LOS ANGELES -- The Actors' Gang was the main news at the 10th annual L.A. Weekly Theatre Award ceremony, held recently at the Los Angeles Theatre Center.

The Hollywood-based company took home three prizes: Best Musical (Bat Boy: The Musical; Production of the Year; and Best Original Music (The Arabian Nights).

Stages Theatre Center and Theatre of NOTE each copped two prizes; the former for Supporting Female Performance (Lisa Forte, The Lesson) and Comedy Direction (Florinel Fatulescu, The Lesson); the latter for Play Writing (Murray Mednick's Dictatorand for Leading Male Performance (Armando Duran, Dictator).

There were a record-setting three ties in the Play Writing, Comedy Ensemble and Set Design categories.

The Leading Female Performance prize went to Robin Johnson (An Unhappy Woman, Moving Arts. The Revival Production of the Year (of a 20th century work) prize went to The House of Blue Leaves, West Coast Ensemble. Best Direction went to Leo Geter & Dan Bonnell, Morphic Resonance, Eclectic Company Theatre/Matrix Theatre.

The awards show was co-hosted by Robert A. Prior and Linda Purl. Performance artist Rachel Rosenthal received a Career Achievement Award.

-- By Willard Manus
Southern California Correspondent