW Management); Shayla Tait (director of philanthropy, The Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation); Russlynn Ali (CEO and co-founder, XQ Institute); Marc Ecko (chief commercial officer and board member, XQ Institute); Heidi Arthur (chief campaign development officer, Ad Council); and Alexis M. Herman (chair and chief executive officer, New Ventures, and former U.S. secretary of labor).

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