Nuyorican Poets Cafe to Honor John Leguizamo with Lifetime Achievement Award, 9/1

On September 1st at 8pm, The Nuyorican Poets Cafe will honor Mr. John Leguizamo with a lifetime achievement award.

Multi-faceted performer and Emmy Award winner John Leguizamo's notable career defies categorization. Possessing boundless energy and creativity, Leguizamo's work spans the genres of film, theatre, television, literature and beyond. As writer and performer, Leguizamo created the Off-Broadway sensation Mambo Mouth, in which he portrayed seven different characters (Obie, Outer Critics Circle, Vanguardia Awards). His second one-man show Spic-O-Rama enjoyed extended sold-out runs in Chicago and New York (Dramatists' Guild Hull-Warriner Award for Best American Play, Lucille Lortel Outstanding Achievement Award for Best Broadway Performance, Drama Desk Award for Best Solo Performance). His third solo show Freak completed a successful run on Broadway in 1998. A special presentation of Freak, directed by Spike Lee, aired on HBO (Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Music Program and nomination for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special). In Fall 2001 Leguizamo returned to Broadway with Sexaholix...a Love Story, directed by Peter Askin (Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for "Outstanding Solo Performance" and Tony Award nomination for Best Special Theatrical Performance). Sexaholix aired as an HBO Special in Spring 2002 and toured widely. Other stage credits: A Midsummer Night's Dream and La Puta Vida at the New York Shakespeare Festival and Parting Gestures at INTAR. Presently, Leguizamo delights younger fans as the voice of Syd in Ice Age 1, 2 and 3. He has been seen in countless films including Love in the Time of Cholera opposite Javier Bardem and Benjamin Bratt, The Happening opposite Mark Wahlberg, Righteous Kill opposite Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino, The Babysitters opposite Cynthia Nixon and The Take opposite Rosie Perez as well as Miracle at St. Anna, Land of the Dead, The Groomsmen, Lies & Alibis, Assault on Precinct 13, Sueno, Spin, Moulin Rouge, Summer of Sam, King of the Jungle, Spawn, William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, Dr. Doolittle, Carlito's Way and Casualties of War.

Featured Performers will include:

La Bruja: Whether singing on Telemundo, performing on HBO's Def Poetry Jam, or appearing in History Channel docudramas, modern day renaissance woman Caridad De La Luz "La Bruja" refuses to be put in a box.

Carlos Andrés Gómez: Carlos is an award-winning poet, actor, and playwright from New York City who has been described as "raw and intense...a rebel Don Juan with a sensitive edge" by Underrated Magazine.

Advocate of Wordz: A charismatic staple of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Advocate of Wordz has been featured on PBS, acclaimed by the LA Times, Chicago Tribune, San Jose Mercury, and Orlando Sentinel, and is currently a resident poet for LincolnCenter's "Meet The Artist" series.

Nisha Asnani: A critically acclaimed songstress with the vocal prowess of a bygone era, Nisha Asnani's captivating tunes have been played to standing-room crowds at New York City venues including the Bitter End, The Nuyorican Poets Cafe, The National Black Theater, Rockwood Music Hall and the Brooklyn Museum.

Aurora Barnes: Aurora's performance career has taken her to many stages including the White House, the Kennedy Center, Madison Square Garden, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, 92YTribeca, Nuyorican Poets Cafe, The David Letterman Show, The Conan O'Brien Show.

The 2011 Nuyorican Slam Team: For the past two years, The Nuyorican Slam Team has taken 2nd place out of 75 teams at the National Poetry Slam. This year's team included the talents of Omni, Carvens, Witness, Soulful and Tre G. The Team will continue their residency at the Nuyorican by engaging in youth literacy programs, education events and performances.

General Admission: $20 (first-come-first-serve seating). Premium Reserved Tickets: $40 (guaranteed seating). A limited number of rush tickets will be released at the show for $15. For tickets, please visit www.nuyorican.org.

On 9/11, the Nuyorican Poets Cafe and Tony/Grammy nominee reg e gaines presents an afternoon of performances to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. reg e gaines hosts the event, which features performances by E.J Antonio, Mr. Joz, Jennifer Cendanas Armas, Raphael Lugo, Cristin Cato, Phakiso, Paul Taggert, Shelly Gaines, Annie Day and Carlos Andrés Gómez. Tickets are $10.

TICKETS for all these events can be purchased at www.nuyorican.org