BACT Wins Six Theatre Bay Area Awards, Including Outstanding World Premiere Musical

An original production of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site-The Musical by the Bay Area Children's Theatre (BACT) has won six awards at the 2016 Theatre Bay Area (TBA) Awards Celebration, including Outstanding Production of a Musical, Outstanding Direction of a Musical, and Outstanding World Premiere Musical.

The annual TBA Awards Celebration, held Monday night at San Francisco's venerable Geary Theater, honors the excellence of professionally-oriented theatre in the Bay Area. TBA Awards are presented in three tiers, based on the budget and number of union contracts of the theater companies involved. BACT took highest honors in Tier II for:

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL

OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL: Nina Meehan

OUTSTANDING FEMALE ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL: Jamella Cross

OUTSTANDING MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Grace Renaud

OUTSTANDING PROPERTIES DESIGN: Joan Howard

The OUTSTANDING WORLD PREMIERE MUSICAL award honors one production, without regard for the tier of the theatre companies in contention. BACT took this honor for Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site-The Musical, with book, music and lyrics by Austin Zumbro, who adapted the New York Times bestselling picture book about hard-working construction vehicles by Sherri Duskey Rinker, with illustrations by Tom Lichtenheld, for the stage, complete with music, rhyme and gentle winks to parents about the familiar antics and personalities of the busy vehicles.

"Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site-The Musical is all about working together as a team," said BACT Executive Director Nina Meehan. "The six awards we've won are a true representation of the collaboration of all the incredible artists who brought their creativity, artistry and love of work for young audiences to this show. We are grateful to the entire Bay Area artistic community for recognizing the hard work of the team and the artistic achievement of new musicals, which help audiences come together and make connections through story, imagination, song and dance."

Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site-The Musical was also recognized with nominations in six other categories:

· OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY: Hannah Dworkin for Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, the Musical

· OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN: Amy Bobeda for Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, the Musical

· OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE IN A MUSICAL: Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, the Musical

· OUTSTANDING FEMALE ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL: Isabel To for Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, the Musical

· OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN: Kevin A. Landesman for Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, the Musical

· OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN: Sandy Small for Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, the Musical

((3 high res .jpegs attached:

1. Cast of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site-The Musical performing the show's opening number at the TBA Awards Celebration. Photo credit: David Auslander

2. BACT Executive Director Nina Meehan (right) accepting TBA award for Outstanding Direction of a Musical. Photo credit: David Auslander

3. Austin Zumbro, playwright, composer, lyricist. His Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site-The Musical was named Outstanding World Premiere Musical

About the Winners

Nina Meehan is executive director of BACT and has directed numerous productions for the company, including, recently, The Wheels on the Bus, A Year With Frog and Toad; Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site-The Musical; The Day the Crayons Quit, the Musical, and James and the Giant Peach. She champions new works for young audiences and has produced original adaptations of BACT's award-winning Where the Mountain Meets the Moon; Ivy+Bean, the Musical; Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy, the Musical, and many others. An award-winning youth theatre director, she has worked throughout the Bay Area as an actress, educator, storyteller, and director. Meehan serves on the Theatre Services Committee for Theatre Bay Area and the Board of Directors for TYA/USA. She received her BS in Theatre from Northwestern University and her Masters in Nonprofit Administration from the University of San Francisco.

Austin Zumbro, playwright, lyricist, composer, and improve actor, is the creative force behind both Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site-The Musicaland BACT's acclaimed The Day the Crayons Quit-the Musical, which was nominated for Outstanding World Premiere Musical at last year's TBA Award Celebration. For BACT, Zumbro has also created two comedies, Lemony Snicket's The Lump of Coal and Rudolph the Ugly Duckling. His BACT Productions for schools, including The Gold Rush Musical; Labcoats and Scapegoats: A Science Fair Musicalamity; and Rock the Block: A Walk and Roll Musical, have been seen by more than 100,000 students in the Bay Area. An Oakland native, Zumbro graduated from Stanford University with a BA in Human Biology.

Jamella Cross, honored for her role as Cement Mixer in Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site-The Musical, has most recently been seen as the fugitive slave, Roxie, in Aurora Theatre's production of Safe House. Cross has performed throughout the Bay Area at BACT (The Day the Crayon's Quit-the Musical, Bad Kitty), TheatreFirst (Stop Kiss), Berkeley Playhouse (Hairspray), Free Theater (Henry IV), Virago Theatre Company (Crooked), Ubuntu Theatre Project (Dance of the Holy Ghost) and 3Girls Company (Girl Talk).

Grace Renaud is a music director, singer, pianist, organist, and choral conductor. Her other work for BACT includes Elephant & Piggie: WE ARE IN A PLAY and Ladybug Girl & Bumblebee Boy, the Musical. Last year, she was music director and pianist for Into the Woods (SF State University), Guy & Dolls (Convent of the Sacred Heart, SF), and West Side Story (Pacifica Spindrift Players), among others. She serves as music director for the Unitarian Universalists of San Mateo, an teaches voice and piano privately.

Joan Howard is a props designer, a scenic artist, a physical theatre performer and a clown. As a maker, she is committed to creating objects and environments that partner with their performers and evoke delight through reuse of simple materials and the wonder of simple mechanics.

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