NAACP Theatre Awards Announce Additional Honorees and Festival Weekend
2009 NAACP Theatre Awards Select Audra McDonald, Tichina Arnold, Ruben Hudson-Santiago and Sheldon Epps as Honorees During 100th Year Anniversary
(Hollywood, CA) – The 19th Annual NAACP Theatre Awards is celebrating the organization’s 100th Year Anniversary and will be held on August 31, 2009 7 P.M. (PT) at the Director’s Guild of America (DGA) Theatre. The NAACP Beverly Hills/Hollywood branch announced the full slate of honorees including Audra McDonald (Tony Award-Winner/Grammy Award-Winner) for Trailblazer Award, Tichina Arnold (CW’s “Everybody Hates Chris”) for the Spirit Award, Ruben Santiago-Hudson(ABC’s “Castle”) for Lifetime Achievement, and Sheldon Epps (Director of UPN’s “Girlfriends”) for the Community Service Award. The NAACP Theatre Awards will be hosted by NAACP Award-Winner Loretta Devine (Broadway’s “Dreamgirls”) and Terry Crews (Warner Bros’ “Terminator Salvation”). This year’s highlighted celebrity list includes Tristan Wilds (CW’s “90210”), Al B. Sure (R&B Singer),Monique Coleman(Disney’s “High School Musical”), Niecy Nash (FOX’s “Reno 911”), Kelly Price (R&B Singer), Laila Ali (Professional Boxer), Damon Wayans Jr.(Comedian), Eric Benet (R&B Singer), Wendy Raquel Robinson (CW’s “The Game”), Lauren Velez(Showtime’s “Dexter”), Tamala Jones(DreamWork’s “Head Of State”), Darius McCrary (ABC’s “Family Matters”), LisaRaye McCoy (UPN’s All of Us), Judge Mablean Ephraim(FOX’s “Divorce Court”), Keith David(Lions Gate Films’ “Crash”), Laz Alonso (Universal Pictures’ “Fast & Furious”), Henry Simmons (CBS’ “Shark”), Hill Harper (CBS’ “CSI:NY”), Hosea Chanchez (CW's “The Game"), Brian White (Universal Pictures' "Fighting" and "Stomp The Yard"), James Avery (NBC’s "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"), Harold Perrineau(Warner Bros’ “The Matrix Reloaded”), Michael Strahan (FOX's "Brothers"), Elise Neal (UPN's "All of Us") and many more. “I look forward to hosting the 19th Annual NAACP Theatre Awards this year,” comments hostess Loretta Devine. The 19th Annual NAACP Theatre Awards tickets can be purchased at the NAACP Beverly Hills/Hollywood office at 1680 N. Vine Street, Hollywood CA 90028 or via phone at (323) 464-7616 for Platinum ($250), Gold ($150), and Bronze ($75) tickets. This year’s award show is executive produced by Tia Boyd under the leadership of Ron Hasson, President of the NAACP Beverly Hills/Hollywood Branch and Willis Edwards, 1st Vice-President. The 19th Annual NAACP Theatre Awards will be sponsored by 8th District Councilmember Bernard C. Parks, Rent-A-Center, Verizon, FOX, Honda, Diageo, Ricoh and HINT Water.
In addition to the awards, the 2nd Annual NAACP Theatre Festival is August 29-30, 2009 at the NEW LATC at 514 South Spring Street Los Angeles, CA 90013. Several distinguish individuals are planned to speak at this year’s festival including: Hattie Winston (CBS’ “Becker”),Wren T. Brown (Founder, Ebony Repertory Theatre), Michele Shay (Tony Award-Nominated Actress), Jose Luis Valenzuela (Artistic Director of Latino Repertory Theatre), Ben Guillory (Director, Co-Founder Robey Theatre), Iona Morris (Genesis’ “Spiderman”), Richard Gant (SoapNet’s “General Hospital”) and several others. Festival Passes can be purchased at (323) 464-7616 for $15 each day or $25 for a 2-Day Pass. For ticket purchases or more information, visit www.bhwdnaacptheatreawards.com. ABOUT NAACP: Founded on February 12, 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its half-million adult and youth members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, and monitor equal opportunity in the public and private sectors. The NAACP Beverly Hills/Hollywood Branch is committed to the promotion of theatre in Southern California and to providing a viable program for performers and supporters of this art form. For more information on the NAACP, please visit http://www.naacp.org/.
