Moving On Up

by Lori Hill

For its 10th year of honoring the brightest lights in Philly's theater community, the Barrymore Awards are rolling out the red carpet and taking the show to the Avenue of the Arts. The Academy of Music will play host to the 2004 Barrymores Nov. 15.

Nominees were announced Sept. 22 at a morning press conference—which, as usual, was attended by just as many actors, directors and theater folk as reporters. Onstage at Plays & Players Theater, actors Grace Gonglewski and Johnnie Hobbs Jr. announced the nominees, as chosen by a 51-member pool from 103 productions by 33 different professional theaters.

Several suburban companies stole the spotlight, including Delaware Theatre Company, with a whopping 11, most for Constant Star (Outstanding Overall Production of a Musical, among others). Other well-represented companies in the 'burbs include Villanova Theatre (9), Act II Playhouse (8), first-time nominee Lenape Regional Performing Arts Center (5) and many-time nominee People's Light & Theatre Co. (5). Media Theatre took two major noms, (Direction of a Musical and Leading Actress in a Musical) and Hedgerow one (Leading Actress in a Play).

Dominating the Center City nominations were Prince Music Theater with 16—with The Great Ostrovsky the top vote-getter—and Lantern Theater Co. with 11—primarily for their productions of A Comedy of Errors and Travels With My Aunt.

Making its categorical debut this year is an award for Outstanding Music Direction, with the Prince taking two of the nominations for Ostrovsky and It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues.

One of the more eagerly anticipated announcements is the list of nominees for the F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Philadelphia Theatre Artist, a prestigious $10,000 award to a director, designer, actor, choreographer or writer with promise and a dedication to the local theater community. This year's nods went to set, sound and lighting designer Jorge Cousineau; actor and director Madi DiStefano; set designer Nick Embree; costume designer Andre D. Harrington; actor Geoff Sobelle; and sound designer and composer James Sugg.

Playwright Louis Lippa will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, while the Ted and Stevie Wolf New Approaches to Collaborations award will go to Random Acts of Theater and KitchenAid's Book and the Cook Festival for their dual production of A Catered Affair and Front of House.

Last month, the Theatre Alliance floated on its listserv plans to "adjust the tone" of the awards ceremony this year from "self-referential humor" to one that is more encompassing for a wider audience. At the press conference, though, attendees were reassured that it will still be just as fun. And with the veteran team of writer Don Montrey and emcee Tony Braithwaite, no assurance is necessary.

A full list of nominees can be found at www.theatrealliance.org.