What do the Broadway shows Suffs, Hell’s Kitchen, and Stereophonic have in common? They and several other critically acclaimed productions all boast at least one Fordham community member who has been nominated for a 2024 Tony Award.
Here’s a look at four Fordham College at Lincoln Center graduates, three faculty members, and one former Denzel Washington Chair in Theatre who are among the nominees for Broadway’s highest honor.
This year’s awards ceremony will take place at the David H. Koch Theater—across the street from Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus—on Sunday, June 16.
Marjuan Canady, FCLC ’08
Hell’s Kitchen
Canady, a Fordham Theatre graduate, is a co-producer of Hell’s Kitchen as part of Score 3 Partners. The musical, from Grammy Award winner Alicia Keys, is a coming-of-age story based on her experiences growing up in New York City. The production received 13 total nominations.
John Johnson, FCLC ’02
Stereophonic
Johnson, who returned to his alma mater this spring to teach a new course called Creative Producing, is an eight-time Tony Award-winning producer. He’ll be looking to earn his ninth for Stereophonic, which was nominated for Best New Play. It follows a fictional 1970s rock band on the cusp of superstardom and dealing with pressures that could “spark their breakup or their breakthrough.” The production received 13 total nominations.
Tom Pecinka, FCLC ’10
Stereophonic
Pecinka, a Fordham Theatre grad who is making his Broadway debut, was nominated for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his role as Peter in Stereophonic. The New York Times called his performance “riveting.”
Morgan Steward, FCLC ’19
Suffs
Steward is an associate producer and co-producer of Suffs, which was nominated for Best New Musical after opening on Broadway last month. She graduated from Fordham only five years ago, earning a degree in new media and digital design and communications while interning at the NY1 show On Stage. On April 10, she addressed a group of Fordham alumni and guests at a private reception before they attended a preview of the show. Suffs tells the story of the American women’s suffrage movement in the first decades of the 20th century. The production received six total nominations.
Dede Ayite
Adjunct Professor, Fordham Theatre
Appropriate, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, Hell’s Kitchen
Ayite, who teaches Costume Design at Fordham, was nominated for two Tony Awards for her work on three productions—Best Costume Design of a Play, for both Appropriate and Jaja’s African Hair Braiding; and Best Costume Design of a Musical, Hell’s Kitchen.
Santiago Orjuela-Laverde
Adjunct Professor, Fordham Theatre
Appropriate, An Enemy of the People
Orjuela-Laverde, who teaches Design and Production at Fordham, was nominated for two Tony Awards for his work with dots, a design collective that specializes in creating “environments for narratives, experiences, and performances.” He and his colleagues Andrew Moerdyk and Kimie Nishikawa, are up for Best Scenic Design of a Play for their work on Appropriate and Best Scenic Design of a Play for their work on An Enemy of the People.
Steven Skybell
Adjunct Professor, Fordham Theatre
Cabaret
Skybell, who currently teaches an Acting Shakespeare course, was nominated for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his role as Herr Schultz in Cabaret. Variety said the romance between his character and Bebe Neuwirth’s “elegant and maternal” Fraulein Schneider “spins a sweet and aching emotional thread” in the latest revival of the 1966 musical. Skybell has starred on Broadway in productions including Fiddler on the Roof, Pal Joey, and Wicked, and his numerous Shakespeare credits include the title role in Hamlet.
Kenny Leon
Former Denzel Washington Chair in Theatre
Purlie Victorious
Leon served as the Denzel Washington Chair in Theatre at Fordham in fall 2014, the same year he earned a Tony Award for his direction of A Raisin in the Sun. This year, he’s been nominated for his work as director of Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch, which is up for Best Direction of a Play and five other Tonys. The three-act play tells the story of a Black preacher’s efforts to reclaim his inheritance and win back his church.
