Caroline, Nerds, 42nd Street, Of Mice and Men Among 2007 Barrymore Winners in Philly

By Kenneth Jones
October 1, 2007

The new musical Nerds, Broadway's Dee Hoty, Philly actress Susan Riley Stevens and productions of Caroline, or Change and Of Mice and Men were among 2007 Barrymore Award winners in Philadelphia Oct. 1.

The Barrymore Awards ceremony — marking the biggest night of the year for Philadelphia-area theatre — honor excellence in resident work in and around the City of Brotherly Love. The Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia (which includes member theatres in nearby cities in New Jersey and Delaware) administers the awards.

Actors Chris Faith and Greg Wood hosted the ceremony at the Crystal Tea Room, located in the Wannamaker Building. Vincent Marini directed.

Nerds://A Musical Software Satire from Philadelphia Theatre Company won the categories of Outstanding Original Music and Outstanding New Play.

Arden Theatre Company's Caroline, or Change won for Costume Design (Rosemarie E. McKelvey), Leading Actress in a Musical (Joilet F. Harris) and Outstanding Overall Production of a Musical.

Walnut Street Theatre's Of Mice and Men snagged Barrymores for Outstanding Overall Production of a Play, Direction of a Play (Mark Clements) and Lighting Design (Shelley Hicklin).

Susan Stevens won as Leading Actress in a Play for the solo turn, Bad Dates, and Dee Hoty won as Supporting Actress in a Musical for playing vocalist-actress Kay Thompson in Stormy Weather, a musical about Lena Horne.

Carole Haas Gravagno received the 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award "for her incredible generosity throughout the cultural community." She has provided leadership, vision and inspiration to numerous cultural organizations including, but not limited to, Arden Theatre Company, Arts in Motion, American Symphony Orchestra League, National Liberty Museum, The People's Light & Theatre Company, Pennsylvania's Children's Trust Fund, Philadelphia Orchestra and William Penn Foundation.

The F. Otto Haas Award for an emerging Philadelphia theatre artist, which includes a $10,000 cash prize, was given to Matt Saunders, "who shows outstanding promise in his or her field and is dedicated to working in the Philadelphia theatre community." The runners-up each received a $1,000 cash award.

The newly-named Actors' Equity Award for Excellence in Theatre Education and Community Service "promotes the participation of theatres and theatre artists who provide innovative theatre and educational experiences as a vehicle for betterment within the community." The 2007 recipient was Walnut Street Theater's Adopt-A-School.

The winner of the Ted and Stevie Wolf Award for New Approaches to Collaborations was Brat Productions & the rock bands Toothless George, Allison Polans, Danny Mackane, and Devin Greenwood for Three Chord Fiction.

The 2007 Barrymore Award nominees and winners follow. The winners are noted in boldface and with an asterisk.

OUTSTANDING OVERALL PRODUCTION OF A PLAY
The Four of Us, 1812 Productions
Master Harold…and the boys, Lantern Theater Company
Glengarry Glen Ross, Theatre Exile
*Of Mice and Men, Walnut Street Theatre
The Pillowman, The Wilma Theater

OUTSTANDING OVERALL PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL
The Bomb-itty of Errors, 11th Hour Theatre Company
*Caroline, or Change, Arden Theatre
The Fantasticks, Mum Puppettheatre
Nerds://A Musical Software Satire, Philadelphia Theatre Company
42nd Street, Walnut Street Theatre

OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A PLAY
*Mark Clements, Of Mice and Men
Terrence J. Nolen, A Prayer for Owen Meany
David O'Connor, Master Harold…and the boys
Matt Pfeiffer, Glengarry Glen Ross
Jiri Zizka, The Pillowman

HAROLD PRINCE AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
*Charles Abbott, 42nd Street
Aaron Cromie, The Fantasticks
Philip William McKinley, Nerds://A Musical Software Satire
Terrence J. Nolen, Caroline, or Change
Megan Nicole O'Brien, The Bomb-itty of Errors

OUTSTANDING MUSIC DIRECTION
Thomas DelPizzo, Rob McClure, Michael Philip O'Brien, Steve Pacek, & Mark Valenzuela, The Bomb-itty of Errors
Eric Ebbenga, Caroline, or Change
Douglass G. Lutz, Carousel
*Mat Wright & Aaron Cromie, The Fantasticks
Mark Yurkanin, Side by Side by Sondheim

OUTSTANDING LEADING ACTOR IN A PLAY
*John Campion, The Life of Galileo
Scott Greer, Of Mice and Men
Brent Harris, Orson's Shadow
Matt Pfeiffer, Red Light Winter
Frank X, Master Harold…and the boys

OUTSTANDING LEADING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Louisa Flaningam, Driving Miss Daisy
Erin Clare Hurley, Anne of Green Gables
Christie Parker, Othello
*Susan Riley Stevens, Bad Dates
Eunice Wong, Infinite Ache

OUTSTANDING LEADING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Bev Appleton, The Fantasticks
Jeffrey Coon, Carousel
Mark Jacoby, 42nd Street
*Rob McClure, The Bomb-itty of Errors
Jim Poulos, Nerds://A Musical Software Satire

OUTSTANDING LEADING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Demetria Joyce Bailey, Ethel Waters, His Eye is On the Sparrow
Kim Carson, The Fantasticks
Cara Cooper, 42nd Street
*Joilet F. Harris, Caroline, or Change
Leslie Uggams, Stormy Weather, Imagining Lena Horne

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A PLAY
Jeb Kreager, The Foreigner
Christopher Patrick Mullen, Splittin' the Raft
Ian Merrill Peakes, Red Light Winter
*Harry Philibosian, Glengarry Glen Ross
Pete Pryor, The Pillowman

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Rachel Botchan, Orson’s Shadow
Charlotte Ford, Red Light Winter
Meghan Heimbecker, My Children! My Africa!
*Charlotte Northeast, Skin in Flames
Susan Wilder, Orson’s Shadow

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Thomas DelPizzo, The Bomb-itty of Errors
*Dave Jadico, The Fantasticks
Christopher Patrick Mullen, Robin Hood
Patrick O'Hara, Chicago
David Rossmer, Nerds://A Musical Software Satire

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Susan Cella, 42nd Street
Sherri L. Edelen, Caroline, or Change
*Dee Hoty, Stormy Weather, Imagining Lena Horne
Kelly J. Rucker, Caroline, or Change
Chandra Lee Schwartz, Nerds://A Musical Software Satire

OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN
*Jorge Cousineau, The Four of Us
Todd Edward Ivins, Of Mice and Men
Mimi Lien, The Life of Galileo
Arthur R. Rotch,Splittin' the Raft
James Wolk, Dex and Julie Sittin' in a Tree

PECO AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN
Jerold R. Forsyth, Dex and Julie Sittin' in a Tree
Jerold R. Forsyth, The Pillowman
*Shelley Hicklin, Of Mice and Men
Tyler Micoleau, The Life of Galileo
Kenton Yeager, A Prayer for Owen Meany

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN
Millie Hiibel, La Ronde
*Rosemarie E. McKelvey, Caroline, or Change
Janus Stefanowicz, The Tempest
Janus Stefanowicz, The Life of Galileo
Ellis Tillman, Enchanted April

OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN
*Jorge Cousineau, The Giver
Troy Herion, The Life of Galileo
Nick Kourtides, Chekhov Lizardbrain
Bill Moriarty, The Pillowman
Fitz Patton, Nerds://A Musical Software Satire

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL MUSIC
Jorge Cousineau, The Giver
Ben Edwards with Aaron Cromie, Madi Distefano, and Bradford Trojan, EYE-95 Retarred
*Hal Goldberg, Nerds://A Musical Software Satire
Tony Macaulay, Windy City
Jim Ryan, This Is The Week That Is: Political Humor for the Holidays

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY/MOVEMENT
Michelle Gaudette, Carousel
*Karen Getz, Hair
Mary Jane Houdina, 42nd Street
Jody Anderson Miller, Chicago
Samuel Antonio Reyes, The Bomb-itty of Errors

OUTSTANDING NEW PLAY
*Nerds://A Musical Software Satire, book and lyrics by Jordan Allen-Dutton & Erik Weiner, music by Hal Goldberg
Anne of Green Gables adapted by Peter DeLaurier, from the novel by L.M. Montgomery
A House with No Walls by Thomas Gibbons
Dex and Julie Sittin' in a Tree by Bruce Graham
Windy City, music by Tony Macaulay, book and lyrics by Dick Vosburgh with additional material by Tony Macaulay

OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE IN A PLAY
Spring Awakening, EgoPo Productions
Master Harold…and the boys, Lantern Theater Company
*Glengarry Glen Ross, Theatre Exile
Of Mice and Men, Walnut Street Theatre
The Pillowman, The Wilma Theater

OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE IN A MUSICAL
*The Bomb-itty of Errors, 11th Hour Theatre Company
Caroline, or Change, Arden Theatre Company
The Fantasticks, Mum Puppettheatre
Nerds://A Musical Software Satire, Philadelphia Theatre Company
42nd Street, Walnut Street Theatre

*

The Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia "strengthens and leads the region's richly diverse theater community, with more than 100 member organizations and 300 individuals, by promoting awareness and serving as a resource for information, professional development and advocacy."

Tickets for the Barrymore Award Ceremony and more information are available online at www.theatrealliance.org or by calling (215) 413-7150.