HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – The 20th Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP Theater Awards was part fashion show as singer Ashanti and actresses Meagan Good, Nia Long, LisaRaye and Wendy Raquel Robinson sashayed on the red carpet in spectacular designs at the Director‘s Guild of America institution. It was as much an opportunity for current theater superstars to bask in the spotlight as it was to pay homage to the legends who helped get them there.
While megastar director Kenny Leon — whose Broadway play Fences broke box-office records and received the most Tony Award nominations ever for a play revival — was bestowed the Trailblazer Award, Ben Vereen and LeVar Burton exchanged backstage hugs like old war buddies. Which they were. Vereen’s and Burton’s work in the unforgettable, iconic “Roots” miniseries enabled the likes of Leon and director-actor Jeffrey Wright to shine.
Wright was given the Lifetime Achievement Award for his illustrious career, including a Tony Award-winning portrayal of Belize in Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer Prize-winning epic Angels in America, and the Tony-nominated classic Topdog/Underdog. Quadiru Kent won the President’s Award as the divisional human resources director for Walmart Stores Inc.
Grammy-winning songstress Ashanti returned to artistic glory by winning the Spirit Award. Wren Brown took home the Community Service Award, and John Darjean the Humanitarian Award. Bobby V provided the entertainment, while Mekhi Phifer and LisaRaye co-hosted the event.
The NAACP Theatre Awards and three-day festival provided a unique platform for thespians of color to express their craft and share their contributions with an audience of their peers, the community, and other individuals who crave live theater. –terry shropshire
