The Adrienne Theatre was packed early Wednesday morning for the announcements of the nominees for the seventh annual Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theater, presented by the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia. Mike Jerrick and Janet Zappala of Fox’s Good Day Philadelphia hosted the event (Fox, along with City Paper, is one of the sponsors of the awards). The ceremony will take place Mon., Oct. 22, at the Independent Seaport Museum at Penn’s Landing.
Local playwright and past Barrymore winner Michael Hollinger made the nomination announcements with Carol Lawrence, city representative for arts and culture.
The nominations themselves drew gasps of delight and surprise from the assembled group of theater companies and artists. Barrymore nods skewed slightly to the suburban, with Malvern’s People’s Light and Theatre Company leading the pack with 13 nominations. Last year PLT received eight nods but did not win any awards. This year, PLT was nominated three times for Book of Days, for Overall Production of a Play, Abigail Adams for Direction of a Play and for ensemble. Hearts: The Forward Observer was recognized for direction (Melia Bensussen), ensemble and in the category of New Play. Macbeth got four nods, for set design (James F. Pyne Jr.), lighting design (Thomas C. Hase), sound design and original music (both Fabian Obispo). Obispo was also nominated for original music for PLT’s A Christmas Carol. Rebecca Hatcher Lisak was nominated for her supporting role in The Music Lesson, which was also given a nod for sound design (Charles T. Brastow).
The category of Leading Actress in a Play drew the most audible response, as Freedom Repertory Theatre was the only company in the city to be nominated. Freedom got two nods, one for Oni Faida Lampley for The Dark Kalamazoo and one for Brenda Pressley for The Old Settler. The other actresses nominated were Nora Chester for The Beauty Queen of Leenane at the Delaware Theatre Company (also nominated twice for Cookin’ at the Cookery), Jane Moore for Grace & Glorie at Act II Playhouse in Ambler (with two more nods to Lies & Legends: The Music of Harry Chapin) and Jo Twiss for A Moon for the Misbegotten at Bristol Riverside Theatre in Bucks County (garnering a total of four nominations with two for Evita and one for Forever Plaid).
The city was by no means ignored, however, with Prince Music Theater coming in second with 12 nominations, including the slighty awkward nomination of Harold Prince for the Harold Prince Award for Outstanding Direction of a Musical for his 3hree: The Flight of the Lawnchair Man. "I’m sure they’re no relation," Hollinger joked as the nomination was announced. Prince Music Theater received five other nods for 3hree, including overall production of a musical, fellow director Brad Rouse competing for the Harold Prince award (3hree: Mice), Walt Spangler for set design, Howell Binkley for lighting design and a nomination in the New Play category. The Prince’s other six nominations were for Candide, for overall production of a musical, Tom Nelis for leading actor in a musical, Jose Llana in the same category, Anna Christy for leading actress in a musical, Jerome Sirlin for set design and Miguel Angel Huidor for costume design.
Freedom Repertory Theatre was next in line with 10 nominations, including the two for leading actress in a play and overall production of a play for The Old Settler and overall production of a musical for Black Nativity. Walnut Street Theatre also received 10 nods, seven of them for Singin’ in the Rain, and the Arden closely followed with nine, including overall production of a play for Picasso at the Lapin Agile and overall production of a musical for The Baker’s Wife. Terrence J. Nolen was nominated for directing The Baker’s Wife, and cast members Tom Teti, Jeffrey Coon and Mary Martello were nominated for Leading Actor, Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress categories in musicals, respectively.
Nominations for Philadelphia Theatre Company’s The Laramie Project elicited murmurs of approval from the crowd. The show received three nominations: Overall Production of a Play and Ensemble, and James J. Christy was recognized for direction of a play. PTC received seven nominations in all, with two each for No Niggers, No Jews, No Dogs (New Play and Supporting Actress Adrienne Carter) and Compleat Female Stage Beauty (Brandon Demery for Leading Actor in a Play and Catherine Zuber for Costume Design)
InterAct Theatre Company was recognized six times, five of them for It’s All True (Overall Production of a Play, Seth Rozin for Direction of a Play, Scott Greer for Leading Actor in a Play, David Bardeen for Supporting Actor and Karen Hinton for Supporting Actress). Their sixth nomination was for Matt Saunders’ supporting role in Man Measures Man.
Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival and the Wilma Theater each received five nominations. Romeo and Juliet’s Ian Merrill Peakes got a nod for his supporting role as Mercutio and Karen Getz and John Bellomo shared a nomination for choreography for the PSF play. David Howey’s hilarious and moving Malvolio in PSF’s Twelfth Night was nominated for leading actor in a play. Harriet Power was nominated for direction for Measure for Measure. Wilma’s Spin was nominated for Adam Grupper’s leading performance, and Passion got two nods, one for Maree Johnson’s leading role and one for Jerold R. Forsyth’s lighting design. Perfect Pie was nominated for lighting and sound designs.
1812 Productions’ Jilline Ringle was nominated for her hilarious turn in Mondo Mangia, and The Great Northeast’s Barbara Winters Pinto got a supporting role nod. 1812 is also a finalist for the Inquirer and Daily News’ Award for Excellence in Theatre Education and Community Service for its 1812 Education Outreach program. The other finalists for the award are Mum Puppettheatre for Project 19123 (also nominated for The Adventures of a Boy and His Dog on the High Seas), the AIDS Coalition of Southern New Jersey for its Teen AIDS Prevention Drama and Dance Troupe and the Philadelphia Young Playwrights Festival.
Villanova Theatre received three nominations, all for Children of Eden (Peter M. Donohue for direction, Janus Stefanowicz for costume design and Barby Hobyak for choreography).
Pig Iron Theatre Company was honored with two nominations for the disturbing and breathtaking Anodyne, with Jorge Cousineau’s eerie sound design being recognized and a nomination for New Play.
Theatre Exile’s production of Ionesco’s Rhinoceros got a pair of nominations as well, for sound design (Kevin Francis) and one nod to Ben Lloyd for his supporting role as Jean.
Four other companies received one nomination each, including two crowd pleasers: Frank X for the title role in Lantern Theater Company’s King Lear and Whit MacLaughlin and New Paradise Laboratories’ nod for choreography for The Fab Four Reach the Pearly Gates. Seth Rozin’s Men of Stone for Theater Catalyst was nominated for new play, and the Westmont Theatre Company got a nomination for Paul McElwee’s supporting role in Greetings!
As for the special awards, the F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Philadelphia Theatre Artist will go to either Scott Greer, Peter Jakubowski, Pete Pryor, Catharine K. Slusar or Elizabeth Webster. The Lifetime Achievement Award will go to Catherine "Kaki" Marshall, and a Special Recognition award will go Geraldine A. Duclow and the Theatre Collection at the Free Library of Philadelphia.
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