Waiting for Godot and The Color Purple Among Big Winners at 2012 LA Ovation Awards

Center Theatre Group’s production of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot and Celebration Theatre‘s staging of The Color Purple: A Musical were the big winners at the 2012 LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards, presented Monday, November 12 at the Los Angeles Theatre.

Hosted by stage and screen veteran Jane Kaczmarek (who appeared earlier this year in the Geffen Playhouse‘s Good People) and Culture Clash co-founder Herbert Siguenza, the ceremony honored 13 different Southern California theater companies.

A total of 13 awards were presented to Center Theatre Group for their various productions, which also included The Convert and War Horse, while six awards were given to Celebration’s Color Purple.

Presenters and performers included 2012 Leading Actor in a Musical winner Davis Gaines (Man of La Mancha), as well as Glenne Headly (Geffen Playhouse’s The Jacksonian), Christine Lakin (the Los Angeles Silence! The Musical), Tony Award-nominee Michele Lee (Seesaw), Olivier-winner Lesli Margherita (Zorro the Musical), and actress/playwright Charlayne Woodard (Ain’t Misbehavin), among many others.

LA Stage Alliance is an organization devoted to building support and awareness for the performing arts in Greater Los Angeles through audience development, professional development, and advocacy.

The list of winners is as follows:

Best Season
Center Theatre Group

Best Production of a Play (Intimate Theatre)
Peace in Our Time
The Antaeus Company

Best Production of a Play (Large Theatre)
Waiting for Godot
Center Theatre Group: Mark Taper Forum

Best Production of a Musical (Intimate Theatre)
The Color Purple: A Musical
Celebration Theatre

Best Production of a Musical (Large Theatre)
Forbidden Broadway: Greatest Hits, Volume 2
Musical Theatre West

Best Presented Production
War Horse
Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre

Acting Ensemble of a Play
The Cast of Waiting for Godot
Center Theatre Group: Mark Taper Forum

Acting Ensemble of a Musical
The Cast of The Color Purple: A Musical

Choreography
Janet Roston, The Color Purple: A Musical
Celebration Theatre

Music Direction
Gregory Nabours, The Color Purple: A Musical
Celebration Theatre

Book for an Original Musical
Isaac Laskin, Hey, Morgan!
Black Dahlia Theatre

Lyrics/Music for an Original Musical
Parmer Fuller and Michael Kramer, Stations: A Los Angeles Holiday Story
Ensemble Theatre Company and Boom Kat Dance Theatre

Playwriting for an Original Play
Andrew Dolan, The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King
Ensemble Studio Theatre – LA

Director of a Musical
Michael Matthews, The Color Purple: A Musical
Celebration Theatre

Director of a Play
Emily Mann, The Convert
Center Theatre Group: Kirk Douglas Theatre

Lead Actor in a Musical
Davis Gaines as Cervantes/Quixote, Man of La Mancha
Musical Theatre West

Lead Actress in a Musical
Susanne Blakeslee as Woman 1, Forbidden Broadway: Greatest Hits, Volume 2
Musical Theatre West

Lead Actor in a Play
Alan Mandell as Estragon, Waiting for Godot
Center Theatre Group: Mark Taper Forum

Lead Actress in a Play
Pascale Armand as Jekesai/Ester, The Convert
Center Theatre Group: Kirk Douglas Theatre

Featured Actor in a Musical
Todrick Hall as Seaweed J. Stubbs, Hairspray
Musical Theatre West

Featured Actress in a Musical
La Toya London as Shug Avery, The Color Purple: A Musical
Celebration Theatre

Featured Actor in a Play
Hugo Armstrong as Lucky, Waiting for Godot
Center Theatre Group: Mark Taper Forum

Featured Actress in a Play
Zainab Jah as Prudence, The Convert
Center Theatre Group: Kirk Douglas Theatre

Lighting Design (Intimate Theatre)
Luke Moyer, Deathtrap
LA Gay & Lesbian Center

Lighting Design (Large Theatre)
Lap Chi Chu, The Convert
Center Theatre Group: Kirk Douglas Theatre

Sound Design (Large Theatre)
John Zalewski, A Wrinkle in Time
MainStreet Theatre Company

Costume Design (Intimate Theatre)
Shon LeBlanc, I Love Lucy Live on Stage
Rockahan, LLC

Costume Design (Large Theatre)
Paul Tazewell, The Convert
Center Theatre Group: Kirk Douglas Theatre

Scenic Design (Intimate Theatre)
Tom Buderwitz, Peace in Our Time
The Antaeus Company

Scenic Design (Large Theatre)
Daniel Ostling, The Convert
Center Theatre Group: Kirk Douglas Theatre

Sound Design (Intimate Theatre)
Veronika Vorel and Jone Zalewski, The Children
The Theatre @ Boston Court

Composition for a Play
Ryan Johnson, Stoneface: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Buster Keaton
Sacred Fools Theatre Company

Fight Choreography
Andrew Amani, Hearts Like Fists
Theatre of NOTE

Puppet Design
Susan Gratch, The Children
The Theatre @ Boston Court

Video Design
Brian Gale, Waiting for Godot
Center Theatre Group at Mark Taper Forum

2012 Zelda Fichandler Award (for transforming regional theatre through unique and
creative work)
Bill Rauch
Founder, Cornerstone Theatre Company; Current Artistic Director at Oregon Shakespeare Festival

2012 Sherwood Award (for innovative and adventurous artists)
John Sinner

Biller BEST (Building Excellence in Small Theatre) Awards
About Productions, The Antaeus Company, CASA 0101, Circle X Theatre Company, Ensemble Studio Theatre-LA, Independent Shakespeare Company, A Noise Within, and The Theatre @ Boston Court.