4th Annual Kevin Kline Award Nominees Announced

Twenty-one St. Louis theater companies are represented in the nominations for the fourth annual Kevin Kline Awards. Forty-two plays and musicals produced in the St. Louis area during 2008 now share 113 nominations in 22 different categories for the coveted award. The nominations were announced on KWMU-FM's "Cityscape" today, January 16th, 2009.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis received the most nominations, 32, divided among seven different productions that were presented on its mainstage, and in both the Studio and Off-Ramp series. The Muny was the second-highest recipient, with 15 nominations. Stages St. Louis was the third theater to receive double-digit nominations, with 13.

The satirical comedy The Little Dog Laughed, which was produced by the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis as part of its Off-Ramp series, received the most nominations (8), followed by seven nominations for My Fair Lady at the Muny.

Eighty-two actors, directors, choreographers, playwrights and designers received nominations. Six artists received multiple nominations.

""Beyond the statistics alone, I am impressed by the fact that at least six theaters are receiving nominations for the very first time," said Steve Isom, executive director for the Professional Theater Awards Council (PTAC), which administers the awards. "There is no sense of status quo here; the theater community continues to expand."
PTAC was formed in 2004 to heighten awareness of theater in St. Louis. During the twelve months of 2008, more than 100 different plays and musicals were evaluated by a floating pool of 55 judges. Each show was seen by seven judges (children's shows were seen by three judges), and each judge was required to submit his or her ballot within 24 hours of attending a production, thus insuring that each production was weighed on its own merits rather than in comparison to others.

The fourth annual Kevin Kline Awards ceremony will be held on Monday, March 30, at the Loretto-Hilton Center in Webster Groves. Tickets can be purchased by calling 314-531-7529 or by going to www.kevinklineawards.org.

THE NOMINATIONS:

Outstanding Production for Young Audiences
The Jungle Book (Stages St. Louis)
Me and Richard 3 (Shakespeare Festival St. Louis)

Midsummer (Shakespeare Festival St. Louis)

Myth Adventures (The Imaginary Theatre Company)

The Starry Messenger (Upstream Theater)

Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical
Cotton Club Revue (Unity Theatre Ensemble)
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Stages St. Louis)
The Music Man (Stages St. Louis)
My Fair Lady (The Muny)

Sarafina (The Black Rep)

 

Outstanding Ensemble in a Play
Grace and Glorie (Insight Theatre Company)
The Last Seder (New Jewish Theatre)
The Lieutenant of Inishmore (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
The Little Dog Laughed (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Primal (Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble)

Outstanding New Play or Musical
Lee Patton Chiles, Complacency of Silence: Darfur (Gitana Productions)
Tim Collins, A Fire as Bright as Heaven (St. Louis Actors' Studio)
Gregory Jones, Men With Clubs (HotCity Theatre)
Carter W. Lewis, Evie's Waltz (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Dan Rubin and Lauren Dusek, Overexposed (OnSite Theatre Company)

Outstanding Sound Design
Jason Krueger (My Fair Lady, The Muny)
Michael Miceli (Ella, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Zachary Williamson (The Little Dog Laughed, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Kelly Kerr (Mary's Wedding, Echo Theatre Company)
Tori Meyer (Grace and Glorie, Insight Theatre Company)

Outstanding Costume Design
Fumiko Bielefeldt (Emma, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Lou Bird (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Stages St. Louis)
Lou Bird (Little Women, Stages St. Louis)
Lou Bird (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Stages St. Louis)
Amanda Handle (The Comedy of Errors, St. Louis Shakespeare)

Outstanding Lighting Design
Thomas Dunn (The Little Dog Laughed, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
John Lasiter (Ella, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Dominique Gallo (Mary's Wedding, Echo Theatre Company)
Tim Poertner (Complacency of Silence: Darfur, Gitana Productions)
John Wylie (Evie's Waltz, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Outstanding Set Design
Gianna Downs (The Lieutenant of Inishmore, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Steve Gilliam (My Fair Lady, The Muny)
Adrian W. Jones (The Little Dog Laughed, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Scott C. Neale (Blood Knot, Upstream Theater)
Tim Poertner (Complacency of Silence: Darfur, Gitana Productions)
Patrick Huber (9 Parts of Desire, St. Louis Actors' Studio)
Dunsi Dai (Two-Headed, Black Cat Theatre)

Outstanding Choreography
Stephen Bourneuf (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Stages St. Louis)

Bill Burns (The Producers, The Muny)
Niki Harris (My One and Only, The Muny)
Dana Lewis (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Stages St. Louis)
Keith Tyrone (Sarafina, The Black Rep)

Outstanding Musical Direction
Laura Bergquist (Emma, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
David Alexander Foote (Cotton Club Revue, Unity Theatre Ensemble)

Danny Holgate (Ella, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
James Moore (The Producers, The Muny)
Chris Petersen (High Fidelity,New Line Theatre)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play
Colleen M. Backer (Morning's at Seven, Stray Dog Theatre)
Thomasina Clark(Complacency of Silence: Darfur, Gitana Productions)
Kari Ely (Chaim's Love Song, New Jewish Theatre)
Jennifer Nitzband (The Scene, HotCity Theatre)
Jenni Ryan (Grace and Glorie, Insight Theatre Company)
Carolyn Swift (Rabbit Hole, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play
Mark Fisher (The Little Dog Laughed, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Bob Harvey (Chaim's Love Song, New Jewish Theatre)
Joel King(Complacency of Silence: Darfur, Gitana Productions)
Jared Nell (The Comedy of Errors, St. Louis Shakespeare)
John Pierson (The Late Henry Moss, St. Louis Actors' Studio)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical
Colleen M. Backer (Smoke on the Mountain, Mustard Seed Theatre)
Dani Marcus (Emma, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Angie Schworer (The Producers, The Muny)
Willena Vaughn (Cotton Club Revue, Unity Theatre Ensemble)
Zoe Vonder Haar (My Fair Lady, The Muny)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical

Eugene Fleming (My One and Only, The Muny)
Christopher Hickey (Smoke on the Mountain, Mustard Seed Theatre)
Aaron Lawson (High Fidelity, New Line Theatre)
Lee Roy Reams (The Producers, The Muny)
Daniel Reichard (My Fair Lady, The Muny)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play

Victoria Adams-Zischke (Rabbit Hole, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Amy Loui (Two-Headed, Black Cat Theatre)

Erika Rolfsrud (The Little Dog Laughed, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Donna Weinsting ('night, Mother, Stray Dog Theatre)

Magan Wiles (Mary's Wedding, Echo Theatre Company)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play

J. Samuel Davis (Blood Knot, Upstream Theater)

Keith Jochim (Frost/Nixon, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Ben Nordstrom (Mary's Wedding, Echo Theatre Company)

Cody Proctor (The Comedy of Errors, St. Louis Shakespeare)
David Whalen (The Lieutenant of Inishmore, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

 

 

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical

Catherine Brunell (My Fair Lady, The Muny)

Casey Erin Clark (Little Women, Stages St. Louis)

Kari Ely (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Stages St. Louis)

Tina Fabrique (Ella, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Sharisa Whatley (Sarafina, The Black Rep)

 

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical

Timothy Gulan (Emma, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Christopher Kale Jones (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Stages St. Louis)

Jeffrey D. Pruett (Pippin, Stray Dog Theatre)

Lewis J. Stadlen (The Producers, The Muny)

Robert Westenberg (My Fair Lady, The Muny)

 

Outstanding Director of a Play
Philip Boehm (Blood Knot, Upstream Theater)
Stuart Carden (The Lieutenant of Inishmore, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Eric Little (Mary's Wedding, Echo Theatre Company)
Wayne Loui (Grace and Glorie, Insight Theatre Company)
Rob Ruggiero (The Little Dog Laughed, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Outstanding Production of a Play
Blood Knot (Upstream Theater)
Evie's Waltz (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
The Lieutenant of Inishmore (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
The Little Dog Laughed (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Rabbit Hole (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Outstanding Director of a Musical
Stephen Bourneuf (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Stages St. Louis)

Ron Himes (Sarafina, The Black Rep)
Robert Kelly (Emma, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Gary John La Rosa (Fiddler on the Roof, The Muny)

Rob Ruggiero (Ella, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Outstanding Production of a Musical
Cotton Club Revue (Unity Theatre Ensemble)
Ella (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Emma (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Sarafina (The Black Rep)
Thoroughly Modern Millie (Stages St. Louis)

* * *

21 out of 40 participating theater companies are represented:
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (32 nominations)
The Muny (15)
Stages St. Louis (13)
The Black Rep (5)
Echo Theatre Company (5)
Gitana Productions (5)
Upstream Theater (5)
Insight Theatre Company (4)
Unity Theatre Ensemble (4)
New Jewish Theatre (3)
St. Louis Actors' Studio (3)
St. Louis Shakespeare (3)
Stray Dog Theatre (3)
Black Cat Theatre (2)
HotCity Theatre (2)
Mustard Seed Theatre (2)
New Line Theatre (2)
Shakespeare Festival St. Louis (2)
Imaginary Theatre Company (1)
OnSite Theatre Company (1)
Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble (1)

Multiple nominees:
Colleen M. Backer/supporting actress in a musical; supporting actress in a play
Lou Bird/costume design (3)
Stephen Bourneuf/choreography; director of a musical

Kari Ely/lead actress in a musical; supporting actress in a play

Rob Ruggiero/director of a musical; director of a play
Tim Poertner/lighting design; set design

23 Productions that received multiple nominations:
The Little Dog Laughed (8)
My Fair Lady (7)

Ella (6)
Emma (6)
Blood Knot (5)
Complacency of Silence: Darfur (5)
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (5)
The Lieutenant of Inishmore (5)
Mary's Wedding (5)

The Producers (5)

Sarafina (5)

Cotton Club Revue (4)
Grace and Glorie (4)
Thoroughly Modern Millie (4)
The Comedy of Errors (3)
Evie's Waltz (3)
Rabbit Hole (3)

Chaim's Love Song (2)
High Fidelity (2)
Little Women (2)

My One and Only (2)

Smoke on the Mountain (2)

Two-Headed (2)