Chita Rivera will appear on WNBC’s New York Live on Tuesday, May 17th at 11:30am to announce the nominations for the 2022 Chita Rivera Awards (www.ChitaRiveraAwards.com).

The nominees will be posted at 12pm on NBC New York’s website (nbcnewyork.com), newyorklivetv.com, on social media @newyorklivetv, and on The Chita Rivera Awards website: www.ChitaRiveraAwards.com.

New York Live is WNBC’s daily entertainment and lifestyle show giving viewers the best in all things New York. The show airs at 11:30 a.m. Monday-Friday and also at 7:15 p.m. on Fridays.

The Chita Rivera Awards will take place at NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts (566 LaGuardia Place, off Washington Square Park) on Monday, June 20 at 7:30pm. Joe Lanteri, Founder and Executive Director of the New York City Dance Alliance Foundation (www.NYCDAFoundation.net) produces the Chita Rivera Awards in conjunction with Patricia Watt.

Carrying the namesake of one of the great dance icons of the American musical theater, the mission of the Chita Rivera Awards is to celebrate dance and choreographic excellence – past, present and future. The awards will honor the superb achievement of each nominee, while recognizing the immeasurable talents and passion of every theatrical choreographer and dancer. Additionally, through education and scholarships, the awards are committed to nurturing future generations, as well as preserving notable dance history.

Nominators will consider outstanding choreography, featured dancers and ensemble in shows on Broadway and Off Broadway, as well as, outstanding choreography in film, that opened pre-Covid as well as in the 2021-2022 season. Nominations for the productions under consideration this season will be determined by the designated nominating committee. There are separate nominating committees for Broadway, Off Broadway and Film. There is also an awarding committee for Broadway, which determines the final nominations that are received from the Broadway nominations committee.

Legendary Broadway performer and Tony, Academy, and Golden Globe Award winner Joel Grey will be honored this year as the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Red Bull Theater (Jesse Berger, Founder and Artistic Director | Jim Bredeson, Managing Director) today announced that the illustrious André De Shields will be honored with the Matador Award for Extraordinary Achievement in Classical Theater atREVELRY, its benefit event on Monday June 13th at 6pm. This intimate soirée will be held on the expansive terrace of the Bowery Hotel (335 Bowery at East 3rd Street). This intimate soirée, taking place safely outdoors, will feature craft cocktails, fine wines, scrumptious bites, and entertaining diversions from Jennifer Sánchez and Mary Testa.

“Being together again never sounded so good. After over two years of covering our faces and social distancing, the time finally seems to be right for us to be able to gather our community – and revel! We have so much to celebrate at our Revelry benefit  this year. In addition to honoring the glorious André de Shields for his extraordinary achievements as an actor (and his work with the classics in particular), we can’t wait to celebrate all the wonderful work and resilience of our community over the past two years. And to revel in the joy of being able to plan our upcoming return to full in-person programming!,” said Mr. Berger.

At the age of 73, André De Shields was awarded the Tony Award for his performance in Hadestown. His illustrious career has spanned a half-century since getting his start as the eponymous The Wiz in 1975. He has continued to distinguish himself as an actor, director, and educator. He received Tony nominations for the musicals Play On! and The Full Monty and received praise for his classical work, including King Lear (winner – St. Louis Theater Circle Award for Outstanding Leading Performer in a Drama), Classical Theater of Harlem and Red Bull’s own The Witch of Edmonton and Volpone. Next season, he will star in a new Broadway revival of Death of a Salesman as Willy’s brother, Ben.

Begun in 2009, Matador Award for Achievement in Classical Theater are given annually to recognize individuals or organizations that have demonstrated extraordinary talent, service, or significant achievement in the Classical Theater. Previous honorees have included F. Murray Abraham, Kate Burton, Olympia Dukakis, Richard Easton, Oscar Isaac, Michael Kahn, Hamish Linklater, Ismenia Mendes, Jack O’Brien, Patrick Page, Martha Plimpton, Lily Rabe, Condola Rashad, Matthew Rauch, Lynn Redgrave, Olivia Reis, Liev Schreiber, Patrick Stewart, Michael Stuhlbarg, Daniel Sullivan, Michael Urie, Charlayne Woodard, the American Theatre Wing, Fund for the City of New York, the Michael Tuch Foundation, and the Off-Broadway Angels.

The Honorary Committee and Special Guests includes F. Murray Abraham, Arnie Burton, Kate Burton, Bill Camp, Michael Cerveris, Kathleen Chalfant, Keith Hamilton Cobb, Grantham Coleman, Christian Conn, Robert Cuccioli, Paige Davis, Michael Emerson, Manoel Felciano,Tovah Feldshuh, Dana Ivey, Chukwudi Iwuji, Peter Francis James, Judy Kuhn, Mark Linn-Baker, Richard Maltby, Jr., Elizabeth Marvel, Ismenia Mendes, Jacob Ming-Trent, Alfredo Narciso, Kristine Nielsen, Junior Nyong’o, Jack O’Brien, Brad Oscar, Patrick Page, Ted Pappas, Estelle Parsons, Amelia Pedlow, Martha Plimpton, Maryann Plunkett, Amanda Quaid, Everett Quinton, Matthew Rauch, Olivia Reis, José Rivera, Laila Robins, Jay O. Sanders, Lily Santiago, Robert Sella, Stephen Spinella, Sir Patrick Stewart, Richard Thomas, John Douglas Thompson, Michael Urie, Marc Vietor,  Nick Westrate and Charlayne Woodard, among others.

Vineyard Theatre (Artistic Directors Douglas Aibel and Sarah Stern) announces casting and design team for the upcoming World Premiere of Lessons in Survival: 1971 at Vineyard Theatre (108 East 15th Street) now on-sale. Lessons In Survival: 1971 will begin previews at Vineyard Theatre (108 East 15th Street) May 26, 2022 and play through June 30 with an opening night set for June 9.  
 
Confirmed to star in this innovative work are Emmy-nominated Carl Clemons-Hopkins(“Hacks”) as James Baldwin and Theatre Award Winner Crystal Dickinson (Tony Award-winning Clybourne Park) as Nikki Giovanni.
 
Carl Clemons-Hopkins gained national popularity with their breakout performance as Marcus on HBO Max’s “Hacks” opposite Jean Smart. Carl’s performance earned them an Emmy nomination in the “Outstanding Supporting Actor In a Comedy Series” category and season two of the acclaimed series is set to debut May 12th on HBO Max. On the big screen, Carl can be seen in Jordan Peele’s Candyman for Universal. They recently wrapped filming Kristin Gore’s film, The Beanie Bubble for Apple TV+. Carl concluded 2021 with filming Zach Braff’s produced independent film, The Mattachine Family. Other credits include a recurring role on NBC’s “Chicago Med.” On stage, Carl has performed in the Chicago production of Hamilton as Aaron Burr and George Washington and made his Steppenwolf Theatre premiere in For The Last Time.
 
Crystal Dickinson’s Broadway credits include the Tony Award-winning Clybourne Park, for which she received a Theater World Award; and the Tony-nominated You Can’t Take It With You, alongside James Earl Jones and Rose Byrne. She has performed Off Broadway at Lincoln Center, Playwrights Horizons, Signature Theater, Theater for a New Audience and, most recently, Cullud Wattah at The Public Theater. She has worked with directors Thomas Kail, Michael Grief, Scott Ellis, Bryan Cranston, Wendell Pierce, Pam Mackinnon, Lila Neugebauer, Leigh Silverman and Kenny Leon. Film and Television credits include I Origins, This Is Where I Leave You, “The Good Wife,” “New Amsterdam,” and recurring roles on Showtime’s “The Chi” and ABC’s “For Life.” Teaching and coaching: Juilliard, Stella Adler Studio, Spelman College, NYU, Princeton, Pace University and both of her Alumni schools, University of Illinois and Seton Hall University. A proud MFA graduate of The University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, she also studied at the London Academy for Music and Dramatic Art and is an elite member of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab.
 
In 1971, 28-year-old poet Nikki Giovanni interviewed renowned novelist James Baldwin, 47, on America’s first “Black Tonight Show,” SOUL!  Fifty years later, Lessons in Survival: 1971 reintroduces their candid, provocative dialogue on race and liberation in America to our present moment. Building on the digital exploration of Lessons in Survival, which was recognized by the New York Times as Best in Theater 2020, this revelatory live staging explores the layers of intimacy and ideas between two Black revolutionary artists of different generations, with astonishing resonance for today.
 
The design team will include You-Shin Chen (Scenic Design), Mika Eubanks (Costume Design),Amith Chadrashaker (Lighting Design), Lee Kinney and Daniel Kluger (Sound Design), Daniel Kluger (Original Composition), and Matthew Glasner, CSA (Casting Director).
 
Tickets are now on sale to the general public at www.vineyardtheatre.org or by calling 212-353-0303.