Lifetime Achievement Awards for Faculty
A. Dean Irby and Trazana Beverley were honored by the Audelco Recongnition Awards.
On November 18, 2024, the 52nd Annual Vivian Robinson AUDELCO Recognition Awards, known as “The VIV Awards,” celebrated excellence in Black theater.
Among the honorees were two with strong ties to Purchase: Associate Professor A. Dean Irby and Trazana Beverley, former faculty member and guest director, received Lifetime Achievement Awards, highlighting their significant contributions to the performing arts.
Irby, a longtime faculty member in the Acting BFA program, has helped shape generations of performers through his work as both a professor and professional director. His directing credits span numerous productions across New York theatre, including work with the New Federal Theatre and the Negro Ensemble Company.
At Purchase, Irby recently directed the production of Socrates featuring members of Acting BFA Company 49. This spring he’ll be directing the third-year students, Acting Company 50, in Stick Fly.
An acclaimed actress and director, Beverley has previously taught first year acting at Purchase and has returned as a guest director, most recently in September 2023 for the production of Gint, featuring Acting BFA Company 49, whom she taught in their first year.
Beverley made history as the first African American woman to receive a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role in the 1977 Broadway production of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf. Her groundbreaking work as an actress, director, and teacher has influenced countless students in the performing arts.
Congratulations to both on their artistic achievements and their influence on countless emerging artists.