31st Annual L.A. Weekly Theater Awards

Taking the year 1960, and flying with it, the ensemble of Life Could Be a Dream (Doug Carpenter, Ryan Castellino, Jim Holdridge, Daniel Tatar and Jessica Keenan Wynn) hosted the 31st annual L.A. Weekly Theater Awards on Monday night at El Rey Theatre before a crowd of about 600, mostly costumed as though for a ball hosted by Jacqueline Kennedy. (Some James Dean–ish leather crashed the party, too.)

In a moving tribute, L.A. City Council President Eric Garcetti presented the Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously to the Fountain Theatre’s Ben Bradley, who was found murdered in his apartment on January 2  (Stephen Sachs accepted on his behalf). Other presenters included Lee Meriwether and executive director of Los Angeles Stage Alliance Terence McFarland. In a nicely droll performance, McFarland participated in a mock ritual honoring those neglected by the sundry abuses of the awards process.

The Colony Theatre’s Barbara Beckley honored the memory of Lars Hansen, and found herself in a spot of hot water in the process, suggesting that had Hansen still been executive director of the Pasadena Playhouse (as he was from 1988 to 1999), that theater would still be open for business. The remark was intended to credit Hansen, of course, not to belittle the playhouse’s most recent administration, whose members Beckley described as “lovely, lovely people.” The late actress Nan Martin was honored via a prerecorded anecdotal tribute by Gordon Davidson.

The show, sleekly directed by Michael Matthews, with go-go dancers and interludes from two award-winning productions (Life Could Be a Dream and Altar Boyz), clocked in at exactly two hours, accompanied by a band conducted by Michael Paternostro.

On receiving his Male Comedy Performance Award for Block Nine, Jeremy Glazer remarked, on this first night of Passover, that he always wanted to be a good actor and a good Jew, and that at least he was halfway there. Oy! That particular scheduling glitch will not be repeated next year.

PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR
Block Nine, Elephant Theatre
Company at the Lillian Theatre

REVIVAL PRODUCTION
OF THE YEAR (of a 20th- or
21st-century work) (TIE)
Equus, the Production Company at
the Chandler Studio Theatre
Shining City, the Fountain Theatre

MUSICAL OF THE YEAR
Life Could Be a Dream,
the Hudson Mainstage Theatre

DIRECTION
Stephen Sachs, Coming Home,
the Fountain Theatre

DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Rick Sparks, Divorce! The Musical,
the Hudson Mainstage Theatre

COMEDY DIRECTION
Peter Uribe and Emilie Beck, Block
Nine, Elephant Theatre Company
at the Lillian Theatre

MUSICAL DIRECTION
David O, Divorce! The Musical,
the Hudson Mainstage Theatre

ENSEMBLE (TIE)
Coming Home, the Fountain Theatre
Munched, Buzzworks Theatre Company at El Centro Theatre
 
MUSICAL ENSEMBLE
Altar Boyz, Celebration Theatre

COMEDY ENSEMBLE
The Devil With Boobs, Open Fist Theatre Company

LEADING FEMALE PERFORMANCE
Samantha Sloyan, Munched, Buzzworks Theatre Company at El Centro Theatre

LEADING MALE PERFORMANCE
Morlan Higgins, Shining City, the Fountain Theatre

SUPPORTING FEMALE PERFORMANCE
Andrea Hutchman, Munched, Buzzworks Theatre Company at El Centro Theatre

SUPPORTING MALE PERFORMANCE
Thomas Silcott, Coming Home, the Fountain Theatre

SOLO PERFORMANCE
Casey Smith, Violators Will Be Violated, Circle X Theatre Company at Son of Semele Theatre

FEMALE COMEDY PERFORMANCE
Devin Sidell, Land of the Tigers, Burglars of Hamm and  Sacred Fools Theater Company

MALE COMEDY PERFORMANCE
Jeremy Glazer, Block Nine, Elephant Theatre Company at the Lillian Theatre

PLAYWRITING (TIE)
Lydia R. Diamond, Stick Fly, the Matrix Theatre Company
Jim Leonard, Battle Hymn, Circle X Theatre Company at [Inside] the Ford

CAREER ACHIEVEMENT
Bennett A. Bradley (posthumous)

QUEEN OF THE ANGELS
David Sefton

PRODUCTION DESIGN
Accomplice: Hollywood, produced by Tom Salamon and Neil Patrick Harris, at various locations

ADAPTATION
Jonas Oppenheim, Hamlet Shut Up, Sacred Fools Theater Company
 
LIGHTING DESIGN
Leigh Allen, Treefall, Rogue Machine at Theatre/Theater

COSTUME DESIGN
Christina Wright, The Illusion, Open Fist Theatre Company

SET DESIGN
Stephanie Kerley Schwartz, Treefall, Rogue Machine at Theatre/Theater

SOUND DESIGN
Joseph “Sloe” Slawinski, Treefall, Rogue Machine at Theatre/Theater

CHOREOGRAPHY
Ameenah Kaplan, Altar Boyz, Celebration Theatre

MASK DESIGN
Pat Rubio, Gogol Project, Rogue Artists Ensemble at Bootleg Theater

PUPPET DESIGN
Cristina Bercovitz, Monkey Madness,  Los Angeles Theatre Ensemble at the Powerhouse Theatre

ORIGINAL MUSIC
Michael A. Levine, Battle Hymn, Circle X Theatre Company at [Inside] the Ford

FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHY
Victor Warren, Stranger, Bootleg Theater

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