Tony Award nominee Danielle Brooks and John Keating are the 2019 recipients of Actors' Equity Foundation's Joe A. Callaway Award, celebrating performances in classic titles. Brooks (The Color Purple, Orange Is the New Black) is recognized for her work in the Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park presentation of Much Ado About Nothing, while Keating earns the award following his performance in the O'Casey Cycle (The Plough and the Stars, Shadow of a Gunman, and Juno and the Paycock).
The two will be honored during a membership meeting January 13, 2020, at Equity's New York City headquarters. This year's judges consisted of Joe Dziemianowicz, Adam Feldman, Susan Haskins, Harry Haun, and David Rosenberg.
Meanwhile, the Foundation's St. Clair Bayfield Award, going to a performer for supporting work in a Shakespearean play in the metropolitan area, will be presented to Jonathan Hadary. The Tony nominee took on the role of Sicinius Velutus in the Public Theater's presentation of Coriolanus this summer in Central Park.
Previous recipients of these awards have included Mary Testa, Kate Burton, Laura Linney, Lily Rabe, Liev Schreiber, Frank Langella, and Nathan Lane.