IMHO: Austin Live Theatre APPLAUSE Awards 2009-2010
AUSTIN LIVE THEATRE “APPLAUSE” FOR THE FIRST PART OF THE 2009 – 2010 SEASON
from a survey of the 115 productions reviewed since September 1, 2009
In a non-competitive examination of the 2009 - 2010 season so far, ALTcom offers enthusiastic renewed applause to favorite productions, performances and artists:
DRAMAS
The Cherry Orchard by Chekhov, directed by Graham Schmidt, Breaking String Theatre Company
Endgame by Samuel Beckett, directed by Kate Eminger, Palindrome Theatre
The Jungle, based on the novel by Sinclair Lewis, conceived and directed by Connor Hopkins, Trouble Puppet Theatre Company
Mary Stuart by Schiller, translated by Peter Oswald, directed by Ann Ciccolella, Austin Shakespeare
Measure for Measure, directed by Ann Ciccolella, Austin Shakespeare
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansbury, directed by Lisa Jordan, City Theatre
The Turn of the Screw adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher from Henry James, directed by Lara Toner, Austin Playhouse
ACTORS IN DRAMAS
Ryan Crowder as Katherina Minola in The Taming of the Shrew, Hidden Room Theatre
Joey Hood as Augustine Early in The Atheist, Hyde Park Theatre
McArthur Moore as Walter Lee Younger in A Raisin in the Sun, City Theatre
Matt Radford as Duke Vincentio in Measure for Measure, Austin Shakespeare
Tom Truss as the Stage Manager in Our Town, University of Texas
ACTRESSES IN DRAMAS
Kristin Bennett as Ruth Younger in A Raisin in the Sun, City Theatre
Pamela Christian as Elizabeth I in Mary Stuart, Austin Shakespeare
Kate DeBuys as Hecuba in The Trojan Women, University of Texas
Liz Fisher as Kelly in Dying City, Capital T Theatre
Babs George as Amanda Wingfield in A Glass Menagerie, Tex-Arts, Lakeway
Helen Merino as Mary Stuart in Mary Stuart, Austin Shakespeare
Click to view full list of "Applause" awards
COMEDIES
Abuelita de Batman by Alejandro Licona, directed by Luis Ordaz, Proyecto Teatro
bobrauschenbergamerica by Charles Mee, directed by David M. Long, Mary Moody Northen Theatre, St. Edward’s University
Educating Rita by Willy Russell, directed by Michael Stuart, Austin Playhouse
How the Other Half Loves by Alan Ayckbourn, directed by Stacy Glazer, City Theatre
Season’s Greetings by Alan Ayckbourn, directed by Billy Dragoo, Red Dragon Players, Austin High School
You Can’t Take It with You, directed by Rev. Ann Pitman, Trinity Street Players, First Baptist Church
ACTRESSES IN COMIC ROLES
Jessica Bacon as Beneatha Younger in A Raisin in the Sun
Jennifer Coy as the Fool in Sleeping Beauty, Vortex Repertory
Jessica Hughes as Constance Ledbelly in Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet, Southwestern University
Molly Karrasch as Rita (Sara) in Educating Rita, Austin Playhouse
Jill K. Swanson as Petruchio in the staged reading of The Taming of the Shrew, Austin Playhouse
ACTORS IN COMIC ROLES
Michael Dalmon as Bottom the tailor, The Dream, Austin Shakespeare
Frank Benge as Inspector Pratt in Murdered to Death and as Vladimir (Didi) in Waiting for Godot, Sam Bass Community Theatre
Scott Sanders as Sancho Panza, Man of La Mancha, Georgetown Palace Theatre
David Sray as Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm in A Little Night Music, Georgetown Palace Theatre
Jacob Trussell as Peer Gynt in Peer Gynt, Mary Moody Northen Theatre, St. Edward’s University
CHILDREN'S THEATRE
El Cielo Nuestro. . .¡Que Se Va A Caer!, directed by Luis Ordaz, Proyecto Teatro
MUSICAL THEATRE PRODUCTIONS
1940s Radio Program by Walton Jones, directed by Jimmy Shepherd, Austin Community College Chorus
Evil Dead, The Musical, by George Reinblatt et al., directed by Michael McKelvey, Doctuh Mistah Productions
A Little Night Music by Stephen Sondheim, directed by Clifford Butler, A Little Night Music, Georgetown Palace Theatre
Man of La Mancha by Dale Wasserman, directed by Ron Watson, Georgetown Palace Theatre
Urinetown by Mark Holman and Greg Kotis, directed by Rick Roehmer, Southwestern University
ACTRESSES IN MUSICALS
Sarah Gay as Jen in John and Jen, Penfold Theatre
Jenny Lavey as Countess Charlotte Malcolm in A Little Night Music,Georgetown Palace Theatre
Sarah Miller-Crews as Evita in Evita, McCallum Fine Arts Academy
Laura Platt as Hope in Urinetown, Southwestern University
Cathie Sheridan as Dulcinea in Man of La Mancha, Georgetown Palace Theatre
ACTORS IN MUSICALS
Zachery Carr as Caldwell B. Cladwell in Urinetown, Southwestern University
David Gallagher as Ash in Evil Dead, Doctuh Mistah Productions
Joe Penrod as Cervantes in Man of La Mancha and as Friedrich Engerman in A Little Night Music, Georgetown Palace Theatre
MASTERS OF MUSIC
Jennifer Davis, musical consort for The Taming of the Shrew, Hidden Room Theatre
Content Love Knowles, Sleeping Beauty
Michael McKelvey for too many to count and too much to describe
CHOREOGRAPHERS
Jessica Kelpsch, Man of La Mancha, Georgetown Palace Theatre
Jessica Kelpsch and Lisa Jones, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Georgetown Palace Theatre
AUTHORS OF ORIGINAL SCRIPTS
Joan of Arc. . . The Night Before, written and performed by Daniela Paluselli, Ad Astra Productions
Keeping Track by Erica Saenz, performed by Teatro Vivo with Erica Saenz in the role of Yolie
Lady M. by Melissa Smith-Rodriguez, performed by Texas State University
Seamstress by Kenneth Wayne Bradley, performed by Melanie Dean at the FronteraFest Short Fringe
DIRECTORS
Ann Ciccolella, Measure for Measure and Mary Stuart, Austin Shakespeare
Lisa Jordan, A Raisin in the Sun, City Theatre
Derek Kolluri, Dying City, Capital T Theatre at FronteraFest Long Fringe
Ev Lunning, Jr., Peer Gynt, Mary Moody Northen Theatre, St. Edward’s University
Veronica Prior, Waiting for Godot, Sam Bass Community Theatre
Graham Schmidt, The Cherry Orchard, Breaking String Theatre Company
MEMORABLE SOLOS
Jen Brown as the woman in “Medea Redux,” one of three pieces in Bash by Neil LaBute, Vestige Theatre Group
Jennifer Coy as the snake handler in Talking With by Jane Martin, North by Northwest Theatre Company
Billy Hardin as Simon Stimson the choirmaster in Our Town, Zach Theatre
Lily Primeaux in “Marks,” a scene from Talking With by Jane Martin, Red Dragon Players, Austin High School
Marsha Sray as the twirler in Talking With by Jane Martin, North by Northwest Theatre Company
Lauren Tothero as Glory in “Her Heart” and as Hope in “Story of Hope” in Almost, Maine, by John Cariani, McCallum Fine Arts Academy
MEMORABLE ENSEMBLES
The Cherry Orchard, directed by Graham Schmidt: Babs George, Robin Grace Thompson, Liz Fisher, Ev Lunning, Jr., Matt Radford, Nigel O’Hearn, Robert Matney, Bernadette Nason, Noel Gaulin, Sarah Gay, Dirk Van Allen, David Boss, Cody Chua, Maarouf Naboulsi
Dionysis in 69, recreated by the Rude Mechanicals and directed by Madge Darlington and Shawn Sides: Heather Barield, Elizabeth Doss, Thomas Graves, Jude Hickey, Matt Hislope, Jodi Jinx, Hannah Kenah, Josh Meyer, Aron Taylor, Katie Van Winkle
In This House (Everything Is You), directed by Jenny Larson and Dustin Wills for “Bring Your Own Venue” at FronteraFest 2010, a collaboration of Jenny Larson, Dustin Wills, Cyndi Williams, Jude Hickey, Adriene Mishler, Florinda Bryant, Wesley Bryant, Monika Bustamante, Sharon Bridgforth, Daniel Alexander Jones, Jamie Rhodes, Louis Rhodes, Renna Larson, and Pam Fletcher-Friday
Stuck on Gee Dot, a reinterpretation of Waiting for Godot directed by kt shorb with additional direction by Natalie Goodnow, Generic Ensemble Company (GenEnCo): La’ami Ayuma, Saray de Jesus Rosales, Natalie Marlena Goodnow
COSTUMERS AND MAKEUP ARTISTS
The birds in El Cielo Nuestro. . . ¡Que Se Va A Caer!
Mary Ellen Butler and Sara De Cuir, A Little Night Music, Georgetown Palace Theatre
Lauren Matesic and Helen Hutka, The Dragonfly Queen, Vortex Repertory
Veronica Prior, Murdered to Death, Sam Bass Community Theatre
Luis Ordaz and Guicha Gutierrez (designs), El Cielo Nuestro. . .¡Que Se Va A Caer!, Proyecto Teatro (costumes constructed by company members)
Pamela Fletcher-Friday, Griffon Ramsey and Helen Hutka, Sleeping Beauty, Vortex Repertory
SET DESIGNERS
Jessica Colley-Mitchell, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Austin Playhouse
Ron Watson, Michael Davis and Barb Jernigan, Annie, The Musical, Georgetown Palace Theatre
Jonathan King, 1940s Radio Hour, Wimberley Players
PHOTOGRAPHER
Kimberley Mead, especially for Mary Stuart, Sleeping Beauty, and Hidden Room Theatre’s Taming of the Shrew
VIDEOGRAPHERS
Eric Graham, promotional video for Body Awareness, Hyde Park Theatre
Andre Gonzalez for video of scenes from Abuelita de Batman, Proyecto Teatro, Luis Ordaz, artistic director
THEATRE JOURNALIST AND REVIEWER
Elizabeth Cobbe, Austin Chronicle (18 articles for this season, notable for diversity of coverage and her distinctive voice)
TRANSCENDENCE AWARD
The Electronic Planet Ensemble (David Jewell, Rachel Fuhrer, Chad Salvata and Sergio R. Samayoa) for In.Car.Nation and Surfin’ UFO
PURE THEATRE AWARD
Japhy Fernandes and Austin Drama Club (re-opening in a new locale in west Austin, July 2010)
Hits as of 2015 03 01: 5284