Eloise Laws, and Sandra Evers-Manly are among six women being honored by the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival for their exceptional career and life achievements during the opening night champagne gala and awards ceremony on March 24 beginning at 7 p.m. at the Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice. Admission is $50 or two tickets for $90 (includes light fare and champagne). For the other programs, ticket prices range from $20 for a general admission single show in advance or $25 at the door to $18 and $10 for children 12 and under. Reservations: (818) 760-0408. Online reservations will be available at http://www.lawtf.org.
Laws will be bestowed with the Eternity Award, given to an artist or individual whose lifetime achievements have made a lasting contribution to the world of theatre. Known to her fans simply as “El,” Laws is a world renowned Broadway actress, singer, and author with more than 30 years in the entertainment industry. She is critically acclaimed for her harmonious jazz, soul and R&B music. Her lyrics have been featured in songs like “Love Comes Easy,” “Love Factory,” “You’re Incredible,” and “Stay with Me.” Laws’ musical career has also resulted in more than five albums and a featuring role and co-developer credits in the musical, “It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues,” which opened on Broadway at the Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theatre. Laws has received four Tony nominations as well as a Drama Desk nomination for Best Actress in a Broadway musical, and a Helen Hayes Award nomination for a performance at the Kennedy Center.
Evers-Manly will receive the Integrity Award, presented to an artist or individual who has brought credibility and dignity to her work. A former president of the Beverly Hills Hollywood NACP, she oversaw the NAACP Image Awards as well as the NAACP Theater Awards. She also supports the Ebony Repertory Theatre and the Los Angeles Mark Taper Theatre Education Program. Evers-Manly is the founding president of the Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center (BHERC) which for the past 22 years has sponsored the African American Film Marketplace and S.E.Manly Short Film Showcase, “Sisters are Doin’ It For Themselves” and “Real Black Men” Film Festivals as well as the Los Angeles Youth Diversity Film Festival.
She is the executive producer of the highly-acclaimed documentary, “Agents of Change,” as well as the Academy Award-nominated short film, “Last Breeze of Summer.” In addition, she is the executive producer of five short films on the impact of gang violence, and recently developed the animated series, “Imani, the Super Little Engineer.”
The multicultural Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival was founded by Adilah Barnes and Miriam Reed as a venue for Solo artists of diverse disciplines including actors, dancers, story tellers, performance artists. For information, contact the festival at (818) 760-0408 or www.lawtfspotlight@yahoo.com.
