Lamar Richardson knows the exact moment when he knew he needed to devote all of his energy to theater.
In a 2014 e-mail, Richardson informed a woman that he would not be serving as an intern at Barclays for the summer. Nearly twelve years to the day, Richardson proudly walked the stage at the Tony Awards to accept the award for Best Revival of a Musical for “Ragtime.”
At 33, he’s the youngest Black person to win in one of the big four categories as a lead producer.
“DREAMS. Are. Valid,” he captioned a celebratory post on Instagram. “12 years ago, I took a chance on myself & I THANK GOD for the harvest all these years later. BLESS my parents for coming to this country in 1988 in search of a better life for themselves and their children and for paving the way for me to reach this moment.”
He added, “THANK YOU @tomkirdahy for your YES and my beloved Partners @kevinmryan & @bobgreenblattpics. THANK YOU @zai_jewels for 13 years of supporting me and championing my INSANE pursuit. Y’all, don’t you EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER give up on you and your VISION for your life. I. Am. FULL. I stand in the gap for the many who have come before me and the multitudes to come after me. #THANKYOUJESUS “
Richardson and his wife, Zaire Julion-Richardson, made certain to celebrate Black creatives ahead of the Tony Awards ceremony. On Friday (June 5), the Ivy Lion Productions founders hosted the inaugural Black Broadway Nominee Soirée to celebrate the men and women whose hard work throughout the year deserved celebration from their community.
“We are living at a time of sociocultural and political upheaval, civil unrest, and mass erasure and Black resistance and Black joy are of the utmost importance during times like these,” the couple said in a statement. “Community is everything. Togetherness, visibility, inclusion, belonging, these are all the words and themes that are utterly undeniable for us as a people right now, and this soirée was created to hold space for that. A curated celebratory gathering of creatives, of Black ancestry to love on each other, celebrate each other, uplift each other, and remind each other that we are already the prize, and we have already won, regardless of whatever Awards or voting bodies have to say about it.”
Richardson’s win makes him the fourth Black talent to win an award as a Lead Producer, joining Ken Harper (“The Wiz”) in 1975, Oprah Winfrey (“The Color Purple”) in 2016, and Glenn Davis (“Purpose”) in 2025. It was his third Tony win overall as he won two in 2024, as he had co-producer credits for “Approrpriate” and “Merrily We Roll Along.” “Appropriate” won for Best Revival of a Play and “Merrily We Roll Along” won for Best Revival of a Musical.
