Ever since we got our first participation ribbon for archery at day camp, we've all been hooked on awards. And why not? Our poor egos take such a battering every day, it's wonderful when someone stops and tells everyone, "Hey, you did good!" The following theaters and individuals did real good last year.
BEST PLAYS OF THE YEAR
Boogieban, None Too Fragile Theater
The Royale, Cleveland Play House
Memphis, Cain Park
Jane Eyre, Cleveland Musical Theatre
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Beck Center
Passing Strange, Karamu House
Grounded, Dobama Theatre
Hamilton, Playhouse Square
Don Quijote, New World Performance Lab
BEST SINGLE PERFORMANCES OF THE YEAR
Nicole Sumlin, Memphis, Cain Park
Kelvette Beacham, Caroline or Change, Mercury Theatre Company
Anjanette Hall, Grounded, Dobama Theatre
Robert Hunter, Jelly Belly, Ensemble Theatre
Douglas F. Bailey, Memphis, Cain Park
Jairo Cuesta, Don Quijote, New World Performance Lab
Jeannine Gaskin, In the Blood, Convergence-Continuum Theater
Sam Johnson, Oklahoma!, Porthouse Theatre
Robert Ellis, Sweat, Cleveland Play House
Dana Hart, East of Eden, Ensemble Theatre
BEST DUO PERFORMANCES OF THE YEAR
Derdriu Ring and Michael Mauldin, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Beck Center
David Peacock and Travis Teffner, Boogieban, None Too Fragile Theater
Scott Esposito and his puppet named Rod, Avenue Q, Blank Canvas Theatre
Lynn Robert Berg and Erin Partin, Macbeth, Great Lakes Theater
Mary Francis Miller and Ananias J. Dixon, Sunset Baby, Dobama Theatre
Catherine Albers and Dorothy Silver, John, Dobama Theatre
BEST DIRECTORS OF THE YEAR
Donald Carrier, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Beck Center
Martin Friedman, Merrily We Roll Along, Lakeland Civic Theatre
Nathan A. Lilly, Passing Strange, Karamu House
Terri Kent, Anything Goes, Porthouse
Miles J. Sternfeld, Jane Eyre, Cleveland Musical Theater
Pierre-Jacques Brault, Caroline or Change, Mercury Theatre Company
James Slowiak, Don Quijote, New World Performance Lab
Justin Emeka, Sunset Baby, Dobama Theatre
Laura Kepley, Sweat, Cleveland Play House
Sean Derry, Boogieban, None Too Fragile Theater
Robert Barry Fleming, The Royale, Cleveland Play House
Ian Wolfgang Hinz, Jelly Belly, Ensemble Theatre
Greg Cesear, Plath and Orion, Cesear's Forum
Laley Lippard, The Effect, Dobama Theatre
BEST CHOREOGRAPHERS OF THE YEAR
Martin Cespedes, Jane Eyre, Cleveland Musical Theatre
Mary Ann Black, Anything Goes, Porthouse Theatre
John R. Crawford-Spinelli, Oklahoma!, Porthouse Theatre
Leilani Barrett, Memphis, Cain Park
BEST MUSICAL DIRECTORS OF THE YEAR
Jonathan Swoboda, Next to Normal, Porthouse Theatre
Jordan Cooper, Memphis, Cain Park
Matt Dolan, Avenue Q, Blank Canvas Theatre
Jennifer Korecki, Oklahoma!, Porthouse Theatre
BEST SCENIC DESIGNERS OF THE YEAR
Aaron Benson, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Beck Center
Cameron Michalak, John, Dobama Theatre
Jason Ardizzone-West, The Royale, Cleveland Play House
Douglas Puskas, Ella Enchanted, Dobama Theatre
Inda Blatch-Geib, Sassy Mamas, Karamu House
Don McBride, Shrek, Beck Center
BEST COSTUME DESIGNERS OF THE YEAR
Kim Krumm Sorenson, Macbeth, Great Lakes Theater
Inda Blatch-Geib, Sassy Mamas, Karamu House
Martha Hally, Pride and Prejudice, Great Lakes Theater
Sydney Gallas, Jane Eyre, Cleveland Musical Theatre
BEST SOUND DESIGNERS OF THE YEAR
Matthew Webb, Macbeth, Great Lakes Theater
Daniel Perelstein, The Invisible Hand, Cleveland Play House
Brian Kenneth Armour, Boogieban, None Too Fragile Theatre
Jeremy Dobbins, The Effect, Dobama Theatre
Jane Shaw, The Royale, Cleveland Play House
BEST LIGHTING DESIGNERS OF THE YEAR
Rick Martin, Macbeth, Great Lakes Theater
Marcus Dana, Grounded, Dobama Theatre
Benjamin Gantose, Jane Eyre, Cleveland Musical Theatre
Michael Boll, The Invisible Hand, Cleveland Play House
Adam Ditzer, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Beck Center
Alan C. Edwards, The Royale, Cleveland Play House
BEST PROJECTION DESIGNERS OF THE YEAR
T. Paul Lowry, Ella Enchanted, Dobama Theatre
Brittany Merenda, Shrek, Beck Center
BEST THEATER FOR UNDER-SERVED GROUPS
Cleveland Public Theatre, which continues to create new and exciting opportunities for often-marginalized populations. These include the Y-Haven Theater Project for formerly homeless men; Teatro Publico de Cleveland, a local Latino theater company; Brick City Theater for youths aged 5-14 and family members who live in public housing; and Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi for Arabic-speaking communities. They do all this (and much more) in addition to mounting a full menu of produced plays for their regularly scheduled season.
Once again in 2018, these organizations and individuals proved how vibrant and vital the theater scene is here in Cleveland. They've all been so darn good I'm also including soft virtual cleaning cloths so they can polish their virtual statuettes. Enjoy!
