Vincent Williams (1958-2023)
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Vincent Williams – best known throughout the Chicagoland theater community for founding The Black Theatre Alliance/Ira Aldridge Awards in 1995 – died on April 19 at the age of 64. Vincent established the awards to honor African Americans who achieve excellence in theater, dance, and all areas of the performing arts, throughout Chicagoland. The awards also pay homage to Ira Aldridge (1807-1867), an African American actor famed for his performances in Shakespearean roles in Europe.
A 2003 Columbia College Chicago alumnus, Vincent received a degree in performing arts management, and went on to implement an award naming structure over the next 28 years of awards to honor not only present-day performers, but African American theater icons from days past. Ira Aldridge was an African American actor who gained fame in the 19th century for his Shakespearean performances in Europe. Chicago actor Darren Jones said this: “In 2017, Vincent allowed me to host the Black Theatre Alliance Awards at Columbia College Chicago. I was completely honored and it was a great evening. The pictures I have and the artists who were present represent a most cherished part of my theatrical life. Learning of his passing is quite heartbreaking. My very first plays at Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre in Evanston were with Vincent Williams. I’ve known him since day 1 of my acting career. In these recent years, I lived just blocks away from Vincent here in Chicago, often riding the CTA together or giving him a ride home, telling him about my latest project and assuring him that I always had a ticket for him.” Columbia College faculty member Albert Williams noted that Vincent Williams “was pretty much a one-man band, and kept the BTAA going on his own time and his own dime.” In a 1995 Reader interview before the first BTAA ceremony (hosted by actor Harry J. Lennix and featuring Gwendolyn Brooks as a presenter), Vincent Williams noted that his love of theater was born watching Barbra Streisand sing “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from Funny Girl at the 1968 Oscars ceremony. In honor of Vincent’s tirelessly work promoting and championing work by Black companies and artists, we list the names of all the BTA Awards below. The Negro Ensemble Company Award for Outstanding Stage Production The Lloyd Richards Award for Best Direction Of A Play The Oscar Brown, Jr. Award for Best Direction Of A Musical The Douglas Alan Mann Award for Best Direction Of An Ensemble The Ruby Dee Award for Best Leading Actress in a Play The Sidney Poitier Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play The Ossie Davis Award for Best Featured Actor In A Play The Hattie McDaniel Award for Best Featured Actress In A Play The Lena Horne Award for Best Leading Actress In A Musical The Sammy Davis, Jr. Award for Best Leading Actor In A Musical The Eartha Kitt Award for Best Featured Actress In A Musical The Bill Bojangles Robinson Award for Best Featured Actor In A Musical The Ethel Waters Award for Best Actress in an Ensemble The Harry Belafonte Award for Best Actor In An Ensemble The Bert Williams Award for Best Solo Performance In A Play The Phylicia Rashad Award for Most Promising Actress The Denzel Washington Award for Most Promising Actor The August Wilson Award for Best Writing Of A Musical The Lorraine Hansberry Award for Best Writing of a Play The Katherine Dunham Award for Best Choreography In A Play The Joel Hall Award for Best Choreography in a Dance/Music Production The Alvin Ailey Award for Best Choreography (Non-Resident) The Andre' DeShields Award for Best Performance In A Play (Non-Resident) The Duke Ellington Award for Best Musical Direction The Ruth E. Carter Award for Best Costume Design The Shirley Prendergast Award for Best Lighting Award The Ed Burbidge Award for Best Set Design The The Mike Sargent Award Best Sound Design |