York Walker will be the inaugural recipient of the Vineyard Theatre's Colman Domingo Award. Seeded in 2019 from the longtime collaboration between The Vineyard and Domingo, the Colman Domingo Award will be bestowed annually to a multi-faceted Black male or male-identifying theatre artist to provide support and resources to create new work. Recipients are selected directly by The Vineyard and Mr. Domingo and receive a cash stipend, workshops and other developmental opportunities, access to writing and studio space, mentorship, and the ongoing support of The Vineyard.
Colman Domingo says, "It has been my hope to support the next generation of multi-hyphenate theatre artists in some impactful way. Not only by mentorship, but with a financial award. I knew that this was a perfect partnership with
Vineyard Theatre which has been a New York home for me for over 10 years. They helped me flex my artistic muscles as an actor and playwright with my productions of A Boy and His Soul and Dot. They were the cheerleader who helped me see that I had something to offer The Scottsboro Boys, for which I am eternally grateful. I was so honored that they chose to honor my body of work at the 2019 gala. I wanted to give a gift back in return. To create an award for an African American man who could use the hand, access and support that The Vineyard and I could provide. It seems fitting that we are ready to announce our inaugural recipient during this profound moment of change, when we truly need to hear African American voices. It is our pleasure to gift this award to
York Walker."
Mr. Aibel and Ms. Stern said, "A few days before we were to honor our friend and artistic collaborator
Colman Domingo at our gala last year, he called us with an idea. He wanted to give back, to invest in theatre artists who, like him, had battled obstacles of being a Black male in our country and in the American Theatre; artists who, like him, wore multiple creative hats and who were developing their gifts as generative artists and playwrights. Over the past year, we have worked together to envision and bring into being this new annual award, the
Colman Domingo Award, which will provide artists at a pivotal point in their career with time, space, and resources to make the work they want to make.
York Walker is a truly gifted theatre artist, whose work as a playwright electrifies us with its intelligence, poetry, vivid emotional life, and theatrical daring. We are grateful to deepen a relationship with him at The Vineyard and to be able to offer support as he seeks to focus on his writing. We look forward to the work that he and future recipients of the
Colman Domingo Award will create -- work we need on our stages and in our world."
York Walker says, "I am so grateful to
Colman Domingo and the
Vineyard Theatre for this award. At this moment when our country is being forced to reconcile with its history, I believe we need black narratives now more than ever. I am excited to use this opportunity to uplift and empower black people through my work and continue to utilize storytelling as an instrument for substantive change."
The 2020
Colman Domingo Award is made possible through the generosity of Joe and
Mary Ann Allen.
York Walker is an award-winning writer based in Harlem, New York. He is currently a member of
Lena Waithe's Hillman Grad Mentorship Program. His work includes The Séance (Winner of the
John Singleton Short Film Competition, 48 Hours... in Harlem), You're Gonna Be Famous (
Atlantic Theatre Company Conservatory), Covenant (Fire This Time Festival, Access Theatre's 4 Flights Up Festival), White Shoes (Fire This Time Festival), Summer Of '63 (The Actors Company Theatre's New TACTics Festival, Actor's Theatre of Louisville's Apprentice Reading Series) and Of Dreams To Come (American Conservatory Theatre's New Work Series). York received his MFA in Acting from
The American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco.
