Raul Esparza, Lesli Margherita, Laurie Metcalf, et al. Win Ovation Awards

The LA STAGE Alliance presented the 2011 Ovation Awards, honoring the best in Los Angeles-area theater, at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles on Monday, November 14. Carolyn Hennesy served as host.

Acting winners included Henry Dittman, Raul Esparza, Deidrie Henry, Beth Kennedy, Lesli Margherita, Stefan Marks, Laurie Metcalf, and Matt Walker.

The Troubador Theater Company received the most awards of the evening with five, including Best Season.

A full list of nominations follows, with winners marked in bold:

BEST SEASON

Celebration Theatre – BASH’d! A Gay Rap Opera, The Next Fairy Tale, Take Me Out
Fountain Theatre – Bakersfield Mist, A House Not Meant to Stand, The Train Driver
Reprise Theatre Company – Gigi, Kiss Me, Kate, They’re Playing Our Song
Theatre Banshee – The Crucible, The Field, The Walworth Farce, War
Troubadour Theater Company – The First Jo-el, Fleetwood Macbeth, A Wither’s Tale

BEST PLAY – INTIMATE THEATRE

Everything Will Be Different, The Echo Theater Company

Hello, Crooked Arrow Productions

Nazi Hunter – Simon Wiesenthal, Theatre 40

Neighbors, The Matrix Theatre Company

Small Engine Repair, Rogue Machine

Voice Lessons, Sacred Fools Theatre Company

The War Cycle: Gospel According to First Squad,
Los Angeles Theatre Ensemble

BEST PLAY – LARGE THEATRE

Extraordinary Chambers, Geffen Playhouse

Master Harold…and the boys, Rubicon Theatre Company

A Raisin in the Sun, Ebony Repertory Theatre

Superior Donuts, Geffen Playhouse

Waiting for Lefty, Theatre West

BEST MUSICAL – INTIMATE THEATRE

Bash’D! A Gay Rap Opera, Celebration Theatre

Having It All, DEMAND Productions

Hoboken to Hollywood, Reasoner Associates LLC

Jerry Springer: The Opera, The Chance Theater

Re-Animator: The Musical, Red Hen Productions and The Schramm Group LLC

BEST MUSICAL – LARGE THEATRE

Fascinating Rhythms, Rubicon Theatre Company

Kiss Me, Kate, Reprise Theatre Company

The Sound of Music, Cabrillo Music Theatre

Venice, Center Theatre Group: Kirk Douglas Theatre

A Wither’s Tale, Troubadour Theater Company

LEAD ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Alaman Diadhiou, Twist – An American Musical

Luca Ellis, Hoboken to Hollywood

Raul Esparza, Leap of Faith

Tom Hewitt, Kiss Me Kate


David Laffey, Jerry Springer: The Opera

Jesse Merlin, Re-Animator: The Musical

Graham Skipper, Re-Animator: The Musical

LEAD ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Lindsey Alley as Sissy, Having It All

Stephanie Block, They’re Playing Our Song

Kim Huber, Having It All

Lesli Margherita, Kiss Me, Kate

Kelli Provart, Cats

Alet Taylor, Having It All

Shannon Warne, Having It All

LEAD ACTOR IN A PLAY

Obba Babatunde , A Soldier’s Play

Jon Bernthal, Small Engine Repair

Tom Dugan, Nazi Hunter – Simon Wiesenthal

Joe Fria, Watson – The Last Great Tale of the Legendary Sherlock Holmes

Tom Haney, Master Harold…and the boys

Stefan Marks, Hello

French Stewart, Voice Lessons

LEAD ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Susan Claassen, A Conversation with Edith Head

Alana Dietze, Everything Will Be Different

Diarra Kilpatrick, The Interlopers

Sandy Martin, A House Not Meant to Stand

Laurie Metcalf, Voice Lessons

Beth Patrik, Hello

Constance Zimmer, Girls Talk

FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Willem de Vries, Fascinating Rhythms

Sean Hingston, Kiss Me, Kate

Morgan Rusler, The First Jo-El

Isaac Wade, Group: A Musical

Matt Walker, A Wither’s Tale

Matt Walker, The First Jo-El

Jay Winnick , Kiss Me, Kate

FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Anya, Fascinating Rhythms

Meg Gillentine, Kiss Me, Kate

Beth Kennedy, A Wither’s Tale

Beth Kennedy, The First Jo-El

Katherine Malak, A Wither’s Tale

Millicent Martin, Gigi

Victoria Platt, Venice

FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY

Francois Chau, Extraordinary Chambers

Henry Dittman, Watson – The Last Great Tale of the Legendary Sherlock Holmes

Edi Gathegi, Superior Donuts

Michael Pappas , The War Cycle: Gospel According to First Squad

Darryl Stephens, The Interlopers

French Stewart, Watson – The Last Great Tale of the Legendary Sherlock Holmes

Greg Watanabe, Extraordinary Chambers

FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Andrea Bendewald, Girls Talk

Meredith Bishop, Aftermath

Anne Gee Byrd, The Autumn Garden

Deidrie Henry, A Raisin in the Sun

Vivian Kerr, The Crucible

Nicole Paggi , Girls Talk

Daniele Watts, Neighbors

ACTING ENSEMBLE FOR A PLAY

Everything Will be Different, The Echo Theater Company

Girls Talk, DEMAND Productions

Neighbors, The Matrix Theatre Company

A Raisin in the Sun, Ebony Repertory Theatre

Small Engine Repair, Rogue Machine

Voice Lessons, Sacred Fools Theatre Company

The War Cycle: Gospel According to First Squad, Los Angeles Theatre Ensemble

ACTING ENSEMBLE OF A MUSICAL

Having It All, DEMAND Productions

Jerry Springer: The Opera, The Chance Theater

Kiss Me, Kate, Reprise Theatre Company

Venice, Center Theatre Group: Kirk Douglas Theatre

A Wither’s Tale, Troubadour Theater Company

CHOREOGRAPHY

Debbie Allen, Twist – An American Musical

Molly Alvarez, The First Jo-El

Cate Caplin, Fascinating Rhythms

Jason Chong, Krunk Fu Battle Battle

Ameenah Kaplan, A Wither’s Tale

Lee Martino, Kiss Me Kate

Kelly Todd, Jerry Springer: The Opera

MUSIC DIRECTION

Darryl Archibald, The Sound of Music

Eric Heinly, A Wither’s Tale

DJ Jedi, Bash’d! A Gay Rap Opera

Paul Litteral, Hoboken to Hollywood

Curtis Moore, Venice

Michael Paternostro, Kiss Me, Kate

Mike Wilkins, Jerry Springer: The Opera

BOOK FOR AN ORIGINAL MUSICAL

David Goldsmith and Wendy Perelman, Having It All

William Norris, Stuart Gordon, and Dennis Paoli, Re-Animator: The Musical

Brian Pugach, The Next Fairy Tale

LYRICS/MUSIC FOR AN ORIGINAL MUSICAL

Gregory Nabours, The Trouble with Words

Mark Nutter, Re-Animator: The Musical

Eric Rosen and Matt Sax, Venice

PLAYWRIGHTING FOR AN ORIGINAL PLAY

Tom Burmester, The War Cycle: Gospel According to First Squad

Donald Jolly, Bonded

Marja Lewis-Ryan, Dysnomia

Stefan Marks, Hello

John Pollono, Small Engine Repair

Elliot Shoenman, Aftermath

David Wiener, Extraordinary Chambers

DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL

Trevor Biship, Jerry Springer: The Opera

Cate Caplin, Fascinating Rhythms

Ameenah Kaplan, Bash’d! A Gay Rap Opera

Michael Michetti, Kiss Me Kate

Eric Rosen, Venice

Matt Walker, The First Jo-El

Matt Walker, A Wither’s Tale

DIRECTOR OF A PLAY

Andrew Block, Small Engine Repair

Stefan Marks, Hello

Michael Matthews, Take Me Out

Phylicia Rashad, A Raisin in the Sun

Jaime Robledo, Watson: The Last Great Tale of the Legendary Sherlock Holmes

Danika Sudik, The War Cycle: Gospel According to First Squad

Jenny Sullivan, Nazi Hunter – Simon Wiesenthal

LIGHTING DESIGN – INTIMATE THEATRE

Ken Booth, A House Not Meant to Stand

Ken Booth, The Train Driver

Bosco Flanagan, Awake

Christopher Kuhl, How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found

Matt Richter, Skeleton Stories

Matt Richter, Shoe Story

Mark Svastics, Hello

LIGHTING DESIGN – LARGE THEATRE

Howell Binkley, Twist – An American Musical

Elizabeth Harper, A Raisin in the Sun

Paulie Jenkins, Moonlight & Magnolias

Jeremy Pivnick, A Wither’s Tale

Jared Sayeg, Kiss Me, Kate

David Weiner, Venice

Dan Weingarten, Krunk Fu Battle Battle

SCENIC DESIGN – INTIMATE THEATRE

Kurt Boetcher, Heavier Than…

Tom Buderwitz, The Autumn Garden

Joel Daavid, Skeleton Stories

Joel Daavid, The Violet Hour

Jeff McLaughlin, Bakersfield Mist

Jeff McLaughlin, The Train Driver

Jeff McLaughlin, A House Not Meant to Stand

SCENIC DESIGN – LARGE THEATRE

John Arnone, Superior Donuts

Tom Buderwitz, Kiss Me, Kate

Michael Ganio, A Raisin in the Sun

Stephen Gifford, The Clean House

John Iacovelli, On Golden Pond

Meghan Raham, Venice

Todd Rosenthal, Twist – An American Musical

SOUND DESIGN – INTIMATE THEATRE

Peter Bayne, A House Not Meant to Stand

Alyssa Ishii, Awake

Bryan Maier, Shoe Story

David Marling, The Train Driver

Mark McClain Wilson, Skeleton Stories

John Zalewski, How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found

John Zalewski, Margo Veil

SOUND DESIGN – LARGE THEATRE

Philip Allen, Kiss Me, Kate

Bob Blackburn, A Raisin in the Sun

Jonathan Burke, The Sound of Music

Kenny Hobbs, Master Harold…and the boys

Joshua Horvath, Venice

Vincent Olivieri, Extraordinary Chambers

Richard Woodbury, Superior Donuts

COSTUME DESIGN – INTIMATE THEATRE

Naila Alladin-Sanders, Neighbors

Ann Closs-Farley, Ken Roht’s 99 Cent Only Same-O, An Electric Ballad

Ann Closs-Farley, The Adventures of Pinocchio

Tina Haatainen-Jones, The Autumn Garden

Shon LeBlanc, The Violet Hour

Tifanie McQueen, Endgame

A. Jeffrey Schoenberg, The Malcontent

COSTUME DESIGN – LARGE THEATRE

Christa Armendariz, Beehive – The 1960’s Girl Group Musical

Angela Calin, Great Expectations

Ruth Carter, A Raisin in the Sun

Garry Lennon, Kiss Me, Kate

Sharon McGunigle, A Wither’s Tale

Meghan Raham, Venice

Emilio Sosa, Twist – An American Musical

OVATION HONORS CATEGORIES

Composition for a Play
Brian Joseph, Lyle Lovett, Fred Sanders, Sara Watkins and Sean Watkins,
Much Ado About Nothing

Video Design
Jason Thompson, Venice

THE SHERWOOD AWARD
Christopher Kuhl