The 1998 Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre, honoring the best in Philadelphia, PA theatre, were announced Oct. 19, with Band in Berlin and A Midsummer Night's Dream earning a handful of awards each.
The event was held at the Walnut Street Theatre, crowded with resident professionals.
The Arden Theatre Company, which lead nominations at 24, won for Overall Production of a Play (Midsummer), Direction of a Play (Aaron Posner, Midsummer), Supporting Actor in a Play (Robert Christophe, Midsummer) and Supporting Actor in a Musical (Tony Freeman, Merrily We Roll Along).
The American Music Theater Festival's Band in Berlin, about a group of jazz singers in Nazi Germany, picked up four awards: Overall Production of a Musical, Direction of a Musical (Patricia Birch & Susan Feldman), Sound Design (David Schnirman) and Ensemble Performance.
Philadelphia Theatre Company's Birdy won two awards, for Set Design (Kevin Knight) and Lighting Design (Brian Nason). The Barrymore Awards is a program of the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, a non-profit membership organization dedicated to enhancing awareness and appreciation of Philadelphia area professional theatre. The awards are named after the legendary theatre family -- John, Ethel and Lionel, among others -- that had its roots in Philadelphia.
Actor-playwright Robert Christophe won the F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Philadelphia Artist. He was nominated for six awards this year, including the Haas. The award brings him $10,000. His work this season included writing and performing in Venture Theatre's Michigan Impossible and writing original music for Arden's Midsummer Night's Dream, in which he played Puck.
The Community Service Award went to Bruce Robinson, for hiss work with the Mitchell-Robinson Youth Theatre, which offers year-round dance and theatre classes for children.
The Award for Excellence in Theatre Education went to New Voices Ensemble, a program of People's Light & Theatre Company designed to provide theatre experience to a diverse ensemble of young people.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to 83-year-old Frank C.P. McGlinn, a longtime supporter of theatre. He has served on several theatre boards and on the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts for eight years. McGlinn's extensive collection of theatre memorabilia has been donated to various museums.
A Special Recognition Award went to writer Holley Webster, founder of Stage Theatre Monthly, a 23-year-old publication of Philadelphia area theatre.
The 1998 Barrymore nominees and the winners (marked with an asterisk) were:
Overall Production of a Play:
*A Midsummer Night's Dream, Arden Theatre Company
Hedda Gabler, Arden Theatre Company
Jack & Jill, The People's Light & Theatre Company
Michigan Impossible, Venture Theatre
Molly's Delicious, Arden Theatre Company
Overall Production of a Musical:
*Band in Berlin, American Music Theater Festival
Blood Brothers, Walnut Street Theatre
Crazy For You, Walnut Street Theatre
Little Shop of Horrors, Puttin' on the Ritz
Merrily We Roll Along, Arden Theatre Company
New Play:
Frankenstein, by Conrad Bishop & Elizabeth Fuller, The Independent Eye
Mating Cries, by Conrad Bishop & Elizabeth Fuller, The Independent Eye
Michigan Impossible, by Robert Christophe, Venture Theatre
Molly's Delicious, by Craig Wright, Arden Theatre Company
*The Balkan Women, by Jules Tasca, Bristol Riverside Theatre
Ensemble Performance:
A Midsummer Night's Dream, Arden Theatre Company
*Band in Berlin, American Music Theater Festival
Jack & Jill, The People's Light & Theatre Company
Jitney, Freedom Theatre
The Tragedy of Joan of Arc, The Pig Iron Theatre Company
Leading Actor in a Play:
Robert Christophe, Michigan Impossible, Venture Theatre
*Jarlath Conroy, The Steward of Christendom, Lantern Theater Company
Guil Fisher, Cold Storage, Vox Theatre Company
David Howey, The Merchant of Venice, Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival
William Leach, Shylock, Walnut Street Theatre, Independence Studio on 3
Leading Actress in a Play:
*Janis Dardaris, A Moon for the Misbegotten, Venture Theatre
Grace Gonglewski, Hedda Gabler, Arden Theatre Company
Sally Mercer, The Lover & A Kind of Alaska, Walnut Street Theatre Independence Studio on 3
Kathryn Petersen, Jack & Jill, The People's Light & Theatre Company
Maggie Siff, Aunt Dan & Lemon, InterAct Theatre Company
Leading Actor in a Musical:
*James Brennan, Crazy For You, Walnut Street Theatre
Jeffrey Coon, Merrily We Roll Along, Arden Theatre Company
Guil Fisher, Shenandoah, Living Arts Repertory Theatre
Tony Freeman, The Goodbye Girl, Walnut Street Theatre
Christopher Sutton, Blood Brothers, Walnut Street Theatre
Leading Actress in a Musical:
*Susan Dawn Carson, Blood Brothers, Walnut Street Theatre
Tracey Geisler, Little Shop of Horrors, Puttin' on the Ritz
Jilline Ringle, Merrily We Roll Along, Arden Theatre Company
Darcie Roberts, Crazy For You, Walnut Street Theatre
Miriam Shor, The Three Penny Opera, The Wilma Theater
Supporting Actor in a Play:
David Bardeen, Molly's Delicious, Arden Theatre Company
*Robert Christophe, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Arden Theatre Company
David Grillo, A Question of Mercy, Philadelphia Theatre Company
Greg Wood, Hedda Gabler, Arden Theatre Company
Frank X, Ghosts, Lantern Theater Company
Supporting Actress in a Play:
Hazel Bowers, Pygmalion, Bristol Riverside Theatre
Susan McKey, Hedda Gabler, Arden Theatre Company
Sonja Robson, The Lover & A Kind of Alaska, Walnut Street Theatre Independence Studio on 3
Marcia Saunders, Molly's Delicious, Arden Theatre Company
*Maggie Siff, Ghosts, Lantern Theater Company
Supporting Actor in a Musical:
*Tony Freeman, Merrily We Roll Along, Arden Theatre Company
Tif Luckenbill, Blood Brothers, Walnut Street Theatre
Forrest McClendon, The Three Penny Opera, The Wilma Theater
George Riddle, Texas Flyer, Bristol Riverside Theatre
Brian Rivell, Little Shop of Horrors, Puttin' on the Ritz
Supporting Actress in a Musical:
Jennifer Lee Andrews, Blood Brothers, Walnut Street Theatre
*Bethe B. Austin, Texas Flyer, Bristol Riverside Theatre
Linda Pierson, The Three Penny Opera, The Wilma Theater
Holly Rudkin, Merrily We Roll Along, Arden Theatre Company
Alyse Wojchiechowski, The Goodbye Girl, Walnut Street Theatre
Direction of a Play:
Edward Keith Baker, The Balkan Women, Bristol Riverside Theatre
Dugald MacArthur, The Steward of Christendom, Lantern Theater Company
Ken Marini, Jack & Jill, The People's Light & Theatre Company
*Aaron Posner, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Arden Theatre Company
Harriet Power, A Moon for the Misbegotten, Venture Theatre
Direction of a Musical:
Charles Abbott, Crazy For You, Walnut Street Theatre
*Patricia Birch & Susan Feldman, Band in Berlin, American Music Theater Festival
Peter Donohue, OSA, Into the Woods, Villanova Theatre
Terrence J. Nolen, Merrily We Roll Along, Arden Theatre Company
Blanka Zizka, The Three Penny Opera, The Wilma Theater
Choreography:
Patricia Birch, Band in Berlin, American Music Theater Festival
*Mary Jane Houdina, Crazy For You, Walnut Street Theatre
Brian Rivell, Little Shop of Horrors, Puttin' on the Ritz
Patricia Scott Hobbs, Black Nativity, Freedom Theatre
Dito van Reigersberg & Suli Holum, The Tragedy of Joan of Arc, The Pig Iron Theatre Company
Original Music:
Martin Carrillo, The Tragedy of Joan of Arc, The Pig Iron Theatre Company
*Larry Gatlin, Texas Flyer, Bristol Riverside Theatre
Fred Goldfine, Michigan Impossible, Venture Theatre
John Lionarons, Beauty & the Beast, The People's Light & Theatre Company
Michelle Nagy, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Arden Theatre Company
Set Design:
David P. Gordon, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Arden Theatre Company
David P. Gordon, Indiscretions, The Wilma Theatre
*Kevin Knight, Birdy, Philadelphia Theatre Company
Wesley Maloney-Truitt, Into the Woods, Villanova Theatre
Christopher Pickart, Molly's Delicious, Arden Theatre Company
Lighting Design:
Kirk Bookman, Band in Berlin, American Music Theatre Festival
Russell Champa, The Three Penny Opera, The Wilma Theatre
James Leitner, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Arden Theatre Company
*Brian Nason, Birdy, Philadelphia Theatre Company
Scott Pinkney, The Balkan Women, Bristol Riverside Theatre
Costume Design:
Marla J. Jurglanis, Heartbreak House, The People's Light & Theatre Company
Marla J. Jurglanis, Hedda Gabler , Arden Theatre Company
Larisa Ratnikoff, The Three Penny Opera , The Wilma Theatre
Janus Stefanowicz, Into the Woods , Villanova Theatre
*Janus Stefanowicz, On the Razzle , The Wilma Theatre
Sound Design:
Charles T. Brastow, Beauty & the Beast , The People's Light & Theatre Company
Martin Carrillo, The Tragedy of Joan of Arc, The Pig Iron Theatre Company
James P. Murphy, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Arden Theatre Company
*David Schnirman, Band in Berlin , American Music Theatre Festival
Richard Tomes, Birdy , Philadelphia Theatre Company
