Passing Strange, Kitt, Beaty and Gravatt Among AUDELCO Award Winners
By Ernio Hernandez
21 Nov 2007
Eartha Kitt, Daniel Beaty, Lynda Gravatt and Passing Strange were among the winners of the 2007 annual Vivian Robinson/AUDELCO Recognition ("The VIV") Awards.
"The VIV" Awards are "the only formally established awards presented to the black theatre community," according to an announcement. Audience Development Committee, Inc. (AUDELCO) celebrated 35 years of Excellence in Black Theatre with this year's honors.
The event began with a 6 PM reception at the Harlem Stage/Aaron Davis Hall, Inc. followed by the 7:30 PM ceremony of awards and honors in the Marion Anderson Theatre.
In the Dramatic Production of the Year category, Obsidian Media Group's Black Man Rising (which also earned the Outstanding Ensemble Performance and Director honors) tied with Hadley Players' The Guest at Central Park West (which also took home prizes for Playwright and Lead Actor).
Special honors of acknowledgement and achievements for "Outstanding Pioneer Organizations – 35 Years and Over" were given to Roger Furman Theatre, Negro Ensemble Company, Richard Allen Center for Culture & Art, New Federal Theatre, National Black Theatre, Amas Musical Theatre, Black Spectrum Theatre, Billie Holiday Theatre and Frank Silvera's Writer's Workshop.
In addition special honors were presented to Jewel Kinch, Riverside Theatre, playwright Samm-Art Williams and Mary B. Davis, AUDELCO's Chair Emeritus and "Rising Star" Youth Theatre companies in New York City.
The 2006-2007 theatre season nominees (*with winners in bold) are:
MUSICAL PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR
Magpie
*Passing Strange
DRAMATIC PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR
*Black Man Rising (Obsidian Media Group)
Blue Door (Playwrights Horizon)
King Hedley II (Signature Theatre)
The Desire (Billie Holiday Theatre)
*The Guest at Central Park West (Hadley Players)
Two Trains Running (Signature Theatre)
OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE
*Black Man Rising
Blue Door
Steal Away
The Desire
The Healing Zone
The Taking of Miss Janie
SOLO PERFORMANCE
Robinson Frank Adu (The Griot)
*Daniel Beaty (Emergence-See)
Venus Opal Reese (Split Ends)
Leslie Lewis Sword (Miracle in Rwanda)
LEAD ACTOR
Andre DeShields (King Lear)
Frankie Faison (Two Trains Running)
Peter J. Fernandez (Widowers’ Houses)
Russell Hornsby (King Hedley II)
*John Marshall Jones (The Guest at Central Park West)
Timothy Stickney (Hamlet)
LEAD ACTRESS
Carla Brothers (Moon on a Rainbow Shawl)
Wendi Joy Franklin (The Guest at Central Park West)
*Lynda Gravatt (King Hedley II)
Rachael Holmes (Widowers’ Houses)
Sharon Tshai King (Ghosts)
Portia (The Treatment)
Vivian Reed (The Second Tosca)
SUPPORTING ACTOR
Chad Coleman (Two Trains Running)
Stephen McKinley Henderson (King Hedley II)
Ron Cephas Jones (Two Trains Running)
*Lou Myers (King Hedley II)
John Douglas Thompson (King Lear)
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Letecia Bryan (Ghosts)
Ann Duquesnay (Our Leading Lady)
*Petronia Paley (Electra)
Kim Weston-Moran (Moon on a Rainbow Shawl)
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE IN A MUSICAL - FEMALE
De’Andre Aziza (Passing Strange)
Eisa Davis (Passing Strange)
Jessica Fields (Magpie)
*Eartha Kitt (Mimi Le Duck)
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE IN A MUSICAL - MALE
*Daniel Breaker (Passing Strange)
Joseph Melendez (Magpie)
Ronny Mercedes (Magpie)
AUGUST WILSON PLAYWRIGHT AWARD
Jackie Alexander (The Desire)
Tanya Barfield (Blue Door)
Ramona King (Steal Away)
*Levy Lee Simon (The Guest at Central Park West)
DIRECTOR - DRAMATIC PRODUCTION
Jackie Alexander (The Desire)
Lou Bellamy (Two Trains Running)
*Patricia R. Floyd (Black Man Rising)
Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj (Ghosts)
Derrick Sanders (King Hedley II)
Leigh Silverman (Blue Door)
DIRECTOR - MUSICAL PRODUCTION
*Annie Dorsen (Passing Strange)
Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj (Magpie)
CHOREOGRAPHER
Karole Armitage (Passing Strange)
Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj (Marat/Sade)
Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj (Magpie)
*Juson Williams (Black Man Rising)
OUTSTANDING MUSICAL DIRECTOR
*Heidi Rodewald (Passing Strange)
Jana Zielonka (Magpie)
LIGHTING DESIGN
AVAN (Steal Away)
Aaron Black (King Lear)
Mary Louis Geiger (Blue Door)
*Thom Weaver (King Hedley II)
Robert Wierzel (Two Trains Running)
SET DESIGN
Patrice Andrew Davidson (The Desire)
*David Gallo (King Hedley II)
Troy Hourie (Marat/Sade)
Mark Marcante (Greener Grasses)
Harlan D. Penn (The Guest at Central Park West)
JUDY DEARING COSTUME DESIGN
Kimberly Glennon (King Lear)
Matthew J. Lefebvre (Two Trains Running)
Karen Perry (The Taking of Miss Janie)
Helen L. Simmons (Steal Away)
*Ali Turns (Hamlet)
SOUND DESIGN
Elwaldo Baptiste (The Desire)
Danny Erdberg (Magpie)
Brett R. Jarvis (Two Trains Running)
Drew Levy & Tony Smolenski IV (Dutchman)
*David Wright (Hamlet)
For more information, visit audelco.net.
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