The 21st Annual Ticketholder Awards, 2011  – Part One

[ Read Part 2 ]

Joining the workforce fulltime last January as an instructor in the acting department of the New York Film Academy’s west coast campus on the backlot at Universal Studios has cost me dearly over the last 12 months as a theatre artist and as an incessant theatregoer. Still, although I haven’t had anywhere near as much time as usual in 2011 to attend, critique, perform in, direct or write plays, what I have gained as a teacher has been wonderful nourishment to my lifelong passion for creating and encouraging art in any form. Who knew I had so much to pass on before I pass on?

My apologies, however, for the many great Los Angeles stage productions I couldn’t attend this year due to my increasingly more breakneck schedule at NYFA; many shows I missed might certainly have been included here in contemplation of my awardees. Notice that the pickins’ in the musical theatre arena even lack two productions to get to 10 choices and there are fewer runners-up in the other musical categories than in years past. That’s because if I have my choice (or unless I have been assigned to review a musical for Back Stage), my instinct is to gravitate toward drama and not worry about the problem of Maria or corn as high as an elephant’s eye.

That in no way means the following choices for honors this year are lacking in any way. To be sure, 2011 was a spectacular year for the performing arts in our quirky and often artistically puzzling desert oasis. Each of the winners and runners-up here mentioned deserve a standing ovation. Look for Part Two to arrive soon featuring the behind-the-curtain awardees.

 

1. House of the Rising Son, Ensemble Studio Theatre-LA

2. The Comedy of Errors, A Noise Within

 

3. The Chinese Massacre (Annotated), Circle X Theatre Company

4. The War Cycle: Gospel According to First Squad, Los Angeles Theatre Ensemble

5. House of Gold, Ensemble Studio Theatre-LA

6. Vigil, Center Theatre Group, Mark Taper Forum

7. The Sonneteer, Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center

8. Baby Doll, Lillian Theatre

9. Lights Up on the Fade Out, Lillian Theatre

10. The Interlopers, Bootleg Theater

RUNNERS-UP: Ching Chong Chinaman, Artists at Play at The Actors Company; God of Carnage, Ahmanson; Have You Seen Alice?, Theatre of NOTE; Hermetically Sealed, Katselas at the Skylight; A House Not Meant to Stand, Fountain Theatre; Moonlight and Magnolias, Colony Theatre; No. Saints Lane, Coeurage Theatre Company at Actors Circle; The Pity of Things, Theatre of NOTE; Sex and Education, Victory Theatre Center; Stop Kiss, Lounge Theatre; 33 Variations, Ahmanson; Who’s Your Daddy?, Victory Theatre Center; The Word Begins, Rogue Machine at Theatre/Theater 

1. IRIS, Cirque du Soleil at the Kodak Theatre

2. Hair, Broadway/LA, Pantages Theatre

3. Spring Awakening, Broadway/LA, Pantages Theatre

4. Fela!, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre

5. I Love Lucy Live on Stage, Greenway Court

6. Rock of Ages, Broadway/LA, Pantages Theatre

7. Bring It On—The Musical, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre

8. Come Fly Away, Broadway/LA, Pantages Theatre

Paul Witten, House of the Rising Son, Ensemble Studio Theatre-LA

RUNNERS-UP: Sekou Andrews, The Word Begins, Rogue Machine; Marco Barricelli, Vigil, Taper; Alan Blumenfeld, A House Not Meant to Stand, Fountain; Steve Connell, The Word Begins, Rogue Machine; Jason Dechert, The Eccentricities of a Nightingale, A Noise Within; Matt Gottlieb, Moonlight and Magnolias, Colony; Paul Haitkin, The Sonneteer, LA Gay & Lesbian Center; Sean Hoagland, The Elephant Man, El Centro Theatre; Rod Menzies, House of the Rising Son, EST-LA; Trevor Peterson, The Interlopers, Bootleg; Darren Pettie, THIS, CTG/Douglas

Gigi Bermingham, Hermetically Sealed, Katselas Theatre Company at the Skylight Theatre

RUNNERS-UP: DaShawn Barnes, Tiger Tiger Burning Bright, Stella Adler; Julia Cho, Ching Chong Chinaman, Artists at Play; Valorie Curry, Double Falsehood, Coeurage Theatre Co; Elisa Davis, THIS, CTG/Douglas; Olympia Dukakis, Vigil, Mark Taper Forum; Maria Gobetti, Sex and Education, Victory Theatre Center; Roxanne Hart, A Death in Colombia, Skylight; Kelly Hill, Stop Kiss, Lounge; Diarra Kilpatrick, The Interlopers, Bootleg; Sandy Martin, A House Not Meant to Stand, Fountain; Regina Randolph, Tiger Tiger Burning Bright, Stella Adler; Stephanie Zimbalist, Steel Magnolias, Rubicon

Coby Getzug, Spring Awakening, Broadway/LA, Pantages Theatre

RUNNERS-UP: Cody Green, Come Fly Away, Pantages; Paris Remillard, Hair, Pantages; Bill Mendieta, I Love Lucy Live on Stage, Greenway Court; Sahr Ngaujah, Fela!, Ahmanson; Christopher Wood, Spring Awakening, Pantages

Sierra Irwin, I Love Lucy Live on Stage, Greenway Court

RUNNERS-UP: Rebecca Faulkenberry, Rock of Ages, Pantages; Elizabeth Judd, Spring Awakening, Pantages; Taylor Louderman, Bring It On—The Musical, Ahmanson; Adrienne Warren, Bring It On—The Musical, Ahmanson

Steve Coombs, House of the Rising Son, Ensemble Studio Theatre-LA

RUNNERS-UP: Daniel Billet, A House Not Meant to Stand, Fountain; Mark Bramhall, Lights Up on the Fade Out, Lillian; Alex Davis, House of Gold, EST-LA; David Douglas, Match, Hayworth Theatre; Mitchell Edmonds, The Eccentricities of a Nightingale, A Noise Within; Glenn Fitzgerald, THIS, CTG/Douglas; Brendan Ford, Moonlight and Magnolias, Colony; Steve Hu, Ching Chong Chinaman, Artists at Play; Ed Martin, The Sonneteer, LA Gay & Lesbian Center; Ray Oriel, The Sonneteer, LA Gay & Lesbian Center; Hank Ostendorf, The Eccentricities of a Nightingale, A Noise Within; James Parks, Lights Up on the Fade Out, Lillian; Collin St. Dic, Tiger Tiger Burning Bright, Stella Adler; Scott Keiji Takeda, Ching Chong Chinaman, Artists at Play; Nicholas S. Williams, The Pity of Things, Theatre of NOTE

Jacqueline Wright, House of Gold, Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA

RUNNERS-UP: Jacque Lynn Colton, Baby Doll, Lillian; Emily Eiden, Moonlight and Magnolias, Colony; Cynthia Gravinese, The Sonneteer, LA Gay & Lesbian Center; Jill Hill, The Eccentricities of a Nightingale, A Noise Within; Elizabeth Ho, Ching Chong Chinaman, Artists at Play; Victoria Hoffman, The Sonneteer, LA Gay & Lesbian Center; Tara Karsian, The Interlopers, Bootleg; Virginia Newcomb, A House Not Meant to Stand, Fountain; Alina Phelan, Lights Up on the Fade Out, Lillian; Marta Portillo, Match, Hayworth; Julia Prud’homme, Hermetically Sealed, Skylight; Jennifer Weaver, The Pity of Things, Theatre of NOTE; Von Rae Wood, Steel Magnolias, Rubicon Theatre Company

Nicolas Womack, Bring It On—The Musical, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre

RUNNERS-UP: Marshal Kennedy Carolan, Hair, Pantages; Matt DeAngelis, Hair, Pantages; Gregory Haney, Bring It On—The Musical, Ahmanson; Josh Lamon, Hair, Pantages; Darius Nichols, Hair, Pantages; Devon Stone, Spring Awakening, Pantages; Bret Tuomi, Rock of Ages, Pantages; Travis Walker, Rock of Ages, Pantages

Ryann Redmond, Bring It On—The Musical, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre

RUNNERS-UP: Lulu Fall, Hair, Pantages; Melanie Marshall, Fela!, Ahmanson; Elle McLemore, Bring It On—The Musical, Ahmanson; Denise Moses, I Love Lucy Live on Stage, Greenway Court; Kate Rockwell, Bring It On—The Musical, Ahmanson; Kacie Sheik, Hair, Pantages; Amy Tolsky, I Love Lucy Live on Stage, Greenway Court  

Annie Abrams, Gibby Brand, Christine Breihan, Abby Craden, Andrew Dits, Michael Stone Forrest, Sarah-lucy Hill, William Dennis Hunt, Jerry Kernion, Paul D. Masterson, Douglas Rory Milliron, P.J. Ochlan, Lauren Robyn, Rene Ruiz, Andy Stokan, Bruce Turk, Gwenmarie White; The Comedy of Errors, A Noise Within

RUNNERS-UP:

Richard Azurdia, Warren Davis, Anna Douglas, Elizabeth Ho, Ross Kurt Le, Jully Lee, Alex Levin, West Liang, Johanna McKay, Silas Weir Mitchell, Gary Patent, Jack Scochet, Lisa Tharps, Ryan Yu; The Chinese Massacre (Annotated), Circle X Theatre Company

Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, James Gandolfini, Marcia Gay Harden; God of Carnage, CTG, Ahmanson Theatre

Meredith Schmidt, Kirsten Kuiken, Joe Calarco, Jeremey Lelliott, Adam Navarro, No. Saints Lane; Coeurage Theatre Company at Actors Circle

Don Amendolia, Jane Fonda, Zach Grenier, Greg Keller, Susan Kellermann, Samantha Mathis, Grant James Varjas, 33 Variations, CTG, Ahmanson Theatre

Trevor Algatt, Eric Anderson, John Brooks, Andrew Crabtree, Michael Hanson, Spencer Kramber, Joe Mahon, AJ Meijer, Josef Malonzo, Michael John Pappas, Jonathan Redding; The War Cycle: Gospel According to First Squad, LA Theatre Ensemble

IRIS, Cirque du Soleil at the Kodak Theatre

RUNNERS-UP:

Calli Alden, Nick Blaemire, Antwan Bethea, Dexter Carr, Courtney Corbeille, Ariana DeBose, Brooklyn Alexis Freitag, Shonica Gooden, Jason Gotay, Gregory Haney, Haley Hannah, Dominique Johnson, Janet Krupin, Neil Haskell, Taylor Louderman, Elle McLemore, Melody Mills, Michael Mindlin, Michael Naone-Carter, David Ranck, Ryann Redmond, Bettis Richardson, Kate Rockwell, Sheldon Tucker, Alysha Umphress, Adrienne Warren, Lauren Whitt, Nicolas Womack; Bring It On—The Musical, CTG, Ahmanson Theatre

 

Jamie Rea Billings, Aliya Bowles, Paris Bradstreet, Erin Burnston, Rachel Geisler, Coby Getzug, Jim Hogan, Elizabeth Judd, Sarah Kleeman, William J. Lewis, Michael Linden, Courtney Markowitz, Emily Mest, Jeff Ostermueller, Daniel Plimpton, Mark Poppleton, George E. Salazar, Devon Stone, Travis Stroessenreuther, Christopher Wood; Spring Awakening, Pantages Theatre

Nicholas Podany, Hermetically Sealed, Katselas Theatre Company at the Skylight Theatre

RUNNERS-UP: Christopher Leyva, The Little Dog Laughed, Smart Lips Productions at El Centro Theatre; Wolfie Trausch, Hermetically Sealed, Skylight

John Fleck, Mad Women, Katselas Theatre Company at the Skylight Theatre

RUNNERS-UP: John Leguizamo, Ghetto Klown, Ricardo Montalban Theatre; John Lithgow, Stories by Heart, CTG, Taper; Johnny O’Callaghan, Who’s Your Daddy?, Victory; Devon Stone, Spring Awakening, Pantages (a little inside joke there); Charlayne Woodard, The Night Watcher, CTG/Kirk Douglas Theatre

[ Read Part 2 ]