The Los Angeles production of the musical Ragtime earned 16 nominations Oct. 1 in the annual Theatre LA Ovation Awards -- the most for any show in Ovation history.
For plays, a revival of The Heiress took the most nods: 8.
Nominees for the awards honoring excellence and achievement in Los Angeles theatre were announced by Carol Burnett and Julie Hagerty at the Wyndham Bel Age Hotel in West Hollywood.
Winners will be announced at a 7:30 PM ceremony Nov. 17 at the Shubert Theatre in Century City. That event will be hosted by Joanna Gleason (Into The Woods) and John Rubinstein (Getting Away With Murder, Ragtime).
The Ovations have 26 categories and are the only "peer-based" competitive awards in L.A. Theatre. Two hundred and fifty productions were eligible for selection during the Ovation voting season, Sept. 1, 1996-Aug. 31, 1997. Productions (all of them Equity) were submitted by Theatre L.A. member companies. Votes are then tallied by the firm, KPMG Peat Marwick. Tickets to the Awards ceremony ($15-$125) are available by calling (800) 447-7400.
Here are the 1996-97 Ovation Awards nominees:
Best Writing Of World Premiere Play/Musical:
Mark Saltzman (The Tin Pan Alley Rag, Pasadena Playhouse
Alec Mapa (Two At The Too -- I Remember Mapa, Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum)
Kathy Buckley (Don't Buck With Me!), The Tamarind Theatre
Mark Lee (An American Romance), The Road Theatre Company
Tracy Young (Euphoria), The Actors' Gang.
Best New Translation/Adaptation
Tracy Young (Candude or The Optimistic Civil Servant), Cornerstone Theatre Company
Robert Cornthwaite (So It Is...If So It Seems To You), A Noise Within
Alison Carey (Mallie're), Cornerstone Theatre Company
Arthur Hanket (Genet: Language Of The Wall), The Actors' Gang
Kenneth Albers (Saint Joan), Deaf West Theatre Company
Musical/Larger Theatres:
Forever Plaid (Canon Theatre);
Show Boat, (Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson);
Once On This Island (La Mirada);
Ragtime (Shubert);
The Tin Pan Alley Rag (Pasadena Playhouse).
Franklin R. Levy Award Award For Best Musical (smaller theatre)
She Loves Me (Actors Co-op);
Euphoria (The Actors' Gang);
Candude (Cornerstone);
Putting It Together (Colony Studio);
The All Night Strut (Tiffany Theatres).
Best Play/Larger Theatres:
Valley Song, Mark Taper Forum
Love! Valour! Compassion!, Geffen Playhouse
Having Our Say, Mark Taper Forum
Arcadia, Mark Taper Forum
The Heiress, Ahmanson
Best Play/Smaller Theatres:
Don't Buck With Me!, Tamarind Theatre
A Midsummer Night's Dream, Stella Adler Theatre
David's Mother, Company Of Angels
Two At The Too, Center Theatre/Mark Taper Forum
Fortinbras, producer Courtney H. Burr III
Leading Actor in a Musical:
Reece Holland, Crazy For You, La Mirada
Ned Beatty, Show Boat, Center Theatre/Ahmanson
Brain Stokes Mitchell, Ragtime, Shubert Theatre
David Norona, The Tin Pan Alley Rag, Pasadena Playhouse.
John Rubinstein, Ragtime, Shubert Theatre.
Leading Actress in a Musical:
Page Leong, Candude, Cornerstone
Treva Tegtmeier, She Loves Me, Actors Co-op
Barbara Passolt, Putting It Together, Colony.
Marcia Mitzman Gaven, Ragtime, Shubert Theatre.
Michelle Duffy, Putting It Together, Colony.
Leading Actor in a Play:
Athol Fugard, Valley Song, Center Theatre/Mark Taper Forum
Bill Campbell, Fortinbras, Courtney H. Burr III
Sir Ian McKellen, A Knight Out In Los Angeles, L.A. Theatre Center
Tom Slovick, David's Mother, Company Of Angels
Alec Mapa, Two At The Too, Center Theatre/Mark Taper Forum.
Leading Actress in a Play:
LisaGay Hamilton, Valley Song, Center Theatre/Mark Taper Forum.
Cherry Jones, The Heiress, Center Theatre/Mark Taper Forum
Frances Foster, Having Our Say, Center Theatre/Mark Taper Forum
Suanne Spoke, David's Mother, Company's Of Angels.
Molly Bryant, Plastica Fantastica, The Actors' Gang.
Featured Actor In A Musical:
Keith Savage, Show Boat
Blake McIver Ewing, Ragtime;
John Dossett, Ragtime;
Michel Bell, Show Boat;
Scott Carollo, Ragtime
Featured Actress In A Musical
LaChanze, Ragtime, Shubert Theatre.
Judy Kaye, Ragtime, Shubert Theatre.
Susan Wood, Ragtime, Shubert Theatre.
Anita Berry, Show Boat, Center Theatre/Ahmanson.
Valarie Pettiford, Show Boat, Center Theatre/Ahmanson.
Featured Actor in a Play:
Tom Knickerbocker (David's Mother), Company Of Angels
Eddie Jones (The Root), Interact Theatre Company
Shelley Malil (A Midsummer Night's Dream, Stella Adler Theatre
Shishir Kurup, Mallie're, Cornerstone Theatre.
Featured Actress In A Play
Frances Sternhagen, The Heiress, Center Theatre/Ahmanson
Francesca Roberts, David's Mother, Company of Angels
Bonita Friedericy, Our Country's Good, Colony Studio Theatre
Judy Kain, David's Mother, Company Of Angels
Lisa Beezley, Our Country's Good, Colony Studio Theatre.
Ensemble Performance:
Dangerous Corner, Matrix Theatre.
Euphoria, Actors' Gang
Love! Valour! Compassion!,
Mules, Center Theatre/Mark Taper Forum
Forever Plaid, Canon Theatre.
Director of a Musical:
Harold Prince, Show Boat, Center Theatre/Ahmanson
Tracy Young, Euphoria, Actors' Gang
Nick DeGruccio, Putting It Together, Colony Studio
Frank Galati, Ragtime, Shubert Theatre.
Stuart Ross, Forever Plaid, Canon Theatre.
Director Of A Play
Joe Mantello, Love! Valour! Compassion!, Geffen Playhouse.
Bill Rauch, Mallie're, Cornerstone
Michael Michetti, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Stella Adler Theatre.
Gerald Gutierrez, The Heiress, Center Theatre/Ahmanson.
Howard Fine, Fortinbras, Courtney H. Burr III.
Best Choreographer
Stuart Ross, Forever Plaid, Canon Theatre
Gerry McIntyre, Once On This Island, La Mirada
Graciela Daniele, Ragtime, Shubert Theatre
Susan Stroman, Show Boat, Center Theatre/Ahmanson
Larry Sousa, The Tin Pan Alley Rag, Pasadena Playhouse.
Best Lighting Design (larger theatre)
Richard Pilbrow, Show Boat, Center Theatre/Ahmanson.
Brian MacDevitt, Proposals, Center Theatre/Ahmanson
Jules Fisher & Peggy Eisenhauer, Ragtime, Shubert
Brian MacDevitt, Love! Valour! Compassion!, Geffen Playhouse
Beverly Emmons, The Heiress, Center Theatre/Ahmanson.
Lighting Design (smaller theatre)
J. Kent Inasy, Dangerous Corner, Matrix Theatre.
Kathi O'Donohue, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Stella Adler.
Jason Berliner, Two Rooms, Jewel Box
Matthew O. O'Donnell, Our Country's Good, Colony Studio
Walter Shipley, Euphoria, Actors' Gang.
Set Design (larger theatre)
John Lee Beatty, Proposals, Center Theatre/Ahmanson
Eugene Lee, Show Boat, Center Theatre/Ahmanson
Eugene Lee, Ragtime, Shubert
Edward E. Haynes, Jr., Having Our Say, Center Theatre/Mark Taper
John Lee Beatty, The Heiress, Center Theatre/Ahmanson.
Set Design (smaller theatre)
Deborah Raymond & Dorian Vernacchio, Dangerous Corner, Matrix Theatre.
Rachel Hauck, Euphoria, Actors' Gang
Scott Storey, Steaming, singular productions [sic]
Bradley Kaye, Our Country's Good, Colony Studio
Albert Cox, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Stella Adler.
Costume Design (larger theatre)
Florence Klotz, Show Boat, Center Theatre/Ahmanson
Thomas G. Marquez, Once On This Island, La Mirada
Thomas G. Marquez, Crazy For You, La Mirada
Jane Greenwood, The Heiress, Center Theatre/Ahmanson
Santo Loquasto, Ragtime, Shubert Theatre.
Costumes Design (smaller theatre)
Dana R. Woods, Our Country's Good, Colony Studio Theatre
A. Jeffrey Schoenberg & Shon LeBlanc, The Importance Of Being Earnest, Actors Co-op.
Ann Class-Farley, Euphoria, Actors' Gang
Ann Class-Farley, Plastica Fantastica, Actors' Gang
Sherri Grider, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Stella Adler Theatre.
Sound Design (larger theatre)
Jonathan Deans (Ragtime), Shubert Theatre.
John Kilgore (Love! Valour! Compassion!), Geffen Playhouse.
Julie Ferrin, (Crazy For You), La Mirada
Jon Gottlieb (The Heiress), Center Theatre/Ahmanson
Martin Levan (Show Boat), Show Boat, Center Theatre/Ahmanson
Sound Design (smaller theatre)
O-Lan Jones, The Dybbuk, Wilton Project
Laurence O'Keefe, Euphoria, Actors' Gang
Ross Levinson, Oscar Wilde's Wife, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble
John Fisher, Our Country's Good, Colony Studio Theatre.
Alan Falkner & Alan Johnson, The Voice Of The Prairie, Actors Co Op.
Lifetime Achievement Award:
Stephen Sondheim.
James A. Doolittle Award for Leadership:
Gilbert Cates, producing director of the Geffen Playhouse.
