The 48-year-old Puerto Rican actress has landed a recurring role opposite Uzo Aduba in the upcoming fourth season of HBO’s Emmy-winning drama series In Treatment.
In Treatment, which ended a three-season run in 2010, is returning for a fourth season as a reimagined half-hour series. The series is in pre-production under COVID-19 guidelines, with a 2021 debut planned to air on HBO and stream on HBO Max.
The reimagining brings a diverse trio of patients in session with the observant, empathetic Dr. Brooke Taylor (Aduba), who is wrestling with her own issues.
Colón-Zayas will play Rita, Brooke’s longtime confidant and friend who supports Brooke as she contends with her own demons after a life-altering loss.
In addition to Aduba, Colon-Reyes joins Anthony Ramos, who also recurs.
The HBO Entertainment production is produced in association with Leverage, Closest to the Hole Productions and Sheleg.
Colón-Zayas, an original member of The LAByrinth Theater Company, earned the 2020 Obie, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards.
On television, she recurred as Principal Fallow on the Peabody-winning seriesDavid Makes Man.
The 65th Annual Drama Desk Awards honoring the best in New York theater were announced Saturday, with the 48-year-old Puerto Rican actress winning the Outstanding Actress in a Play prize.
Colón-Zayas won the Drama Desk award, the first of her career, for her acclaimed performance in Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven. The play centers onthe harrowing, humorous, and heartbreaking inner workings of a women’s halfway house in New York City. It’s helmed by John Ortiz, LAByrinth Theater Company‘s artistic director, in his Off-Broadway directing debut.
Matthew Lopez is another first-time Drama Desk winner…
The 43-year-old Puerto Rican playwright and screenwriter.picked up the Drama Desk award for Outstanding Play for his hghly regarded work The Inheritance.
Inspired by the novel Howards Endby E. M. Forster, the play premiered in London at the Young Vic in March 2018, before transferring to Broadway in November 2019.
Normally, the awards are announced at a gathering of theater artists and critics in New York City. But this year, the gathering was replaced by a pre-recorded ceremony because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The awards show had initially been scheduled to air May 31, but was postponed due to the Black Lives Matter protests in New York City.
The ceremony aired on NY1 and streamed on NY1.com and DramaDeskAwards.com. The Drama Desk Awards recipients were decided by theater critics, journalists, editors and publishers covering theater.
Here’s the complete list of winners:
65th ANNUAL DRAMA DESK AWARD WINNERS:
Outstanding Play The Inheritance, by Matthew Lopez
Outstanding Musical A Strange Loop, Playwrights Horizons/Page 73 Productions
Outstanding Revival of a Play A Soldier’s Play, Roundabout Theatre Company
Outstanding Revival of a Musical Little Shop of Horrors
Outstanding Actor in a Play Edmund Donovan, Greater Clements
Outstanding Actress in a Play Liza Colón-Zayas, Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven
Outstanding Actor in a Musical Larry Owens, A Strange Loop
Outstanding Actress in a Musical Adrienne Warren, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play Paul Hilton, The Inheritance
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play Lois Smith, The Inheritance
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Christian Borle, Little Shop of Horrors
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical Lauren Patten, Jagged Little Pill
Outstanding Director of a Play Stephen Daldry, The Inheritance
Outstanding Director of a Musical Stephen Brackett, A Strange Loop
The 49-year-old Cuban American stage and television actor is among this year’s Outer Critics Circle Awards recipients, a collection of Broadway and Off Broadway ecipients that make up the organization’s first-ever slate of multiple honorees.
With the Tony Awards remaining a mere possibility this year, the 70th Annual Outer Critics Circle Awards took a different approach to an unusual, pandemic-shortened theater season: Instead of selecting traditional nominees with one winner from each category, the OCCnamed five honorees in each of its technical categories and up to six honorees in the acting categories.
Esparza was named one of the honorees in the Outstanding Actor in a Playcategory for his acclaimed performance in Seared.
Esparza’s Searedco-star Krysta Rodriguezwas one of the honorees in the Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play category.
Matthew Lopez’s The Inheritance picked up an honoree designation for Outstanding New Broadway Play.
The Puerto Rican playwright penned the two-part play, which is set in New York three decades after the height of the AIDS epidemic.
John Ortiz was one of the honorees in the Outstanding Director of a Play for helming Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven, while one of the play’s stars, Liza Colón-Zayas, was named an Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play honoree.
Karen Olivo picked up an honoree designation for Outstanding Actress in a Musical for her starring role in Moulin Rouge!
Recalibrated to celebrate “widespread excellence in New York theater this season,” the OCC Awards – chosen by the official organization of writers on New York theatre for out-of-town newspapers and national publications – were announced by past honorees Kristin Chenoweth, Bryan Cranston, Patti LuPone, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Patrick Stewart.
The OCC is making a donation to The Actors’ Fundin support of its emergency relief efforts.
Here’s a look at the 2019-2020 Outer Critics Circle Award honorees:
OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY PLAY
Grand Horizons Written by Bess Wohl
The Height of the Storm Written by Florian Zeller Translated by Christopher Hampton
The Inheritance Written by Matthew Lopez
Linda Vista Written by Tracy Letts
The Sound Inside Written by Adam Rapp
OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY MUSICAL
Jagged Little Pill Music by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard Lyrics by Alanis Morissette Book by Diablo Cody
Moulin Rouge! Book by John Logan Based on the 2001 Twentieth Century Fox Motion Picture written by Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical Book by Katori Hall With Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins
OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY PLAY
Cambodian Rock Band Written by Lauren Yee
Greater Clements Written by Samuel D. Hunter
Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven Written by Stephen Adly Guirgis
Make Believe Written by Bess Wohl
Seared Written by Theresa Rebeck
OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL
Darling Grenadine Book, Music, and Lyrics by Daniel Zaitchik
Octet Book, Music, and Lyrics by Dave Malloy
The Secret Life of Bees Book by Lynn Nottage Music by Duncan Sheik Lyrics by Susan Birkenhead Based on the novel by Sue Monk Kidd
Soft Power Book and Lyrics by David Henry Hwang Music and Additional Lyrics by Jeanine Tesori
A Strange Loop Book, Music, and Lyrics by Michael R. Jackson
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Betrayal Written by Harold Pinter
Fires in the Mirror Written by Anna Deavere Smith
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf Written by Ntozake Shange
Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune Written by Terrence McNally
A Soldier’s Play Written by Charles Fuller
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Little Shop of Horrors Book and Lyrics by Howard Ashman Music by Alan Menken
The Unsinkable Molly Brown Music and Lyrics by Meredith Willson Book and New Lyrics by Dick Scanlan Based on the Original Book by Richard Morris Music Adapted by Michael Rafter
West Side Story Music by Leonard Bernstein Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Book by Arthur Laurents Based on a Conception by Jerome Robbins
JOHN GASSNER AWARD (Presented for an American play, preferably by a new playwright)
Georgia Mertching Is Dead by Catya McMullen Heroes of the Fourth Turning by Will Arbery Our Dear Dead Drug Lord by Alexis Scheer Pari sby Eboni Booth
OUTSTANDING BOOK OF A MUSICAL (Broadway or Off-Broadway) Diablo Cody, Jagged Little Pill David Henry Hwang, Soft Power Michael R. Jackson, A Strange Loop Lynn Nottage, The Secret Life of Bees Mark Saltzman, Romeo and Bernadette
OUTSTANDING NEW SCORE (Broadway or Off-Broadway) Susan Birkenhead and Duncan Sheik, The Secret Life of Bees Ross Golan, The Wrong Man Michael R. Jackson, A Strange Loop Dave Malloy, Octet Jeanine Tesori and David Henry Hwang, Soft Power
OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A PLAY David Cromer, The Sound Inside Stephen Daldry, The Inheritance Kenny Leon, A Soldier’s Play Jamie Lloyd, Betrayal John Ortiz, Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven
OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL Stephen Brackett, A Strange Loop Michael Mayer, Little Shop of Horrors Diane Paulus, Jagged Little Pill Alex Timbers,Moulin Rouge! Ivo van Hove, West Side Story
OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHER Sidi Larbi Cherakoui, Jagged Little Pill Raja Feather Kelly, A Strange Loop Sonya Tayeh,Moulin Rouge! Anthony Van Laast, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical Travis Wall, The Wrong Man
OUTSTANDING ORCHESTRATIONS Tom Kitt, Jagged Little Pill Alex Lacamoire, The Wrong Man Justin Levine, with Matt Stine, Katie Kresek, and Charlie Rosen,Moulin Rouge! Christopher Nightingale, A Christmas Carol Duncan Sheik and John Clancy, The Secret Life of Bees
OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A PLAY Ian Barford, Linda Vista Edmund Donovan, Greater Clements Raúl Esparza, Seared Tom Hiddleston, Betrayal Will Hochman, The Sound Inside Jonathan Pryce, The Height of the Storm
OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A PLAY Eileen Atkins, The Height of the Storm Judith Ivey, Greater Clements Joaquina Kalukango, Slave Play April Matthis,Toni Stone Mary-Louise Parker, The Sound Inside Portia, Stew
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY David Alan Grier, A Soldier’s Play John Benjamin Hickey, The Inheritance Paul Hilton,The Inheritance Samuel H. Levine, The Inheritance John-Andrew Morrison, Blues for an Alabama Sky Chris Perfetti, Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY Liza Colón-Zayas, Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven Montego Glover, All the Natalie Portmans Marsha Mason,Little Gem Krysta Rodriguez, Seared Lois Smith, The Inheritance Jennifer Van Dyck, The Confession of Lily Dare
OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE David Cale, We’re Only Alive For a Short Amount of Time Laura Linney, My Name Is Lucy Barton Aedin Moloney, Yes! Reflections of Molly Bloom Deirdre O’Connell, Dana H. Michael Benjamin Washington, Fires in the Mirror
OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL Jonathan Groff,Little Shop of Horrors Joshua Henry, The Wrong Man Adam Kantor, Darling Grenadine Larry Owens, A Strange Loop Isaac Powell, West Side Story Aaron Tveit, Moulin Rouge!
OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL Beth Malone, The Unsinkable Molly Brown Janelle McDermoth, We’re Gonna Die Karen Olivo, Moulin Rouge! Shereen Pimentel, West Side Story Elizabeth Stanley, Jagged Little Pill Adrienne Warren, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL Christian Borle,Little Shop of Horrors Danny Burstein, Moulin Rouge! Gus Halper, Sing Street Jay Armstrong Johnson, Scotland, PA Francis Jue, Soft Power Daniel J. Watts, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL Eisa Davis, The Secret Life of Bees Kathryn Gallagher, Jagged Little Pill LaChanze, The Secret Life of Bees Judy McLane, Romeo & Bernadette Lauren Patten, Jagged Little Pill Saycon Sengbloh, The Secret Life of Bees
OUTSTANDING SCENIC DESIGN (Play or Musical) Rob Howell, A Christmas Carol Tim Mackabee, Seared Derek McLane, Moulin Rouge! Clint Ramos, Grand Horizons Anthony Ward,The Height of the Storm
OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN (Play or Musical) Vanessa Leuck, Emojiland Jeff Mahshie, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice Mark Thompson, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical Rachel Townsend & Jessica Jahn, The Confession of Lily Dare Catherine Zuber, Moulin Rouge!
OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN (Play or Musical) Isabella Byrd, Heroes of the Fourth Turning Heather Gilbert, The Sound Inside Justin Townsend, Moulin Rouge! Hugh Vanstone, A Christmas Carol Hugh Vanstone, The Height of the Storm
OUTSTANDING PROJECTION DESIGN (Play or Musical) Luke Halls, West Side Story Brad Peterson, Broadway Bounty Hunter Lisa Renkel and Possible Productions, Emojiland Aaron Rhyne, The Sound Inside Hannah Wasileski, Fires in the Mirror
OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN (Play or Musical) Simon Baker, A Christmas Carol Mikhail Fiksel, Dana H. Peter Hylenski, Moulin Rouge! Lee Kinney and Sanae Yamada, Is This A Room Daniel Kluger, The Sound Inside
OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network has added ten recurring and guest star cast members to the ensemble of its upcoming coming-of-age drama series David Makes Man, including the Puerto Rican actress and playwright.
From Oscar-winningMoonlight co-writer Tarell Alvin McCraney and Warner Horizon Scripted Television. David Makes Mancenters on David, a 14-year-old prodigy from the projects who is haunted by the death of his closest friend and relied on by his hardworking mother to find a way out of poverty. He must choose between the streets that raised him or the higher education that may offer him a way out.
Set in South Florida, the lyrical drama, inspired by events in McCraney’s own life, explores the inherent trauma sustained in the fight for survival.
In addition to Colon-Zayas, who starred in The Purge: Election Year, other cast additions include Lela Rochon, Trace Lysette, Juanita Jennings, Lindsey Blackwell, Solomon Valdez ([Bi]Polar), Teshi Thomas, and newcomers Nick Creegan, Kimaya Naomi and Logan Rozos.
Colon-Zayas plays Principal Fallow. She runs the magnet school that David, Seren and Marissa attend.
Valdezwill play Willie Derrick, an 11-year-old wanna-be dope dealer.
They join the previously announced series regular ensemble cast that includes Akili McDowell, Phylicia Rashad, Nathaniel Logan McIntyre, Isaiah Johnson, Ade Chike Torbert, Jordan Bolger, Cayden K. Williams, Travis Coles and Alana Arenas, along with guest stars Gillian Williams, Elvis Nolasco, and Ruben Santiago-Hudson.
The Puerto Rican actress, married to actor David Zayas, has won the LortelAward for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play for her role in Between Riverside and Crazy, which was named outstanding play.
The Lortels, now 30 years old, are underwritten by the Lucille Lortel Foundation and are named for the late owner of the former Theatre De Lys, now the Lucille Lortel, on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village.
Along with the Village Voice Obie Awards, the Lortels are focused on plays that open in New York City outside the 40-theater Broadway district.
Meanwhile, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway-bound musical Hamilton, which is heading uptown for a summer opening after a sold-out run at the Public Theater, took home10 awards, including outstanding musical. The book, music and lyrics were written by the In The Heights creator.
The 35-year-old Puerto Rican composer, rapper, lyricist, and actor, a Tony Award,Grammy and Emmy winner, was named Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical for his performance in Hamilton.
The awards in 18 categories, plus three special honors, were presented Sunday night at New York University’s Skirball Center during a ceremony hosted by Emmy nominated actors Anna Chlumsky and Jesse Tyler Ferguson.
Here’s a look at the winners:
Outstanding Play: Between Riverside and Crazy Outstanding Musical: Hamilton Outstanding Revival: Into the Woods Outstanding Solo Show: Josephine and I Outstanding Director: Thomas Kail, Hamilton Outstanding Choreographer: Andy Blankenbuehler, Hamilton Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play: Stephen McKinley Henderson, Between Riverside and Crazy Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play: Tonya Pinkins, Rasheeda Speaking Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical: Phillipa Soo, Hamilton Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play: Jacob Ming-Trent, Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play: Liza Colón-Zayas, Between Riverside and Crazy Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical: Daveed Diggs, Hamilton Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical: Renée Elise Goldsberry, Hamilton Outstanding Scenic Design: Jan Versweyveld, Scenes From a Marriage Outstanding Costume Design: Paul Tazewell, Hamilton Outstanding Lighting Design: Howell Binkley, Hamilton Outstanding Sound Design: Nevin Steinberg, Hamilton
Special Awards: Lifetime Achievement Award: Terrence McNally Playwrights’ Sidewalk Inductee Jeanine Tesori Edith Oliver Service to Off-Broadway Award: Nancy Nagel Gibbs
