PERFORMING ARTS NEWS AND NOTES
Chita Rivera to Perform at Column Awards
The Tony Award-winning actress, singer and dancer is the star guest at the awards show in Garland.
by Mark Lowry
published Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Garland — Tony-winning Broadway legend Chita Rivera will headline The Column Awards, Feb. 27 at the Granville Arts Center in Garland. The event is a long-running awards show in which local theaters, performers, designers and others are awarded for their work in the previous year (voted by their peers).
The showcase, founded by John Garcia, raises money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, and in the past 12 years, it has donated nearly $70,000 to the organization.
Rivera has won two Tony Awards as Best Actress in a Musical (for The Rink and Kiss of the Spider Woman) and received seven additional Tony nominations. She originated the role of Anita in the Broadway debut of West Side Story (a role that went to fellow Puerto Rican Rita Moreno in the film version).
She recently starred in the Broadway and touring productions of The Dancer’s Life, a dazzling new musical celebrating her spectacular career, written by Terence McNally and directed by Graciela Daniele. Rivera was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama on Aug. 12, 2009. She received the Kennedy Center Honor in Washington, DC in December, 2002, and is the first Hispanic ever chosen to receive this award.
On Oct. 13, 2009, Rivera released a new solo studio CD, And Now I Swing (Yellow Sound label), which pays homage to her stage legacy while also displaying her passion for jazz. From classic theater songs to jazz standards, all tracks featured on this new album have received new arrangements recorded by New York’s finest musicians, reimagining some of Chita’s favorite tunes.
The 13th Annual Column Awards Gala will be held Monday, Feb. 27, 2012 at the Granville Arts Center. Cocktail Reception is at 7 p.m., with ceremonies starting at 8 p.m. The gala is open to the general public. General admission is $25, while VIP tickets (which include catering and a chance to meet Ms. Rivera) are $50. To purchase tickets and for info on the 2012 Column Award nominees, visit www.thecolumnawards.org.
This year, the Column nominations are lead by two popular community theaters (Artisan Center Theater and Plaza Theatre Company, with 52 and 51, respectively), followed by Dallas Theater Center (39), ICT Mainstage (33), Uptown Players (28), Theatre Three (21), WaterTower Theatre (19), Garland Summer Musicals (12), Casa Mañana (11) and Lyric Stage (10).