(© Craig Schwartz)
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
Fight Choreography
Brian Danner, The Walworth Farce
Puppet Design
Kristopher Bicknell, Gwyneth ConawayBennison, and Miles Taber, D Is For Dog
Video Design
Jason Thompson, Venice
THE SHERWOOD AWARD
Christopher Kuhl
