FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

24TH ANNUAL NAACP THEATRE AWARDS WINNERS’ ANNOUNCED

(Hollywood, CA) December 4, 2014 – The Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP branch and its partners Wells Fargo, The City of Los Angeles (Councilman Bernard Parks) and Rent-A-Center announced winners of the 24th Annual NAACP Theatre Awards on November 17th at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. Actress Kym Whitley, star of the Own Network’s “Raising Whitley” hosted this year’s show.

Hollywood’s best in film, television, theatre and music presented and performed, including Tichina Arnold (Survivor’s Remorse, Everybody Hate Chris), Lamorne Morris (New Girl), Teyonah Parris (Dear White People), Shanola Hampton (Shameless), Kellita Smith (The Bernie Mac Show), Angell Conwell and Omar Gooding (Bounce TV’s Family Time), Donis Leonard Jr. (House of Lies), Obba Babatundé (Half & Half, Dreamgirls “Original Broadway Cast”, Miss Evers’ Boys), Jamie Hector (Max Payne), Cocoa Brown (Tyler Perry’s The Single Moms Club), Nadine Ellis, Erica HubbardChristian Keyes (Let’s Stay Together), Stephen Bishop, and Lisa Vidal (Being Mary Jane), Peter Parros (Tyler Perry’s The Haves and the Have Nots) Chrystee Pharris (Passions), and R&B singers-songwriters Macy Gray, Chante Moore, and Shanica Knowles, Broadway superstar Chester Gregory and award winning theatre director Ted Lange.  Sponsors Grand Leyenda and Collinwood hosted the Awards Show Official After-party to the spins of the Champion of New Sound “DJ B-Hen” featuring a special performance by the sensational urban pop group “The Jazmin Sisters”.

10-time Grammy Award winner Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds presented life-long friend and 6-time Grammy Award winner Toni Braxton with the NAACP Spirit AwardGlynn Turman received the Life Time Achievement Award while Roger Guenveur Smith took home the Trail Blazer AwardRegional President of Community BankJohn Sotoodeh  received the President’s Award and Senior Vice President of Wells Fargo, Byron Reed was honored with the Community Service Award.

The NAACP Theatre Awards Viewing Committee considered all candidates who submitted their production from January 2013 through December 2013 for possible nomination. All production must have had a 5-week production run in Southern California (San Diego to Bakersfield included) to be considered. Productions who met all eligibility requirements before the deadline were considered eligible for a 2014 NAACP Theatre Award.

For more information and latest news, please visit the official NAACP Theatre Awards website at www.naacptheatreawards.com

About The NAACP Theatre Awards: 

The NAACP Theatre Awards is presented by the Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP Branch.  Ron Hasson is branch president and Tia Boyd (Staff member of the Business Management CPA Firm “Tanner Mainstain Glynn & Johnson”) is the executive producer for the NAACP Theatre Awards Show.  The prestigious gala is produced for the purpose of honoring thespians of color amongst the best in the field of entertainment.

The 24th Annual NAACP Theatre Award winners are:

Best Choreography – Equity

The Royale – Ameenah Kaplan

 

Best Choreography – Local

Dreamgirls – Rae Toledo

 

Best Costumes – Equity

Joe Turner’s Come and Gone – Karen Perry

 

Best Costumes – Local

Dreamgirls – Michael Mullen

 

Best Director – Equity 

Joe Turner’s Come and Gone – Phylicia Rashad

 

Best Director – L ocal

One Night In Miami – Carl Cofield

 

Best Director of a Musical – Equity

Smokey Joe’s Café: The Songs of Leiber and Stoller – Jeffrey Polk

 

Best Director of a Musical – Local

Dreamgirls – Marco Gomez

 

Best Ensemble Cast – Equity

The Brothers Size

 

Best Ensemble Cast – Local

One Night In Miami

 

Best Lead Female – Equity

Letters from Zora:In Her Own Words – Vanessa Bell Calloway

 

Best Lead Female  – Local

Sick and Tired – Keturah Baker

 

Best Lead Male – Equity

Breath and Imagination – Elijah Rock

 

Best Lead Male – Local

Blood Knot – Oscar Best

 

Best Lighting – Equity

12 Angry Men – Brian L. Gale

 

Best Lighting – Local

Steel Magnolias – David Carreno

 

Best Music Director – Equity

Breath and Imagination – Rahn Coleman

 

Best Music Director – Local

Dreamgirls – Chris Raymond

 

 

Best One Person Show – Local 

Beautiful – Jozanne Marie

 

Best Playwright – Equity

Breath and Imagination – Daniel Beaty

 

 

Best Playwright – Local

One Night In Miami – Kemp Powers

 

Best Producer – Equity

12 Angry Men – The Pasadena Playhouse

 

Best Producer – Local 

One Night In Miami – John Perrin Flynn & Roxanne Hart

 

Best Set Design – Equity

One Night with Janis Joplin – Justin Townsend

 

Best Set Design – Local

Rent – Anderson William

 

Best Sound – Equity

Breath and Imagination – Dave Mickey

 

Best Sound – Local

Dreamgirls – David Crawford

 

Best Supporting Female – Equity

One Night with Janis Joplin – Sebrina Elayne Carten

 

Best Supporting Female – Local

Pieces – Tiffany Snow

 

Best Supporting Male – Equity

The Road Weeps, the Well Runs Dry – Darryl Alan Reed

 

Best Supporting Male – Local 

The Good Negro – Stephen Grove Malloy