Photos by Ted SoquiThough the 26th annual L.A. Weekly Theater awards — with cabaret seating at a new venue, the Henry Fonda — got off to a late start Monday night, director Patrick Bristow staged a smooth show that clocked in at just over two hours. The ever-spirited Hollywood High School Marching Band kicked off the evening with their rendition of “I Got Rhythm” before a boatload of Groundlings alumni (including Paul Reubens, Cassandra Peterson, Julia Sweeney, Jennifer Coolidge, Laraine Newman, Cheryl Hines, Mike Hitchcock and Mindy Sterling) served as presenters, along with CTG’s Michael Ritchie. Betty Garrett’s sons, Andrew and Garrett Parks, introduced their mom, who, after receiving the Queen of the Angels Award, tap-danced off the stage with Marlo Tetwiler — the tap-dancing enforcer from Workshop 360 who tried, with mixed results and some abuse, to keep acceptance speeches to their designated time limit. A sketch by the Burglars of Hamm offered the theater community helpful hints of how to fulfill its unfulfilled potential: Charge $120 a ticket and work in theaters of not less than 1,000 seats. Open Fist Theater Company showcased two bitter excerpts from TheThreepennyOpera,currently in previews, which darkened up an otherwise lighthearted evening hosted by Powerhouse Theater Company. Attendance was about 550, of whom over 300 stuck around for a post-show party on the roof with plenty to drink and too little food.
(top): Paul Reubens and Cassandra Peterson, (center):Tetwiler bounces in taps (bottom): Betty Garrett
What follows are the awards recipients. The show was dedicated to the memories of
Quentin Drew, co-founder of the
Watts Village Theater Company, and
Aldrich Allen, co-founder of
Sacred Fools Theater Company, both of whom died in April.
PRODUCTIONOFTHEYEAR
Ouroboros, Road Theater Company
REVIVALPRODUCTIONOFTHEYEAR(ofa20th-centurywork)
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, RKA Productions at the Lillian Theater
DIRECTION
Claude Purdy, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, RKA Productions at the Lillian Theater
COMEDYDIRECTION
Christopher Kenney, Mommie Queerest, Cabaret Ultra Suede
ONE-ACTDIRECTION
Frederique Michel, The Lesson, City Garage
ENSEMBLE
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, RKA Productions at the Lillian Theater
COMEDYENSEMBLE
Stage Directions, Ensemble Studio Theater (The L.A. Project) at [Inside] the Ford
LEADINGFEMALEPERFORMANCE
Cynthia Ettinger, Self Defense, Actors’ Gang
LEADINGMALEPERFORMANCE
Morlan Higgins, Exits and Entrances, Fountain Theater
SUPPORTINGMALEPERFORMANCE
Richard Fancy, Rocket to the Moon, Pacific Resident Theater
SUPPORTINGFEMALEPERFORMANCE
Blaire Chandler, Self Defense, Actors’ Gang
SOLOPERFORMANCE
April Fitzsimmons, The Need To Know, Sidewalk Studio Theater
COMEDYPERFORMANCE
Leslie Jordan, Like a Dog on Linoleum, Elephant Asylum Theater
ONE-ACTPERFORMANCE
Ayre Gross, Chekhov x 4 (“The Proposal”), Antaeus Company at the NewPlace Theater Center
PLAYWRITING
Tom Jacobson, Ouroboros, Road Theater Company
(top): Morlan Higgins, (center): Burglarhamming, (bottom): Ma Rainey’s Loretta Devine and Alan Naggar
COMEDYPLAYWRITING
L. Trey Wilson, Stage Directions, Ensemble Studio Theater (The L.A. Project) at [Inside] the Ford
ONE-ACTPLAYWRITING
Aaron Samson, Not Dead Yet, The Elephant Lab
CAREERACHIEVEMENT
Groundlings Theater Company
QUEENOFTHEANGELS
Betty Garrett
PRODUCTIONDESIGN
[Home] or the Quest for the Lost Tablet of Ur, Zoo District at the Lillian Theater
ADAPTATION
Michael Franco, Heart of a Dog, Elephant Stage Works at the Lillian Theater
LIGHTINGDESIGN
Dan Reed, Abingdon Square, Open Fist Theater Company
(top): Michael Ritchie, (bottom):Open Fist's Threepenny Opera
COSTUMEDESIGN
Ronda Dynice Brooks, [Home] or the Quest for the Lost Tablet of Ur, Zoo District at the Lillian Theater
SETDESIGN(tie)
Richard Augustine, Sperm, Circle X Theater Company at the 24th Street Theater
Joel Daavid, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, RKA Productions at the Lillian Theater
SOUNDDESIGN
John Zalewski, Self Defense, Actors’ Gang
FIGHTCHOREOGRAPHY
David Holmes and David Paul Wichert, Sperm, Circle X Theater Company at the 24th Street Theater
MAKEUPANDSPECIALEFFECTS
Joe Seeley, Heart of a Dog, Elephant Stage Works at the Lillian Theater
