Best of Baltimore Theatre 2006: Community Theatre

          In 2006, the community theatres in Baltimore played host to dozens of major productions. Those theatres reviewed by Baltimore were: The Baltimore Playwrights Festival, Catonsville Theatre Company, Cockpit-in-Court, Fells Point Corner Theatre, Maryland Arts Festival, Mobtown Players, Run of the Mill Theater, Spotlighters, Vagabond Players and Winters Lane. We hope to add even more in 2007! The productions under consideration were, alphabetically: After Dinner, And Then There Were None, Angels in America: Millennium Approches, Beehive, The Boys Next Door, Dreamgirls, The Durang Double Bill, The Full Monty, The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?, Gypsy, Hope’s Arbor, Inventing VanGogh, An Inspector Calls, Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train, Mamaleh!, Man of La Mancha, Measure for Measure, Months on End, The Music Man, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Plaza Suite, Real Women Have Curves, The Return of the 5th Sister, Sight Unseen, Sizwe Bansi is Dead, SOD, Southern Baptist Sissies, Statements Made After an Arrest Under the Immorality Act, Steel Magnolias, Sunday in the Park with George, A Tuna Christmas. Plays and musicals were considered separately in all categories, except Outstanding Ensemble Acting, for which they were combined.

          So, how did I get my picks? Throughout the year, as I reviewed each show, I divided the outstanding elements of each show into the appropriate categories, and “graded” them from 0 to 100. I kept nothing that received a score of less than 80. The top scores in each category, except Outstanding Production, were chosen as my “Best of 2006”. Outstanding Production was based on the top averages of each show (scores in all other categories were added up and divided by the number of entries per show). The “winners” are arranged alphabetically, not necessarily from top best to lowest best. I selected between 1 and 5 winners per category, depending on the scores, and numbers of possible winners. For example, there were more possible winners for Outstanding Supporting Actors, so I picked five, while there were many fewer lighting design possibilities, so I picked fewer. Also, when I felt so inclined, I named up to 3 honorable mentions in categories where there were so many exceptional possibilities. Again, these are my personal picks for the best of the past year. Comments? Email me at jameshoward@broadwayworld.com .

Outstanding Production of a Play

• And Then There Were None, Spotlighters
• The Boys Next Door, Fells Point Corner Theatre
• The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?, Mobtown Players
• Southern Baptist Sissies, Spotlighters
• Statements After an Arrest…, Run of the Mill

Honorable Mention

• Angels in America: Millennium Approaches, Spotlighters
• An Inspector Calls, Cockpit-in-Court

Outstanding Production of a Musical

• Dreamgirls, Winters Lane
• Gypsy, Maryland Arts Festival

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play

• Richard Goldberg, Angels in America: Millennium Approaches, Spotlighters
• John Kelso, And Then There Were None, Spotlighters
• Patrick Kilpatrick, Angels in America: Millennium Approaches, Spotlighters
• Tony Viglione, Southern Baptist Sissies, Spotlighters

Honorable Mention

• Carlos del Valle, Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train, Spotlighters
• John Pruitt, The Boys Next Door, Fells Point Corner Theatre

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical

• Randall Dunkle, Sunday in the Park with George, Fells Point Corner Theatre
• Michael Himelfarb, Gypsy, Maryland Arts Festival
• Troy Hopper, Dreamgirls, Winters Lane

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play

• Claire Bowerman, Sight Unseen, Fells Point Corner Theatre
• Liz Boyer Hunnicutt, An Inspector Calls, Cockpit-in-Court
• Christina Enoch, And Then There Were None, Spotlighters
• Karina Ferry, And Then There Were None, Spotlighters
• Courtney Webber, Statements After an Arrest…, Run of the Mill

Honorable Mention

• Diana Cherkis, Measure for Measure, Mobtown Players
• Courtney Krimmel, Hope’s Arbor, Spotlighters/Baltimore Playwrights Festival

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical

• Kelli Blackwell, Dreamgirls, Winters Lane
• Tiffany Walker Porter, Gypsy , Maryland Arts Festival

Honorable Mention

• Christine Annaliese Demuth, Man of La Mancha, Spotlighters
• Santina Maioltesi, Sunday in the Park with George, Fells Point Corner Theatre

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play

• David Allen/>/>/>/>/>/>, Southern Baptist Sissies, Spotlighters
• John Hurley, The Boys Next Door, Fells Point Corner Theatre
• Alex Peri, Southern Baptist Sissies, Spotlighters
• Andrew Syropoulos, Southern Baptist Sissies, Spotlighters

Honorable Mention

• Chris Graybill, Statements After an Arrest… , Run of the Mill
• Mark Squirek, The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?, Mobtown Players
• Russell Wooldridge, The Boys Next Door, Fells Point Corner Theatre

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical

• Alex Cecchetti, The Full Monty, Cockpit-in-Court
• Dan Johnson, The Full Monty, Cockpit-in-Court
• Aaron Reeder, Dreamgirls, Winters Lane

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play

• Alison Buckley, After Dinner, Fells Point Corner Theatre
• CJ Crowe, And Then There Were None, Spotlighters
• Tiffany James, Inventing Van Gogh, Mobtown Players
• Tammy Kugler, Southern Baptist Sissies, Spotlighters

Honorable Mention

• Lydia Real, The Return of the 5th Sister, Mobtown Players/Baltimore Playwrights Festival
• Towanda Underdue, Angels in America: Millennium Approaches, Spotlighters
• Janise Whelan, The Return of the 5th Sister, Mobtown Players/Baltimore Playwrights Festival

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical

• Harriette Bush Clark, The Full Monty, Cockpit-in-Court
• Rebecca LaChance, Man of La Mancha, Spotlighters
• Kathryn M. Lyles, Gypsy, Maryland Arts Festival

Outstanding Ensemble Acting in a Play or Musical

• And Then There Were None, Spotlighters
• Beehive, Maryland Arts Festival
• An Inspector Calls, Cockpit-in-Court
• Southern Baptist Sissies, Spotlighters

Outstanding Playwright

• Rich Espey, Hope’s Arbor, Spotlighters/Baltimore Playwrights Festival
• Mark Squirek, SOD, Mobtown Players/Baltimore Playwrights Festival

Outstanding Direction of a Play

• Randy Dalmas, And Then There Were None, Spotlighters
• Barry Feinstein, Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train, Spotlighters
• Terry Long, Southern Baptist Sissies, Spotlighters
• Alex Willis, The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?, Mobtown Players

Outstanding Direction of a Musical

• Todd Pearthree, Gypsy, Maryland Arts Festival

Honorable Mention

• Bill Kamberger, Sunday in the Park with George, Fells Point Corner Theatre
• Fuzz Roark & Sherrionne Brown, Mamaleh!, Spotlighters

Outstanding Choreography

• Anya Nebel, Dreamgirls, Winters Lane
• Leslie Owens-Harrinton, Beehive, Maryland Arts Festival

Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play

• Sherrionne Brown, And Then There Were None, Spotlighters
• Sherrionne Brown, An Inspector Calls, Cockpit-in-Court
• Tala Chavez, Real Women Have Curves, Catonsville Theatre Company
• Douglas Kotula, Plaza Suite, Cockpit-in-Court

Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musical

• No award given this year.

Outstanding Lighting Design of a Play

• Bob Dover, Statements After an Arrest, Run of the Mill
• Galen Lande, Hope’s Arbor, Spotlighters/Baltimore Playwrights Festival
• Ben MacKrell, Sight Unseen, Fells Point Corner Theatre

Outstanding Lighting Design of a Musical

• No award given this year.

Outstanding Costume Design of a Play

• James J. Fasching, An Inspector Calls, Cockpit-in-Court
• Shannon Maddox, Angels in America: Millennium Approaches, Spotlighters

Outstanding Costume Design of a Musical

• Helenmary Ball, Sunday in the Park with George, Fells Point Corner Theatre
• Anya Nebel, Dreamgirls, Winters Lane

PHOTOS: TOP to BOTTOM: The Goat or Who is Sylvia?; The Boys Next Door (John Hurley, Left; John Pruitt, Center); Tony Viglione of Southen Baptist Sissies; Randy Dunkle of Sunday in the Park with George; Statements After an Arrest... (Courtney Webber, center); Dreamgirls (Kelli Blackwell, center); David Allen, Andrew Syropoulos, Alex Perri of Southern Baptist Sissies; Kathryn Lyles of Gypsy.