Usher, Wolfe to Receive Special NAACP Theatre Awards

Music superstar Usher Raymond and director George C. Wolfe will receive special awards at the 17th Annual Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP Awards, to be held at the Directors Guild of Los Angeles on Monday, February 19.

The ceremony will be co-hosted by SAG Award winner Chandra Wilson of Grey’s Anatomy and actor Steve Harris. Presenters will include Tichina Arnold, Brian McKnight, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Larenz Tate, and Mario Van Peebles.

Usher, who appeared on Broadway last year in Chicago, will receive the group’s Spirit Award, while Wolfe, the former artistic director of the Public Theater and director of such Broadway hits as Angels in America and Caroline, or Change, will receive the group’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Awards will be presented in over 25 categories. Among this year’s more prominent nominees are Laurence Fishburne (Without Walls), Ted Lange (I’m Not Rappaport), Jane Lanier (The Wild Party), Valarie Pettiford (The Wild Party), Sarah Ruhl (Demeter in the City), and Victoria Platt Tilford (Hope Springs Eternal).

Tickets are $75-$200. For tickets, call 323-464-7616 or visit www.bhwdnaacptheatreawards.com.