Theatre Philadelphia Announces 2015 Barrymore Nominees!
By: BWW News Desk Aug. 24, 2015
Theatre Philadelphia is thrilled to announce the nominees for the 2015 Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre. Now in its second season since its successful relaunch, the 2015 Barrymore Awards will celebrate and honor outstanding achievements in professional theatre throughout the Greater Philadelphia region during the 2014/15 season.
The 2015 Barrymore Awards Ceremony will be held Monday, November 2 at 7 p.m. at the Merriam Theater on Philadelphia's Avenue of the Arts. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, August 25 at noon at www.theatrephiladelphia.org, and will be priced at $50 for industry, $75 for the general public, and $125 for Honorary Committee members, which includes VIP seating and other donor benefits. The Ceremony will be followed by an After-Party at the University of the Arts' Dorrance Hamilton Hall, where guests will network with fellow artists, supporters, and theatregoers.
During the 2014/15 season, which ran July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015, an all-volunteer team of dedicated theatre artists, critics, and scholars saw 105 professional productions featuring the work of more than 550 artists. From the total pool of 60 Nominators, a team of 8 were randomly assigned to see each Barrymore-eligible production. Productions receiving a "yes" vote in any award category by at least 5 Nominators were deemed Barrymore Recommended, and moved on to the panel of 12 Judges for further consideration. The Judges met quarterly for in-depth discussions about the productions being considered. At the end of the theatre season, each of the Judges submitted their top choices in each award category, followed by a meeting to collaboratively narrow those choices down to a maximum of seven nominees in play categories and a maximum of four nominees in musical categories.
The 2015 nominees for Outstanding Overall Production of a Play are Caught (InterAct Theatre Company); The Dangerous House of Pretty Mbane (InterAct Theatre Company); In the Blood (Theatre Horizon); Rapture, Blister, Burn (The Wilma Theater); To The Moon (1812 Productions); The Whale (Theatre Exile); and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Theatre Exile).
The 2015 nominees for Outstanding Overall Production of a Musical are Field Hockey Hot (11th Hour Theatre Company), Herringbone (Flashpoint Theatre Company), Into the Woods (Theatre Horizon), and Ragtime (Bristol Riverside Theatre).
The F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Philadelphia Theatre Artist is awarded annually to a rising talent in the Greater Philadelphia region. Funded by Carole Haas Gravagno through the CHG Charitable Trust, this award includes a $15,000 cash prize for the recipient and $2,000 for each finalist - reflecting a $9,000 increase in total prize money as of 2014. The only award of its kind in the nation, it is intended to support an artist's living expenses so they can focus on their craft, as well as to encourage the artist to remain in the Greater Philadelphia community. This year's multi-talented finalists showcase the depth of the Philadelphia theatre community: actor and composer/musician Alex Bechtel, actor and Team Sunshine Performance Corporation co-founder Benjamin Camp, actor Akeem Davis, costume designer and teaching artist Katherine Fritz, and actor and teaching artist Bi Jean Ngo.
The Virginia Brown Martin Philadelphia Award seeks to honor those plays that best lead audiences to a better understanding of the unique experience of particular segments of our global community. Through their accurate and insightful representation of perspectives unique to gender, ethnicity, religion, age and other categories of specialized experience, these plays enlighten us and help us to better appreciate different points of view without demanding that we agree with them. The award carries a $25,000 cash prize for the winner and $2,500 for each finalist, funded by the Virginia Brown Martin Fund of The Philadelphia Foundation. This year's nominees are The Dangerous House of Pretty Mbane at InterAct Theatre Company, The Gun Show at Passage Theatre Company, In the Blood at Theatre Horizon, Speech and Debate at Azuka Theatre, and The Whale at Theatre Exile.
Now in its third year, the June and Steve Wolfson Award for an Evolving Theatre recognizes, promotes, and rewards the creativity, growth, and excellence of evolving theatres within the Greater Philadelphia community. The award is intended to help foster interaction within the theatre community, increase the community's richness and diversity, and focus public awareness and accessibility to the most vibrant professional theatre community in the nation. The award carries a $10,000 prize and is sponsored by the June and Steve Wolfson Family Foundation. To be considered for the award, theatres must have a maximum annual budget of $400,000. This year's nominees are The Berserker Residents, EgoPo Classic Theater, Flashpoint Theatre Company, Philadelphia Artists' Collective,Quintessence Theatre Group, and Simpatico Theatre Project.
The 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award will go to longtime Philadelphia actor, director, and retired/tenured University of the Arts associate theatre professor Johnnie Hobbs, Jr. A three-time Barrymore Award nominee, Hobbs is especially proud of his 40-year association with Freedom Theatre where he has played key roles in some of the company's most critically acclaimed productions. He has appeared in film and on stages across the region throughout his career, most recently in Flashpoint Theatre Company's production of Hands Up: 6 Playwrights, 6 Testaments. He is currently in rehearsals for The Shoplifters at 1812 Productions, which begins previews this week.
A total of 34 professional theatre companies participated in the adjudication process during the 2014/15 season, including 11th Hour Theatre Company, 1812 Productions, Act II Playhouse, Arden Theatre Company, Azuka Theatre, BrainSpunk Theater, Bristol Riverside Theatre, Commonwealth Classic Theatre Company, Curio Theatre Company, Delaware Theatre Company, The Eagle Theatre, EgoPo Classic Theater, Flashpoint Theatre Company, Hedgerow Theatre, The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium, Inis Nua Theatre Company, InterAct Theatre Company, Isis Productions, Lantern Theater Company, Luna Theater Company, Mauckingbird Theatre Company, Montgomery Theater, Passage Theatre Company, People's Light, Philadelphia Artists' Collective, The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Plays & Players Theatre, Quintessence Theatre Group, Simpatico Theatre Project, Storybook Musical Theatre, Theatre Exile, Theatre Horizon, and The Wilma Theater.
The Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre - 2015 Nominees by Category:
Outstanding Overall Production of a Play
Caught (InterAct Theatre Company)
The Dangerous House of Pretty Mbane (InterAct Theatre Company)
In the Blood (Theatre Horizon)
Rapture, Blister, Burn (The Wilma Theater)
To The Moon (1812 Productions)
The Whale (Theatre Exile)
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Theatre Exile)
Outstanding Overall Production of a Musical
Field Hockey Hot (11th Hour Theatre Company)
Herringbone (Flashpoint Theatre Company)
Into the Woods (Theatre Horizon)
Ragtime (Bristol Riverside Theatre)
Outstanding Direction of a Play
Joe Canuso (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Theatre Exile)
Matt Pfeiffer (To The Moon, 1812 Productions)
Matt Pfeiffer (The Whale, Theatre Exile)
Joanna Settle (Rapture, Blister, Burn, The Wilma Theater)
Rick Shiomi (Caught, InterAct Theatre Company)
Pirronne Yousefzadeh (The Dangerous House of Pretty Mbane, InterAct Theatre Company)
Pirronne Yousefzadeh (In the Blood, Theatre Horizon)
Outstanding Direction of a Musical
Keith Baker (Ragtime, Bristol Riverside Theatre)
Matthew Decker (Into the Woods, Theatre Horizon)
Bill Fennelly (Herringbone, Flashpoint Theatre Company)
Megan Nicole O'Brien (Field Hockey Hot, 11th Hour Theatre Company)
Outstanding Leading Actor in a Play
Pearce Bunting (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Theatre Exile)
Peter DeLaurier (QED, Lantern Theater Company)
Charlie DelMarcelle (The Glass Menagerie, Act II Playhouse)
Michael Genet (Fences, People's Light)
Scott Greer (To The Moon, 1812 Productions)
Scott Greer (The Whale, Theatre Exile)
Jered McLenigan (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, The Wilma Theater)
Outstanding Leading Actress in a Play
Carla Belver (The Glass Menagerie, Act II Playhouse)
Kim Carson (Nora, Delaware Theatre Company)
Melanye Finister (Fences, People's Light)
Eleanor Handley (Lost in Yonkers, Bristol Riverside Theatre)
Aimé Donna Kelly (The Dangerous House of Pretty Mbane, InterAct Theatre Company)
Mary McDonnell (The Cherry Orchard, People's Light)
Catharine Slusar (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Theatre Exile)
Outstanding Leading Actor in a Musical
Derrick Cobey (Ragtime, Bristol Riverside Theatre)
Ben Dibble (Herringbone, Flashpoint Theatre Company)
Michael Thomas Holmes (Ragtime, Bristol Riverside Theatre)
Steve Pacek (Into the Woods, Theatre Horizon)
Outstanding Leading Actress in a Musical
Rachel Camp (Into the Woods, Theatre Horizon)
Kim Carson (Arthur and the Tale of the Red Dragon, People's Light)
Liz Filios (Passion, Arden Theatre Company)
April Woodall (Souvenir, Montgomery Theater)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play
Akeem Davis (In the Blood, Theatre Horizon)
Charlie DelMarcelle (The Jungle Book, Arden Theatre Company)
Dan Hodge (The Fair Maid of the West, Philadelphia Artists' Collective)
Dave Johnson (The Taming of the Shrew, Lantern Theater Company)
Anthony Lawton (To The Moon, 1812 Productions)
Graham Smith (The Cherry Orchard, People's Light)
Ed Swidey (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, The Wilma Theater)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play
K.O. DelMarcelle (Detroit, Philadelphia Theatre Company)
K.O. DelMarcelle (The Taming of the Shrew, Lantern Theater Company)
Lynette Freeman (The Dangerous House of Pretty Mbane, InterAct Theatre Company)
Emilie Krause (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Theatre Exile)
Campbell O'Hare (Rapture, Blister, Burn, The Wilma Theater)
Campbell O'Hare (The Whale, Theatre Exile)
Susan Riley Stevens (Nora, Delaware Theatre Company)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical
Alex Bechtel (Into the Woods, Theatre Horizon)
Charlie DelMarcelle (Into the Woods, Theatre Horizon)
Michael Doherty (Into the Woods, Theatre Horizon)
Michael Phillip O'Brien (Field Hockey Hot, 11th Hour Theatre Company)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical
Liz Filios (Into the Woods, Theatre Horizon)
Leigha Kato (Into the Woods, Theatre Horizon)
Ciji Prosser (Ragtime, Bristol Riverside Theatre)
Leah Walton (Field Hockey Hot, 11th Hour Theatre Company)
Outstanding Scenic Design
Scott Bradley (brownsville song (b-side for tray), Philadelphia Theatre Company)
Brian Dudkiewicz (In the Blood, Theatre Horizon)
Melpomene Katakalos (Caught, InterAct Theatre Company)
Lance Kniskern (The Taming of the Shrew, Lantern Theater Company)
Kristen Robinson (Rapture, Blister, Burn, The Wilma Theater)
Jason Simms (Lost in Yonkers, Bristol Riverside Theatre)
Jason Simms (Ragtime, Bristol Riverside Theatre)
Outstanding Costume Design
Esther Arroyo (Nora, Delaware Theatre Company)
Maggie Baker (Penelope, Inis Nua Theatre Company)
Marie Anne Chiment (Arthur and the Tale of the Red Dragon, People's Light)
Marla Jurglanis (Bach at Leipzig, People's Light)
Marla Jurglanis (The Cherry Orchard, People's Light)
Rosemarie McKelvey (La Bête, Arden Theatre Company)
Lauren Perigard (Into the Woods, Theatre Horizon)
Outstanding Lighting Design
Russell H. Champa (brownsville song (b-side for tray), Philadelphia Theatre Company)
Cecilia Durbin (In the Blood, Theatre Horizon)
Dennis Parichy (The Cherry Orchard, People's Light)
Thom Weaver (Passion, Arden Theatre Company)
Thom Weaver (Rapture, Bister, Burn, The Wilma Theater)
Thom Weaver (The Whale, Theatre Exile)
Yi Zhao (Hamlet, The Wilma Theater)
Clear Sound Award for Outstanding Sound Design
Christopher Colucci (The Hound of Baskervilles, Lantern Theater Company)
Christopher Colucci (Uncanny Valley, InterAct Theatre Company)
Christopher Colucci (The Whale, Theatre Exile)
Jorge Cousineau (Bach at Leipzig, People's Light)
Daniel Perelstein (The Dangerous House of Pretty Mbane, InterAct Theatre Company)
Daniel Perelstein (Passion, Arden Theatre Company)
Ryan Rumery (brownsville song (b-side for tray), Philadelphia Theatre Company)
Outstanding Original Music
Alex Bechtel (To The Moon, 1812 Productions)
Christopher Colucci (The Whale, Theatre Exile)
ILL DOOTS (Hands Up: 6 Playwrights, 6 Testaments, Flashpoint Theatre Company)
Michael Ogborn (Arthur and the Tale of the Red Dragon, People's Light)
Michael Ogborn (Field Hockey Hot, 11th Hour Theatre Company)
Daniel Perelstein (The Dangerous House of Pretty Mbane, InterAct Theatre Company)
Stew (Rapture, Blister, Burn, The Wilma Theater)
Outstanding Choreography/Movement
Samantha Bellomo (Bach at Leipzig, People's Light)
Stephen Casey (Ragtime, Bristol Riverside Theatre)
Michael Cosenza (The Fair Maid of the West, Philadelphia Artists' Collective)
Dann Dunn (Catch Me If You Can, The Eagle Theatre)
Ellie Mooney (Field Hockey Hot, 11th Hour Theatre Company)
Ian Rose (As You Like It, Quintessence Theatre Group)
Ian Rose (The Three Musketeers, Quintessence Theatre Group)
Outstanding Music Direction
Dan Kazemi (Field Hockey Hot, 11th Hour Theatre Company)
Dan Kazemi (Herringbone, Flashpoint Theatre Company)
Amanda Morton (Into the Woods, Theatre Horizon)
Ryan Touhey (Ragtime, Bristol Riverside Theatre)
Outstanding Ensemble in a Play
Bach at Leipzig (People's Light)
The Fair Maid of the West (Philadelphia Artists' Collective)
The Hound of Baskervilles (Lantern Theater Company)
In the Blood (Theatre Horizon)
The Jungle Book (Arden Theatre Company)
Little Rock (Passage Theatre Company)
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Theatre Exile)
Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical
Arthur and the Tale of the Red Dragon (People's Light)
Field Hockey Hot (11th Hour Theatre Company)
Into the Woods (Theatre Horizon)
Ragtime (Bristol Riverside Theatre)
Independence Foundation Award for Outstanding New Play
Caught by Christopher Chen (InterAct Theatre Company)
The Dangerous House of Pretty Mbane by Jen Silverman (InterAct Theatre Company)
Hands Up: 6 Playwrights, 6 Testaments by The New Black Fest (Flashpoint Theatre Company)
To The Moon by Jennifer Childs (1812 Productions)
F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Philadelphia Theatre Artist
Alex Bechtel
Benjamin Camp
Katherine Fritz
Virginia Brown Martin Philadelphia Award
The Dangerous House of Pretty Mbane (InterAct Theatre Company)
The Gun Show (Passage Theatre Company)
In the Blood (Theatre Horizon)
Speech and Debate (Azuka Theatre)
The Whale (Theatre Exile)
June and Steve Wolfson Award for an Evolving Theatre Company
The Berserker Residents
EgoPo Classic Theater
Flashpoint Theatre Company
Philadelphia Artists' Collective
Quintessence Theatre Group
Simpatico Theatre Project
Lifetime Achievement Award
Originally established in 1994 and successfully relaunched in 2013, the Barrymore Awards serve as Philadelphia's professional theatre awards program, recognizing artists for excellence and innovation while increasing public awareness of the richness and diversity of our city's thriving theatre community. A nationally recognized symbol of excellence for professional theatre in our region, the Barrymore Awards raise the bar for the work produced by local theatres and individual artists while providing cash awards that strengthen companies and individual artists' abilities to pursue artistic work of the highest caliber. Theatre Philadelphia also seeks to leverage the Barrymore Awards to provide high-value marketing exposure for all participating theatres and artists.
Founded in 2012 by a dedicated group of artistic and managing theatre leaders, Theatre Philadelphia is a leadership organization that celebrates and promotes professional theatre in the Greater Philadelphia region, primarily via the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre and related theatre marketing efforts. Theatre Philadelphia also seeks to identify and build upon opportunities that will strengthen the Philadelphia theatre community as a whole while engaging foundations, corporations, and individual donors who are invested in the health and vitality of theatre in our city.
More information about the Barrymore Awards and Theatre Philadelphia is available online at www.theatrephiladelphia.org.
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