24th Annual NAACP Theatre Award Winners Announced

(PRWEB) December 13, 2014 -- The Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP branch and its partners Wells Fargo, The City of Los Angeles (Councilman Bernard Parks) and Rent-A-Center announced winners of the 24th Annual NAACP Theatre Awards on November 17th at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. Actress Kym Whitley, star of the Own Network’s “Raising Whitley” hosted this year’s show.

Hollywood’s best in film, television, theatre and music presented and performed, including Tichina Arnold (Survivor’s Remorse, Everybody Hate Chris), Lamorne Morris (New Girl), Teyonah Parris (Dear White People), Shanola Hampton (Shameless), Kellita Smith (The Bernie Mac Show), Angell Conwell and Omar Gooding (Bounce TV’s Family Time), Donis Leonard Jr. (House of Lies), Obba Babatundé (Half & Half, Dreamgirls “Original Broadway Cast”, Miss Evers’ Boys), Jamie Hector (Max Payne), Cocoa Brown (Tyler Perry’s The Single Moms Club), Nadine Ellis, Erica Hubbard, Christian Keyes (Let’s Stay Together), Stephen Bishop, and Lisa Vidal (Being Mary Jane), Peter Parros (Tyler Perry’s The Haves and the Have Nots) Chrystee Pharris (Passions), and R&B singers-songwriters Macy Gray, Chante Moore, and Shanica Knowles, Broadway superstar Chester Gregory and award winning theatre director Ted Lange. Sponsors Grand Leyenda and Collinwood hosted the Awards Show Official After-party to the spins of the Champion of New Sound “DJ B-Hen” featuring a special performance by the sensational urban pop group “The Jazmin Sisters”.

10-time Grammy Award winner Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds presented life-long friend and 6-time Grammy Award winner Toni Braxton with the NAACP Spirit Award. Glynn Turman received the Life Time Achievement Award while Roger Guenveur Smith took home the Trail Blazer Award. Regional President of Community Bank, John Sotoodeh received the President’s Award and Senior Vice President of Wells Fargo, Byron Reed was honored with the Community Service Award.

The NAACP Theatre Awards Viewing Committee considered all candidates who submitted their production from January 2013 through December 2013 for possible nomination. All production must have had a 5-week production run in Southern California (San Diego to Bakersfield included) to be considered. Productions who met all eligibility requirements before the deadline were considered eligible for a 2014 NAACP Theatre Award.

For more information and latest news, please visit the official NAACP Theatre Awards website at http://www.naacptheatreawards.com

About The NAACP Theatre Awards:
The NAACP Theatre Awards is presented by the Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP Branch. Ron Hasson is branch president and Tia Boyd (Staff member of the Business Management CPA Firm “Tanner Mainstain Glynn & Johnson) is the executive producer for the NAACP Theatre Awards Show. The prestigious gala is produced for the purpose of honoring thespians of color amongst the best in the field of entertainment.

The 24th Annual NAACP Theatre Award winners are:

Best Choreography – Equity
The Royale – Ameenah Kaplan

Best Choreography – Local
Dreamgirls – Rae Toledo

Best Costumes – Equity
Joe Turner’s Come and Gone – Karen Perry

Best Costumes – Local
Dreamgirls – Michael Mullen

Best Director – Equity
Joe Turner’s Come and Gone – Phylicia Rashad

Best Director – L ocal
One Night In Miami – Carl Cofield

Best Director of a Musical – Equity
Smokey Joe’s Café: The Songs of Leiber and Stoller – Jeffrey Polk

Best Director of a Musical – Local
Dreamgirls – Marco Gomez

Best Ensemble Cast – Equity
The Brothers Size

Best Ensemble Cast – Local
One Night In Miami

Best Lead Female - Equity
Letters from Zora:In Her Own Words – Vanessa Bell Calloway

Best Lead Female – Local
Sick and Tired – Keturah Baker

Best Lead Male – Equity
Breath and Imagination – Elijah Rock

Best Lead Male – Local
Blood Knot – Oscar Best

Best Lighting – Equity
12 Angry Men – Brian L. Gale

Best Lighting - Local
Steel Magnolias – David Carreno

Best Music Director – Equity
Breath and Imagination – Rahn Coleman

Best Music Director – Local
Dreamgirls – Chris Raymond
Best One Person Show - Local
Beautiful – Jozanne Marie

Best Playwright – Equity
Breath and Imagination – Daniel Beaty
Best Playwright – Local
One Night In Miami – Kemp Powers

Best Producer – Equity
12 Angry Men – The Pasadena Playhouse

Best Producer – Local
One Night In Miami – John Perrin Flynn & Roxanne Hart

Best Set Design – Equity
One Night with Janis Joplin – Justin Townsend

Best Set Design – Local
Rent – Anderson William

Best Sound – Equity
Breath and Imagination – Dave Mickey

Best Sound – Local
Dreamgirls – David Crawford

Best Supporting Female – Equity
One Night with Janis Joplin – Sebrina Elayne Carten

Best Supporting Female – Local
Pieces – Tiffany Snow

Best Supporting Male – Equity
The Road Weeps, the Well Runs Dry – Darryl Alan Reed

Best Supporting Male – Local
The Good Negro – Stephen Grove Malloy

Ms JGray, Image Is Everything Public Relations, http://www.iie-pr.com, +1 3109772502, [email protected]