2011 Gypsy Rose Lee Award winners announced

29 Jan

The 2011 Gypsy Rose Lee Award winners are as follows:

Excellence in Production of a Play:

Equity: The Brothers Size (Seattle Repertory Theatre).

Also recognized: O Lovely Glowworm (Or Scenes of Great Beauty) (New Century Theatre Company).

Non-Equity: Sick (New City Theater).

Also recognized: Live from the Last Night of My Life (Theater Schmeater).

Excellence in Production of a Musical:

Equity: Iron Curtain (Village Theatre).

Non-Equity: The Drowsy Chaperone (Seattle Musical Theatre).

Excellence in Direction of a Play:

Equity: Juliette Carrillo, The Brothers Size (Seattle Repertory Theatre).

Also recognized:  Valerie Curtis-Newton, All My Sons (Intiman Theatre).

Non-Equity: Karen Lund, Brownie Points (Taproot Theatre Company).

Also recognized: Wayne Rawley, Live from the Last Night of My Life (Theater Schmeater).

Excellence in Direction of a Musical:

Equity: Steve Tomkins, Iron Curtain (Village Theatre).

Non-Equity: Brandon Ivie, The Drowsy Chaperone (Seattle Musical Theatre).

Excellence in Performance as a Lead Actor:

Equity: Michael Patten, O Lovely Glowworm (Or Scenes of Great Beauty) (New Century Theatre Company).

Non-Equity: Jaryl Draper, How I Learned To Drive (Stone Soup Theater).

Excellence in Performance as a Lead Actress:

Equity: Anne Allgood, Mary Stuart (ACT Theatre).

Also recognized: Carolee Carmello, Saving Aimee (The 5th Avenue Theatre).

Non-Equity: Elizabeth Kenny, Sick (New City Theater).

Excellence in Performance as a Supporting Actor – any non-lead:

Equity: Todd Jefferson Moore, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Seattle Shakespeare Company).

Also recognized: Joshua Carter, Mary Stuart (ACT Theatre).

Non-Equity: Aaron Lamb, An Ideal Husband (Taproot Theatre Company).

Also recognized: Nick Edwards, Shipwrecked (ArtsWest).

Excellence in Performance as a Supporting Actress – any non-lead:

Equity: Bobbi Kotula, Iron Curtain (Village Theatre).

Also recognized: Terri Weagant, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Seattle Shakespeare Company).

Non-Equity: Stacie Calkins, Hairspray (Seattle Musical Theatre).

Excellence in Performance as an Ensemble:

Equity: Cast of The Brothers Size (Seattle Repertory Theatre).

Non-Equity: Cast of Brownie Points (Taproot Theatre Company).

Also recognized: Cast of A Lie of the Mind (Collektor).

Excellence in Set Design:

Equity: Roger Benington, O Lovely Glowworm (Or Scenes of Great Beauty) (New Century Theatre Company).

Also recognized: Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams, The Brothers Size  (Seattle Repertory Theatre).

Non-Equity: Mark Lund, Something’s Afoot (Taproot Theatre Company).

Also recognized: Michael Mowery, Live from the Last Night of My Life (Theater Schmeater), Richard Schaefer, Arms and the Man (Seattle Public Theater).

Excellence in Costume Design:

Equity: Harmony Arnold, O Lovely Glowworm (Or Scenes of Great Beauty) (New Century Theatre Company).

Also recognized:    Catherine Hunt, In The Next Room, or The Vibrator Play (ACT Theatre).

Non-Equity: Deborah Sorenson, Pygmalion (Sound Theatre Company).

Also recognized: John Allbritton, Hairspray (Seattle Musical Theatre).

Excellence in Lighting Design:

Equity: Geoff Korf, The Brothers Size (Seattle Repertory Theatre)

Non-Equity: Tess Malone, Duel of the Linguist Mages (Annex Theatre).

Also recognized:     Dave Hastings, Crooked (Theater Schmeater).

Excellence in Sound Design:

Equity: Matt Starritt, The Brothers Size (Seattle Repertory Theatre).

Also recognized: Matt Starritt, The K of D (Seattle Repertory Theatre).

Non-Equity: Christopher Overstreet, Duel of the Linguist Mages (Annex Theatre).

Also recognized: Larry A. Ryan, Live from the Last Night of My Life (Theater Schmeater).

Excellence in Musical Direction:

Equity: RJ Tancioco, Iron Curtain (Village Theatre).

Non-Equity: Josh Zimmerman, Hairspray (Seattle Musical Theatre).

Excellence in Choreography or Movement:

Equity: Sonia Dawkins, The Brothers Size (Seattle Repertory Theatre).

Also recognized: Noah Racey, Guys & Dolls (The 5th Avenue Theatre).

Excellence in Local Playwriting:

Elizabeth Kenny, Sick (New City Theater).

Also recognized: Scotto Moore, Duel of the Linguist Mages (Annex Theatre).

 

New play by Stranger columnist confronts mortality with Youtube

24 Jan

The Stranger’s “Last Days” columnist, David Schmader,is morbidly

David Schmader is performing his one-man play, A Short-Term Solution to a Long-Term Problem at Richard Hugo House. Photo courtesy of Richard Hugo House.

David Schmader is performing his one-man play, A Short-Term Solution to a Long-Term Problem at Richard Hugo House. Photo courtesy of Richard Hugo House.

fascinated by “found” comedy: those moments in life where things go so cosmically awry that the only possible response is laughter. In his new solo play, A Short-Term Solution to a Long-Term Problem, which opened Jan. 20 at Seattle’s writing haven, Richard Hugo House, Schmader delves into the decade-long period when he attempted to mitigate the emotional damage from his HIV diagnosis by indulging his eclectic and idiosyncratic sense of humor.

- Read review at crosscut.com.

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‘Spring Awakening’: A boldly passionate bourgeois critique at Balagan

13 Jan

There are several reasons Balagan Theatre isn’t letting anyone under the age of 14 into

Melchior (Brian Earp) and Wendla (Diana Huey) discover each other in the regional premiere of Spring Awakening at Balagan Theatre. Photo by Pamela M. Campi.

Melchior (Brian Earp) and Wendla (Diana Huey) discover each other in the regional premiere of Spring Awakening at Balagan Theatre. Photo by Pamela M. Campi.

its production of the musical Spring Awakening, which made its regional premiere on Jan. 6. Namely, teenage pregnancy, child abuse, abortion, incest, suicide, and a graphic sex scene enacted in full view of the audience. All this made-for-TV controversy is packed into a two-hour musical based on an 1892 German play, whose characters are barely older than those banned from attending the Seattle performance.

- Read review at crosscut.com.

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Seattle’s naughtier Nutcracker flaunts class amidst nudity

16 Dec

Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker is pure adult holiday

Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker runs through Dec. 24 at The Triple Door. Photo by Chris Blakeley.

"Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker" runs through Dec. 24 at The Triple Door. Photo by Chris Blakeley.

entertainment. Good humored and farcical, with a stocking-full of sly winks to the audience throughout its two acts, the real gimmick of the show is the unexpected fact that these ladies (and gentlemen) of burlesque really can dance.

Now in its sixth year, the show, while not quite tasteful, is never vulgar or crude. Stocked with veterans of Seattle’s burlesque scene, as well as former dancers from Spectrum Dance Theater and Ballet Bellevue, there’s a polish and panache to this deconstructed (and denuded) version of The Nutcracker. Men and women alike engage in impressive pointe work, with fluid port de bras (no, not those kind of bras) that bring unexpected elegance to the production.

- Read review at Crosscut.com.

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Seattle’s Watershed Opera presents modernized, family-friendly arias

6 Dec

The singers of Watershed Opera are more attractive than the law allows. Svelte and sexy,

Watershed Opera's “Femmes Fatale” presented an evening of murder, mystery and mermaids at Town Hall Seattle on Dec. 3.

Watershed Opera's “Femmes Fatale” presented an evening of murder, mystery and mermaids at Town Hall Seattle on Dec. 3. Photo courtesy of Watershed Opera.

their look falls somewhere between soap opera glamour and glitzy prom-wear. Think sequined evening gowns, slinky chiffon scarves and sweeping up-dos. If you ever wondered who, besides 15-year-olds, buys those rhinestone chandelier earrings at Claire’s Boutique in the mall, the answer is pretty people with pretty voices. They aren’t tacky, however. They’re having fun with the opera singer stereotype.

- Read full review at Crosscut.com

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Seattle’s 5 best bets for the holiday season

2 Dec

When it comes to holiday productions, Seattle is drowning. Katherine Luck separates

Seattle's annual production of Black Nativity returns to the Moore Theatre in December. Photo by Chris Bennion.

Seattle's annual production of Black Nativity returns to the Moore Theatre in December. Photo by Chris Bennion.

Seattle’s annual production of Black Nativity returns to the Moore Theatre in December. Photo by Chris Bennion.

the men from the boys.

Shopping around for holiday entertainment in Seattle can be as trying as a trip to an overcrowded mall. While the abundance of holiday performances from which to choose is certainly appreciated, narrowing the list down to a core group of must-see shows presents a challenge. The following is a selection of the best bets for 2011, from dance to traditional theatrical favorites to musical extravaganzas.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
“The Herdmans were the worst kids in the whole history of the world,” narrator Beth Bradley informs the audience at the outset of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

- Read article at Crosscut.com.

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A drama of aging offers insight, pain

1 Dec

After 15 years of making his Master of Social Work degree earn its keep at various

Mark Cherniack's one-man show, "Jalopies," is at Annex Theatre through Dec 10. Photo courtesy of Mark Cherniack.

Mark Cherniack's one-man show, "Jalopies," is at Annex Theatre through Dec 10. Photo courtesy of Mark Cherniack.

retirement facilities, Mark Cherniack appears to have learned a hard lesson: Getting old is painful. His one-man play, Jalopies, presents inspired-by-true-stories from inside a Seattle assisted-living facility. While not altogether devoid of hope, these stories are none too cheery.

- Read review at Crosscut.com.

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