BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY, AN AMERICAN HERO, and More Win Big at NYMF

The New York Musical Festival (NYMF) announced today the winners of the 2018 NYMF Awards for Excellence, which were awarded on Sunday, August 5, 2018 at Hudson Terrace (621 W 46th St, New York, NY 10036). The 2018 NYMF Award for Best Musical Sponsored by Play-by-Play was awarded to BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY, with the Best of Fest Awards for Readings, Concerts, and Productions, going to LEGACY: A MUSICAL INDICTMENT, FATTY FATTY NO FRIENDS, and AN AMERICAN HERO: A NEW WORLD WAR II MUSICAL, respectively. BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY, INTERSTATE, EMOJILAND, and PEDRO PAN took home 5 awards each.

The 2018 NYMF Awards for Excellence were designed by Kevin Lee Allen and generously commissioned by Hugh Hayes, a longstanding NYMF Board Member and founder of Play-by-Play. A full list of nominees and winners can be found below.

2018 NYMF AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE

OUTSTANDING OVERALL DESIGN

Winner: BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY - Joshua Warner (Scenic Design), Jessica Creager (Lighting Design), Heather Carey (Costume Design), Josh Liebert (Sound Design)

Nominees:

AN AMERICAN HERO: A NEW WORLD WAR II MUSICAL - Amber Marisa Cook (Scenic Design), Christopher George Haug (Lighting Design), Deana Leutkenhaus and James M. Miller (Costume Design), Philip Nacy (Sound Design)

EMOJILAND - David Goldstein (Scenic Design), Jamie Roderick (Lighting Design), Sarah Zinn (Costume Design), Ken Goodwin (Sound Design), Anthony Freitas (Prop Design), Lisa Renkel (Projection Design)

IF SAND WERE STONE - Darren Joel Diggle (Scenic Design), Adam Honore (Lighting Design), Machel Ross (Costume Design), Emily Gardner Xu Hall (Sound Design), Jess Medenbach (Projection Design)

OUTSTANDING MUSICAL ARRANGEMENTS AND ORCHESTRATIONS

Winner: Thomas Hodges, SONATA 1962

Nominees:

Luke Byrne, BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY

Keith Harrison, EMOJILAND

Kyle Acheson, THICKET & THISTLE'S WHAT'S YOUR WISH?

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY

Winner: Kenny Ingram, EMOJILAND

Nominees:

Jim Cooney, BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY

Sidney Erik Wright, PEDRO PAN

David Rossetti, PETER, WHO?

Jeff Davis, THE GUNFIGHTER MEETS HIS MATCH

OUTSTANDING BOOK

Winner: Justin Moran and Jonathan Roufaeal, PETER, WHO?

Nominees:

Luke Byrne, BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY

Keith Harrison and Laura Nicole Harrison, EMOJILAND

Rebecca Aparicio, PEDRO PAN

Patricia Loughrey, SONATA 1962

OUTSTANDING LYRICS

Winner: Kit Yan and Melissa Li, INTERSTATE

Nominees:

Luke Byrne, BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY

Keith Harrison and Laura Nicole Harrison, EMOJILAND

Justin Moran and Jonathan Roufaeal, PETER, WHO

Thomas Hodges and Patricia Loughrey, SONATA 1962

OUTSTANDING MUSIC

Winner: Luke Byrne, BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY

Nominees:

Keith Harrison and Laura Nicole Harrison, EMOJILAND

Melissa Li, INTERSTATE

Thomas Hodges, SONATA 1962

Abby Payne, THE GUNFIGHTER MEETS HIS MATCH

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Winners:

Alexis Floyd, IF SAND WERE STONE

Natalie Toro, PEDRO PAN

Nominees:

Jessie Alagna, EMOJILAND

Kiet Tai Cao, INTERSTATE

Zoe Farmingdale, PETER, WHO?

Sarah Jane Shanks, BETWEEN THE SEA AND THE SKY

Chris Evan Simpson, PETER, WHO?

Romelda Teron Benjamin, SONATA 1962

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE IN A LEADING ROLE

Winners:

Trish Lindstr?m, IF SAND WERE STONE

Sushma Saha, INTERSTATE

Christina Maxwell, SONATA 1962

Nominees:

Jenny Rose Baker, BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY

Keith Harrison, EMOJILAND

Lesli Margherita, EMOJILAND

Travis Nilan, PETER, WHO?

Joshua Stenseth, THICKET & THISTLE's WHAT'S YOUR WISH?

OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE

Winners - tie:

BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY. Cast includes: Anna L. Baker, Jenny Rose Baker, Jordan Bell, Thaddeus Kolwicz, Caroline Lellouche, Barbara McCulloh, Jason Moody, Sarah Jane Shanks, Jessica Turk

EMOJILAND. Cast includes: Jessie Alagna, Brandon L. Armstrong, Jordon Bolden, Chloe Fox, Keith Harrison, Laura Nicole Harrison, Cooper Howell, Megan Kane, Alex G. Kunz, Josh Lamon, Lesli Margherita, Angela Wildflower

Nominees:

PETER, WHO?

THICKET & THISTLE'S WHAT'S YOUR WISH?

OUTSTANDING DIRECTION

Winner: Michael Bello, BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY

Nominees:

Thomas Caruso, EMOJILAND

John Treacy Egan, PETER, WHO?

Katherine M. Carter, SONATA 1962

Jonathan Eric Foster, THICKET & THISTLE'S WHAT'S YOUR WISH?

BEST MUSICAL SPONSORED BY PLAY-BY-PLAY

Winner: BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY -Book, Music, and Lyrics by Luke Byrne

Nominees:

EMOJILAND - Book, Music, and Lyrics by Keith Harrison and Laura Nicole Harrison

INTERSTATE - Book and Lyrics by Kit Yan and Melissa Li; Music by Melissa Li

PETER, WHO? - Book and Lyrics by Justin Moran & Jonathan Roufaeal; Music by Doug Katsaros & Adam Podd

SONATA 1962 - Book by Patricia Loughrey; Music by Thomas Hodges; Lyrics by Patricia Loughrey and Thomas Hodges

THE FOLLOWING RECEIVED OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE AWARDS:

Taylor Caldwell, PEDRO PAN

Gregory Diaz IV, PEDRO PAN

Kristen Di Mercurio, THE GUNFIGHTER MEETS HIS MATCH

Esco Jouléy, INTERSTATE

Josh Lamon, EMOJILAND

Adam Schween, AN AMERICAN HERO: A NEW WORLD WAR II MUSICAL

Julian Silva, PEDRO PAN

Uton Evan Uneyjekwe, '68: A NEW AMERICAN MUSICAL

Angela Wildflower, EMOJILAND

Andreas Wyder, INTERSTATE

SPECIAL CITATIONS

University Excellence: Southeast Missouri State University for their production of AN AMERICAN HERO: A NEW WORLD WAR II MUSICAL with Book by Kenneth L. Stilson and Music and Lyrics by Cody Cole

Festival Achievement in Lighting Design, Jamie Roderick for EMOJILAND

Mental Health Awareness: Carly Brooke Feinman and Cassie Wilson, IF SAND WERE STONE

Representation and Inclusion: Melissa Li and Kit Yan, INTERSTATE

Political Relevance and Impact: Rebecca Aparicio and Stephen Anthony Elkins, PEDRO PAN

Arts Advocacy: Thomas Hodges and Patricia Loughrey, SONATA 1962

2018 BEST OF FEST AWARDS

BEST OF FEST: READING

LEGACY: A MUSICAL INDICTMENT

Book, Music, and Lyrics by November Christine

BEST OF FEST: CONCERT

FATTY FATTY NO FRIENDS

Book by Christian De Gré, Joseph Anderson & Serrana Gay; Music by Christian De Gré; Story by Serrana Gay; Lyrics by Joseph Anderson

BEST OF FEST: PRODUCTION

AN AMERICAN HERO: A NEW WORLD WAR II MUSICAL

Book by Kenneth L. Stilson; Music and Lyrics by Cody Cole

AWARDS PER PRODUCTION:

BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY - 5

EMOJILAND - 5

INTERSTATE - 5

PEDRO PAN - 5

IF SAND WERE STONE - 3

SONATA 1962 - 3

AN AMERICAN HERO: A WWII MUSICAL - 3

THE GUNFIGHTER MEETS HIS MATCH - 1

PETER, WHO? - 1

'68: A NEW AMERICAN MUSICAL - 1

The full list of productions, concerts, and readings for 2018 NYMF includes '68: AN NEW AMERICAN MUSICAL. AN AMERICAN HERO: A WWII MUSICAL; BAD ASS BEAUTY - A ROCK OPERA; BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY; BRAD KNOWS NOTHING; THE CIVILITY OF ALBERT CASHIER; DEFY YOUR EXPECTATIONS; FATTY FATTY NO FRIENDS; GIRL FROM NOWHERE; THE GUNFIGHTER MEETS HIS MATCH; EMOJILAND; HEALING RETREAT: A LIFE OF JOY; HELD: A MUSICAL FANTASY; IF SAND WERE STONE; ILLUMINATI LIZARDS FROM OUTER SPACE; INTERSTATE; LEGACY THE MUSICAL; LIVING HISTORY: AN INSIDE LOOK AT SHOW TIME! THE FIRST 100 YEARS OF THE AMERICAN MUSICAL; MYTHOS: THE CRIMSON CHORUS; PEDRO PAN; PETER, WHO?; SATURDAYS; SONATA 1962; STORMING HEAVEN: THE MUSICAL; VICTORY TRAIN; WONDER BOI; and WHAT'S YOUR WISH?

For a full list of productions, readings, events, and concerts, visit NYMF.org.

Photo Credit: Russ Rowland