Alex Edelman is among the winners receiving a special Tony Award for his comedy show, Just for uswhich debuted on Broadway in June 2023.
Edelman’s one-man show, which ran through August at Broadway’s Hudson Theater, saw the comedian, who is Jewish, recount an evening where he attended a white supremacist meeting. Besides Edelman, special Tony recipients include Abe Jacob, a sound designer who has worked on dozens of Broadway shows, including the original production of Hair, cats, Jesus Christ superstar And The Who is Tommy, and mentored the next generation. Nikiya Mathis, a hair and wig designer who fights hair discrimination against black actors and has worked on shows such as JaJa’s African Hair Braiding, Top Dog/Underdog, Death of a Salesman and more.
Special Tony Awards are given to productions, artists and organizations that do not fall into any of the competitive categories.
“We are honored to present these three extraordinary individuals with the Special Tony Awards,” said Jason Laks, interim president of the Broadway League. “Alex Edelman made an exemplary debut in Just for us, a moving and hilarious show that spoke to the power of communication, identity and empathy in a time when it is needed more than ever. Abe Jacob is a true pioneer of theatrical sound design who created the modern approach to theatrical sound design and brought his unique and irreplaceable sound to each of his productions for decades. Nikiya Mathis transformed the approach to the design and maintenance of hair and wigs in our cinemas and her incredible work was rightly the centerpiece of this season’s incredible program. Jaja’s African Hair Braiding.”
The Tony Awards Administration Committee will also present the 2024 Tony Honors for Excellence to Wendall K. Harrington, designer of stage projections for the stage, including Paradise Square, Annie, Driving Miss Daisy, Gray Gardens and more; Colleen Jennings-Roggensack, vice president for cultural affairs at ASU and executive director of ASU Gammage, who has pushed for equity and diversity in the industry; Judith O. Rubin, board chair of the Off-Broadway Playwrights Horizons theater for three decades; the Dramatists Guild Foundation, which provides grants and stipends to playwrights, composers, lyricists and librettists; and the Friedman Health Center, a health care center in Times Square specifically for performing arts and entertainment professionals.
