Broadway Talent Helps Barrington Stage Company Sweep 1st Annual Berkshire Theatre Awards

Barrington Stage Company (BSC), the award-winning theatre in Downtown Pittsfield, MA, under the leadership of Artistic Director JuliAnne Boyd and Managing Director TriStan Wilson, swept the First Annual Berkshire Theatre Awards last night, winning 20 out of possible 25 awards. Winners of the awards-nicknamed "The Berkies"-were first announced on Monday, October 17, 2016, and awards were presented Sunday, November 13 at a ceremony held at Mr. Finn's Cabaret (36 Linden St) in Pittsfield, MA.

THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE took home the most awards, with eight, followed by AMERICAN SON and BROADWAY BOUNTy Hunter, which received five awards each. BSC's production of KIMBERLY AKIMBO was also recognized in the category of Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in an Intimate Theatre.

Also announced last night was the recipient of the "Larry Murray Award," named for the founder of the awards program and given to a person or theatre project that advances social, political, or community issues. JuliAnne Boyd, Artistic Director of Barrington Stage Company, was announced as the recipient of the inaugural "Larry Murray Award." Ms. Boyd received the honor specifically for her work on AMERICAN SON and her work with at-risk youth.

Larry Murray has long promoted the idea of a Berkshire Theatre Awards program. Now 67, Murray has worked in the arts and culturAl Fields for much of his life, and been the editor and publisher of BerkshireOnStage.com since 2010. Prior to that he did promotion and marketing for Warner Brothers, Universal International Films, The Pocket Mime Theatre, Boston Ballet, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He was a founder of Arts Boston and headed that city's Midtown Cultural District Task Force, a community based planning group that shaped zoning to encourage developers to carve out new theater spaces for smaller resident companies as part of their mixed use projects. That zoning passed in 1990 and changed Boston from one that was known as a pre-Broadway tryout city to one that nurtured dozens of its own local companies, employing resident actors, directors and writers. Murray was also recruited in the mid-1980's by legendary critic and PBS television host Elliot Norton to help create the Elliot Norton Awards, which continue to this day.

The event was hosted by Murray and members of the Founders' Committee, which includes: J. Peter Bergman, Robert Bruyr, Gail M. Burns, Macey Levin, Gloria Miller, and Ed Sedarbaum. Other voting members of the Berkshire Theatre Critics Association include: Mark G. Auerbach, Jeffrey Borak, Dan Dwyer, Helen Epstein, Bob Goepfert, Charles Giuliano, Rex Hearn, Chris Rohmann, Fred Sokol, Stephen Sorokoff, Robert Sugarman, and Sally Sugarman.

BSC's 2016 season recently concluded with Mark St. Germain's Camping with Henry and Tom, the recipient of both the Outer Critics Circle Award and the Lucille Lortel Award. Directed by Christopher Innvar, Camping with Henry and Tom began performances October 5, 2016 and ran through October 23. Programming for the 2017 season will be announced soon.

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THE 2016 WINNERS FROM Barrington Stage Company ARE AS FOLLOWS:

Outstanding Production of a Play - Large Theatre:

American Son

Outstanding Production of a Musical - Large Theatre:

The Pirates of Penzance

Outstanding Production of a Musical - Intimate Theatre:

Broadway BounTy Hunter

Outstanding Production of a New Play:

American Son-Christopher Demos-Brown, playwright

Outstanding Production of a New Musical:

Broadway BounTy Hunter-Joe Iconis, music and lyrics; Joe Iconis, Lance Rubin and Jason SweetTooth Williams, co-book writers

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor - Large Theatre:

Will Swenson in The Pirates of Penzance

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor - Large Theatre:

Tamara Tunie in American Son

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor - Intimate Theatre:

Debra Jo Rupp in Kimberly Akimbo

Outstanding Supporting Performance by a Male Actor - Large Theatre: (tie)

Andre Ware in American Son

Outstanding Supporting Performance by a Male Actor - Intimate Theatre:

Jeff McCarthy in Broadway BounTy Hunter

Outstanding Supporting Performance by a Female Actor - Large Theatre: (tie)

Scarlett Strallen in The Pirates of Penzance

Outstanding Direction of a Play - Large Theatre:

JuliAnne Boyd for American Son

Outstanding Direction of a Musical - Large Theatre:

John Rando for The Pirates of Penzance

Outstanding Direction of a Musical - Intimate Theatre:

JuliAnne Boyd for Broadway BounTy Hunter

Outstanding Choreography - Large Theatre:

Joshua Bergasse for The Pirates of Penzance

Outstanding Choreography - Intimate Theatre:

Jeffrey Page for Broadway BounTy Hunter

Outstanding Scenic Design for Play or Musical:

Beowulf Borritt for The Pirates of Penzance

Outstanding Lighting Design for a Play or Musical:

Jason Lyons for The Pirates of Penzance

Best Costume Design for a Play or Musical:

Jess Goldstein for The Pirates of Penzance

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Barrington Stage Company, a professional award-winning Equity regional theatre located in the heart of the Berkshires, in Pittsfield, MA, was co-founded in 1995 by Artistic Director JuliAnne Boyd. Barrington Stage's mission is three-fold: to present top-notch, compelling work; to develop new plays and musicals; and to find fresh, bold ways to bringing new audiences into the theatre-especially young people. Barrington Stage garnered national attention in 2004 when it premiered William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin's musical hit The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which later transferred to Broadway, where it won two Tony Awards. In 2009/2010 Barrington Stage produced the world premiere of Mark St. Germain's Freud's Last Session, which later moved Off-Broadway and played for two years. St. Germain's Becoming Dr. Ruth (which premiered at BSC as Dr. Ruth, All the Way in 2012) played Off-Broadway at the Westside Theatre in fall 2013. BSC's all-time record-breaking musical, On the Town, originally presented in 2013, opened on Broadway in 2014 with BSC as a co-producer, where it was nominated for four Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival. Barrington Stage was named "Best Theatre Company" in Metroland's Best of the Capital Region 2009-2012, and was voted "Best Live Theatre" by The Berkshire Eagle readers in 2011, 2012, and 2015. For more, visit www.BarringtonStageCo.org.

Pictured: Broadway BounTy Hunter celebrates opening night at Barrington. Photo by Stephen Sorokoff.

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