Michael Cerveris and Anika Noni Rose to Co-Host 2010 OBIE Awards

Michael Cerveris and Anika Noni Rose will co-host the Village Voice's 55th annual OBIE Awards ceremony, to be held on May 17 at Webster Hall. The OBIE Awards honor the best of off-Broadway and off-off Broadway theater.

Noni Rose is a Tony winner for Caroline, or Change and is also known for the films Dreamgirls and voicing the title character in Disney’s recent animated hit The Princess and the Frog. She received an Obie for Eli's Comin'. Tony winner Cerveris’ many stage credits include In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play, Sweeney Todd and Assassins. He won an Obie for Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

Other stars currently scheduled to present at the ceremony include Viola Davis (Fences), Linda Lavin (Collected Stories), Sam Rockwell (A Behanding In Spokane), Kerry Washington (Race), Marin Ireland (A Lie of the Mind), Michael Shannon (Our Town), Jennifer Westfeldt (Wonderful Town) and J. Smith-Cameron (The Starry Messenger).

Founded in 1956, the OBIE Awards honor the theater community in a less structured format than other award shows by not announcing nominees before the ceremony. The award show often consists of new categories that can change every year.

Village Voice chief theater critic Michael Feingold will act as committee chair accompanied as judges by fellow Voice theater critic Alexis Soloski, contributor Andy Propst, actress Martha Plimpton, director Kristin Marting and Ma-Yi Theater Company Artistic Director Ralph B. Pena.