The Village Voice Obie Awards Honor The Harlem School of The Arts

The award winning stage and film actress Anika Noni Rose, best known as the voice of ‘Princess Tiana' in Disney's The Princess & The Frog and for playing ‘Lorrell Robinson' in Bill Condon's Dreamgirls, presented the grant.

The citation read, "Because the Obie grants have never been for large sums, they are given more as a sign of support than anything else, a declaration of the Voice's belief in the value of New York's artistic community. This year, the organization found itself in serious financial trouble. For decades, The HARLEM SCHOOL OF THE ARTS has taught theater, dance, music, and visual arts to the children and young people of Harlem. Today it is struggling to survive, and the judges have voted to join the many others who have reached out to help it in its hour of need by voting a $1000 grant to the Harlem School of the Arts."

HSA's new Board Chairman, Charles J. Hamilton Jr., accepted the award on behalf of the school. He said, "I am deeply honored to accept the 2010 Obie Grant on behalf of the students, parents, faculty, administrators, the Board of Directors and benefactors of the Harlem School of the Arts. This is a beautiful moment for the School community - which embraces the hopes and aspirations of thousands of economically-marginalized young people, ages 4 to 18, and their families through arts training in dance, music, visual arts and theater -all four of which are brought to bear on New York's Off-Broadway stages. We are proud to serve young people by giving the gift of arts in ways that are accessible and affordable to a multicultural community. I am also proud to share this stage with the Bill T. Jones Company, which legend has it incubated for a time at the School and whose productions include HSA alum. While HSA's stage is "off-off-off Broadway," I can tell you that at 141st Street we enjoy performances and exhibitions that demonstrate all of the passion, excitement and inspiration celebrated and acknowledged here tonight. In closing, permit me to say that the School is deeply grateful for the outpouring of support and generosity emerging from New York's cultural community, both public and private, and our arms are open to the partnerships and possibilities that will continue to lay a foundation of excellence for our young artists-in-the-making. Heartfelt thanks to all of you on behalf of the Harlem School of the Arts."

Charles J. Hamilton, Jr., became the Chair of the Harlem School of the Arts Board of Directors on April 21, 2010 after taking part in an intensive 3-week campaign that resulted in combined gifts of $1 million from the Herb Alpert Foundation, the Starr Foundation and two anonymous donors and allowed the School to keep its doors open after more than 45 years of service.

Janice Savin Williams and Charles J. Hamilton Jr. accepting the Grant for the Harlem School of the Arts

About The Harlem School of the Arts
Since 1964, The Harlem School of the Arts (HSA) has offered children and young adults the freedom to discover the artist within themselves through instruction in dance, music, theater and the visual arts. HSA continues the tradition set forth by its founder, acclaimed soprano Dorothy Maynor, who believed that any child exposed to the arts would benefit in emotional and intellectual growth. Through its numerous partnerships and artists-in-residence, HSA has become a cultural destination, serving all ages and interests. www.harlemschoolofthearts.org/

About The Obies
For the past 55 years, The Village Voice OBIE Awards have honored the best of Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway. Structured with informal categories that can change annually, The Village Voice OBIE Awards recognize persons and productions of excellence. Unlike most theater awards, The Village Voice OBIE Awards list no nominations publicly. In the conviction that creativity is not competitive, the judges may give several OBIES in each category, and may even invent new categories to reward exceptional artistic merit. The Village Voice, the nation's largest alternative weekly newspaper, is New York's most influential must-read alternative newspaper, both in print and online at www.villagevoice.com, where the site averages 2 million unique users each month.