UNCSA School of Drama alumnus earns (another) Tony nomination — and more

The year 2023 is shaping up to be a great one for Stephen McKinley Henderson (BFA 1972), a graduate of the School of Drama at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA). He has been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for the Broadway production of Between Riverside and Crazy, in which he stars as Walter “Pops” Washington, a retired New York City police o cer at a crossroads in his life. The play also earned a Tony nomination for Best Play.

Henderson previously earned Obie and Lucille Lortel awards for the 2014 oBroadway production of Between Riverside and Crazy, which was written by Stephen Adly Guirgis. The earlier production also won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play, the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play, the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New O -Broadway Play, and the O -Broadway Alliance for Best New Play.

Henderson’s Tony nomination marks his second, following a nod for Best Featured Actor in a Play in the 2010 Broadway revival of August Wilson’s Fences. But whether he wins or loses the Tony, this past Sunday he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Lucille Lortel Awards, the pre-eminent honor presented to recognize outstanding achievement in o -Broadway productions, and on June 6th he will receive the Harold Prince Lifetime Achievement Award at the Drama Desk Awards. In 2021, Henderson was the UNCSA Commencement speaker and received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater.

Henderson appeared in a handful of early feature films, including Ghostbusters (1984) and Marie (1985), but worked primarily on stage until the early 2000s, when his screen career took o . His film credits include Tower Heist (2011), Spike Lee’s Red Hook Summer (2012), and Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (2014), the 2019 HBO version of Richard Wright’s landmark Native Son, and Halle Berry’s 2020 directorial debut Bruised. Last year he appeared in Causeway, for which Brian Tyree Henry earned an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor.

Henderson holds the distinction of having appeared in six films nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011), Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln (2012), Denzel Washington’s 2016 screen adaptation of Fences, Manchester by the Sea (2016), Lady Bird (2017), and Dune (2021). Last year, Vulture Magazine cited Henderson as one of “The 32 Greatest Character Actors Working Today.”

In a December 2022 interview with Leah Putnam of Playbill.com to discuss Between Riverside and Crazy and his career, Hender- son said: “I don’t mind doing a very small role in a play that says something I really want to be a part of. It’s a joy to be in a director’s vision, it’s a wonderful masterpiece they’re trying to paint. And there’s no part of the canvas that isn’t crucially important.”

The actor, now 73, can currently be seen opposite Joaquin Phoenix in Ari Aster’s controversial psycho-shocker Beau is Afraid, and will reprise his role as Thufir Hawat in Denis Villeneuve’s star-studded sciencefiction epic Dune: Part Two, based on Frank Herbert’s classic novel, which is scheduled for release in December.

The 76th annual Tony Awards will be hosted by Ariane DeBose and air live on Sunday, June 11, from the United Palace in Washington Heights, NY, from 8 – 11 p.m. on CBS, and streaming live and on-demand on Paramount+. In addition, CBS and Pluto TV will present “The Tony Awards: Act One,” a behind-the-scenes pre-show featuring exclusive content, which will air from 6:30 – 8 pm.

The o cial Tony Awards website is https://www.tonyawards.com/ and the o cial UNCSA website is https://www. uncsa.edu/. !

See MARK BURGER’s reviews of current movies. © 2023, Mark Burger.

WEEKLY ARTS ROUNDUP]

MASS: A CELEBRATION OF LOVE AND JOY

HEART OF THE TRIAD CHORAL SOCIETY PRESENTS: A

BY: ANDRE THOMAS

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BY RONNIE BLANTON

This weekend, The Heart of the Triad Choral Society will perform “Mass: A Celebration of Love and Joy” (by Andre Thomas) at Main Street United Methodist Church in Kernersville, NC, on Friday, May 12th at 7 p.m., and Saturday, May 13th at 3 p.m. Dr. Andre Thomas combined the words of the ordinary mass with words from traditional spirituals to compose a 5-movement work in a gospel style. H.T.C.S. will be performing with a 30-piece professional orchestra, and two Professional Soloists: Kay Marion and Rev. Kenneth Pettigrew. In addition to our Featured Soloists for both performances, H.T.C.S. will be joined by the Glenn High School Choir on Friday Night and North Davidson High School Choir on Saturday. We are so incredibly excited to feature such an amazing wealth of talent for both Friday and Saturday’s concerts. The Heart of the Triad is a Non-Profit, Community-Driven Choir led by Artistic Director, Dr. Carol Earnhardt. This weekend’s concerts are a free and open to all ages; We will be accepting a

Love O ering to help o set the costs of this year’s production. For more information about this week’s concerts or the HTCS organization, please visit our site at: www.heartofthetriadmusic.com hilo Farnsworth is widely considered to be the principal inventor of television. He was not only a genius, he was also a visionary, and he shared that vision with his wife Pam one afternoon in 1926 while the couple was driving up the California coast from Los Angeles to San Francisco. In his book, “The Last Lone Inventor,” Evan Schwartz recounted that conversation in which Philo told Pam that, “Television would become the world’s greatest teaching tool. Illiteracy would be wiped out, and viewers would be able to watch news as it happened.” Philo also told Pam that television would bring about world peace.

HEART OF THE TRIAD CHORAL SOCIETY is a nonprofit community choir made up of singers from all over the Piedmont Triad. Our season runs August - May with two major concerts as well as various events throughout the year. All who love to sing are welcome to join! No previous musical knowledge is necessary.

ARTS COUNCIL of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County is the chief advocate of the arts and cultural sector in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. Our goal is to serve as a leader in lifting up, creating awareness and providing support to grow and sustain artistic, cultural and creative o erings throughout our region We acknowledge that it takes every voice, every talent, and every story to make our community a great place to live, work, and play. Arts Council is committed to serving as a facilitator, organizer, and promoter of conversations that are authentic, inclusive, and forward-thinking. There are over 800,000 art experiences taking place in WinstonSalem and Forsyth County annually. To learn more about upcoming arts and culture events happening in our community please visit www.cityofthearts.com.