Reviews & Other Press: 2011

On Theater: Starting year with Miller dramas
by Tom Titus, Daily Pilot

[ Link to Daily Pilot ]

January 13, 2011

Mark Bartlett in a scene from The Who's Tommy Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio

... Orange County's Chance Theater had a big hit with its revival of "Tommy," and now that production is ticketed for the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, formerly known as the Orange County Performing Arts Center, or OCPAC. The show will be staged from Feb. 10 through Feb. 20 in the Center's smaller venue, Founder's Hall.

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LADCC Announces Nominations for Last Season
by LA Stage Alliance, LA Stage Times

[ Link to LA Stage Times ]

January 25, 2011

Kellie Spill, Kyle Cooper and Elena Murray in a scene from The Who's Tommy Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio

The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle has announced its nominations and special awards for excellence in Los Angeles and Orange County theater for the year 2010 (Dec. 1, 2009-Nov. 30, 2010). The 42nd Annual LADCC Awards ceremony will take place on Monday, March 14 at Burbank’s Colony Theatre, 555 N. Third Street in Burbank. All event tickets are $40 and can be reserved in advance.

Awards will be presented in 18 categories, honoring excellence over the past year. Four award recipients were named by acclamation: Lin-Manuel Miranda for his music and lyrics for the national tour of In the Heights, Pantages; Chris Bell for his special effects for the Grand Guignolers’ Absinthe, Opium & Magic; Matthew W. Mungle and Waldo Warshaw for their special effects and prosthetic effects in the Mark Taper Forum’s The Lieutenant of Inishmore.

The nominees for the 2010 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards for theatrical excellence are as follows:

Choreography:
Allison Bibicoff, The Who’s Tommy, Chance Theatre
Andy Blankenbuehler, In the Heights, Broadway/LA; Pantages Theatre
Ayana Cahrr, Neighbors, Matrix Theatre Company

Lighting Design:
Brian Sidney Bembridge, The Good Book of Pedantry and Wonder
James L. Moody, Wit
KC Wilkerson, The Who’s Tommy

CGI/Video:
Hana Sooyeon Kim, Futura
KC Wilkerson, The Who’s Tommy

The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle was founded in 1969. It is dedicated to excellence in theatrical criticism, and to the encouragement and improvement of theatre in Greater Los Angeles. The 2010 membership consists of: F. Kathleen Foley, Los Angeles Times; Shirle Gottlieb, Gazette Newspapers, stagehappenings.com; Hoyt Hilsman, BackStage; Wenzel Jones, Frontiers in LA, showmag.com; Mayank Keshaviah, LA Weekly; Amy Lyons, Santa Monica Mirror, LA Weekly, BackStage; Dany Margolies, BackStage; Terry Morgan, Laist.com, Variety; Steven Leigh Morris. LA Weekly; David C. Nichols, Los Angeles Times; Amy Nicholson, LA Weekly; Sharon Perlmutter, talkinbroadway.com; Melinda Schupmann, BackStage, showmag.com; Madeleine Shaner, Park La Brea News/Beverly Press, BackStage; Les Spindle, BackStage, The Hollywood Reporter, theatremania.com; Bob Verini, Variety; Neal Weaver, LA Weekly, BackStage.

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Two guys, one theater, one dream
by David Whiting, Orange County Register

[ Link to Orange County Register ]

February 18, 2011

Artistic Director Oanh Nguyen and Managing Director Casey Long Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Orange County Register

Sometimes you have a dream so audacious you wonder if the naysayers might be correct.

Oanh Nguyen, Casey Long and several others started dreaming such a dream in the 1990s.

And they never let the doubters get them down.

They wanted to create their own theater company. But they had no formal theater education, no trained actors, no backing and almost no money.

Yet tonight, Feb. 20, one of their productions, "Tommy," will conclude a wildly successful run at the prestigious Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

The step up to the big house for the 49-seat Chance Theater in Anaheim Hills took more than a decade. But it wasn't time lost.

Starting in 1999, the Chance Theater has produced more than 100 plays and musicals. And with each one, Nguyen, artistic director, and Long, managing director, honed their art.

Perhaps the secret to their success is that their muses – passion, commitment, hard work — didn't give up either.

•••

Artistic Director Oanh Nguyen Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Orange County Register

Nguyen, 37, was barely three years old when he arrived in the United States in 1975, a toddler in a family of Vietnam War refugees at Camp Pendleton.

They settled in Garden Grove and by the time Nguyen was in high school, the pressure was on to get a job.

But Nguyen's parents had unknowingly offered another path for their son when they allowed him in eighth grade to see "Phantom of the Opera" at the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles.

It wasn't seeing the famous Davis Gaines play his signature role, however, that captured Nguyen's imagination. It was... everything. Nguyen loved the atmosphere, the space, the interaction between audience and actors.

By the time he was a student at Anaheim High School, he was acting and helping produce plays.

How serious was he?

He carried notes, scripts and sheet music in a briefcase. In high school.

But theater didn't pay the bills. After high school, Nguyen held a variety of jobs including telemarketing. Yet even there he managed to thrive, finding high drama in the way supervisors dangled never-ending incentives.

Then came Nguyen's big break. Super Bowl XXXII.

•••

Managing Director Casey Long Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Orange County Register

Like Nguyen, Long, now 31, was a high school theater geek. He lived in Covina at the time and had been stricken by the theater bug in 1992 seeing Raul Julia in "Man of La Mancha."

One audience member told his mother, "I've never seen a kid so quiet."

Again, like Nguyen, Long wasn't star struck. Instead, he was mesmerized with the spectacle.

By the late '90s, Nguyen and Long had become friends after meeting at various community theater productions. And that got them to thinking: Wouldn't it be great to always be at the same place, to know everyone, to have their own resident company?

The idea even sounded realistic – after a few rounds beers.

Then Nguyen got his big break: playing the pizza delivery guy on a 7UP commercial shown during the Super Bowl.

He had seed money.

"We knew we might crash and burn," says Long, sitting on a barstool onstage at Chance (the current play, "Nerve," takes place in a bar). "But we could say we did it."

They didn't have a business plan. And they knew next to nothing about building a theater company. They didn't realize, for example, that mounting debt would actually make it more difficult to incorporate as a nonprofit.

To save money, five people, including Long's wife, rented a four-bedroom house in Anaheim. It served as both living quarters and office. They nicknamed it the "Chance Commune."

Next, they rented space in an industrial park in Anaheim. Then they started sawing wood and hammering nails to build a theater.

You could say that the business plan, um, also evolved. More than $50,000 in debt after the first year, they juggled credit cards.

To eat, they bought bagfuls of hamburgers on sale for 39 cents and froze them in the fridge.

Perhaps their choice of productions that first year is telling. To name a few: "Memories On the Wind," "But I Don't Feel Grown Up," and "Wasted Wishes."

•••

It took four years to climb out of debt. They've been in the black ever since.

Today, the Chance Theater has a budget of $420,000 and boasts a long list of honors from Back Stage Critic's Picks, the Ovation Awards and the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle.

And they have a business plan. The company projects $750,000 annual revenue in four years. The goal is to build a 200-seat theater with a smaller 90-seat venue.

How did they thrive at a time when so many other arts organizations disappeared?

Managing Director Casey Long and Artistic Director Oanh Nguyen Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Orange County Register

Nguyen and Long credit several things: Support from such organizations as South Coast Repertory, their own efforts to reach out to the community, and engaging audiences during and after performances.

Nguyen, also a producing associate at SCR, laughs when he offers one more secret weapon: "They come with low expectations and they get blown away."

Long explains Chance is deeply committed to nurturing artists and that culture helps build the general community.

He's only half-joking when he adds that he and Nguyen have no choice but to succeed. "We don't know how not to do theater."

Looking at the rows of audience chairs, the intricate lighting and the staging for "Nerve," I mention I was impressed that Long answers the phone himself.

Long confesses he and his wife still live in the rented four-bedroom house and that the phone rings there as well.

Nguyen's and Long's muses haven't left. But now they have grown into different names.

Knowledge, love and hope.

For more: ChanceTheater.com. David Whiting's column appears News One, Life/Outdoors; dwhiting@ocregister.com.

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2011 Garland Awards
by Back Stage

[ Link to Back Stage ]

March 10, 2011

Kellie Spill, Kyle Cooper and Elena Murray in The Who's Tommy Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio

We excitedly announce the 2011 Garland Awards, voted on by the Los Angeles theater critics of Back Stage. For those of you wondering, under our voting system each Garland winner was named on at least three critics' "Best of 2010" lists. Each critic listed up to five nominees for each category except performance, up to 10 nominees for performance in musical productions and 10 for straight plays. Congratulations to the recipients. To leave us with a lasting memory of the excellence of your work is a huge triumph, considering the vastness of the local theater scene.

THE WINNERS

CHOREOGRAPHY
Allison Bibicoff, "The Who's Tommy", Chance Theater
Ayana Cahrr, "Neighbors," The Matrix Theatre
Christopher Gattelli, "South Pacific," Center Theatre Group and the Lincoln Center Theater at the Ahmanson Theatre
Marcia Milgrom Dodge, "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," Reprise Theatre Company at the UCLA Freud Playhouse

LIGHTING DESIGN
Leigh Allen, "Cousin Bette," The Antaeus Company at Deaf West Theatre
Brian Gale, "The Lieutenant of Inishmore," Center Theatre Group at the Mark Taper Forum
KC Wilkerson, "The Who's Tommy", Chance Theater

THE NOMINEES

REVIEWER: ERIC MARCHESE
Production
"Backwards in High Heels", International City Theatre
"The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?", Chance Theater
"1776", Musical Theatre West, Carpenter Center
"The Who's Tommy", Chance Theater
"True Love Lies", Monkey Wrench Collective

Direction
Dave Barton, "The Revenger's Tragedy"
Nick DeGruccio, "1776", Musical Theatre West, Carpenter Center
Marya Mazor, "The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?", Chance Theater
Jeff Maynard, "The Tale of the Allergist's Wife", McCoy Rigby Entertainment and La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts
Oanh Nguyen, "The Who's Tommy", Chance Theater.

Choreography
Rob Barron, "Backwards in High Heels"
Melissa Giattinoy, "Backwards in High Heels"
Karen Nowicki, "Brigadoon", FCLO Music Theatre, Plummer Auditorium
Kelly Todd, "Merrily We Roll Along", Chance Theater

Music Direction
Darryl Archibald, "Backwards in High Heels", International City Theatre
Lee Kreter, "Brigadoon"
Matthew Smedal, "1776"
Gerald Sternbach, "Hello Dolly", 3-D Theatricals, O.C. Pavilion
Mike Wilkins, "The Who's Tommy", Chance Theater

Scenic Design
Bruce Goodrich, "The Tale of the Allergist's Wife"
Wally Huntoon, "Jane Eyre", FCLO Music Theatre, Plummer Auditorium
Starlet Jacobs, "Jesus Hates Me", Chance Theater, South Coast Repertory
Bradley Kaye, "The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?", Chance Theater
Dwight Richard Odle, "Backwards in High Heels"

Lighting Design
Christina L. Munich, "Brigadoon"
KC Wilkerson, "Jesus Hates Me"
KC Wilkerson, "Merrily We Roll Along"
Steven Young, "1776"

Costume Design
Sharell Martin, "Hello Dolly"
Sharell Martin, "1776"
David Kay Mickelson, "In the Next Room or the vibrator play", South Coast Repertory
Erika C. Miller, "The Who's Tommy", Chance Theater
Katie Schmidt, "Merrily We Roll Along", Chance Theater

Sound Design
David Chorley and Ryan O'Melia, "The Woman in Black", Stages Theatre
Barney Evans, "The Miracle Of Mary Mack's Baby", Stages Theatre
Casey Long, "The Who's Tommy", Chance Theater
Jim Ragland, "In the Next Room or the vibrator play"
RJ Romero, "The Revenger's Tragedy"

Performance in a Straight Play
Caroline Aaron, "The Tale of the Allergist's Wife"
Michael Cavinder, "The Woman in Black"
Juanita Jennings, "Fences", South Coast Repertory
Rick Kopps, "True Love Lies", Monkey Wrench Collective
Jonathon Lamer, "The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?", Chance Theater
Jennifer Pearce, "Sans Merci"
Ryan Shively, "The Tragedie of King Lear"
Eileen T'Kaye, "The Tale of the Allergist's Wife"
Karen Webster, "The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?", Chance Theater

Ensemble Performance
"Altar Boyz", 3-D Theatricals, O.C. Pavilion
"The Clean House"
"Jesus Hates Me", Chance Theater at South Coast Repertory
"The Marvelous Wonderettes", Musical Theatre West, Carpenter Center
"True Love Lies"

Miscellaneous
Roger Bean and Brian William Baker, musical vocal arrangements, "The Marvelous Wonderettes"
Michael Borth, orchestrations, "The Marvelous Wonderettes"
Hershey Felder, solo performance, "George Gershwin Alone", Laguna Playhouse
Melanie Gable, solo performance, "The Fever", Monkey Wrench Collective
Robert Ladd, technical direction, "The Hanging of Mary Surratt"
Ted Leib, rock videos, "Altar Boyz"
Jeff Lisenby and five on-stage musicians, "Ring of Fire", FCLO Music Theatre, Plummer Auditorium
Nathan Makaryk, fight choreography, "The Hobbit"
Nathan Makaryk, puppet design and construction, "The Hobbit"
Christopher Scott Murillo, scenic and projection designs, "Merrily We Roll Along"
Brian Newell, original video/film clips, "The Manchurian Candidate", Maverick Theater
Jim Ragland, original music, "In the Next Room or the vibrator play"
Eric A. Wahl, visual media design, "The Revenger's Tragedy"
KC Wilkerson, video design, "The Who's Tommy"

REVIEWER: MELINDA SCHUPMANN
Direction
Oanh Nguyen, "The Who's Tommy", Chance Theater

Music Direction
Steve Orich, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum"
Don Rebic, "Uptown Downtown", Pasadena Playhouse
Mike Wilkins, "The Who's Tommy"

Scenic Design
Christopher Barreca, "In a Garden", South Coast Repertory
David Farley, "Daddy Long Legs", Rubicon Theatre and La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts
Christopher Scott Murillo, "The Who's Tommy"
Frederica Nascimento, "Opus", The Fountain Theatre

Costume Design
Naila Aladdin-Sanders, "The Ballad of Emmett Till", The Fountain Theatre
Kate Bergh, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum"
Osa Danam, "Lady Lancing, or The Importance of Being Earnest", Ark Theatre Company
Erika Miller, "The Who's Tommy"
Holly Victoria, "The Imaginary Invalid", Parson's Nose Productions.

Performance in a Musical Production
Annie Abrams, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum"
Mark Bartlett, "The Who's Tommy"
Eric Bergen, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum"
Anderson Davis, "South Pacific", Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre
Megan McGinnis, "Daddy Long Legs"
Ruth Williamson, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum"
Leslie Uggams, "Uptown Downtown", Pasadena Playhouse

Ensemble Performance
"The Who's Tommy"

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Elation Adds Wizardry to Award-Winning Production of 'The Who's Tommy'
by Jacob Coakley, Stage Directions

[ Link to Stage Directions ]

March 21, 2011

Mark Bartlett in The Who's Tommy Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio

Chance Theater from Anaheim Hills, Calif., recently was invited to remount their award-winning production of The Who’s Tommy at Orange County’s larger Segerstrom Center for the Arts. KC Wilkerson again handled lighting and video design. To improve upon his work at the previous showing, which won Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards for both Lighting Design and Video Design, Wilkerson again used Elation Professional products, adding Design LED Strips, Design Wash LEDs and Design Beam 300s.

After racking up rave reviews in Summer 2010, Chance Theater’s (Anaheim Hills, CA) production of The Who’s Tommy received an impressive honor when it was invited to play at Orange County’s larger Segerstrom Center for the Arts this February. In this remount of the show, the lighting and video design was once again in the hands of KC Wilkerson, whose magnificent work in Chance Theater’s original Tommy production played no small part in its stunning success, hailed by reviewers as “the most astounding lighting of a show EVER seen in a small house” (www.StageandCinema.com) and “one of the most breathtaking blends of lighting and video projection I can recall seeing” (Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA). Along with these and other glowing tributes, the Chance production of The Who’s Tommy won StageSceneLA’s 2010 Lighting/Projection Design of the Year Award, Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards for both Lighting Design and Video Design, Backstage Garland Award for Lighting Design and Ovation Honors Award for Video Design and received a nomination for Ovation Award for Lighting Design.

So what does an award-winning lighting designer do for an encore? For Wilkerson, the larger-scale reprisal of Tommy represented an opportunity to expand the lighting concepts he had developed for this classic “rock opera,” which tells the story of a young boy who goes deaf, dumb and blind after seeing his father shoot his mother’s lover upon returning from a World War II prison camp. The Who’s well-known tale follows Tommy’s triumph as he becomes a “pinball wizard” and eventually regains his sight.

Lighting and video were especially important at certain key points in the show, Wilkerson said, beginning with the opening scenes, in which the designer displayed actual historic British World War II footage, to the use of different colors to dramatize Tommy at different ages, to the spectacular mind-blowing “Pinball Wizard” scene. As in the earlier production, Wilkerson chose products from Elation Professional to light up Tommy in the larger venue, expanding his range of Elation gear to include: 8 Elation Design Wash LED RGBW moving heads, 8 Elation Design LED 60 Strips; and 3 Elation Design Beam 300 moving heads.

“One of the most appealing parts of remounting the show was the opportunity to revisit the design,” said Wilkerson. “I had several discussions with the director (Oanh Nguyen) prior to production…part of it was preserving what we thought worked and the other part was expanding some of the original ideas and adding details. The venue (Founders Hall at Segerstrom Center for the Arts) is much larger than the Chance Theater with a higher grid and far more lighting positions, so while many of the ideas were transferred from the original production, the interpretation was different, in some case significantly.”

Concepts that were expanded in the remount included the creation of “color stories that were tied specifically to Tommy’s three different ages and experiences, as well as tying specific colors to the pinball machine,” Wilkerson said. “I suppose the biggest impact moment I wanted was during ‘Pinball Wizard.’ Everyone knows how that song starts with the strumming acoustic guitar, but then it launches into those two giant electric guitar chords and I wanted those two chords to knock people back in their seats. Part of that fell to our very talented Music Director, Mike Wilkins, but the rest of it was up to lighting.”

Mark Bartlett and Cameron McIntyre in The Who's Tommy Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio

When looking for lighting to use for “Pinball Wizard,” Wilkerson said he called Blaine Engle at Elation and “asked if they had anything that would fit the bill. He sent me a few links and a couple things caught my eye. For the original show, I had used (4) Design LED Strips, (4) Impressions and (4) Design LED 108s. We expanded on that in the remount to include (8) Design LED Strips, (8) Design Wash LEDs and (3) Design Beam 300s.

“The Design LED Strips ended up carrying a lot of the weight for the ‘Pinball Wizard’ moments. We stacked them vertically on four trusses and used them as blinders. There are a couple things I like about them – first off, they resemble old-school mini-strip lights, which gave us a retro feel, but they are also RGB LEDs, placed behind a lens so they mix to create good, strong colors, including a spectacular blinding white.”

One lighting fixture new to the remount was the Design Wash LED. “I switched from the Impressions to the Design Wash LEDs primarily because they have white LEDs in addition to RGB,” explained Wilkerson. “They also move really quickly and have a good dimming curve without the LED ‘dropoff’ in the lower percentages.”

The Design Beam 300 moving heads were also a new addition. “I chose the Design Beams for a couple of reasons,” Wilkerson said. “They’re only 300 watts, but they produce a super-bright beam that’s very narrow. That was key for the World War II sequences as well as the scenes where Tommy becomes a rockstar pinball player.”

Wilkerson said that he was also very pleased with the Elation gear’s reliability in standing up to the day-to-day requirements of a theatrical production. “Everything performed beautifully for the run of the show.”

For more information about Elation visit www.elationlighting.com
To contact KC Wilkerson visit www.kcwilkersondesign.com
For more information on Chance Theater, visit www.chancetheater.com.

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2010-2011 Scenie Awards
by Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA

[ Link to StageSceneLA ]

September 12, 2011

The cast of Jerry Springer: The Opera Photo by Chance Theater

StageSceneLA’s Best Of 2010-2011 Scenie Awards are based on 279 reviews posted on StageSceneLA between the dates of September 1, 2010 and August 31, 2011. As large as this number may seem, it represents only about 1/3 of the total number of productions I was invited to review this past year, and an even smaller percentage of all productions staged in Los Angeles and surrounding cities.

CHOREOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

KELLY TODD (Jerry Springer: The Opera, Reefer Madness, The Who's Tommy)

PROJECTION DESIGNER OF THE YEAR

KC WILKERSON (The Secret Garden, The Who's Tommy)

BEST PRODUCTION, DRAMA

100 Saints You Should Know (Elephant Theatre Company)
AfterMath (Odyssey and Matrix Theatres)
The Autumn Garden (The Antaeus Company)
THE GOAT OR, WHO IS SYLVIA? (The Chance Theater)
Futura (Theatre @ Boston Court)
I Never Sang For My Father (The New American Theatre)
Proof (Open Fist Theatre and The Aquila/Morong Studio)
The Sonneteer (L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center)
The Temperamentals (The Blank Theatre)

BEST PRODUCTION, MUSICAL (100 SEATS OR MORE)

All Shook Up (3-D Theatricals)
The Light In The Piazza (CLOSBC)
Little Shop Of Horrors (La Mirada Theatre)
Rent (CSUF)
She Loves Me (CLOSBC)
Summer Of Love (Musical Theatre West)
The Wedding Singer (Musical Theatre West)
THE WHO'S TOMMY (Segerstrom Center For The Arts)

BEST PRODUCTION, MUSICAL (99 SEATS OR LESS)

Adding Machine: A Musical (Odyssey Theatre)
BASH’d: A Gay Rap Opera (Celebration Theatre)
Gypsy (West Coast Ensemble)
High Fidelity (Hunger Artists)
I Love You Because (CSUF)
Into The Woods (Lucid By Proxy)
JERRY SPRINGER: THE OPERA (The Chance Theater)

BEST DIRECTION OF A DRAMA

Lindsay Allbaugh (100 Saints You Should Know)
Larry Bierderman (The Autumn Garden)
John Hindman (Proof)
Jessica Kubzansky (Camino Real, Futura)
Robin Larsen (Blackbird)
Michael Leoni (Elevator)
MARYA MAZOR (The Goat Or, Who Is Sylvia?)
Jon Lawrence Rivera (The Sonneteer)
Rick Sparks (Daddy)
Mark L. Taylor (AfterMath)
Cameron Watson (I Never Sang For My Father)

BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL (100 SEATS OR MORE)

Roger Bean (Summer Of Love, The Marvelous Wonderettes)
John Caird (Daddy Long Legs)
T.J. Dawson (All Shook Up, The Drowsy Chaperone)
D.J. Gray (25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (UCI))
Kari Hayter (Rent, Chicago (Torrance))
Brian Kite (Little Shop Of Horrors)
Dan Mojica (The Light In The Piazza)
OANH NGUYEN (The Who’s Tommy)
Larry Raben (The Wedding Singer)
Valerie Rachelle (25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Morgan-Wixson))
Eli Simon (Into The Woods)

BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL (99 SEATS OR LESS)

TREVOR BISHIP (Jerry Springer: The Opera)
Anthony Galleran (High Fidelity)
Ameenah Kaplan (BASH’d: A Gay Rap Opera)
Robert Marra (The Devil And Daisy Jane)
Calvin Remsberg (Glory Days, Into The Woods)
Ron Sossi (Adding Machine: A Musical)

BEST MUSICAL DIRECTION

Stephen Amundson (Boys Will Be Boys, The Wild Party)
Richard Berent (iGhost, Into The Woods (Lucid By Proxy))
Brent Crayon (The Devil And Daisy Jane, When Garbo Talks)
Anne Gesling (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Morgan-Wixson), Chicago (Morgan-Wixson))
Eric Heinly (The First Jo-el, Fleetwood Macbeth)
Dean Mora (The All Night Strut!, One Touch Of Venus)
Alby Potts (Beehive, Little Me)
Gregory Nabours (Having It All, The Trouble With Words)
William A. Reilly (A Chicago Christmas Carol, I’m Just Wild About Harry)
Matthew Smedal (Bat Boy: The Musical, Hello Again)
MIKE WILKINS (The Boy In The Bathroom, The Who’s Tommy)

The Chance cast of The Who's Tommy at Segerstrom Center for the Arts Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Naila Aladdin-Sanders (BASH’d: A Gay Rap Opera, A House Not Meant To Stand, Neighbors)
Angela Balogh Calin (Circle Mirror Transformation, The Comedy Of Errors, Great Expectations)
David Kay Mickelsen (In The Next Room (or the vibrator play), Silent Sky)
Sharon McGunigle (Bell, Book, And Candle, Fleetwood Macbeth, Merrily We Roll Along)
ERIKA C. MILLER (The Secret Garden, The Who’s Tommy)
A. Jeffrey Schoenberg (The Malcontent, Room Service)

BEST SOUND DESIGN

Andrew Villaverde (The Chairs, The Eccentricities Of A Nightingale, Great Expectations, To Kill A Mockingbird (GCT))
CASEY LONG (Jerry Springer: The Opera, Nerve, The Who’s Tommy)
Cricket S. Myers (Bell, Book, And Candle, Having It All, Three Days Of Rain)
David B. Marling (Broadsword: A Heavy Metal Play, Pursued By Happiness, The Train
Driver)
Joseph “Sloe” Slawinski (Daddy, Glory Days, Into The Woods (Lucid By Proxy), Loving Repeating, Smudge)
Peter Bayne (100 Saints You Should Know, Bakersfield Mist, A House Not Meant To Stand, The Malcontent, Year Zero)

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST LEAD PERFORMANCE/MUSICAL
(100 SEATS OR MORE)

Ryyn Chua, Amy Coles, Michael Heimos, Edward Kiniry-Ostro, Sarah Krieg, David Laffey, Chrissa Villanueva, Ann Villella, James Paul Xavier (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Morgan-Wixson))
Alison Boresi, Garrett Deagon, Anthony Fontana, Peter Gallagher, Chaz Kao, Peter FA Leibold VI, Courtney Stokes, Natalie Thornton, Christy Yin (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (UCI))
Brandon Breault, Beth Kennedy, Christine Lakin, Andy Lopez, Jack McGee, Katherine Malak, Matt Morgan, Katie Nuñez, Morgan Rusler, Jackie Seiden, Lisa Valenzuela, Matt Walker (The First Jo-el)
Misty Cotton, Beth Malone, Leslie Spencer, Lowe Taylor (The Marvelous Wonderettes)
Eric Anderson, Doug Carpenter, Callie Carson, Katrice Gavino, Christine Horn, Scott Kruse, Frank Lawson, James May, Melissa Mitchell, Alyssa M. Simmons, Victoria Strong, Michael J. Willett (Summer Of Love)
Nick Bernardi, Renée Brna, Mary Jo Catlett, Jenna Coker-Jones, Derek Keeling, Ciarán McCarthy, Kelli Provart, Matthew J. Vargo (The Wedding Singer)
MARK BARTLETT, KEVIN CORDOVA, WENDI ANN HAMMOCK (The Who’s Tommy)

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST LEAD PERFORMANCE/MUSICAL
(99 SEATS OR LESS)

Gina D’Acciaro, Patrick Hancock, Harley Jay, Jayme Lake, Katherine Malek, Anthony Manough, Lisa Marinacci, Kyle Nudo, Michael Tauzin, Cloie Wyatt Taylor, Megan Yaleney
(The Devil And Daisy Jane)
Chelsea Baldree, Lindsey Kelly, Rose Ouellette, Kevin Rose, Jordan Sidfield, Daniel Wargo
(I Love You Because)
MATTHEW BALLESTERO, KYLE COOPER, WARREN DRAPER, LAURA M. HATHAWAY, KATIE KITANI, DAVID LAFFEY, JOVANI MCCLEARY, DAVID MCCORMICK, ERIKA C. MILLER, JARED PUGH, JESSIE WITHERS (Jerry Springer: The Opera)

BEST FEATURED ENSEMBLE CAST PERFORMANCE/MUSICAL
(100 SEATS OR MORE)

CLARISSA BARTON, ALEX BUENO, MIGUEL CARDENAS, KYLE COOPER, ISRAEL CORTEZ, SETH DUSKY, DAN FLAPPER, LIZ HOLT, PAUL HOVANNES, CAMERONE MCINTYRE, BRYNNE MCMANIMIE, ELENA MURRAY, LOUIS PARDO, KELLIE SPILL, BEACH VICKERS (The Who’s Tommy)

BEST FEATURED ENSEMBLE CAST PERFORMANCE/MUSICAL
(99 SEATS OR LESS)

Greta McAnany, Travis Leland, Nick Tubbs, Mandy Wilson (Adding Machine: A Musical)
TRAVIS AMMANN, STEPHANIE BULL, ISRAEL CORTEZ, REBECCA FONDILER, KELLIE SPILL, RYAN SPINDEL, ANDREA PAQUIN, NATHAN WILLINGHAM
(Jerry Springer: The Opera)
Jesse Bradley, Joe Calarco, Julianne Donelle, Gedaly Guberek, Aimee Karlin, Graham Kurtz, Jeremy Lelliott, Karnell Matthews, Nicole Monet, Sara Perry, Lawrence Peters, Deven Simonson (The Rocky Horror Show)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTOR/DRAMA

Chris Chiquet (Camino Real)
Brad Culver (How To Disappear Completely And Never Be Found)
Ben Green (The Busy World Is Hushed)
Philip Baker Hall (I Never Sang For My Father)
JONATHON LAMER (The Goat Or, Who Is Sylvia?)
John Sloan (I Never Sang For My Father)
Ian Patrick Williams (Judgment At Nuremberg)

Karen Webster and Jonathon Lamer in The Goat or, Who is Sylvia? Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTRESS/DRAMA

Eileen Barnett (The Young Man From Atlanta)
Tessa Ferrer (Proof)
Roxanne Hart (A Death In Colombia)
Annie Potts (AfterMath)
KAREN WEBSTER (The Goat Or, Who Is Sylvia?)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR/COMEDY

Rodger Bumpass (Bullshot Crummond And The Invisible Bride Of Death)
George Cummings (Love, Sex, & The I.R.S.)
Henry Dittman (Watson)
Robin Gammell (Entertaining Mr. Sloane)
BOB SIMPSON (The Eight: Reindeer Monologues)
Dane Stauffer (All In The Timing)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS/MUSICAL

Gina D’Acciaro (Merrily We Roll Along)
Emily Goglia (Rent)
Tiffany Gray (Rent)
Katy Harvey (The Wild Party)
Christine Horn (Adding Machine: A Musical)
Kelly Lester (Adding Machine: A Musical)
Katherine Malak (The Devil And Daisy Jane)
Sara J. Stuckey (Gypsy)
Stephanie Wall (Gypsy)
JESSIE WITHERS (Jerry Springer: The Opera)

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION/COMEDY-DRAMA

The Accidental Blonde (IAMA Theatre Company)
Diving Normal (SFS Theatre)
Finding The Burnett Heart (The Missing Piece Theatre)
Girls Talk (Lee Strasberg Theatre)
The Malcontent (Antaeus Company)
NERVE (The Chance Theater)

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION/MUSICAL

THE BOY IN THE BATHROOM (The Chance Theater)
A Chicago Christmas Carol (Crown City Theatre)
The Devil And Daisy Jane (Actors Co-op)
Glory Days (Lillian Theatre)
Group: A Musical (Los Angeles Theatre Ensemble)
Having It All (NoHo Arts Center)
I’m Just Wild About Harry (Crown City Theatre)
Making Paradise: The West Hollywood Musical (Cornerstone Theatre Company)
Merrily We Roll Along (Actors Co-op)
Re-Animator™-The Musical (Steve Allen Theatre)
The Rocky Horror Show (Coeurage Theatre Company)
THE SECRET GARDEN (The Chance Theater)
The Wild Party (Theatre Out)

OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A COMEDY-DRAMA

Leslye Headland (The Accidental Blonde)
Anita Khanzadian (State Of The Union)
Roger Kumble (Girls Talk)
MARYA MAZOR (Nerve)
James Roday (greedy)
Elizabeth Swain (The Malcontent)
Neil H. Weiss (Diving Normal)

OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL

Brent Beerman (A Chicago Christmas Carol)
Michael John Garcés and Mark Valdez (Making Paradise)
Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator™-The Musical)
CASEY LONG and KC WILKERSON (The Secret Garden)
Frankie Marrone (The Wild Party)
Joanne McGee (I’m Just Wild About Harry)
Ric Perez-Selsky (The Rocky Horror Show)
Richard Tatum (Group: A Musical)

Miguel Cardenas and Sarah Pierce in The Secret Garden Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN

Lonnie Rafael Alcaraz (Crimes Of The Heart, Three Days Of Rain)
Leigh Allen (Blackbird, Broadsword: A Heavy Metal Play)
Joel Daavid (100 Saints You Should Know, The Little Flower Of East Orange)
Christian Epps (BASH’d: A Gay Rap Opera, Play Dates)
J. Kent Inasy (Jamaica, Farewell, Neighbors)
Daniel Ionazzi (In The Next Room (or the vibrator play), Superior Donuts)
Matt Richter (No Word In Guyanese For Me, Watson)
Rand Ryan (The Escort, The Sound Of Music)
BRIAN S. SHEVELENKO (The Boy In The Bathroom, Jerry Springer: The Opera)
Jaymi Lee Smith (Futura, Smudge)
Michelle Stanns (The Trouble With Words, Under Milk Wood)
James P. Taylor (Blithe Spirit, The Eccentricities Of A Nightingale)
Dan Weingarten (Krunk Fu Battle Battle, Wrinkles)
KC WILKERSON (The Secret Garden, The Who’s Tommy)

OUTSTANDING SCENIC DESIGN

John Arnone (In The Next Room (or the vibrator play), Superior Donuts)
Evan Bartoletti (The Adventures Of Pinocchio, BASH’d: A Gay Rap Opera)
Ralph Funicello (Misalliance, Much Ado About Nothing)
Thomas S. Giamario (Master Harold … and the boys, Steel Magnolias)
BRADLEY KAYE (The Boy In The Bathroom, The Goat Or, Who Is Sylvia?)
Alan E. Muraoka (Mysterious Skin, Wrinkles)
Victoria Proffitt (The Next Fairy Tale, Room Service)

OUTSTANDING DUO PERFORMANCE/PLAY

Johnny Clark and Michelle Clunie in The Mercy Seat
CASEY LONG and JESSIE WITHERS in Nerve

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTOR/MUSICAL

J.D. Driskill (Rent)
Zachary Ford (iGhost)
Derek Klena (Glory Days)
CHRIS KLOPATEK (The Boy In The Bathroom)
Christopher Maikish (The Next Fairy Tale)
Derek Manson (Making Paradise: The West Hollywood Musical)
David Pevsner (Into The Woods)
Adam Shapiro (Rent)
Peter Welkin (iGhost)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTRESS/MUSICAL

LIZ HOLT (The Boy In The Bathroom)
Rebecca Johnson (iGhost)
Jennifer Malenke (Into The Woods)
Valerie Rachelle (Into The Woods)
Kristin Towers Rowles (Kiss Me Kate, Once Upon A Mattress)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR/
COMEDY-DRAMA

MIKE MARTIN (The Goat Or, Who Is Sylvia?)
Jacques C. Smith (Take Me Out)
KEVIN TOBIAS (The Goat Or, Who Is Sylvia?)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS/COMEDY

Katie Boeck (Bullshot Crummond And The Invisible Bride Of Death)
Lucy Chambers (All In The Timing)
Jacque Lynn Colton (Life On This Couch)
Krystal Marshall (Play Dates)
Donna Pieroni (Fairies With Children (The Yes On Hate Episode))
JENNIFER RUCKMAN (The Eight: Reindeer Monologues)
Terasa Sciortino (Locked And Loaded)

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2011 Ovation Award Nominations
by LA Stage Alliance

[ Link to LA Stage Alliance ]

September 19, 2011

The cast of Jerry Springer: The Opera Photo by Chance Theater

Founded in 1989, the LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards are the only peer-judged theater awards in Los Angeles. For the 2010-2011 voting season, there are a grand total of 196 nominations for 65 productions, presented by 44 companies. There were 388 total productions registered from 173 companies. Of those productions registered, 97 were Ovation Recommended, identified during their run as scoring in the top quarter of all productions in the Overall Production categories.

Voters are L.A. theater professionals who are chosen each season by the Ovation Awards Rules Committee (through an application process). The list of nominees is determined by a tabulation of scores conducted by the entertainment accounting firm Green Hasson Janks.

The 2011 Ovation Awards ceremony will take place on Monday, November 14 at the Orpheum Theatre, 842 South Broadway, in downtown Los Angeles. The curtain will rise at 7:30 pm. For more information, visit www.LASTAGEOvations.com.

BEST MUSICAL - INTIMATE THEATER

BASH’D! A GAY RAP OPERA
Celebration Theatre

HAVING IT ALL
DEMAND Productions

HOBOKEN TO HOLLYWOOD
Reasoner Associates LLC

JERRY SPRINGER: THE OPERA
Chance Theater

RE-ANIMATOR: THE MUSICAL
Red Hen Productions and the Schramm Group LLC

ACTING ENSEMBLE OF A MUSICAL

The cast of HAVING IT ALL
DEMAND Productions

The cast of JERRY SPRINGER: THE OPERA
Chance Theater

The cast of KISS ME, KATE
Reprise Theatre Company

The cast of VENICE
Center Theatre Group: Kirk Douglas Theatre

The cast of A WITHER’S TALE
Troubadour Theater Company

CHOREOGRAPHY

Debbie Allen
TWIST – AN AMERICAN MUSICAL
Pasadena Playhouse

Molly Alvarez
THE FIRST JO-EL
Troubadour Theater Company

Cate Caplin
FASCINATING RHYTHMS
Rubicon Theatre Company

Jason Chong
KRUNK FU BATTLE BATTLE
East West Players

Ameenah Kaplan
A WITHER’S TALE
Troubadour Theater Company

Lee Martino
KISS ME, KATE
Reprise Theatre Company

Kelly Todd
JERRY SPRINGER: THE OPERA
Chance Theater

MUSIC DIRECTION

Darryl Archibald
THE SOUND OF MUSIC
Cabrillo Music Theatre

Eric Heinly
A WITHER’S TALE
Troubadour Theater Company

DJ Jedi
BASH’D! A GAY RAP OPERA
Celebration Theatre

Paul Litteral
HOBOKEN TO HOLLYWOOD
Reasoner Associates LLC

Curtis Moore
VENICE
Center Theatre Group: Kirk Douglas Theatre

Michael Paternostro
KISS ME, KATE
Reprise Theatre Company

Mike Wilkins
JERRY SPRINGER: THE OPERA
Chance Theater

DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL

Trevor Biship
JERRY SPRINGER: THE OPERA
Chance Theater

Cate Caplin
FASCINATING RHYTHMS
Rubicon Theatre Company

Ameenah Kaplan
BASH’D! A GAY RAP OPERA
Celebration Theatre

Michael Michetti
KISS ME, KATE
Reprise Theatre Company

Eric Rosen
VENICE
Center Theatre Group: Kirk Douglas Theatre

Matt Walker
THE FIRST JO-EL
Troubadour Theatre Company

Matt Walker
A WITHER’S TALE
Troubadour Theatre Company

BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Alaman Diadhiou as Twist
TWIST – AN AMERICAN MUSICAL
Pasadena Playhouse

Luca Ellis as The Crooner
HOBOKEN TO HOLLYWOOD
Reasoner Associates LLC

Raul Esparza as Jonas Nightingale
LEAP OF FAITH
Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre

Tom Hewitt as Fred Graham/Petruchio
KISS ME, KATE
Reprise Theatre Company

David Laffey as Jonathan Weirus/Satan
JERRY SPRINGER: THE OPERA
Chance Theater

Jesse Merlin as Dr. Hill
RE-ANIMATOR: THE MUSICAL
Red Hen Productions and the Schramm Group LLC

Graham Skipper as Herbert West
RE-ANIMATOR: THE MUSICAL
Red Hen Productions and the Schramm Group LLC

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Best of 2011 - Arts & Entertainment
by OC Weekly

[ Link to OC Weekly ]

October 13, 2011

Karen Webster and Jonathon Lamer in a scene from Edward Albee's The Goat or, Who is Sylvia? Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio

BEST PLAY - 2011
The Goat or, Who is Sylvia?
It was a play about an apparently happily married man and loving father who falls in love with a goat. Yes, a real goat. But in the hands of American theater's most idiosyncratic writer, Edward Albee, the 2002 play The Goat, Or Who Is Sylvia? turned out to be a great deal more. The Chance Theater mounted (heh-heh) the show last September (it was running during the 2010 Best of OC issue, making it ineligible for Best Play consideration), with director Marya Mazor eloquently navigating her top-notch, four-person cast through waters that could have easily capsized a production that aimed only for the shocking, dark-hued tones of the comedy. It was a serious, well-measured take on a very strange play that was far more about human-on-human love than man-on-goat romance.

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Chance Theater gets musical award for 'Jerry Springer'
by Frank Mickadeit, Orange County Register

[ Link to Orange County Register ]

November 20, 2011

Jovani McCleary, Matthew Ballestero, Warren Draper and David McCormick

I wish I could say that my back-to-back columns last week on Robert H. Schuller and Frank Garcia had been planned to show the contrast between two prominent men who for decades have operated within blocks of each other. The former runs his ministry like a business; the latter runs his business like a ministry. Perhaps, as believers would say, the Lord works in mysterious ways.

I'd long admired Garcia, but his Thanksgiving feed has been so well-publicized, there never seemed a need (or room) for my take. Then, I went to see "Jerry Springer: The Opera" at the Chance Theater in Anaheim last summer. It was so good, I went back. I wrote a column about the Orange food wholesaler Warren Draper, who came out of acting retirement to play the title role. Then I found out that in his non-stage life he goes by Kevin Draper and for about 20 years has been working with Garcia on his Thanksgiving feed. It was Draper who persuaded me to find a fresh angle on Garcia.

I did, but I also found a fresh angle on "Springer." Last week, it won the Ovation Award for best musical in an intimate (99-seat or fewer) theater.

Winning an Ovation from the L.A.-based theater pros (the awards are voted on by peers) is a big deal for an Orange County venue. About 400 Southern California productions a year are eligible but O.C. representation is rare.

The Chance's Ovation last week was the first ever for a small O.C. theater and one of the few won by any O.C. venue. The Fullerton Civic Light Opera won major Ovations for "Miss Saigon" in 2005, but there hasn't been much since. "D is for Dog," which premiered at South Coast Repertory before moving to L.A. last summer, did win a special Ovation for puppet design last week. It was produced by the Rogue Artists Ensemble, which has its roots in the UC Irvine drama department.

Rules based on geography and Actors Equity requirements have hindered some fine O.C. productions from even being considered. The Chance has pursued inclusion over the past few years, and that and rules changes have made a difference. Still, the judges "have to be willing to drive," notes "Springer" producer Oanh Nguyen. "There are very few voters in Orange County whom I'm aware of."

"Getting this award was a culminating experience for the Chance," said Nguyen, who attended the ceremony with about 15 cast and crew members, including director and Ovation nominee Trevor Biship. "It says, 'Hey, there is interesting work going on in small theater in Orange County.'

"We had 20,000 emails telling us to shut down the play. To go from that to having six (Ovation) nominations and then to win is the best possible result."

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Highlights of 2011 in LA Theater
by Don Shirley, LA Stage Times

[ Link to LA Stage Times ]

December 19, 2011

Lisa Clifton and James Daniel Finnerty Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio

In LA Stage Watch, I usually try to connect the dots between the individual shows I’ve seen. So, for the second year in a row, I’ve decided to survey the best of the previous year’s LA theatrical output in 10 categories, instead of somewhat arbitrarily picking 10 or even 20 best shows.

I get to recall a few more of my favorites that way. But I’ve restricted myself to mentioning no more than 10 per cent of the 264 shows I saw this year (OK — it’s actually 27 shows) in LA, Orange and Ventura counties.

LA PLAYWRIGHTS OR LA SUBJECTS:
Theater is perhaps the most local of the arts – it takes place right here, right now. So I look for good plays that are set in LA and/or written by LA playwrights – especially because our city’s flagship theater company, Center Theatre Group (AKA the self-proclaimed “LA’s Theatre Company”) – still indicates little interest in this search. This year’s crop of such plays was strong and healthy, so I’ve devoted more space to this category than any other. Among my favorites:

Up – Bridget Carpenter’s depiction of the aftermath of an LA dreamer’s famous stunt, staged by Trevor Biship at the Chance Theater, eloquently evoked the sadness beneath the surface of the LA and the American dreams.

DEAD MEN WALKING: THE MUSICALS
From the distant Anaheim Hills, courtesy of Chance Theater, came the local premiere of Jerry Springer: the Opera, with its shocking profanities juxtaposed with exquisite singing in this surreal look at Springer fever (book and lyrics by Stewart Lee and Richard Thomas, directed by Trevor Biship).

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Year-end review: Jean Lowerison picks the best theater
of 2011
by Jean Lowerison, San Diego Gay & Lesbian News

[ Link to San Diego Gay & Lesbian News ]

December 30, 2011

Laura M. Hathaway, David McCormick and Matthew Ballestero from Jerry Springer: The Opera

In years like this, I’m glad I don’t limit myself to one winner in each category. The choices are just too tough.

Several of the best shows were seen out of town or live in HD, courtesy of London’s National Theatre. But there was plenty of great theater to be seen locally.

MUSICAL
The best musical I saw this year was in Anaheim, where Chance Theatre produced a stunning “Jerry Springer: The Opera,” complete with its clever libretto and featuring terrific, opera-quality voices. Yes, it really is an opera.

National Theatre (London) offered a terrific “FELA!” in its NT Live series Locally, it was a season of classic musicals: Lamb’s Players’ fine production of “The Music Man,” Cygnet’s terrific “Cabaret” and hilarious “Little Shop of Horrors,” and those gutsy folks at ion managed to pull off an impossibility: squeezing the big Broadway show “Gypsy” into its pocket-sized Hillcrest space. Bravo, Glenn and Claudio.

Bucking the oldies-but-goodies trend, the Old Globe offered a fine production of “Jane Austen’s Emma.”

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Best of OC Theatre 2011
by Jordan Young, LA/OC Arts Examiner

[ Link to LA/OC Arts Examiner ]

December 31, 2011

Casey Long and Jessie Withers in a scene from Nerve

Try as I might, I haven’t figured out how to clone myself but I came close—I caught about 50 shows in Orange County this year, plus about two dozen in Los Angeles and a few in San Diego and the Bay Area.

I saw a lot of good work on OC stages, especially by women—ladies, you really made the selection process difficult this year, and inspired me to add an Ensemble category.

NEW PLAY
Nerve by Adam Szymkowicz, The Chance
Silent Sky by Lauren Gunderson, South Coast Rep
Cockroach by Sam Holcroft, Monkey Wrench Collective

BEST ACTRESS
Jessie Withers, Nerve, The Chance
Terri Mowrey, West Side Terri, Monkey Wrench
Melanie Gable, Suddenly Last Summer, Theatre Out
Stephanie Schulz, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Hunger Artists
Doshanna Bell, The Violet Hour, Theatre Out
Lynn Milgrim, The Trip to Bountiful, South Coast Rep
Nicole Dominguez, Little Shop of Horrors, STAGEStheatre

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