Tonya Pinkins has won or been nominated for nearly every award there is in the American theater. She is a Fulbright Specialist. As a producer, writer and director she conceived "Truth and Reconciliation of Womyn; Narrative Stories and Songs for the Soul in ten minutes or less." The women involved in this project span the globe in age, culture and ethnicity.
She was awarded the 1992 Antoinette Perry (Tony) Award for Best Actress in a Musical for "Jelly's Last Jam" on Broadway in New York City.
Won Broadway's 1992 Tony Award as Best Actress (Featured Role -
Musical) for "Jelly's Last Jam." Subsequently, she was twice
Tony-nominated as Best Actress (Musical): in 1997 for "Play On!" and in
2004 for "Caroline, or Change."
She was awarded the 2004 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Lead Performance for "Caroline, or Change," at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
She was nominated for a 1998 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actress in a Principal Role in a Musical for "Play On!", at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.
Won the 2005 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for her performance
in "Caroline, or Change" in 2004.