Acclaimed actor Denzel Washington is coming to New Brunswick, NJ to receive the first Ossie Davis & Ruby Dee Living Legends Award from Crossroads Theatre Company at its inaugural A Night With Crossroads fundraising and friend-raising gala and show being held at several venues within New Brunswick’s arts and cultural district on Saturday, October 19.
Luminaries of stage and screen from NY to LA will descend upon New Brunswick, New Jersey to honor Washington with tributes and performances at the State Theatre. The gala also includes special receptions for premium ticketholders that will be held at the Heldrich Hotel and New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC). “Crossroads Theatre Company is honored and very proud to host this star-studded event and present an award to Denzel Washington for his extraordinary and evergreen lifetime achievements on stage and screen and in the entertainment community at large,” said Anthony P. Carter, President of the Crossroads Board of Directors.
Crossroads Theatre Company (CTC), now a resident member of the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC), is in its fourth decade of being a preeminent gateway for black theatre that has been the stage and laboratory for many actors, directors, designers, writers and other theatre professionals. Since opening in 1978, CTC has built a rich and storied history, celebrating the culture, history, spirit and voices of the African Diaspora.
“I was bitten by the acting bug as a student at Fordham University in its stage production of Eugene O’Neill’s Emperor Jones and through the years I’ve been blessed to portray some of the most historically prolific notables and figures of literary works. Opportunities like these are very present in places like Crossroads Theatre Company,” Washington said. “Theatre is the space where magic happens and for over 40 years Crossroads Theatre Company has been such a space that brings the voices of the African Diaspora to light and to life,” he added.
Stars of stage and screen and Crossroads Theatre Company alumni are coming home to salute Denzel Washington. The line-up to date includes Grammy® and Tony Award® nominee David Alan Grier who will host the show and the family of Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, Phylicia Rashad, Courtney B. Vance, Susan Kelechi Watson (Beth Pearson – This is Us), producer/director Woodie King and other surprise guests who will give tributes to Denzel Washington. Music and stage performances will be provided by Grammy Award-winning musician Gregory Porter and singer, songwriter and actress Ashley Támar Davis an stage performances include scenes from August Wilson’s King Hedley II with Stephen McKinley Henderson and actress Lynda Gravatt; and Fly by Trey Ellis and Ricardo Khan; and a sneak preview of The Divine One, a play based on the story of singer Sarah Vaughn.
The honorary Co-Chairs for the event are film, television, and theatre director and playwright Charles Randolph Wright and film, stage, and television actress, director, and producer Tamara Tunie. WCBS TV anchor Maurice DuBois is the host for all A Night With Crossroads special receptions.
Crossroads created the Ossie Davis & Ruby Dee Living Legends Award to recognize a prominent person(s) from the arts and entertainment community who emulates the activist voice, vision and value of its namesakes and whose body of work illustrates best-in-class acting and portrayal of people, places and promise. More than a performing couple, Davis and Dee used their gifts to bring the civil rights movement to the national stage and the small and big screen and to nurture and cultivate acting, directorial and production talent.
For additional information about A Night With Crossroads honoring Denzel Washington, along with sponsorship and ticket pricing levels, please visit www.anightwithcrossroads.org