On Nov. 17 the Los Angeles production of the musical Ragtime won the most Theatre L.A. Ovation Awards in that honor's history -- eight. This comes after the show earned 16 nominations, Oct. 1, also a record. The Ovations salute excellence and achievement in Los Angeles theatre.
Winners were announced at a ceremony at the Shubert Theatre in Century City. Joanna Gleason and John Rubinstein hosted the event, which featured such celebrity presenters as Beau Bridges, Dany Glover, Jason Graae, Jerry Stiller & Anne Meara, Rita Moreno, Terrence McNally, Garry Marshall, Dan Lauria, Mariette Hartley and Fred Savage.
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.
Here are the 1996-97 Ovation Award nominees, with winners in BOLD CAPITALS):
Best Writing Of World Premiere Play/Musical:
KATHY BUCKLEY (Don't Buck With Me!), The Tamarind Theatre
Mark Saltzman (The Tin Pan Alley Rag, Pasadena Playhouse
Alec Mapa (Two At The Too -- I Remember Mapa, Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum)
Mark Lee (An American Romance), The Road Theatre Company
Tracy Young (Euphoria), The Actors' Gang. Best New Translation/Adaptation
ROBERT CORNTHWAITE (So It Is...If So It Seems To You), A Noise Within
Tracy Young (Candude or The Optimistic Civil Servant), Cornerstone Theatre Company
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:
RAGTIME (Shubert);
Forever Plaid (Canon Theatre);
Show Boat, (Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson);
Once On This Island (La Mirada);
The Tin Pan Alley Rag (Pasadena Playhouse).
Franklin R. Levy Award Award For Best Musical (smaller theatre)
EUPHORIA (The Actors' Gang);
She Loves Me (Actors Co-op);
Candude (Cornerstone);
Putting It Together (Colony Studio);
The All Night Strut (Tiffany Theatres).
Best Play/Larger Theatres:
THE HEIRESS, Ahmanson
Valley Song, Mark Taper Forum
Love! Valour! Compassion!, Geffen Playhouse
Having Our Say, Mark Taper Forum
Arcadia, Mark Taper Forum
Best Play/Smaller Theatres:
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, Stella Adler Theatre
Don't Buck With Me!, Tamarind 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:
NED BEATTY, Show Boat, Center Theatre/Ahmanson
Reece Holland, Crazy For You, La Mirada
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:
MARCIA MITZMAN GAVEN, Ragtime, Shubert Theatre.
Page Leong, Candude, Cornerstone
Treva Tegtmeier, She Loves Me, Actors Co-op
Barbara Passolt, Putting It Together, Colony.
Michelle Duffy, Putting It Together, Colony.
Leading Actor in a Play:
BILL CAMPBELL, Fortinbras, Courtney H. Burr III
Athol Fugard, Valley Song, Center Theatre/Mark Taper Forum
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:
SUANNE SPOKE, David's Mother, Company's Of Angels.
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
Molly Bryant, Plastica Fantastica, The Actors' Gang.
Featured Actor In A Musical:
MICHEL BELL, Show Boat;
Keith Savage, Show Boat
Blake McIver Ewing, Ragtime;
John Dossett, Ragtime;
Scott Carollo, Ragtime
Featured Actress In A Musical
JUDY KAYE, Ragtime, Shubert Theatre.
LaChanze, 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:
DEREK SMITH, (Sylvia), Dee Gee's Coronet Theatre
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
BONITA FRIEDANCY, Our Country's Good, Colony Studio Theatre
Frances Sternhagen, The Heiress, Center Theatre/Ahmanson
Francesca Roberts, David's Mother, Company of Angels
Judy Kain, David's Mother, Company Of Angels
Lisa Beezley, Our Country's Good, Colony Studio Theatre.
Ensemble Performance:
FOREVER PLAID, Canon Theatre.
Dangerous Corner, Matrix Theatre.
Euphoria, Actors' Gang
Love! Valour! Compassion!,
Mules, Center Theatre/Mark Taper Forum
Director of a Musical:
FRANK GALATI, Ragtime, Shubert Theatre.
Harold Prince, Show Boat, Center Theatre/Ahmanson
Tracy Young, Euphoria, Actors' Gang
Nick DeGruccio, Putting It Together, Colony Studio
Stuart Ross, Forever Plaid, Canon Theatre.
Director Of A Play
MICHAEL MICHETTI, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Stella Adler Theatre.
Joe Mantello, Love! Valour! Compassion!, Geffen Playhouse.
Bill Rauch, Mallie're, Cornerstone
Gerald Gutierrez, The Heiress, Center Theatre/Ahmanson.
Howard Fine, Fortinbras, Courtney H. Burr III.
Best Choreographer
GRACIELA DANIELE, Ragtime, Shubert Theatre
Stuart Ross, Forever Plaid, Canon Theatre
Gerry McIntyre, Once On This Island, La Mirada
Susan Stroman, Show Boat, Center Theatre/Ahmanson
Larry Sousa, The Tin Pan Alley Rag, Pasadena Playhouse.
Best Lighting Design (larger theatre)
JULES FISHER & PEGGY EISENHAUER, Ragtime, Shubert
Richard Pilbrow, Show Boat, Center Theatre/Ahmanson.
Brian MacDevitt, Proposals, Center Theatre/Ahmanson
Brian MacDevitt, Love! Valour! Compassion!, Geffen Playhouse
Beverly Emmons, The Heiress, Center Theatre/Ahmanson.
Lighting Design (smaller theatre)
KATHI O'DONOHUE, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Stella Adler.
J. Kent Inasy, Dangerous Corner, Matrix Theatre.
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)
EUGENE LEE, Ragtime, Shubert
John Lee Beatty, Proposals, Center Theatre/Ahmanson
Eugene Lee, Show Boat, Center Theatre/Ahmanson
Edward E. Haynes, Jr., Having Our Say, Center Theatre/Mark Taper
John Lee Beatty, The Heiress, Center Theatre/Ahmanson.
Set Design (smaller theatre)
SCOTT STOREY, Steaming, singular productions [sic]
Deborah Raymond & Dorian Vernacchio, Dangerous Corner, Matrix Theatre.
Rachel Hauck, Euphoria, Actors' Gang
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)
SHERRI GRIDER, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Stella Adler 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
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)
LAURENCE O'KEEFE, Euphoria, Actors' Gang
O-Lan Jones, The Dybbuk, Wilton Project
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.
