Musical Theatre West Wins Two LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards

Musical Theatre West took home top honors on January 11th at the Annual LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards for the 2008/2009 awards season.

Musical Theatre West received more nominations than any other regional musical theatre company this season and walked away with two awards. Musical Theatre West's production of The Producers took both Featured Acting in a Musical honors. Sarah Cornell won for her performance as Ulla and Michael Paternostro won for his performance as Carmen Ghia.

Musical Theatre West garnered 5 nominations this year for the 2008/2009 season:

Acting Ensemble - Forbidden Broadway: Greatest Hits Volume 1

Whitney Allen, Susanne Blakeslee, David Engel and Larry Raben
Featured Actor in a Musical - The Producers - David Engel as Roger DeBris
Featured Actor in a Musical - The Producers - Michael Paternostro as Carmen Ghia
Featured Actress in a Musical - The Producers - Sarah Cornell as Ulla
Music Direction - The Producers - Daniel Thomas

Steven Glaudini, MTW's Artistic Director/Producer, who directed The Producers stated, "The Producers was an absolute delight from start to finish...as Ben Brantley said in his New York Times review of the original production: ‘How does one single out highlights in a bonfire?'...well the LA Stage Alliance did by awarding the prestigious Ovation Award to two of our cast members: Sarah Cornell for her hilarious portrayal Ulla and Michael Paternostro for his unforgettable Carmen Ghia. Directing these two actors was a happy collaboration filled with a lot of laughs...I mean a LOT. Many congratulations for these well deserved awards!"

Past MTW Ovation winners have been, for Featured Actress in a Musical: Gwen Stewart for All Shook Up and Sally Struthers for Mame, Lead Actor in a Musical; David Engel for Crazy for You, Best Ensemble for Swing and The Andrews Brothers and Lee Martino for Best Choreography for Guys and Dolls.

Established in 1989, The Ovation Awards were established to celebrate artistic excellence in theatre production, design and performance and to bring attention to the Greater LA theatre community. The LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles. Labeled the "...highest-profile contest for local theatre..." by the Los Angeles Times, the Ovation Awards presents an opportunity for the theatre community to join together and focus public attention on the area's rich and lively performing arts scene. Another goal of the program is to draw national attention to the quality and quantity of professional theatre in Los Angeles.

The Ovation Awards season runs from September 1st to August 31st each year, and culminates in a black-tie awards ceremony which was held on January 11, 2010 at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center.

LA Stage Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to building awareness, appreciation and support for the performing arts in Greater Los Angeles through community building, collaborative marketing, audience development, professional development to strengthen operations for members and advocacy.

Now in its 57th season, Musical Theatre West is one of Southern California's largest and most-respected theater companies. Under the leadership of Executive Director/Producer Paul Garman, the company has garnered numerous awards and accolades for its work (including 21 Ovation Award nominations over the past three seasons and the Margaret Harford Award for Sustained Excellence in the Theatre) while presenting the entire spectrum of musical comedy. Following Sweeney Todd (January 29-February 14, 2010) in the 2009/2010 Season is, The Marvelous Wonderettes (April 16-May 2, 2010) and 1776 (July 9-25, 2010).

Musical Theatre West performances are at the beautiful 1070-seat Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center on the campus of California State University, Long Beach. Tickets for Sweeney Todd range from $30-$80 and can be purchased through the MTW Box Office at (562) 856-1999 x 4 or online at www.musical.org.

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