Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Nominations announced

Sorry for the delay in getting these out. Below is the text of a press release that will go out later this evening. Sorry if the formatting makes it hard to read. Congrats to all of the nominees. If you are getting to this page from Facebook and have questions, some may be answered by this post. More commentary to follow...

Theatre awards to feature new categories, special recognitions
Second annual "Artsies" to be held at Empire Theatre on October 18th

Richmond, VA - The Richmond Theatre Critics Circle (RTCC) has announced the nominees for the Second Annual RTCC "Artsies" Awards for the 2008-09 season, including several new nomination categories and several special recognitions. The group, which was organized to recognize excellence in professional theatre produced in the Richmond area, will hold a black-tie awards gala at 7:00 P.M. on Sunday, October 18th at the Empire Theatre with local NBC newscaster Aaron Gilchrist acting as Master of Ceremonies. Nominations for the Awards are listed below.

"We really hope to kick it up to the next level with this year's awards," asserts RTCC's newest member, John Porter, theatre critic for WCVE Public Radio. "A bigger venue, more star power, and an expanded number of nominees should help us build on the tremendous success of last year's inaugural event." The awards ceremony will feature musical performances from productions nominated for Best Musical. Scheduled presenters include Mayor Dwight Jones and best-selling author David L. Robbins.

RTCC has made nominations in twenty categories, adding recognition for Best Ensemble Acting, Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design, and Outstanding Achievement in Hair or Makeup Design. The Liz Marks award in recognition of extraordinary ongoing contribution to the Richmond-area theatre scene will be presented to the families of Wamer "Buddy" Callahan and Lou Rubin, two of the co-founders of the Swift Creek Mill Theatre.

"There were so many wonderful productions this year, it was difficult to narrow many of the categories down," adds Mary Burruss, an RTCC co-founder and theatre critic for Style Weekly magazine, citing the seven nominees included in the category for Outstanding Achievement in Set Design. RTCC is also giving special recognition for outstanding Fight Choreography to Vanessa Passini for her work on Richmond Shakespeare's "Henry V" and for Outstanding Dialect Direction to Amanda Durst for her work on several productions this past season.

Winners in each of the categories will be announced at a black-tie gala awards ceremony is being sponsored in part by the C.F. Sauer Company and Richmond CenterStage, with media sponsorship provided by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

All proceeds from the awards ceremony will go to support the Richmond Theatre Artists Fund, a fund established by the Richmond Alliance of Professional Theatres to help those in the Richmond theatre community who fall on hard of times due to illness, injury or extenuating circumstances. Members of the RTCC include Mary Burruss (Style Weekly magazine), Susan Haubenstock (Richmond Times-Dispatch), Julinda Lewis (Richmond Times-Dispatch), John Porter (WCVE), David Timberline (Style Weekly magazine), and Joan Tupponce (JoanTupponce.com).

Formal attire is encouraged for the awards ceremony, which is open to the public. Tickets for the event are $10 and can be purchased from the Theatre IV box office by calling 344-8040.

Nominations for the Second Annual Richmond Theatre Critics Circle Awards
for the 2008-2009 theatre season

Category
Best Musical
Altar Boyz, Swift Creek Mill Theatre
Annie, Theatre IV
The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Firehouse Theatre Project
Thoroughly Modern Millie, Barksdale Theatre
tick, tick...Boom!, Stage 1 Theatre Company

Best Direction - Musical
Robin Arthur, Annie, Theatre IV
Patti D'Beck,, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Barksdale Theatre
Chase Kniffen, Children's Letters to God, Stage 1 Theatre Company
Chase Kniffen, tick, tick...Boom!, Stage 1 Theatre Company
Tom Width, Altar Boyz, Swift Creek Mill Theatre

Best Actor - Musical
Brett Ambler, tick, tick...Boom!, Stage 1 Theatre Company
Gordon Bass, Annie, Theatre IV
Zak Resnick, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Barksdale Theatre
Christopher Stewart, Summer of '42, Stage 1 Theatre Company
Paul Valley, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Firehouse Theatre Project

Best Actress - Musical
Kim Jones Clark, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Firehouse Theatre Project
Audra Honaker, tick, tick...Boom!, Stage 1 Theatre Company
Maggie Marlin, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Barksdale Theatre
Robyn O'Neill / Angela Shipley, Side Show, Swift Creek Mill Theatre
Joy Williams, Annie, Theatre IV

Best Supporting Actor - Musical
Timothy Ford, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Barksdale Theatre
Chris Hester, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Firehouse Theatre Project
Christopher Hlusko, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Barksdale Theatre
Drew Seigla, Summer of '42, Stage 1 Theatre Company
Sean Williams, Altar Boyz, Swift Creek Mill Theatre

Best Supporting Actress - Musical
Ellie Atwood, Summer of '42, Stage 1 Theatre Company
Nancy McMahon, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Firehouse Theatre Project
Linda Poser, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Barksdale Theatre
Maggie Roop, Annie, Theatre IV
Ali Thibodeau, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Barksdale Theatre

Best Musical Direction
Sandy Dacus, tick, tick...Boom!, Stage 1 Theatre Company
Paul Deiss, Altar Boyz, Swift Creek Mill Theatre
Paul Deiss, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Barksdale Theatre
Jimmy Hicks, Children's Letters to God, Stage 1 Theatre Company
Tony Williams, Summer of '42, Stage 1 Theatre Company

Best Choreography
Robin Arthur, Annie, Theatre IV
Patti D'Beck, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Barksdale Theatre
Mickey Nugent, Altar Boyz, Swift Creek Mill Theatre

Best Play
Children of a Lesser God, Barksdale Theatre
The Clean House, Barksdale Theatre
Eurydice, Firehouse Theatre Project
True West, Henley Street Theatre Co
Well, Barksdale Theatre

Best Direction
Steve Perigard, The Clean House, Barksdale Theatre
Bruce Miller, Children of a Lesser God, Barksdale Theatre
Bo Wilson, True West, Henley Street Theatre Co
Rusty Wilson, Eurydice, Firehouse Theatre Project
Keri Wormald, Well, Barksdale Theatre

Best Actor - Play
David Clark, True West, Henley Street Theatre Co
Tony Foley, True West, Henley Street Theatre Co
Joe Inscoe, Eurydice, Firehouse Theatre Project
Landon Nagel, Children of a Lesser God, Barksdale Theatre
Scott Wichmann, Richard III, Henley Street Theatre Co

Best Actress - Play
Robin Arthur, The Clean House, Barksdale Theatre
Bianca Bryan, The Clean House, Barksdale Theatre
Laine Satterfield, Eurydice, Firehouse Theatre Project
Erica Siegel, Children of a Lesser God, Barksdale Theatre
Jody Strickler, Well, Barksdale Theatre

Best Ensemble Acting
A Midsummer Night's Dream, Richmond Shakespeare
Altar Boyz, Swift Creek Mill Theatre
Children's Letters to God, Stage 1 Theatre Company
The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Firehouse Theatre Project
Driving Miss Daisy, Barksdale Theatre

Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Play
Larry Cook, Eurydice, Firehouse Theatre Project
Brandon Crowder, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Henley Street Theatre Co
Richard Gregory, Children of a Lesser God, Barksdale Theatre
Michael Hawke, Arsenic & Old Lace, Swift Creek Mill Theatre
Steve Moore, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Henley Street Theatre Co

Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Play
Jolene Carroll / Jackie Jones, Arsenic & Old Lace, Swift Creek Mill Theatre
Elise Boyd, Inspecting Carol, Sycamore Rouge
Jan Guarino, The Clean House, Barksdale Theatre
Marta Rainer, Rabbit Hole, Firehouse Theatre Project
Stefani Zabner, Of Mice and Men, Swift Creek Mill Theatre

Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Design
Joe Doran, Altar Boyz, Swift Creek Mill Theatre
Joe Doran, Of Mice and Men, Swift Creek Mill Theatre
Lynne Hartman, The Clean House, Barksdale Theatre
Kenny Mullens, Children's Letters to God, Stage 1 Theatre Company
Kenny Mullens, Summer of '42, Stage 1 Theatre Company

Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design
Rebecca Cairns / Ann Hoskins, Henry V, Richmond Shakespeare
Sue Griffin, The Clean House, Barksdale Theatre
Sue Griffin, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Barksdale Theatre
Elizabeth Weiss Hopper, Sideways Stories from Wayside School, Theatre IV
Charlotte Schiff / Betty Williams, All My Sons, Chamberlayne Actors Theatre

Outstanding Achievement in Set Design
Brian Barker, Sideways Stories from Wayside School, Theatre IV
Phil Hayes, Eurydice, Firehouse Theatre Project
Lin Heath, All My Sons, Chamberlayne Actors Theatre
Ron Keller, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Barksdale Theatre
Keith Saine, Translations , Sycamore Rouge
Mercedes Schaum, Summer of '42, Stage 1 Theatre Company
Tom Width, Of Mice and Men, Swift Creek Mill Theatre

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design
Buddy Bishop, Chapter Two, Chamberlayne Actors Theatre
Derek Dumais, Sideways Stories from Wayside School, Theatre IV
Bryan Harris, Eurydice, Firehouse Theatre Project
Derome Scott Smith, From the Mississippi Delta, African American Repertory Theatre
Wendy Vandergrift, Summer of '42, Stage 1 Theatre Company

Outstanding Achievement in Hair / Makeup Design
Sue Griffin, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Barksdale Theatre
Sarah Grady, Annie, Theatre IV
Junior Oxendine, Pulp, Richmond Triangle Players
Elizabeth Weiss Hopper, Sideways Stories from Wayside School, Theatre IV

Outstanding Achievement, in Dialect Direction
Amanda Durst, Multiple productions

Outstanding Achievement in Fight Choreography
Vanessa Passini, Henry V, Richmond Shakespeare

Liz Marks Memorial Award for Ongoing Contribution to Richmond Area theatre
Wamer "Buddy" Callahan, Lou Rubin

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

How incredibly disappointing.

Nice that it is so spread out, but Trailer Park might better be called Trailer Trash, completely lacking in any kind of artistic accomplishment, yet here it is in the league with all of this.

Could have hoped for a bit more integrity from the awards, but why strive to be any better, after all?

Thespis' Little Helper said...

Awww. No Barksdale Theatre at Hanover Tavern? :(

Loving Richmond Theatre said...

Wow, sometimes Richmonders can be such WHINERS! I'm THRILLED that there's an awards ceremony, GRATEFUL to the people who put it together, who are volunteering, and looking forward to going!

JEEZ, anon! What a jerk.

-Loving Richmond Theatre

Anonymous said...

Was leaving out all Hanover Tavern productions an oversight? I hope?? There were so many great shows there this season, with lots of great talent.

Anonymous said...

Omigod, why didn't you recognize the achievement of Slade Billew and his fight choreography for Henley Street's "True West?" The last fight and strangulation still haunts and gives me chills!

Theatre Lover

Annie's Blogs said...

Wow! There's a lot that we want to say about this but it's 1:40 AM and we deliriously opened this up because a text was sent to us about it.

Our blog has been M.I.A. for a while but it'll be back soon to talk about this, or maybe we'll just comment on it.

Ta!

Anonymous said...

i'd say a lot of things got overlooked this year, theatre lover. get used to it...

eraserhead said...

I share Loving Richmond Theatre's sentiments, but can understand the disappointment some must feel. So many shows, so many great performances and outstanding stagecraft . . . .

As I think back on the comments to this blog over the year, though, I don't remember a lot of folks going on record as praising performances that aren't nominated. That's something to remember as a new season is about to start. Now that we know the time frame when the awards are considered, there ought to be a lot of chatter next year in July and early August about the possible nominees--we need a little "Oscar buzz" action like movies generate.

If I had to register disappointment, it would be over the absence of any nominations for "Rosecrantz & Guildestern." That was one fantastic all-female ensemble, at the very least!

To you forever from me to you said...

it's impossible to nominate every stellar endeavor, the best way to recognize great achievement is by going to the theater more often! as much as you can! The entire awards show is a night to celebrate the richmond theatrical community which goes unheralded otherwise in our city. We are a scene on the rise, and this awards show to me symbolizes not only great selective productions and powerful performances, individual an ensemble, breath taking fight choreography and beautiful arrangements, but the community at a are large.

Kudos to the critics, and all their efforts!

Daniel J. said...

Why the Richmond theatre community is rallying around critics awards is a mystery. While they're a nice gesture, it's a shame that Richmond doesn't have peer awards that would be far more meaningful (although there have been some past efforts toward this end). While critics' awards may create some nice publicity, they do more to publicize critics' opinions than anything else. That's why a Tony means far more than a NY Theater Critics award, and an Oscar means far more than a Washington DC Film Critics Circle award. The attention being lavished on these critics awards by those in the theater community is almost -- well -- self-abasing. If there are to be meaningful theater awards in this town, I think they should ideally be coming from peer acknowledgment first, and maybe from critics second.

ziegfeldgirl said...

I was shocked that nothing from the Barksdale Hanover season made this list. The most notable omission was "Sanders Family Christmas" from the list of Best Musical nominees. I wondered if it were neglected because the play showcases roots music rather than traditional Broadway tunes. It certainly was not left out because of any fault in the direction, performances or musicianship (including performers playing musical instruments on stage, a la John Doyle), which were excellent.

I would like to see the Critics Circle consider adding some new categories next year. In recent years, cabarets, staged readings, and theatre/dance collaborations have energized the scene a great deal and deserve to be recognized with their own categories.

Anonymous said...

Hurrah for recognizing someone from Chamberlayne Actors Theatre this year, and Lin in particular. Lin Heath has a true gift - what an amazing designer!

Anonymous said...

Wow-- a lot of folks need to get over themselves.

These awards were created to recognize people, yes, but also to create a buzz within the public to go out and see more shows. This is NOT the academy and even if it was, there's no need to be petulant little children about any of it.

Great job, Dave and co. for putting this event together again this year. F the haters. :)

Dave T said...

Daniel J.,
I absolutely agree that "it's a shame that Richmond doesn't have peer awards." I think it would be fantastic if such a thing was organized and Richmond even has the benefit of a group already in existence that could serve as a catalyst (Richmond Alliance of Professional Theatres).

I categorically disagree, however, that these awards "do more to publicize critics' opinions than anything else." People I talk to outside the theater world are nearly unanimously surprised at how much theater there is in the Richmond area. I think that anything that promotes theater in town -- particularly in a big, splashy way -- is a good thing.

Perhaps more significant in practice: last year, we had a theater full of more than 100 theater people and only 6 theatre critics. Everyone was there to celebrate each other and theater in general, not the critics. We may provide an excuse for the party, but really, the party is all about you all.

Of course, that's just my opinion...

Anonymous said...

I'm not one to complain, but Jeff Cole as Hamlet is a serious omission.

debra said...

It's ok to be disappointed at the omission of some shows. But buy a ticket, rent a tux or buy a pretty dress, and support the Artist's Fund. That's what really matters.

Winter said...

Yes people it's a wonderful thing for everyone involved...and a wonderful reason for all the ladies to look fabulous....Congrats to the nominees...

Jeffrey Cole said...

I was just reading today, with no intention to post. But the verification word was "godot". Too cool to pass up.

Cathy said...

I am sad not to see Translations at Sycamore Rouge on the list more. I believe it was one of the best shows of the season. Did any of the nominators see it?

Anonymous said...

I thought Joy Williams, James Bynum and Garret Chester were all wonderful in Driving Miss Daisy. But why not nominate them as individuals instead of as an ensemble. It seems like ensemble nominations should be limited to those casts where it's difficult to isolate one performer from another. That certainly wasn't the case with Daisy. Maybe the ensemble nod should have gone to the amazing cast of Sanders Family Christmas. They played as an ensemble both musically and dramatically. What a shame that such an outstanding show was overlooked completely. It was the best thing I saw all year.

Susie said...

Yes, Cathy, "Translations" was seen by two of the members of the critics circle. I can't say that all six of us saw every show, but multiple critics saw every show. And certainly we would not give a nomination to a show we had not seen.

Anonymous said...

It seems obvious that a good show seen by 6 of 6 critics has a better chance of receiving nominations or awards than a good show seen by 2 of 6 critics. I hope in the future you will either add additional critics, or communicate better so that a majority of the Circle will see each eligible show. In the meantime, thanks for putting together this program -- it's exciting and way overdue!

Anonymous said...

I don't know how you based who was nominated in sound, but not seeing Brett Zwerdlings name makes my mouth hang open. He wrote and produced original music for True West and Aloha Say the Pretty Girls. Maybe sound is just sound effects - not music? Can you explain that category for us Dave?

Andrew Hamm said...

I am looking forward to dusting off my tux and partying it up with all my theatre homies! Celebrate, everyone!

jj said...

Hi Dave,

Mazel tov to you and RTCC for celebrating our Richmond theatre community with the RTCC Awards and for giving this occasion both an artistic and an altruistic purpose.

Regarding the subject of peer awards: until it folded in 2008, Art Buberhill's ART Newsletter was just that.

The final ART post begins, "It is with a heavy heart and much reluctance that we announce that the ART Newsletter will no longer be published - including what would have been the tenth anniversary edition ..." www.art-newsletter-richmond.blogspot.com

ART's homepage describes the newsletter this way:

"ART = Appreciating Richmond Theatre. The ART Newsletter was devoted to CELEBRATING what is wonderful about theatre - and the theatre community - in Richmond, Virginia. The newsletter has folded, but the blog will remain for archival purposes. Read the very first blog post (April 2006) for a full description of the newsletter."

Art Buberhill aspired to maintain "the integrity of the voting process," and implemented "efforts to prevent ballot stuffing and/or uninformed voting." This was drawn from “The Fine Print” - the Ballot Process Revealed, included at the end of each issue of ART Newsletter.

I first learned of Art and his supportive newsletter when friends sent an issue to me because I'd been honored in a lot of categories that year. I couldn't get my head out the door for a week.

My mother maintains that "Arthur Buberhill" is a pseudonym. Upon learning about ART Newsletter, I emailed Art questions about it; he wrote a kind and informative reply yet did not respond to the particular question about his identity. In the meantime, another theatre friend also suggested that "Arthur Buberhill" is a nom de plume.

Not too long before ART Magazine folded, I passed Art's name along to a Richmond Times-Dispatch human interest columnist; however with RTD's restructure, the article remained unpublished. Then when Lisa Kotula began her homage to Richmond Theatre with The Richmond Marquee, I submitted Art's name to her and after an email interview, Lisa featured him in her Cue the Spotlight column.

With Dave's encouragement of "anything that promotes theater in town -- particularly in a big, splashy way" (yahoo for that!), if enough Richmond theatre community members express interest, I wonder if Arthur Buberhill might revive ART Newsletter or perhaps help someone else (the Richmond Alliance of Professional Theatres?) pick up where he left off.

Support our local theatre,

jj
Jacqueline "Jackie" Jones
www.JacquelineJones.net

Frank Creasy said...

Well, okay then - if Andrew Hamm is going to the awards event, then I'M going too! ;>)

More seriously: We can all quibble endlessly about nominations and the process and such. I think that has got to be at least a little discouraging to the folks who put this thing together, the RTCC board themselves. Do I agree with every one of their opinions in a review, or with all the nominations for that matter? No, of course not. But to me, this is proof of their wholehearted support of Richmond theatre. Agree or disagree with the choices and the process, this is a big task to take on, and one that comes with too little thanks. Besides, I see so many friends, many of whom I worked with this year in productions that received nominations, and for my friends to be so warmly acknowledged and to make them happy, well - that does make ME happy too. My God, they so deserve the acknowledgement, the pay sure isn't the driver behind their efforts!

I said it before and will say so again: This began and continues to serve as a celebration of excellence in Richmond theatre. The fact that so many feel excellent performances and production work had to be omitted proves there is a great deal of excellence, and a great deal to celebrate, in Richmond theatre.

As Wayne and Garth would say, "Party on!"