 NAACP Beverly Hills/Hollywood Branch Announces 27th Annual Theatre Award NomineesMultiple EMMY, TONY and previous NAACP Theatre Awards winner will be celebrated
By: NAACP Beverly Hills Hollywood Branch The Equity Theatre (larger theatre) nominations include an array of magnificent productions including "Fly"and "Barbecue" both receiving an impressive 8 nominations. "Fly", a relatively recent play (2009), is a strong contender for Best Choreography, Best Director, Best Ensemble Cast, Best Producer, Best Sound, Best Costumes, Best Lighting, plus Best Playwright for writers Ricardo Khan and Trey Ellis, the latter of which wrote a piece recently nominated for an Emmy. It follows the story of 4 Tuskegee airmen on their quest to integrate the United States Air Force. In contrast, "Barbecue" is a humorous analysis of typical American family dynamics with an unexpected twist. This has earned Robert O'Hara a nomination for Best Playwright. It has put Coleman Domingo, a previous Tony Award nominee, in the running for Best Director. "Barbecue" is nominated for Best Costumes, Best Ensemble Cast, Best Lighting, Best Producer, Best Set Design, and Best Sound. Pulitzer prize winner, Suzan Lori Parks, is in consideration to win Best Playwright for her work on "Father Comes Homes from the War Parts 1, 2 and 3". With 5 nominations, Parks has written an intense drama that details the life of a slave as he joins the battlefield during the Civil War - an unexpected twist, he is a confederate soldier. This meaningful production is up for Best Costumes, Best Music Director, Best Playwright, Best Supporting Female and Best Supporting Male as well as Sterling K. Brown who vies for Best Lead Male. Tied with 4 nominations each, Phylicia Rashad and veteran thespians Glynn Turman and Lillias White respectfully have been nominated for Best Director, Best Lead Male and Best Lead Female for August Wilson's "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom". The play is set in 1927 Chicago at a white-owned studio with the legendary singer—inspired by real-life Mother of the Blues-Gertrude "Ma" Rainey. "MEMPHIS" is loosely based on a local Memphis disc jockey, Dewey Phillips, one of the first white DJs to play black music in the 1950s has heavy competition. Amongst them are Edgar Godineaux for Best Director of a Musical as well as Best Choreography plus Darryl Archibald, fresh off "Motown", remains a strong contender for Best Musical Director. Lastly "Icebergs" captures the plight of the "thirtysomething" Like the nominees listed above, smaller scale (99 seat theatre)productions "No Place to be Somebody" and "When Jazz Had the Blues" currently stand with 8 nominations as well. The first African-American Pulitzer prize winner, Charles Gordone's "No Place to be Somebody", tells the enthralling story of a black man who dares to defy the Mafia in New York City. The play is eligible for Best Costumes, Best Lead Male, Best Lighting, Best Producer, Best Set Design, and Best Supporting Female. In addition, it is a contender for Best Director due to the efforts of former Ovation Award winner, Ben Guillory, and Best Supporting Male for the performance of seasoned actor, Hawthorne James. Previous NAACP Theatre Award recipient, Rahn Coleman, is back hoping to win Best Musical Director for "When Jazz Had the Blues". This musical tells the captivating story of musical genius, Billy Strayhorn, as he navigates a world rife with homophobia and racism; we see him develop relationships with jazz legends, Duke Ellington and Lena Horne. "When Jazz Had the Blues" is also nominated for Best Choreography, Best Costumes, Best Ensemble Cast, Best Lighting, Best Producer, Best Set Design, and Best Sound. Wallace Demarria, is up for Best Playwright, Best Producer and Best Lead Male for "The Mask We Wear" which has a total of 6 nominations including Best Director, Best Lead Female, and Best Lead Male. It tells the narrative of a struggling actor whose sudden career success brings unexpected drama. Rounding out the smaller theatres with 4 nominations is "The Prequel to Othello, The Cause, My Soul". The play is in the race for a win for Best Costumes, Best Set Design, and Best Sound plus former NAACP Theatre Awards Winner Ted Lange is a powerful competitor for Best Playwright. "The Boy from Oz" and "Ferguson" are deadlocked with 3 nominations each. "The Boy from Oz" (Best Sound, Best Choreography and Best Director of Musical) focuses on the extraordinary life of legendary singer/songwriter Peter Allen, from his birth in 1944 to his meteoric rise to fame as an international star. First time nominees Alfred Rutherford (Best Supporting Male) and Pechanda DuBose (Best Choreographer) Executive and Creative Producer of the NAACP Theatre Awards Show Tia Boyd states, "The black audience is a growing theatre market that must not be ignored. The NAACP Salute to Black Theatre awards and highlights plays that bring a new energy to the art." The NAACP Theatre Viewing Committee considers all candidates who submit their productions from January 2016 through December 15, 2016, for possible nomination. All productions must run for at least six (6) full performances in Southern California (San Diego to Bakersfield included). Previews, invited dress rehearsals, and other similar showings do not count towards eligibility. Eligibility for this year's edition was limited to theatre productions opening in January 2016 through December 2016. Productions who meet all eligibility requirements before the deadline are considered eligible for a 2017 NAACP Theatre Award. Nominees will be notified by the NAACP Theatre Viewing Committee Chairperson Martha Pruden-Hamiter by November 1, 2017. For more information on the NAACP Theatre Awards, please visit www.naacptheatreawards.com or email: lisa@premierconceptspr.com. About the NAACP Theatre Awards The NAACP Theatre Awards is presented by the Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP Branch in partnership with the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles City Council President/District 10 Councilman, Herb Wesson Jr. The event is co-chaired by Councilman Herb Wesson, Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP Branch President Ron Hasson, and the Executive and Creative Producer, Tia Boyd. The mission of the Theatre Awards is to entertain, educate, inspire the community and create diversity in the arts and entertainment industry. The prestigious star-studded gala aims to honor the highest achieving persons in the field of dramatic arts. The branch also celebrates a four-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. [See Full List of Nominations Below] 27th Annual NAACP Theatre Awards Nominations - February 26, 2018 Best Choreography – Larger Theatre Fly – Hope Clarke Merrily We Roll Along – Eamon Foley Memphis – Edgar Godineaux Best Choreography – 99 Seat Theatre When Jazz Had the Blues – Cassie Crump The Boy From Oz – Janet Roston Ferguson – Peachanda DuBose Best Costumes – Larger Theatre Barbecue – Kara Harmon Father Comes Home from the Wars Parts 1, 2 and 3 – ESosa Fly – Toni-Leslie James Best Costumes – 99 Seat Theatre The Prequel to Othello, The Cause, My Soul – Mylette Nora No Place to be Somebody – Naila Aladdin Sanders When Jazz Had the Blues – Michael Mullen Best Director – Larger Theatre Fly – Ricardo Khan Ma Rainey's Black Bottom – Phylicia Rashad Barbecue – Colman Domingo Best Director – 99 Seat Theatre The Mask We Wear – William Scales No Place to be Somebody – Ben Guillory Bars and Measures – Weyni Mengesha Best Director of a Musical – Larger Theatre Recorded In Hollywood – Denise Dowse Merrily We Roll Along – Michael Arden Memphis – Edgar Godineaux Best Director of a Musical – 99 Seat Theatre Much Ado About Nothing – Gloria Gifford The Boy From Oz – Michael A. Shepperd Down on your Knees and Up to the Moon – Gloria Gifford Best Ensemble Cast – Larger Theatre The Last Tiger in Haiti Barbecue Fly Best Ensemble Cast – 99 Seat Theatre A Nice Family Gathering It's Just Sex When Jazz Had the Blues Best Lead Female - Larger Theatre Memphis – Krystle Simmons The Fantasticks – Ashley Park Ma Rainey's Black Bottom – Lillias White Best Lead Female – 99 Seat Theatre The Mountaintop – Danielle Truitt Broken Fences – Donna Simone Johnson The Mask We Wear – Sade' Moore Best Lead Male – Larger Theatre Ma Rainey's Black Bottom – Glynn Turman Ma Rainey's Black Bottom – Jason Dirden Father Comes Home from the Wars Parts 1,2 and 3 – Sterling K. Brown Best Lead Male – 99 Seat Theatre No Place to be Somebody – Sammie Wayne IV No Place to be Somebody – Leith Burke The Mask We Wear – Wallace Demarria Best Lighting – Larger Theatre Icebergs – Daniel Ionazzi Fly – Rui Rita and Jake DeGroot Barbecue – Lap Chi Chu Best Lighting - 99 Seat Theatre My Manana Comes – Jennifer Edwards When Jazz Had the Blues – Leigh Allen No Place to be Somebody – Michael D. Ricks Best Music Director – Larger Theatre Father Comes Home from the Wars Parts 1,2 and 3- Steven Bargonetti Merrily We Roll Along – Matt Gould & Adam Wachter Memphis – Darryl Archibald Best Music Director – 99 Seat Theatre Ferguson – Dean O'Leary When Jazz Had the Blues – Rahn Coleman Billy Holiday – Front and Center – Casey McCoy Best One Person Show - 99 Seat Theatre Women on the Verge – Faith Collins Journey This – Cheray O'Neal Billy Holiday – Front and Center – Sybil Harris Best Playwright – Larger Theatre Father Comes Home from the Wars Parts 1,2 and 3 – Suzan-Lori Parks Barbecue – Robert O'Hara Fly – Trey Ellis and Ricardo Khan Best Playwright – 99 Seat Theatre Journey This – Cheray O'Neal The Prequel to Othello, The Cause, My Soul – Ted Lange The Mask We Wear – Wallace Demarria Best Producer – Larger Theatre Fly – The Pasadena Playhouse and Crossroads Theatre Company Icebergs – Geffen Playhouse Barbecue – Geffen Playhouse Best Producer – 99 Seat Theatre No Place to be Somebody – Ben Guillory & Robey Theatre Company The Mask We Wear – Wallace Demarria and William Scales When Jazz Had the Blues – Leigh Fortier & Tiffany Thomas Best Set Design – Larger Theatre Icebergs – Anthony T. Fanning The Last Tiger in Haiti – Takeshi Kata Barbecue – Sibyl Wickersheimer Best Sound – Larger Theatre Fly – John Gromada Barbecue – Lindsay Jones Ma Rainey's Black Bottom – Dan Moses Schrier Best Sound – 99 Seat Theatre When Jazz Had the Blues – Christopher Moscatiello The Boy From Oz – Eric Snodgrass The Prequel to Othello, The Cause, My Soul – Will Mahood Best Supporting Female – Larger Theatre Father Comes Home from the Wars Parts 1,2 and 3– Patrena Murray Father Comes Home from the Wars Parts 1,2 and 3– Sameerah Luqmaan-Harris Disgraced – Karen Pittman Best Supporting Female – 99 Seat Theatre A Lady in Waiting – Malika Blessing A Lady in Waiting – Pia D. Days No Place to be Somebody – Kacie Rogers Best Supporting Male – Larger Theatre Father Comes Home from the Wars Parts 1, 2 and 3– Roger Robinson Icebergs - Keith Powell Father Comes Home from the Wars Parts 1, 2 and 3– Larry Powell Best Supporting Male – 99 Seat Theatre The Mask We Wear – Jerrel O'Neal No Place To Be Somebody – Hawthorne James Ferguson – Alfred Rutherford Contact Premier Concepts Lisa Humphrey media@premierconceptspr.com 3102934154 Photos: https://www.prlog.org/ https://www.prlog.org/ End
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