This summer we were thrilled to work with playwright and director Lee Summers to bring his musical Ella, First Lady of Song to life at the Madison Theatre. The cast and crew worked tirelessly to bring the story of Ella Fitzgerald to life every night.
Madison Theatre’s Ella, First Lady of Song won five 2022 AUDELCO “VIV” Awards for Best Musical, Best Director of a Musical for Lee Summers, Best Lead Actress in a Musical for Freda Payne, Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Harriett D. Foy, and Outstanding Musical Director for Dionne Hendricks. The VIV Awards are named after the late Vivian Robinson, who founded AUDELCO in 1973. Short for Audience Development Committee, Inc, AUDELCO is an organization that acknowledges and honors Black Theatre and its artists in New York City.
We’re so proud of Lee, Freda, Harriett and Dionne and look forward to working with them again in the future.
- This production was partially funded by a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
For more information about this performance you can find the playbill below: