THE BLUEST EYE, BLKS, More Among 2022 Elliot Norton Award Winners

Several shows tied for the most 2022 Elliot Norton Awards—three—ensuring the love for Boston theatre was well-distributed for an unprecedented season. The most winning productions were Huntington Theatre Company’s The Bluest Eye; SpeakEasy Stage Company’s production of BLKS and People, Places, and Things; and Tiny Beautiful Things at Gloucester Stage Company. The honors were announced May 23 in a virtual ceremony.

‍The Bluest Eye won Outstanding Production by a Large Theatre, while People, Places and Things took home the same prize for a midsize theatre, as did Tiny Beautiful Things for a small or fringe theatre. Hadestown won Outstanding Visiting Production and All Is Calm at Greater Boston Stage Company won Outstanding Musical Production. Outstanding New Script went to Black Beans Project by Melinda Lopez and Joél Pérez, which was staged at Huntington Theatre Company.

Winning for their performances this year were Kevyn Morrow (Hadestown), Somi Kakoma (Dreaming Zenzile), Jasmine M. Rush (Queens Girl in the World), Anthony Pires Jr. (Passing Strange), Whitney White (Macbeth in Stride), John Douglas Thompson (The Tempest), Shannon DeVido (Teenage Dick), Marianna Bassham (People, Places & Things), Sharmarke Yusuf (BLKS), Celeste Oliva (Tiny Beautiful Things), Malcolm Ingram (Reparations). The ensembles for The Bluest Eye, BLKS, and The Importance of Being Earnest at Apollinaire Theatre Company also won their respective categories.

As previously announced, this year’s recipient of the Elliot Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence is John Douglas Thompson, a performer with deep roots in New England who has been hailed by many as the nation’s leading Shakespearean actor. Special citations were also awarded to Arlekin Players Theatre and Zero Gravity (zero-G) Virtual Theater Lab, led by artistic director Igor Golyak; actress Darya Denisova; and Julianne Boyd, co-founder and outgoing artistic director of Barrington Stage Company.

“In the middle of the most tumultuous and disturbing era I can ever remember, our intrepid theatre artists have done what we count on artists everywhere to do: reach into themselves and use their creative power to shed light on the human condition, inspire our compassion and joy, and anchor us in the truth,” said Joyce Kulhawik, president of the Boston Theater Critics Association. “We are so proud to honor their outstanding work in a truly remarkable theatre season!”

For a full list of winners, click here.