The shows may be familiar but the honor probably isn't: the plays Closer, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Breaking the Code are among those nominated for ACE Awards -- the Argentine equivalent of the Tonys. Thirty-three ACE nominees were announced in mid-October, and the awards ceremony will take place Nov. 8 in Buenos Aires.
According to Jorge Luis Montiel, a member of the Association of Journalists of Spectacle of Argentina, the ACE Awards honor the best in straight plays, musicals, solo shows, foreign productions and dance. Journalists, critics and members of the media select the nominees and vote for the winners, in categories that range from Broadway-scale productions to "Off."
Here's the line-up of this year's ACE Awards nominees. (Apologies, but many of the titles below imprecise English translations of the Spanish, provided to PBOL by the ACE organizers).
Best Drama:
CLOSER by Patrick Marber, Broadway Theatre (producer: Alejandro Romay)
THE SIN THAT CAN'T BE MENTIONED by Sportivo Teatral based on Roberto Arlt's novel (producer: Sportivo Teatral and Teatro San Martin Production)
GALILEO GALILEI by Bertolt Brecht, San Martin Theatre (producer: Teatro San Martin)
BREAKING THE CODE by Hugh Whitemore, La Plaza. (producers: Kompel Production and Miriam Bendjuia
Best Leading Actor in a Drama
ARTURO PUIG for Breaking the Code
JORGE MARRALE for Closer
ULISES DUMONT for Night Express Best Leading Actress in a Drama:
AIDA LUZ for The Beauty Queen of Leenane
ALICIA BRUZZO for Misery
ANDREA BONELLI for Geometry
RITA CORTESE for About That Can't Talk
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama
ALEJANDRO AWADA for The Beauty Queen of Leenane
CUTULI for Bohemia's Lights
JORGE SUAREZ for Night Express
Best Supporting Actress in Drama:
ALICIA ZANCA for Maternal Profession
CATALINA SPERONT for Maternal Profession
INDA LAVALLE, for Perestroika.
Best Drama Director:
ALBERTO FELIX ALBERTO for Lulu
LAURA YUSEM for Maternal Profession
RICARDO BARTIS for The Sin That Can't Be Mentioned
VILLANUEVA COSSE for Bohemia's Lights
Best Comedy:
THE LOVER. by Harold Pinter, Andiamo 90 (producer: Julio Belando)
PUCK - SUMMER DREAM, inspired by William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, La Trastienda. (producers: Daniel Grinbak, La Trastienda and Teatro, San Martin)
NOBODY REMEMBER TO FREDERIC CHOPIN by Roberto Cossa, Cervantes. (producer: Teatro Nacional Cervantes)
Best Leading Actor in a Comedy:
CLAUDIO GALLARDOU for Puck - Summer Dream
DARIO GRANDINETTI for Nobody Remembers Frederic Chopin
HUGO ARANA for The Greeter
LORENZO QUINTEROS for The Lover
Best Leading Actress in a Comedy:
CLAUDIA LAPAC0 for The Dinner
MARIA CRISTINA LAURENZ for The Greeter
VERONICA LLINAS for The Submarine
Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy
ADOLFO YANELLI for Puck - Summer Dream
DAMIAN DE SANTO for The Seven Cats
JUAN MANUEL TENUTA for Summer Mad
Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy:
ADELA GLEIJER for Greek
CRISTINA FRIDMAN for Puck - Summer Dream
MARIA IBARRETTA for Nobody Remembers Frederic Chopin
RITA TERRANOVA for Summer Mad
Best Comedy Director
CLAUDI0 GALLARDOU for Puck - Summer Dream
OMAR GRASSO for Nobody Remembers Frederic Chopin
RUBEN PIRES for The Indian Was Very Angry
Best Argentine New Play
MATERNAL PROFESSION by Griselda Gambaro, Del Pueblo Theatre. (producers: Teatro del Pueblo and Teatro San Martin)
THE GREETER by Roberto Cossa, San Martin. (producer: Teatro San Martin)
NIGHT EXPRESS, FOXTROT AIR, by Mauricio Kartun, San Martin. (producer: Teatro San Martin
Best Solo
PEPE MONJE in The Showman Blues by Bobby Flores. Concert Theatre
ELENA TASISTO in Isabel Without A Crown by Kado Kostzer, British Art Centre
MARZENKA NOWAK in MARZENKA by Marzenka Nowak and Manuel Gonzalez Gil, Centro Cultural Borges
Best Entertainment:
BANG, BANG AND WE ARE HISTORY by Martin Gervasoni and Wilfredo Van Broock, Actor's Studio
THE AMAZING HISTORY OF THE UNFORGETTABLE MARRAPODI by Los Macocos, San Martin. (producer: Teatro San Martin)
ALL FOR YOUR SMILE by Les Luthiers, Coliseo
Best Musical:
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, Tim Rice & Linda Woolverton, Opera Theatre (producer: Daniel Grinbak)
TANGO REVIU by Alejandra Radano and Fabian Luca, Foro Gandhi Theatre
YOUR KISSES WERE MINE by Betty Gambartes and Diego Vila, De la Comedia
Best Concert Show:
DANCE ACADEMY by Alberto Munoz, Babilonia. (producer: Teatro San Martin)
NACHA SING DISCEPOLO by Nacha Guevara, Club del Vim. (producer: Brunelli)
TALISMAN by Kado Kostzer and Sergio Garcia-Ramirez, Oliverio Always Theatre. (producer: Mahnos)
Best Actor in a Musical.
DIEGO JARAZ for Beauty And The Beast (as Gaston)
GUSTAVO MONJE for Beauty and The Beast (as Lefou)
OMAR PINI for Beauty And The Beast as (Dindon)
PABLO LIZASO for Beauty And The Beast (as Lumiere)
Best Actress in a Musical:
GRACIELA PAL for Talisman
NACHA GUEVARA for Nacha Sing Discepolo
NELLY FONTAN for Beauty And The Beast (as Madame de la Grande Bouche)
SUSANNA MONCAYO for La Voix Humaine by Francis Poulenc
Best Children's Show
CHUMBAN LOS PARCHES by Caracachumba, C. C. San Martin
FERNANDEZ FAMILY by Hugo Midon, La Plaza
VIVA THE THEATRE by Pipo Pescador, Auditorium San Isidro
Best Production
TEATRO ALVEAR for Eleven Heart, Dream's Life, Summer Mad and Tango For Pablo
TEATRO NACIONAL CERVANTES for Nobody Remembers Frederic Chopin, I See to God and The Indian Was Very Angry
TEATRO SAN MARTIN for Night Express, Lulu, Galileo Galilei and Bohemia's Lights
Best Foreign Show
CARMEN by La Cuadra de Sevilla, (from Spain), Luna Park
THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA by Quetzal Company (from Costa Rica). Il Iberoamerican Theatre Meeting, Teatro Nacional Cervantes.
FAUSTO, V 3.0. by La Fura Del Baus (from Spain), Lola Membrives.
Best "Off" Play:
THE KING DIED by Eugene Ionesco. Payro
THE ESCRUSHANTES by Alberto Vacarezza. Del Otro Lada
MINETTI by Thomas Bernhard, Babilonia (producer: Teatro San Martin)
Best Actor in an "Off" Play
ALDO BRAGA for Minetti
CESAR REPETTO for A Hamlet by suburbio
EDUARDO PAVLOSKY for Poroto.
Best Actress in an "Off" Play
MARIA COMESANA for Minetti
MARIA ELINA RUAS for What The River Let Us
MONICA SANTIBANEZ, for The Sinning
VERA FOGWILL for The Sinning
Best "Off" Play Director
CRISTINA BANEGAS for The Sinning
HECTOR POSSETT0 for The Strange Afternoon of Dr. Burke
LORENZO QUINTEROS for The Escrushantes
Best Theatre Choreographer
ANA MARIA STEKELMAN for Your Kisses Were Mine
DORIS PETRONI for Fernandez Family
SILVIA VLADIMIVSKY for The Indian Was Very Angry
Best Original Music
CARMEN BALIERO for The Sin That Can't Be Mentioned and The Sinning
HECTOR MAGNI and PABLO CLEMENTE for The Indian Was Very Angry
JORGE VALCARCEL for Nobody Remembers Frederic Chopin and The Greeter
Best Set Design
ALBERTO NEGRIN for Nobody Remembers Frederic Chopin, Frida Kahlo and Dream's Life
GRACIELA GALAN for Night Express and The Wall
NORBERTO LAIN0 for The Sin That Can't to Mention and The Sinning
TITO EGURZA for The Greeter and Bohemia's Lights
Best Costume Design
DANIELA TAIANA for Eleven Heads and Bohemia's Lights
FABIAN LUCA for Lulu and Tango Reviu
MINI ZUCCHERI for The Amazing Story of the Unforgetable Marrapodi, Frida Kahlo and Dream's Life
Best Lighting Design
FELIX MONTI and ALFREDO MORELLI for Breaking The Code, The Beauty Queen of Leenane and The Wall
JORGE PASTORINO for Nobody Remembers Frederic Chopin, The Sin That can't Be Mentioned, Minetti and Dream's Life
ROBERTO TRAFERRI for Night Express, Frida Kahlo, Maternal Profession and The Indian Was Very Angry
TITO EGURZA and MIGUEL MORALES for The Greeter and Bohemia's Lights
Best Male Newcomer
GABRIEL FERNANDEZ for the lead in the "Off" play, The Strange Afternoon of Dr. Burke
OSCAR GUZMAN for his supporting performance in the comedy, The Indian Was Very Angry
WILFREDO VAN BROOCK, actor & playwright of Bang Bang, We Are History.
Best Female Newcomer
CARMEN ARRIETA, playwright of What The River Let Us
ESTELA LEIVA for her supporting perfomance in the musical, Caruso's Daughters
MIA MAESTRO for her lead role in Lulu
-- By David Lefkowitz
