Parks, Ray Charles Live! and Color Purple Among NAACP Theatre Award Winners

By Adam Hetrick
July 1, 2008

The Color Purple's Jeanette Bayardelle, Ray Charles Live! author Suzan-Lori Parks and Come Back, Little Sheba director Michael Pressman are among the NAACP Theatre Award winners.

Actors Kimberly Elise ("The Great Debaters") and Anthony Anderson ("Law and Order", "Transformers") hosted the 18th annual NAACP Theatre Awards at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on June 30.

The Pasadena premiere of Ray Charles Live! – starring Brandon Victor Dixon and Nikki Renιe Daniels – earned three NAACP Awards, as did the national tour of The Color Purple.

Performance highlights included songs from The Color Purple and Ray Charles Live!. Grammy winner Stephanie Mills, of Broadway's The Wiz, was also on hand to perform "Be a Lion" from that Tony-winning musical.

In addition to the announced winners, the distinguished honorees for the event included orchestrator Harold Wheeler (Lifetime Achievement Award), writer and producer David E. Talbert (Trailblazer Award), actress Vivica A. Fox (Spirit Award) and American Idol's "Idol Gives Back" (Community Service Award).

NAACP Equity winners include:

Lead Female
Jeanette Bayardelle – The Color Purple

Lead Male
Cedric Sanders – A Matter of Honor

Supporting Female
Earnestine Phillips – The Tempest

Supporting Male
Rufus Bonds, Jr. – The Color Purple

Ensemble Cast
Ray Charles Live! A New Musical

Director
Michael Pressman – Come Back, Little Sheba

Music Director
Rahn Coleman – Ray Charles Live! A New Musical

Choreography
Marguerite Derricks – Sister Act

Costumes
Paul Tazewell – The Color Purple

Lighting
Paulie Jenkins – Defiance

Set Design
James Noone – Come Back, Little Sheba

Sound
Carl Casella – Ray Charles Live! A new Musical

Playwright
Suzan-Lori Parks – Ray Charles Live! A New Musical

Producer
Pasadena Playhouse – A Matter of Honor

NAACP Local winners include:

Lead Female
Nia Orms – Please Take A Number

Lead Male
Dominic Hoffman – Last Fare

Supporting Female
Wynter Daggs – Meet Me At The Oak

Supporting Male
Jeff Branion – Drums in the Night

Ensemble Cast
Jitney

Director
Darin Dahms – Butterflies of Uganda: Memories of a Child Soldier

Director of a Musical
Denise Dowes – Love & Other Social Issues

Music Director
Paul Wong – Do Lord Remember Me

Choreography
Bradley Rapier – City Kid

Costumes
Mylette Nora – George Washington’s Boy

Lighting
Joel Daavid – Jitney

Set Design
Ellen Sandor – The Bow Wow Club

Sound
Ellen Juhlin & Kari Rae Seekins – Gilgamesh

Playwright
Terryl Daluz & Mann Alfonso – Masks

Producer
Paula Mitchell Manning and Greenway Arts Alliance – Butterflies of Uganda: Memories of a Child Soldier

For a complete list of nominees visit www.bhwdnaacptheatreawards.com.