Lena Horne to Become the First Black Woman With a Broadway Theater Named After Her
etonline.comBroadway is about to make history. On Thursday, the Nederlander Organization announced it will rename the Brooks Atkinson Theatre after legendary performer Lena Horne, who died in 2010 at 92.
The move marks the first time a Broadway theater has been named after a Black woman.The Brooks Atkinson is one of the Nederlander Organization's nine Broadway theaters and is currently home to the Tony-winningBuilt in 1926, the venue was renamed for the late, longtime theater critic Atkinson in 1960.Per , the name change follows an agreement reached between Black Theater United — a collection of Black theater leaders with founding members including Billy Porter and Vanessa Williams — and Broadway's three major landlords last year.
The agreement called for each landlord to have «at least one» of their theaters named after a Black artist, among other actions that seek to reassert their collective commitment to diversity and anti-racism.
The Shubert Organization previously announced that its Cort Theatre would be renamed for James Earl Jones, while Jujamcyn Theaters has a venue named for the late, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson.Horne was an acclaimed singer and celebrated actress.
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