By Karu F. Daniels, AOL Black Voices

The month of March has been commonly recognized as Women's Herstory Month, and acclaimed screen and stage actress Tamara Tunie is making history in the theater world.

As a producer of the critically praised musical 'Spring Awakening' and the forthcoming August Wilson play 'Radio Golf,' the stunning beauty holds the distinction of being the first black woman to helm two shows on The Great White Way -- at the same time.

"It's a rarity," she said to The BV Newswire, noting two other black female producers who came before her: Camille Cosby and Vy Higgenson.

And of course there's Oprah Winfrey, who is fronting the best-selling musical 'The Color Purple.'

"It's very exciting and I encourage everybody to get involved in theater," says the black woman who stands in a class by herself, literally.

So how did Tunie, known as one of the hardest working actresses (starring in two TV shows: the long-running daytime soap 'As the World Turns' and the popular primetime series 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'), become a Broadway producer?

"It was really about being in the right place at the right time and talking to the right person," the 'Dreamgirls: One Night Only' star confided.

That right person turned out to be TV producer Jennifer Maloney, who produced the recent Tony Award nominated Broadway stunner 'Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life ' and the Off-Broadway modern day musical 'I Love You Because.'

When asked to come on board to help support 'Spring Awakening,' featuring the music of Duncan Sheik and choreography by Bill T. Jones, Tunie seized the opportunity.

"The creative team I really believed in ... and I just thought these are geniuses, this is going to be good," she explained. "So I really stepped out on faith and said I want to participate and I want to make this happen."

'Awakening,' directed by Michael Mayer, is based on Frank Wedekind's controversial 19th-century play, which was banned for 71 years. The rock musical takes a bold approach in depicting how young people navigate the thrilling, confusing and mysterious time of their sexual awakening.

The show opened at the Eugene O'Neil Theatre last November and has garnered rave reviews.

"From there, some of the producers who were working on ['Awakenings'] came to me and asked me to take a look at 'Radio Golf' and come into produce with them," she continued. "And you know it was kind of a no-brainer because when you say August Wilson to me, who is a legend in the theater and who is one of my heroes, I said 'of course I will do it.'"

Considered Wilson's most contemporary play, 'Radio Golf' -- beginning previews, April 20 at Broadway's Cort Theatre -- will be directed by Kenny Leon ('A Raisin in the Sun') and star in-demand actor Harry Lennix and Tony Award winner Tonya Pinkins.

Set in 1997 in Pittsburgh's Hill District, 'Radio' is the story of a charming and powerful African-American politician, who is running for the highest office of his career, with the loving support of his savvy wife. As he steps into political prominence, the past is just a few steps behind him ... and gaining fast.

Considering Senator Barack Obama's ambitious run for the White House, this story can definitely resonate in Broadway's contemporary landscape.

So why doesn't Tunie -- who has portrayed varied roles including a demon in 'The Devil's Advocate' and even the legendary entertainer Lena Horne in a one woman show throughout the years -- use her acting chops for such a monumental piece of work?

"The timing isn't good," she confided, noting her two steady TV gigs.

"Producing is a real full time job and I didn't feel like I wanted to [act]," she expounded. "I wanted to be the supporter behind the scenes, making it happen, taking care of somebody else and allowing someone else's dream, which is August Wilson, and someone else's interpretation of that dream, which is Tonya Pinkins, and helping make it come true."

"This production is not about me," she continued. "It's about August Wilson and his legacy and his brilliance and his contribution to the country as a whole."

"And then there's the fact that I'm from Pittsburg too," she added. "The Hill District."

Veteran Broadway theater marketing expert Irene Gandy, who produced the groundbreaking South African musical 'Sarafina' in 1988, said having Tunie making history with two great shows adds to a great legacy.

"To see this young girl who is not invested in Jeeps, and Louis Vuitton bags, and Manolo Blahniks actually put her money where her mouth is, I think it's amazing, and very exciting and I'm so happy to see that," Gandy told The BV Newswire during an event she hosted promoting the show last night at the August Wilson Theatre. "I'm getting over 60 now and I just want to leave my kind of energy and she has that. She will go anywhere, and talk to anybody. It reminds me of the olden days. I know August will be proud of that."

Gandy has marketed shows on The Great White way since 1970's 'Hay Fever.'

When asked about what sage advice she has imparted on Tunie -- as a new Black woman taking on the producing terrain, she deadpanned: "I tell her as long as you got the green, you can control it. There is only one color on Broadway and that's GREEN. And she has access to that so she will do fine."