NAACP Announces Nominees for Annual Theatre Awards

The City of Los Angeles and Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP announced the nominees for their prestigious 15th Annual Theatre Awards. Facilitated by celebrity hosts Jo Marie Payton (Family Matters, Proud Family), Glynn Turman (A Different World, The Wire) and directed by Ted Lange (Love Boat) the theme for this year's event is "Recapturing Our Heritage." Margie J. Reese the Cultural Affairs Department General Manager is the chair for the awards presentation.

Additional honorees include the Negro Ensemble Company (NEC), recipients of the 2005 Trailblazer Award; 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award, Laurence Fishburne (Boyz In The Hood, Matrix); Della Reese (Touched By An Angel), 2005 Spirit Award; 2005 Community Service Award, David & Barbara Abell and Arnold J. Kleiner, President and General Manager of KABC-TV will receive the 2005 President's Award.

The Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP founded the Theatre Awards as a means of commitment to the promotion of theatre in Southern California, providing acknowledgement and honor to those pioneers who laid the foundation to recreate and invigorate theatre and those performers who bring theatre to life. Tickets to the awards presentation will be available beginning Monday, January 17, 2005, by calling (323) 464-7616. The event will be hosted at the historic Vision Theatre, Monday, February 21, 2005, 7:00 p.m.

Here are the nominees!

Best Choreography – Equity
Chicago – Gary Chryst
Hairspray – Jerry Mitchell
Rent – Marlies Yearby
Starlight Express – Arlene Phillips

Best Choreography – Local
If You Don't Believe: A Love Story – Madonna Grimes
Looking For God – Omhmar Griffin
Passing – Nancy Renee
Rocket Science & Salsa: The Shayla Rivera Story – Debbie Allen
Sunshine For A Midnight Weary – Angela Matemotja
The Tower – Sharyn Gabriel

Best Costumes – Equity
Hairspray – William Ivey Long
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest – Jo Davis
Romeo & Juliet – Alex Jaeger
Starlight Express – John Napier
Topdog Underdog – Emilio Sosa

Best Costumes – Local
Daisy In The Dreamtime – Naila Aladdin Sanders
Hattie – Donna Fritsche
Passing – Joan Francis
To Kill A Mocking Bird – Zale Morris
Two Ships Passing – Fern Rose Mitchell

Best Director – Equity
Driving Miss Daisy – James O'Neil
Fried Chicken & Latkas – Bob Garrett
I Just Stopped By To See The Man – Randall Arney
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest – Frank X. Ford
Summertime – Michael Michetti
Topdog Underdog – George C. Wolfe

Best Director – Local
Misery Street – Michael Kachingwe
Robert Johnson: Trick The Devil – Robert McCollum & William Arrigon
Stage Directions – Dan Bonnell
Streamers – Leon Shanglebee
The Boys Next Door – Crystal Craft
The Tower – Barbara Kallir

Best Director of a Musical – Equity
24 Hours: A Rock Musical – Jim Taulli
Hairspray – Jack O'Brien
Like Jazz – Gordon Davidson
Rent – Michael Greif
Starlight Express – Arlene Phillips
Three Mo' Divas – Marion J. Caffey

Best Director of a Musical – Local
If You Don't Believe: A Love Story – Michael Ajakwe, Jr.
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom – Claude Purdy
When Divas Were Divas – Sharon L. Graine

Best Ensemble Cast – Equity
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
Starlight Express
Summertime
Topdog Underdog

Best Ensemble Cast – Local
I Sing 4 Luv
Misery Street
One World
Soldiers Don't Cry
Stage Directions
The Tower

Best Lead Female - Equity
Yvette Freeman – Dinah Was
Alaina Reed Hall – So Long On Lonley Street
Rain Pryor – Fried Chicken & Latkas
Tessa Thompson – Romeo & Juliet
Lillias White – Like Jazz

Best Lead Female – Local
Tatyana Ali – If You Don't Believe: A Love Story
Peggy Ann Blow – Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill
Carla Drew - Hattie
Pat Hodges – Bessie & Good Friends
Fylicia Renee King – Momma Was A Bad Mutha Shut Yo Mouth
Shayla Rivera – Rocket Schience & Salsa: The Shayla Rivera Story

Best Lead Male – Equity
Cleavant Derricks – Like Jazz
Lance E. Nichols – Driving Miss Daisy
Clarence Williams III – I Just Stopped By To See The Man

Best Lead Male – Local
Russell Andrews – Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
James Avery – Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Cedric Duplechain – Freefall
Mancini Graves – Streamers
Stephen Grove – Hattie
Anthony J. Haney – Daisy in the Dreamtime

Best Lighting – Equity
Driving Miss Daisy – Russell Pyle
I Just Stop By To See The Man – Daniel Ionazzi
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest – Chuck Schuman
Rent – Blake Burba
Starlight Express – Rick Belzer
Topdog Underdog – Scott Zielinski

Best Lighting - Local
Applause – David Wendell
Daisy In The Dreamtime – Kathi O'Donohue
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom – Joel Daavid
Passing – Nathaniel Bellamy
Stage Directions – Jeremy Pivnick
The Tower – Maxwell Ross Pierson

Best Music Director – Equity
24 Hours: A Rock Musical – Wayne Moore
Hairspray – Jim Vukovich
Like Jazz – Tom Kubis
Rent – Tim Weil
Starlight Express – Michael Duff
Three Mo' Divas – Joseph Joubert

Best Music Director – Local
Hattie – Julio Hansen
If You Don't Believe: A Love Story – Scott Allen
Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill – Herman Jackson
Last Supper – Stafford Floyd
Looking For God – Ron Hasley
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom – Kathryn Bostic

Best Playwright – Equity
Fried Chicken & Latkas – Rain Pryor
I Just Stopped By To See The Man – Stephen Jeffreys
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest – Dale Wasserman
So Long On Lonely Street – Sandra Deer
Summertime – Charles L. Mee
Topdog Underdog – Suzan-Lori Parks

Best Playwright – Local
Acting Alone – Nat Colley
Diary of a Catholic School Dropout – Layon Gray
One World – Robert J. Litz
Stage Directions – L. Trey Wilson
Streamers – David Rabe
The Boys Next Door – Tom Griffin

Best Producer – Equity
I Just Stopped By To See The Man – Geffen Playhouse
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest – Santa Monica Civic Light Opera & The Viking Underground
Romeo & Juliet – The Theatre at Boston Court
Starlight Express – Troika Entertainment
Summertime – The Theatre at Boston Court
Topdog Underdog – CTG/Mark Taper Forum

Best Producer – Local
Daisy In The Dreamtime – Stephen Sachs
Hattie – Long Beach Playhouse
Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill – Deborah Lawlor
Section 8 – Anthony Lovell Winters, Debra A. Winters, Carl Gilliar, & Albert J. Johnson
Stage Directions – Laura Jane Salvato, Michael C. Mahon, & Rebecca Kirkland
The Boys Next Door – Ronnie Marmo

Best Set Design – Equity
Hairspray – David Rockwell
I Just Stopped By To See The Man – John Arnone
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest – Mike Goode
Rent – Paul Clay
Starlight Express – John Napier
Topdog Underdog – Ricardo Hernandez

Best Set Design – Local
Civil Rites – Byron Nora
Daisy in the Dreamtime – Desma Murphy
Hattie – Vin Roca
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom – Joel Daavid
Ned's Garden – Thomas Brown
Section 8 – Thomas Meleck

Best Sound – Equity
24 Hours: A Rock Musical – Darcy Wood
Fried Chicken & Latkas – Jamie Nelson
Like Jazz – Jon Gottlieb & Phillip G. Allen
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest – Sean Phillips
Rent – Steve C. Kennedy
Topdog Underdog – Dan Moses Schreier

Best Sound – Local
Applause – Lisa Swanson
Bessie & Good Friends – Alex Marino
Freefall – Matt Carpenter
If You Don't Believe: A Love Story – Tony Carr
Last Supper – Ty Weems
Misery Street – Heatherly Stephens

Best Supporting Female – Equity
Carlease Burke – Romeo & Juliet
Charolotte Crossley – Hairspray
Jonell Kennedy – I Just Stopped By To See The Man
Inger Tudor – Romeo & Juliet
Sybyl Walker – Dinah Was

Best Supporting Female – Local
Lee Oliver Boyd – Black Berry Love
Trisha Mann – If You Don't Believe: A Love Story
Sy Smith – If You Don't Believe: A Love Story
Bashashi Thompson – Black Berry Love

Best Supporting Male – Equity
Terron Brooks – Hairspray
David Roberson – Romeo & Juliet

Best Supporting Male – Local
Thomas Martell Brimm – Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Darius Dudley – Section 8
Trevor Gordon – Haints, Conjurment & Leaving
Alex Miles, Jr. – Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill
Henry the III – Applause
Kosmond Russell – If You Don't Believe: A Love Story