Lea Delaria (photo: Jaguar PS / Shutterstock.com)
The American Theatre Wing and the Village Voice have announced that Screen Actors Guild Award-winning Orange is the New Black star and OBIE Award-winning actress Lea DeLaria will host the 60th Annual OBIE Awards, which will be held on Monday, May 18, 2015 at Webster Hall (125 East 11th Street).
“When I was a teenager, I used to read about actors receiving Obies,” said DeLaria. “I thought to myself how cool it would be to have an Obie, then some 20 years later, I was given one. At that time I thought to myself what could be cooler than winning an Obie? Now some 18 years later I know, it’s hosting The Obies. I could not be more excited.”
Lea DeLaria seems to have achieved overnight stardom with her stand-out role as ‘Carrie ‘Big Boo’ Black’ in the Netflix hit series “Orange is the New Black.” However, DeLaria’s multi-faceted career as a comedian, actress and jazz musician, has in fact, spanned decades. Lea holds the distinction of being the first openly gay comic on television in America which led to countless Television and Film roles portraying Police Lieutenants, PE Teachers and the Lesbian who inappropriately hits on straight women.
She’s received Obie & Theater World Awards, and a Drama Desk nomination for her portrayal as ‘Hildy’ in the Public Theatre’s revival of On The Town, an Ovation nomination for The Boys From Syracuse, and has played both Eddie & Dr. Scott in the gender-bending Broadway musical The Rocky Horror Show. Lea was the featured vocalist at the 50th Anniversary of the Newport Jazz Festival, and has performed in some of the most prestigious houses in the world including Carnegie Hall, the Chicago Symphony, Hollywood Bowl, Lincoln Center, The Royal Albert Hall and the Sydney Opera House. Lea has five records on the Warner Jazz and Classics label and her book “Lea’s Book of Rules for the World” is in its third printing at Bantam Doubleday and Dell. Her sixth record, House Of David delaria+bowie=jazz, will be released mid-Summer.
Tickets to the 2015 OBIE Awards are now available via www.ObieAwards.com.
