LA Weekly
February 11, 2008

The 29th Annual L.A. Weekly Theater Awards: The Rock Opera

Backers' Audition Edition

By STEVEN LEIGH MORRIS
Monday, February 11, 2008 - 7:00 pm

Dust off those leather pants, pull your '80s duds out of mothballs and get ready to rock. The 29th Annual L.A. Weekly Theater Awards: The Rock Opera (Backers' Audition Edition) is coming Monday night, April 7, to the Avalon, 1735 Vine Street, Hollywood. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; show starts at 7:30. We've invited Mick Jagger, Sting, David Bowie, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Bette Midler, Bonnie Raitt (yes, possibly all under one roof just to celebrate small theater in L.A.!) and many other celebrity backers to check out Troubadour Theater Company's new rock opera, which is loosely based on — and will be the main entertainment at — L.A. Weekly's awards show honoring excellence in Los Angeles theaters of 99 seats or fewer, in productions that opened between January 1 and December 31, 2007.

You are a nominee if your name appears in the list below or if, in the categories of Production of the Year, Revival Production of the Year, Musical of the Year, or Two-Person Show, you are named 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, you are listed in the program of the nominated show as a producer, director or designer. Finally, you are a nominee if, in any of the Ensemble categories, you were listed in the program of the nominated show as an actor.

Tickets for nominees are free. Nominees: R.S.V.P. to (323) 993-3693 beginning Wednesday, February 13 at noon, and somebody will confirm your reservation within a week. Tickets for all nominees' guests and for the general public are available for $17.50 plus handling fees, through www.laweekly.com/theaterawards.

(Note: Both the nominee R.S.V.P. line and the online box office for guests and the public open on Wednesday, February 13 at noon.)

T-shirts will be ripped at the door.


PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR

The Glory of Living, Victory Theatre Center

An Impending Rupture of the Belly, Furious Theatre Company

Loyal Women, Theatre Banshee

Sliding Into Hades, Koan Ensemble at the Odyssey Theatre


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

Bad Seed, Buzzworks Theatre Company at the Lounge Theatre

The Chicago Conspiracy Trial, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble

The Swine Show, Sacred Fools Theatre Company

Travesties, Open Fist Theatre Company

Why Marry?, Theater Neo at the Secret Rose Theater

 
MUSICAL OF THE YEAR

Bush Is Bad, Open at the Top Productions at the NoHo Arts Center

Evel Knievel: The Rock Opera, Bootleg Theater

Hair, MET Theatre


DIRECTION

Bo Crowell, Hair, MET Theatre

Elina DeSantos, A Doll's House, Ark Theatre Company

James Mellon, Feed, Open at the Top Productions at the NoHo Arts Center

Matthew Miller, Girl, 20, Serendipity Theatre Collective at the Hudson Mainstage

Penny L. Moore, A Lesson Before Dying, Actors Group Theatre

Damaso Rodriguez, An Impending Rupture of the Belly, Furious

Theatre Company

Ron Sossi, Sliding Into Hades, Koan Ensemble at the Odyssey Theatre


COMEDY DIRECTION

David Cheaney, Why Marry?, Theater Neo at the Secret Rose Theater

Michael Connors, Limonade Tous les Jours, I'm a Parade Productions at 2100 Square Feet

Frédérique Michel, The Bald Soprano, City Garage

Charles Otte, Travesties, Open Fist Theatre Company

Paul Plunkett, The Swine Show, Sacred Fools Theatre Company

Howard Teichman, Modern Orthodox, Theatre 40

 
ONE-ACT DIRECTION

Frédérique Michel, Quartet, City Garage

 
MUSICAL DIRECTION

Michael Levine, Bush Is Bad, Open at the Top Productions at the NoHo Arts Center

Christian Nesmith, Hair, MET Theatre

Billy Thompson, Invasion! The Musical, Flying Pig Productions at the Hudson Backstage Theatre


ENSEMBLE

Bleed Rail, Theatre @ Boston Court

Bug, Lost Angels Theater Company at the Coast Playhouse

Gilgamesh, Theatre @ Boston Court

Girl, 20, Serendipity Theatre Collective at the Hudson Mainstage

An Impending Rupture of the Belly, Furious Theatre Company

Loyal Women, Theatre Banshee

Sliding Into Hades, Koan Ensemble at the Odyssey Theatre

Wreck of the Unfathomable, Theatre of NOTE

 
MUSICAL ENSEMBLE

Bush Is Bad, Open at the Top Productions at the NoHo Arts Center

Hair, MET Theatre


COMEDY ENSEMBLE

Bad Seed, Buzzworks Theatre Company at the Lounge Theatre

The Bald Soprano, City Garage

It's Just Sex, Zephyr Theatre

Limonade Tous les Jours, I'm a Parade Productions at 2100 Square Feet

Modern Orthodox, Theatre 40

The Swine Show, Sacred Fools Theatre Company

Travesties, Open Fist Theatre Company

Why Marry?, Theater Neo at the Secret Rose Theater


ONE-ACT ENSEMBLE

Edgar Allan Poe's Masque of the Red Death, Zombie Joe's Underground Theatre Group

Quartet, City Garage


LEADING FEMALE PERFORMANCE

Deidre Henry, Small Tragedy, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble

Karen Kondazian, The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore, Fountain Theatre

Andrea Lockhart, Feed, Open at the Top Productions at the NoHo Arts Center

Anna Quirino Miranda, A Doll's House, Ark Theatre Company

Deborah Puette, Tryst, Black Dahlia Theater

Samantha Sloyan, The Misanthrope, New Place Theatre

Rachel Style, The Glory of Living, Victory Theatre Center 


LEADING MALE PERFORMANCE

Robert W. Arbogast, Feed, Open at the Top Productions at the NoHo Arts Center

Stewart W. Calhoun, Dark Play or Stories for Boys, Theatre @ Boston Court

Steve Cell, Small Tragedy, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble

Paul Denniston, Feed, Open at the Top Productions at the NoHo Arts Center

Malik B. El-Amin, A Lesson Before Dying, Actors Group Theatre

Chuma Gault, Miss Julie, Fountain Theatre

Gabriel Olds, Tryst, Black Dahlia Theater

Matt Letscher, Anatol, Pacific Resident Theatre

Martin Papazian, The Glory of Living, Victory Theatre Center


SUPPORTING FEMALE PERFORMANCE

Ginna Carter, Anatol, Pacific Resident Theatre

Renae Geerlings, A Doll's House, Ark Theatre Company

Amanda Deibert, Loyal Women, Theatre Banshee

Valerie Dillman, Anatol, Pacific Resident Theatre

Judith Moreland, Miss Julie, Fountain Theatre

Tuffet Schmeltzle, The Fastest Clock in the Universe, Celebration Theatre

 
SUPPORTING MALE PERFORMANCE

Adam Haas Hunter, Dark Play or Stories for Boys, Theatre @ Boston Court

Tim Starks, In Arabia We'd All Be Kings, Elephant Theatre

Richard Tatum, A Doll's House, Ark Theatre Company


TWO-PERSON SHOW

Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, Volition Entertainment Productions and the Elephant Theatre

Tryst, Black Dahlia Theater

SOLO PERFORMANCE

Anna Kahja, Palace of the End, 49th Parallel and Open at the Top Productions at the NoHo Arts Center

Michael Catlin, Palace of the End, 49th Parallel and Open at the Top Productions at the NoHo Arts Center

Kate Mines, Palace of the End, 49th Parallel and Open at the Top Productions at the NoHo Arts Center

Robert Trebor, The Return of Brother Theodore, Camelot Artists at the Skylight Theatre


COMEDY PERFORMANCE

Steven Benson, Why Marry, Theater Neo at the Secret Rose Theater

Megan Boone, Limonade Tous les Jours, I'm a Parade Productions at 2100 Square Feet

Benjamin Burdick, Travesties, Open Fist Theatre Company

David Castellani, Travesties, Open Fist Theatre Company

Aimee Guichard, Why Marry?, Theater Neo at the Secret Rose Theater

Peter Lewis, Limonade Tous les Jours, I'm a Parade Productions at 2100 Square Feet

David St. James, Why Marry?, Theater Neo at the Secret Rose Theater


ONE-ACT PERFORMANCE

Troy Dunn, Quartet, City Garage

Sharon Gardner, Quartet, City Garage

 
PLAY WRITING

Aaron Henne, Sliding Into Hades, Koan Ensemble at the Odyssey Theatre

Richard Martin Hirsch, Atonement,  Theatre 40

Christopher Kelley, Wreck of the Unfathomable, Theatre of NOTE

Matt Pelfrey, An Impending Rupture of the Belly, Furious Theatre Company

Frank Tangredi, Galatea, The Space

Rita Valencia, A New World War, Padua Playwrights Productions at the Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre


CAREER ACHIEVEMENT

Jeff Murray


QUEEN OF THE ANGELS

Tom Fitzpatrick


PRODUCTION DESIGN

Bleed Rail, Theatre @ Boston Court

Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, Volition Entertainment Productions and the Elephant Theatre

Edgar Allan Poe's Masque of the Red Death, Zombie Joe's Underground Theatre Group

Gilgamesh, Theatre @ Boston Court

Limonade Tous les Jours, I'm a Parade Productions at 2100 Square Feet

Quartet, City Garage

Sliding Into Hades, Koan Ensemble at the Odyssey Theatre


ADAPTATION

Christopher Kelley, Wreck of the Unfathomable, Theatre of NOTE

Allain Rochel, The Bacchae, Celebration Theatre

Stephen Sachs, Miss Julie, Fountain Theatre

 
LIGHTING DESIGN

Leigh Allen, Bug, Lost Angels Theater Company at the Coast Playhouse

Steven Young, Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings, Theatre @ Boston Court


COSTUME DESIGN

Ann Closs-Farley, Evel Knievel: The Rock Opera, Bootleg Theater

Audrey Eisner, Anatol, Pacific Resident Theatre

Shon Le Blanc, The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore, Fountain Theatre

Soojin Lee, Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings, Theatre @ Boston Court

A. Jeffrey Schoenberg, Travesties, Open Fist Theatre Company

Paul Spadone, Love Loves a Pornographer, Circle X Theatre Company at [Inside] the Ford


SET DESIGN

Tom Buderwitz, Paradise Lost:Shadows and Wings, Theatre @ Boston Court

Joel Daavid, In Arabia We'd All Be Kings, Elephant Theatre

Travis Gale Lewis, Miss Julie, Fountain Theatre

Gary Smoot, Love Loves a Pornographer, Circle X Theatre Company at [Inside] the Ford

 
SOUND DESIGN

Lindsay Jones, Bug, Lost Angels Theater Company at the Coast Playhouse

Tim Labor, TheSwine Show, Sacred Fools Theatre Company

Tim Labor, Travesties, Open Fist Theatre Company

 
CHOREOGRAPHY

Bubba Carr, Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings, Theatre @ Boston Court

Bo Crowell, Hair, MET Theatre


FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHY

Josh Gordon, Gilgamesh, Theatre @ Boston Court

 
ORIGINAL MUSIC

Christopher Reiner, Edgar Allan Poe's Masque of the Red Death, Zombie Joe's Underground Theatre Group

Billy Thompson, Invasion! The Musical, Flying  Pig Productions at the Hudson Backstage Theatre

Eric Whitacre, Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings, Theatre @ Boston Court