24TH ANNUAL NAACP THEATRE AWARDS ANNOUNCES NOMINATIONS
Beverly Hills, California (September 10, 2014) – The NAACP Beverly Hills/Hollywood Branch’s Theatre Viewing Committee announced nominations in 32 competitive categories for the 24th Annual NAACP Theatre Awards. This year’s show will be hosted by Kym Whitley, star of the humorous and poignant docu-series “Raising Whitley” on Oprah Winfrey’s The OWN Network. The awards show will take place on Monday, November 17, 2014 at 6:00P.M. at the historical Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, California.
This year’s Equity Theatre nominations include an array of phenomenal productions including the August Wilson classic, “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”, securing several nominations counting Phylicia Rashad in the category of “Best Director of a Play”. Tony Award nominee, Sheldon Epps, is nominated for “Best Director”, for “12 Angry Men”, which is also receiving a nomination for “Best Playwright ” for the late Reginald Rose. Shirley Jo Finney rounds out the “Best Director” category for “The Road Weeps, The Well Runs Dry”. Leading the equity nominations with seven is “Breath and Imagination”, receiving a “Best Director of a Musical” nomination for Saundra McClain and “Best Lead Female” and “Best Lead Male” nominations for Karan Kendrick and Elijah Rock. Vanessa Bell Calloway, “Letters from Zora: In Her Own Words” and Demetrius Groose, “The Road Weeps, The Well Runs Dry” are also nominated in their respective best actor categories. Award winning musical favorite, “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” receives several nominations, including Jeffrey Polk for “Best Director of a Musical” and “Best Choreography”. Veteran actors David St. Louis, Robert Gossett, and Desean Terry pull in 3 of the 5 nominations for the musical, “Royale”. Another leader is “One Night with Janis Joplin”, which garners 4 nominations, including Sabrina Elayne Carten for “Best Supporting Female”.
In the category of Local Theatre nominations “Dream Girls” directed by “Best Director of a Musical” nominee Marco Gomez, takes the lead with 7 nominations including “Best Ensemble Cast” and “Best Producer”. “Blood Knot” brings in a “Best Director” nomination for Louis Gossett, Jr. and a “Best Lead Male” nomination for Oscar Best. “One Night in Miami” receives four nominations including a “Best Director” to Carl Cofield and a “Best Ensemble Cast”. Local productions of the Broadway smash hits “Ragtime” and “Rent” bring in nominations as well.
The Theatre Viewing Committee considers all candidates who submit their production from January 2013 through December 2013 for possible nomination. All productions must have a five consecutive week production run in Southern California (San Diego to Bakersfield included) to be considered. Productions who meet all eligibility requirements before the deadline are considered eligible for a 2014 NAACP Theatre Award. For more information on the NAACP Theatre Awards, please visit www.naacptheatreawards.com or call Image Is Everything PR for full nominee list at (310) 977-2502.
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 is the Executive Producer for the NAACP Theatre Awards Show. The prestigious star-studded gala is produced for the purpose of honoring thespians among the best in the field of entertainment. The branch also celebrates a three-day theatre festival, which provides a platform for thespians to express their craft and share their contributions with an audience of their peers, the community and other individuals who celebrate live theatre in Los Angeles.
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Best Choreography – Equity The Royale – Ameenah Kaplan Smoking Joe’s Café: The Songs of Lieber and Stoller – Jeffrey Polk Sister Act – Anthony Van Laast Best Choreography – Local Dreamgirls – Rae Toledo Rent – Alli Miller Heart Song – Maria Bermudez Best Costumes – Equity Joe Turner’s Come and Gone – Karen Perry One Night with Janis Joplin – Jeff Cone Breath and Imagination – Dianne K. Graebner Best Costumes – Local Dreamgirls – Michael Mullen I Wanna Be Loved – Barbara Morrison Ragtime – Maria Cohen, Sheridan Cole Crawford & Jayne Hamil Best Director – Equity Joe Turner’s Come and Gone – Phylicia Rashad 12 Angry Men – Sheldon Epps The Road Weeps, the Well Runs Dry – Shirley Jo Finney Best Director – L ocal Blood Knot – Louis Gossett, Jr. One Night In Miami – Carl Cofield Steele Magnolias – Dino Shorte Best Director of a Musical – Equity One Night with Janis Joplin – Randy Johnson Smokey Joe’s Café: The Songs of Leiber and Stoller – Jeffrey Polk Breath and Imagination – Saundra McClain Best Producer – Local I Wanna Be Loved – Mara & Ron New and Harold Garrison One Night In Miami – John Perrin Flynn & Roxanne Hart Dreamgirls – Marco Gomez, Dolf Ramos & Michael Abramson Best Set Design – Equity One Night with Janis Joplin – Justin Townsend Joe Turner’s Come and Gone – John Iacovelli The Road Weeps, The Wells Run Dry – Frederica Nascimento Best Set Design – Local One Night In Miami – Stephanie Kerley Schwartz Rent – Anderson William Steel Magnolias – Joel Daavid Best Sound – Equity Breath and Imagination – Dave Mickey One Night with Janis Joplin – Carl Cassella Sister Act – Ken Travis Best Sound – Local Dreamgirls – David Crawford Museum of Living Art (MOLA) – Andrew Korda Driving Miss Daisy – Jonathan Beard & Barry Schwam Best Supporting Female – Equity One Night with Janis Joplin – Sebrina Elayne Carter The Road Weeps, The Well Runs Dry – Simone Missick The Royale – Diarra Oni Kilpatrick | Best Director of a Musical – Local Dreamgirls – Marco Gomez Rent – Kristen Boule Sick and Tired – Carla DuPree Clark Best Ensemble Cast – Equity 12 Angry Men The Brothers Size Joe Turner’s Come and Gone Best Ensemble Cast – Local One Night In Miami Steel Magnolias Dreamgirls Best Lead Female – Equity Letters from Zora:In Her Own Words – Vanessa Bell Calloway Breath and Imagination – Karan Kendricks Best Lead Female – Local Cassiopeia – Angela Bullock Shades – Toni Lewis Sick and Tired – Keturah Baker Best Lead Male – Equity Breath and Imagination – Elijih Rock The Royale – David St. Louis The Road Weeps, The Well Runs Dry – Demetrius Groose Best Lead Male – Local Blood Knot – Oscar Best I’m not Rappaport – Carl Crudup Food, Sex and Consequences – Kim Estes Best Lighting – Equity 12 Angry Men – Brian L. Gale Joe Turner’s Come and Gone – Allen Lee Hughes Breath and Imagination – Jared A. Sayeg Best Supporting Female – Local The Good Negro – Yetide Badaki Pieces – Tiffany Snow Heart Song – Juanita Jennings Best Supporting Male – Equity The Road Weeps, the Well Runs Dry – Darryl Alan Reed The Royale – Robert Gossett The Royale – Desean Terry Best Supporting Male – Local The Good Negro – Stephen Grove Malloy The Good Negro – Phrederic Semaj The Last Days of Judas Iscariot – Keedar Whittle | Best Lighting – Local Steel Magnolias – David Carreno Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me – Kim Smith The Old Settler – Carol Doehring Best Music Director – Equity Breath and Imagination – Rahn Coleman One Night With Janis Joplin – Len Rhodes Smokey Joe’s Café: The Songs of Leiber and Stoller – Abdul Hamid Royal Best Music Director – Local I Wanna Be Loved – John Stephens Dreamgirls – Chris Raymond Rent – Morgan Fitch Best One Person Show – Equity Best One Person Show – Local Beautiful – Jozanne Marie Take Me To The Poor House – Liz Femi Runt – Michael Phillip Edwards Best Playwright – Equity Breath and Imagination – Daniel Beaty 12 Angry Men – Reginald Rose Letters from Zora: In Her Own Words – Gabrielle Pina Best Playwright – Local One Night In Miami – Kemp Powers I’m Not Rappaport – Herb Gardner The Kipling Hotel: The 80’s – Don Reed Best Producer – Equity 12 Angry Men – The Pasadena Playhouse Breath and Imagination – Barbara Beckley Joe Turner’s Come and Gone – Center Theatre Group |
