The Ovation Awards have been announced. They’ve been around since 1989, and for better or worse, these peer-based judgements are the most high-profile theater prizes that L.A. has to offer. Orange County usually gets ignored, and this year was no exception. One puzzlement: why the copious kudos for Cabrillo Music Theatre in Thousand Oaks?
The results follow the jump. It’s nice to see Jane Anderson’s poignant, tough and clear-eyed play, “The Quality of Life,” get its due. Congratulations to Gil Cates and company at the Geffen Playhouse for bringing it to local audiences.
Playwriting for an Original Play
Jane Anderson
The Quality of Life
Geffen Playhouse
Book/Lyrics/Music for an Original Musical
Music and Lyrics by John Bucchino;
Conceived by John Bucchino and Daisy Prince
It’s Only Life
Rubicon Theatre Company
Ray Stricklyn Memorial Award for Solo Performance
Nilaja Sun
No Child…
Center Theatre Group: Kirk Douglas Theatre
Ensemble Performance
Stan Chandler
David Engel
Larry Raben
Darcie Roberts
The Andrews Brothers
Musical Theatre West
Direction of a Play
Matt Shakman
Secrets of the Trade
Black Dahlia Theatre
Direction of a Musical
NIck DeGruccio
Jekyll & Hyde
Cabrillo Music Theatre
Direction of a Musical
Larry Raben
Singin’ in the Rain
Cabrillo Music Theatre
Choreography
Bradley Rapier
City Kid - The Musical
City Kid Productions, LLC
Musical Direction
Alby Potts
Singin’ in the Rain
Cabrillo Music Theatre
Touring Production
Avenue Q
Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre
Play Intimate Theatre
The Quality of Life
Geffen Playhouse
Play Large Theatre
R. Buckminster Fuller: The History (and Mystery) of the Universe
Rubicon Theatre Company
Franklin R. Levy Memorial Award for Musical Intimate Theatre
Louis & Keely: Live at the Sahara
Sacred Fools Theatre Company
Musical Large Theatre
Miss Saigon
Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities
Set Design Intimate Theatre
Desma Murphy
And Neither Have I Wings To Fly
Road Theatre Company
Set Design Large Theatre
Thomas S. Giamario
Bus Stop
Rubicon Theatre Company
Lighting Design Intimate Theatre
Jeremy Pivnick
Crime and Punishment
Actors Co-op/Crossley Theatre
Lighting Design Large Theatre
Darrell Clark
Miss Saigon
Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities
Lighting Design Large Theatre
Steven Young
Jekyll & Hyde
Cabrillo Music Theatre
Sound Design Intimate Theatre
Ken Rich
The Common Air
Elephant Stageworks
Sound Design Large Theatre
John Feinstein
Miss Saigon
Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities
Costume Design Intimate Theatre
Scott A. Lane
Pest Control - The Musical
Open at the Top Productions
Costume Design Large Theatre
Paul Tazewell
Ray Charles LIVE - A New Musical
Pasadena Playhouse
Lead Actor in a Play
Joe Spano
as R. Buckminster Fuller
R. Buckminster Fuller: The History (and Mystery) of the Universe
Rubicon Theatre Company
Lead Actor in a Play
John Glover
as Martin Kerner
Secrets of the Trade
Black Dahlia Theatre
Lead Actress in a Play
Laurie Metcalf
as Jeannette
The Quality of Life
Geffen Playhouse
Lead Actor in a Musical
Robert J. Townsend
as Jekyll/Hyde
Jekyll & Hyde
Cabrillo Music Theatre
Lead Actress in a Musical
Jennifer Paz
as Kim
Miss Saigon
Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities
Featured Actor in a Play
Barry Lynch
as Candy
Of Mice and Men
Theatre Banshee
Featured Actress in a Play
J. Nicole Brooks
as Nina
As Much As You Can
Hendel Productions West
Featured Actor in a Musical
Randy Rogel
as Cosmo Brown
Singin’ in the Rain
Cabrillo Music Theatre
Featured Actress in a Musical
Gwen Stewart
as Sylvia
All Shook Up
Musical Theatre West
Ovation Awards Numerical Breakdown by Company
Cabrillo Music Theatre - 6
Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities - 4
Rubicon Theatre Company - 4
Geffen Playhouse - 3
Black Dahlia Theatre - 2
Musical Theatre West - 2
Actors Co-op/Crossley Theatre - 1
Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre - 1
Center Theatre Group: Kirk Douglas Theatre - 1
City Kid Productions, LLC - 1
Elephant Stageworks - 1
Hendel Productions West - 1
Open at the Top Productions - 1
Pasadena Playhouse - 1
Road Theatre Company - 1
Sacred Fools Theatre Company - 1
Theatre Banshee - 1
Numerical Breakdown by Production
Miss Saigon, Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities - 4
Jekyll & Hyde, Cabrillo Music Theatre - 3
Singin’ in the Rain, Cabrillo Music Theatre - 3
The Quality of Life, Geffen Playhouse - 3
R. Buckminster Fuller: The History (and Mystery) of the Universe, Rubicon Theatre Company - 2
Secrets of the Trade, Black Dahlia Theatre - 2
(All other recipients recieved 1 award.)
Numerical Breakdown by Artist
Larry Raben (Directing and Ensemble Performance) - 2
(All other recipients recieved 1 award.)
For a show to be considered for an Ovation Award, the production company must be a member of Los Angeles Stage Alliance and submit the play for consideration. If OC companies are largely ignored, they’re also largely absent from this community.
The bigger question, Linda, is not why there are no OC plays in consideration this year, but why OC theater is perennially under-represented in the LA Stage Alliance’s community. Clearly, OC theaters are “absent from this community” because they feel there’s no percentage in being a part of it. The LA Stage Alliance’s own mission statement says it “serves over 325 organizational members … in the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara and Ventura.” Yet over the years there’s been very little participation down here in the annual awards competition — shocking when you consider SCR’s renowned track record as a producer of new plays. And perusing the list of 18 Ovation review committee members, I see no OC names. I’d say the blame lies at least in part with the LASA for not doing a better job of persuading OC theaters to join its LA-centric club. Consistently ignoring the good work done at SCR, the Laguna Playhouse, the Chance Theater and other OC stages makes your annual awards look strangely unbalanced if they claim to be SoCal-wide. Most of my readers have no idea that the Ovations are a “members only” award.