Javier Munoz to Receive 2016 Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors HOLA Award

The Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA), the nation's longest running active arts advocacy organization for Latino actors, is pleased to announce that it will honor performers Javier Muñoz (currently playing the title role of Alexander Hamilton in the runaway hit Tony Award-winning musical Hamilton), Modesto Lacén (of the hit telenovelas "Celia" and "La esclava blanca"); and ABC News Senior Legal Correspondent and Analyst Sunny Hostin (also an official contributor/guest co-host of ABC's "The View") at the 2016 HOLA Awards, the Seventeenth Annual HOLA Awards Gala and Benefit.

The HOLA Awards will take place on Wednesday, November 2, 2016 at 6pm at the Flamboyán Theater, at The Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center, located at 107 Suffolk Street, between Rivington and Delancey streets, in lower Manhattan, NYC. Tickets are $100, with a limited number of tickets are available at $85.

Modesto Lacén will receive the HOLA Excellence in the Telenovela Genre Award. He most recently played Pedro Knight (the "Queen of Salsa" and "Guarachera de Cuba" Celia Cruz's husband) in the Telemundo hit telenovela of the late Cuban singer's life, "Celia"; and Tomás in Caracol Television's hit telenovela "La esclava blanca".

Sunny Hostin will receive the HOLA Excellence in Media Award. A former CNN legal analyst, she is currently the Senior Legal Correspondent and Analyst for ABC News and a contributing panelist and guest co-host on the long-running ABC talk show "The View".

HOLA is collaborating with R.Evolución Latina on the Dare To Go Beyond Award, an honor for one who is an inspiration to the Latino community and who gives back to it. This year's honoree is Hamilton star Javier Muñoz (currently playing the title role of Alexander Hamilton).

Special Citations will be given to filmmakers Víctor Cruz and Artur Balder, and Special Recognition Awards will be given to Hugo Macías Macotela and Ana Margarita Martínez-Casado, for their long careers in entertainment.

In addition to the above awards, HOLA will also continue its annual tradition of honoring the best of Latino theater in New York with noncompetitive awards encompassing multiple winners in each category. HOLA is at the forefront in recognizing the high caliber work being offered across New York's growing and thriving Latino theatrical stages. For the HOLA Awards, the theater season begins on July 1st and ends June 30th of the following year. A list of the 2015-2016 theater awardees is listed below.

Plus, once again, HOLA will present the HOLA Performer's Choice Awards. The HOLA Performer's Choice Awards will honor Outstanding Production (of a cast larger than one person) and Outstanding Solo Production. To vote for the HOLA Performer's Choice Awards, visit the HOLA Performer's Choice Awards link at www.hellohola.org. Voting for the HOLA Performer's Choice Awards closes at 6pm New York time on Friday, October 21, 2016. Winners will be announced on the night of the awards gala.

Tickets are $100 (with a limited number available for $85). Seating is limited. Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling HOLA at (212) 253-1015 or (888) 624-HOLA.

The Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA) is an arts service/advocacy organization dedicated to expanding the presence of Hispanic artists in entertainment and media through the cultivation, education and recognition of emerging artists. HOLA strives for an accurate, informed and non-stereotyped portrayal of the full spectrum of Latino culture and heritage in the entertainment and media industries.

2016 HOLA Awards Honors

HOLA EXCELLENCE IN MEDIA AWARD
Sunny Hostin

HOLA EXCELLENCE IN THE TELENOVELA GENRE AWARD
Modesto Lacén

HOLA & R.EVOLUCIÓN LATINA DARE TO GO BEYOND AWARD
Javier Muñoz

SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Ana Margarita Martínez-Casado, for over 50 years of excellence in entertainment
Hugo Macías Macotela, for his body of work as an actor, writer, director

SPECIAL CITATIONS
Víctor Cruz, for his work as an actor, screenwriter, director and producer of the feature film The Stockroom
Artur Balder, for his work as a documentary filmmaker

2016 HOLA Awards for Excellence in Theater
(producer[s] shown in parentheses)
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR
Dimas González, Buenos días Noruega (Teatro Itinerante de Venezuela/VI Festival de Teatro Hispano del Comisionado)
Mario Mattei, La Gloria (Teatro SEA)
Francisco Porras, Cuando duerme contigo (ArtSpoken Performing Arts/Thalía Hispanic Theatre/II Semana Teatral de Miami en Off-Broadway)
Alfonso Rey, La gran Semíramis (Repertorio Español)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR
Angie Regina, La danza de Mingó (Otro Teatro NY)
Jeannie Sol, La Gloria (Teatro SEA)
Mônica Steuer, Prospect (Boundless Theatre Company)
Maite Uzal, La gran Semíramis (Repertorio Español)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED MALE ACTOR
Luis Carlos de La Lombana, La tía Julia y el escribidor (Repertorio Español)
Germán Jaramillo, Burundanga (Repertorio Español)
Héctor Luis Rivera, La espera (TEBA)
Claudio Weisz, El burlador de Sevilla (Repertorio Español)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED FEMALE ACTOR
Zulema Clares, La tía Julia y el escribidor (Repertorio Español)
Agar García, Lisístrata odia la política (TEBA)
Soraya Padrao, Burundanga (Repertorio Español)
Laura Spalding, Toda esta larga noche (Teatro Vanguardia USA)

OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE
Caridad del Valle, Yo no soy Lupita (Teátrica)
Carlos Espinal, Peter el rojo, The Gorilla (IATI Theater)
Jei Osorio, Julia Pastrana, de la rareza y otros talentos (IX Festival de Teatro de CCN-USA)
Susan Rybin, Kahlo, más allá de Frida (Rybin Entertainment)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE CAST
Marcelo Carrascosa, César Augusto Cova, Jessica Florí, Sarai Heria, Sandor Juan, Bertha Leal, George Riverón, Úrsula Tinoco, Claudio Weisz, El burlador de Sevilla (Repertorio Español)
Noemí de la Puente, Mario Golden, Vivienne Jurado, Mirandy Rodríguez, Nikaury Rodríguez, David Van Leesten, Exile is My Home (Theater for the New City/OneHeart Productions)
Pablo Andrade, Zulema Clares, Dalia Davi, Luis Carlos de la Lombana, Gerardo Gudiño, Germán Jaramillo, Christian López Lamelas, Ana Margarita Martínez-Casado, Alfonso Rey, La tía Julia y el escribidor (Repertorio Español)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN TECHNICAL PRODUCTION/DESIGN
Zenén Calero, for the set, costume and puppet design of Por el monte Carulé (Teatro de las Estaciones/Teatro SEA)
Daniel Fetecua, for the choreography of La Gloria (Teatro SEA)
Leni Méndez and Susan Rogers for the scenic and costume design of La tía Julia y el escribidor (Repertorio Español)
Eduardo Navas, for the lighting design of La gran Semíramis (Repertorio Español)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN PLAYWRITING
Julie de Grandy, Confudida (Teatro del Aire)
Pablo García Gámez, Yo no soy Lupita (Teátrica)
Yoshvani Medina, Matématica del deseo (ArtSpoken Performing Arts/VI Festival de Teatro Hispano del Comisionado)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTION
Diego M. Chiri, La gran Semíramis (Repertorio Español)
Leyma López, Yo no soy Lupita (Teátrica)
Billy Martin Mejía, La danza de Mingó (Otro Teatro NY)
José Zayas, La tía Julia y el escribidor (Repertorio Español)

SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Marisol Carrere and Emely Grisanty, for their performances in El mandatorio idiota (Guacamolink Performing Arts/VI Festival de Teatro Hispano del Comisionado)

PERFORMER'S CHOICE AWARD - OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION
To be announced on the night of the ceremony

PERFORMER'S CHOICE AWARD - OUTSTANDING SOLO PRODUCTION
To be announced on the night of the ceremony

OUTSTANDING VISITING PRODUCTION
Matemática del deseo (ArtSpoken Performing Arts [Miami, Florida]/VI Festival de Teatro Hispano del Comisionado) [Yoshvani Medina, Yenilen Mola, Juan David Ferrer, Yrelkah Brown]
Máxima seguridad (Compañía Nacional de las Artes [Bogotá, Colombia]/VI Festival de Teatro Hispano del Comisionado) [Piedad Bonnet, Nelson Celis, Wilmar Saldarriaga, Víctor H. Grajales, César Morales, Alejandro Gómez]

GILBERTO ZALDÍVAR AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING MUSICAL PRODUCTION
afroTango (Thalía Hispanic Theatre)
La Gloria (Teatro SEA)
Las 1001 noches (Teatro Anacaona/VI Festival de Teatro Hispano del Comisionado)

GILBERTO ZALDÍVAR AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING DRAMATIC OR COMEDIC PRODUCTION
El mandatorio idiota (Guacamolink Performing Arts/VI Festival de Teatro Hispano del Comisionado)
La tía Julia y el escribidor (Repertorio Español)
Toda esta larga noche (Teatro Vanguardia USA)