LA Weekly

The Fair Maid of the West, Furious Theater Company. Photo by Anthony Masters

Blank Theater Company will host the 27th annual L.A. Weekly Theater Awards on Monday, April 10, at the Music Box @ Fonda, 6126 Hollywood Blvd. (near Gower Street). Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; the show starts at 7:30 p.m.

This year’s Lawees honor excellence in Los Angeles theaters of 99 seats or less, in productions that opened between January 1 and December 31, 2005. The evening’s theme is adapted from Blank Theater Company’s production of Michael John LaChiusa and George C. Wolfe’s Algonquin Circle–era musical, Wild Party. Please dress in 1929 opulence — you know, the way they dressed when they were having the time of their lives, right before the Crash.

Presenters include Sally Kellerman, Valarie Pettiford, Daisy Eagan, Jane Lanier, Eric Anderson, Sasha Wexler, James Black, Julie Dixon Jackson, Daren Herbert, Nathan Lee Graham, Kristen Benton Chandler, James Black, Sam Zeller and others.

Tickets for nominees are free. Nominees, please RSVP to (323) 993-3693, and somebody will confirm your reservation within a week. You are a nominee if your name appears on the list below or if in the categories of Production of the Year, Revival Production of the Year and Musical of the Year your name appeared in the program of the nominated show as an actor, designer, producer, director, writer, choreographer or stage manager. You are a nominee if in the category of Production Design your name appeared in the program of the nominated show as a producer, director or designer. Finally, you are a nominee if in the categories of Ensemble and Comedy Ensemble your name appeared in the program of the nominated show as an actor.

The 27th Annual LA Weekly Theater Awards is currently sold out.  If you are a nominee or wish to buy tickets (checks only), we will accommodate you.  You will not be turned away, but you may not get a seat.



PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR

The Brothers Karamazov, Circle X  Theater Company at [Inside] the Ford

Macbeth, BIGHEAD at the Vineland Theater

Yellowman, Fountain Theater



REVIVAL PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR (of a 20th- or 21st-century work)

Balm in Gilead, Gangbusters Theater Company at the Met Theater

The Blue Dahlia, Pacific Resident Theater

Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said, Evidence Room

Permanent Collection, Robey Theater Company and Greenway Arts Alliance



MUSICAL OF THE YEAR

Blake . . . da Musical!, Grove Theater Center, Burbank

Fellowship!, El Portal Forum Theater

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Open At the Top Productions at the NoHo Arts Center

J.O.B.: The Hip-Hopera, FDLT Productions and Foreign Affairs Canada at the Stella Adler Theater

The Wild Party, Blank Theater Company at the Hudson Mainstage Theater



DIRECTION

Sam Anderson, Shove, Road Theater Company

Shirley Jo Finney, Yellowman, Fountain Theater

Matt Gottlieb, The Caretaker, Bob’s Your Uncle and APPLEARTS Productions at the Zephyr Theater

Brent Hinkley, Blood! Love! Madness!, The Actors’ Gang at the Ivy Substation Theater

Fredérique Michel, The Battle: ABC, City Garage

Stefan Novinsky and Hassan Christopher, J.O.B.: The Hip-Hopera, FDLT Productions and Foreign Affairs Canada at the Stella Adler Theater

Eric Tucker, Macbeth, BIGHEAD at the Vineland Theater



COMEDY DIRECTION

Kelly Ann Ford, The Birds: A Tail of Ornithic Proportions, TheSpyAnts at McCadden Place Theater

Jessie Marion, Love Tapes, Sacred Fools Theater Company

Pat Towne, Gorey Stories, Sacred Fools Theater Company



ONE-ACT DIRECTION

Aaron White and Jason White, The Dance, InThaCut Productions at Kaos Network  CineFreestyle Theater

Delroy Lindo, Medal of Honor Rag, Egyptian Arena Theater



MUSICAL DIRECTION

Carolyn Magnini, Happy End, Pacific Resident Theater

Joel McCrary, Fellowship!, El Portal Forum Theater

Dean Mora, The Threepenny Opera, Open Fist Theater Company

Henry Phillips, Blake . . . da Musical!, Grove Theater Center, Burbank

David O, Wild Party, Blank Theater Company at the Hudson Mainstage Theater



ENSEMBLE

The Battle: ABC, City Garage

Four, Celebration Theater

The Gary Plays: Girl on a Bed,  Padua Playwrights at the Electric Lodge

Honour, Matrix Theater Company

Mother Courage, Antaeus Company  at NewPlace Theater Center

Pera Palas, Theater @ Boston Court and The Antaeus Company

Shove, Road Theater Company

Yellowman, Fountain Theater



COMEDY ENSEMBLE

The Birds: A Tail of Ornithic Proportions, TheSpyAnts at the McCadden Place Theater

Fellowship!, El Portal Forum Theater

Gorey Stories, Sacred Fools Theater Company

Ruthless!: The Musical, Golden Afternoon Productions LLC at the Hudson Mainstage Theater

7 Redneck Cheerleaders, Elephant Theater Company at the Lillian Theater

Two Gentlemen of Corona, West Coast Ensemble



LEADING FEMALE PERFORMANCE

Anne Gee Byrd, Mother Courage, Antaeus Company at NewPlace Theater Center

Shawna Casey, Girl on a Bed, Padua Playwrights at the Electric Lodge

Josie Gundy, The Threepenny Opera, Open Fist Theater Company

Shannon Holt, She Stoops to Comedy, Evidence Room

Robin Riker, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Blank Theater Company

Lisa Tharps, Medea, Theater @ Boston Court



LEADING MALE PERFORMANCE

Bill Celentano, Echo’s Hammer, Theater @ Boston Court

Nigel Gore, Macbeth, BIGHEAD at the Vineland Theater

Ben Guillory, Permanent Collection, Robey Theater Company and Greenway Arts Alliance

John Fleck, She Stoops to Comedy,  Evidence Room

Robert Mandan, The Caretaker, Bob’s Your  Uncle and APPLEARTS Productions at the Zephyr Theater

Chris Mulkey, Flags, Odyssey Theater

Durrell Nelson, The Habitation of Dragons,  Actors Co-op



SUPPORTING MALE PERFORMANCE

Kevin Cristaldi, Eddie Legs, Calamity Theater at the Lillian Theater

J.D. Cullum, Reapers, Odyssey Theater

Christian Levatino, Balm in Gilead, Gangbusters Theater Company at the Met Theater

Victor Love, The Blacks, Evidence Room

Don Robb, The Habitation of Dragons, Actors Co-op

Patrick St. Esprit, Sex, Sex, Sex, Sex, Sex and Sex, 3sum Entertainment at the Matrix Theater



SUPPORTING FEMALE PERFORMANCE

Daisy Eagan, Wild Party, Blank Theater Company at the Hudson Mainstage Theater

Alaina Reed Hall, Medea, Theater @ Boston Court

Amy Landers, The Habitation of Dragons, Actors Co-op

Lauren Letherer, Lydia in Bed, Theater of NOTE

Robin Riker, Sex, Sex, Sex, Sex, Sex and Sex, 3sum Entertainment at the Matrix Theater

Cesili Williams, The Blacks,  Evidence Room



SOLO PERFORMANCE

Michael Cassady, Catalpa, Alliance Repertory Company

Katie Firth, Placement, Black Dahlia Theater

Lee Garlington, Placement, Black Dahlia Theater

Justine Moore, Ecstasy and the Ice Queen, Taos Girl Productions at  Elephant Stages

Blake Robbins, Placement, Black Dahlia Theater



COMEDY PERFORMANCE

Jayme Armstrong, Ruthless!: The Musical, Golden Afternoon Productions LLC at the Hudson Mainstage Theater

Dean Cameron, Love Tapes, Sacred Fools Theater Company

Shawna Casey, The Gary Plays: Girl on a Bed, Padua Playwrights at the Electric Lodge

Julie Mullen, Love Tapes, Sacred Fools

Theater Company

Andrew Wheeler, Tartuffe, The Actors’ Gang



ONE-ACT PERFORMANCE

Heavy D, Medal of Honor Rag, Egyptian Arena Theater

Silas Weir Mitchell, Blood! Love! Madness!, The Actors’ Gang at the Ivy

Substation Theater

Paul Schackman, Medal of Honor Rag, Egyptian Arena Theater



ONE-ACT ENSEMBLE

Blood! Love! Madness!, The Actors’ Gang at the Ivy Substation Theater

The Dance, InThaCut Productions at Kaos Network CineFreestyle Theater



PLAY WRITING

Steven Banks and Penn Jillette, Love Tapes, Sacred Fools Theater Company

Mark Eisman, Shove, Road Theater Company

Blair Singer, Placement, Black Dahlia Theater

Jason White, The Dance, InThaCut Productions at Kaos Network CineFreestyle Theater



CAREER ACHIEVEMENT

Del Shores



QUEEN OF THE ANGELS

Laura Zucker



PRODUCTION DESIGN

The Blue Dahlia, Pacific Resident Theater

Blood! Love! Madness!, The Actors’ Gang at the Ivy Substation Theater

Catalpa, Alliance Repertory Company

Echo’s Hammer, Theater @ Boston Court

Pera Palas, Theater @ Boston Court and The Antaeus Company

Permanent Collection, Robey Theater Company and Greenway Arts Alliance



ADAPTATION

Amy Ludwig, The House on Mango Street, East Los Angeles Repertory Theater Company at La Casa del Mexicano Theater

LIGHTING DESIGN

Ian Garrett, Permanent Collection, Robey Theater Company and Greenway Arts Alliance

Jon Gothard, Eddie Legs, Calamity Theater at the Lillian Theater

Dan Jenkins, Lydia in Bed, Theater of NOTE

Brian J. Lilienthal, Echo’s Hammer, Theater @ Boston Court



COSTUME DESIGN

Ronda Dynice Brooks, Tartuffe, The Actors' Gang

Ivy Y. Chou, Pera Palas, Theater @ Boston Court and The Antaeus Company

Audrey Eisner, Happy End, Pacific Resident Theater

Ann Closs-Farley, Eddie Legs, Calamity Theater at the Lillian Theater

Ann Closs-Farley, Blood! Love! Madness!, The Actors’ Gang at the Ivy Substation Theater

Ann Closs-Farley, Gorey Stories, Sacred Fools Theater Company

Dana Peterson, Les Liaisons Dangereuses,  Blank Theater Company



SET DESIGN

Jason Adams and Alicia Hoge, Echo’s Hammer, Theater @ Boston Court

Tom Buderwitz, Pera Palas, Theater @ Boston Court and The Antaeus Company

Ben Ainlay and Alex Enberg, The Caretaker,  Bob’s Your Uncle and APPLEARTS Productions at the Zephyr Theater

Joel Daavid, Gorey Stories, Sacred Fools

Theater Company

James Eric/Victoria Bellocq, Permanent Collection, Robey Theater Company and Greenway Arts Alliance

Charles Erven and Travis Gale Lewis, Happy End, Pacific Resident Theater



SOUND DESIGN

John Ballinger, Echo’s Hammer, Theater @ Boston Court

Joshua Horvath, Permanent Collection, Robey Theater Company and Greenway Arts Alliance

John Zalewski, Eddie Legs, Calamity Theater at  the Lillian Theater

Jonathan Zenz, Angels in America: Millennium Approaches, Open at the Top and Lilybeau

Productions at the NoHo Arts Center



CHOREOGRAPHY

Kate Caplin, Two Gentlemen of Corona, West Coast Ensemble

Hassan Christopher, J.O.B.: The Hip-Hopera,

FDLT Productions and Foreign Affairs

Canada at the Stella Adler Theater

Jane Lanier, Wild Party, Blank Theater Company at the Hudson Mainstage Theater



MASK DESIGN

Sean T. Cawelti, Hyperbole: Epiphany, Rogue Artists Ensemble and Son of Semele Ensemble

Erhard Stiefel, Blood! Love! Madness!, The Actors’ Gang at the Ivy Substation Theater

Erhard Stiefel, Tartuffe, The Actors’ Gang



SPECIAL RECOGNITION

Tim Weske and his Fight Team (Brian Danner, Orion Barnes, Kevin Moran, Nate Hedrick, Josh Bradley and David C. Hernández) for fight choreography in Fair Maid of the West, Furious Theater Company at the Pasadena Playhouse Balcony Theater

The Imagination Liberation Front for blurring the line between a playscript and an arrest warrant in “I’m Gonna Kill the President!”:

A Federal Offense,at various locations



ORIGINAL MUSIC

John Ballinger and Ken Roht, Echo’s Hammer, Theater @ Boston Court