http://www.bestofneworleans.com/dispatch/2008-03-04/feat2.php
FEATURE 03 04 08
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Curtain Call
The Big Easy Entertainment Awards recognize annual achievement in local theater
By Will Coviello
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Becky Allen will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Big Easy Entertainment Awards announced the nominees for theater performances in 2007 and will recognize the winners at an awards gala on Monday, March 24, at Harrah's Casino. This is the 20th anniversary of the Big Easy's theater awards. Special recognition awards will honor career accomplishments and new initiatives. The irrepressible Becky Allen will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award. She's been one of the city's favorite performers since debuting in West Side Story at Le Petit Theatre in 1966. Since then, she's taken on every imaginable type of role in serious dramas, comedies, musical shows, cabaret and more.
The inaugural Theatre Person of the Year will be presented to playwright John Biguenet. His drama about Hurricane Katrina, Rising Water, debuted at Southern Repertory Theater and became the playhouse's bestselling show ever. The play was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and has been produced in several cities in the United States, and a London production is forthcoming. Biguenet also wrote Vulgar Soul, The Torturer's Apprentice: Stories, the novel Oyster and has won numerous awards for his stories, plays and essays. Rising Water drew nominations for Best Original Play, Best Actor and Best Actress in a Drama.
A special Business Recognition Award will go to Stageclick.com founder Marc Fouchi. The Web site has become an online community for actors, directors, producers and other theater professionals to share and find information about auditions, shows, jobs and more.
Le Petit's The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas received the most production nominations with eight, including Best Musical, Best Director of a Musical, Best Choreography and Best Actress in a Musical. Southern Rep's production of the play Doubt, about possible abuse by a priest, collected seven nominations including Best Drama, Best Director of a Drama and Best Actor and Actress in a Drama. Dem Boys Productions' version of Irish playwright Martin McDonagh's harrowing tale The Pillowman received six nominations. Le Petit's Sugar Babies and NOLA Project and Southern Rep's co-operative production, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, both drew five nominations.
While Le Petit garnered a huge number of nominations for a trio of musicals, the list of nominees represents a large pool of talented actors, actresses, directors and stage designers from across the metro area. Bob Edes Jr. achieved a rare feat by earning nominations for roles in a comedy, drama and musical in the same year. Besides Biguenet's Rising Water, The Breach, also written about Katrina, debuted at Southern Rep and is nominated for Best Original Play.
Roy Haylock, aka Bianca Del Rio, will host the Theatre Awards Gala at Harrah's Theatre. He will be joined by honorary chairpersons Maureen and John 'Spud" McConnell. The awards are sponsored by Gambit Weekly, Harrah's New Orleans Casino and Hotel, John Jay and Coleman Adler & Sons. Tickets to the event are $125. Tables of 10 are $1000 until March 14 and $1250 after. VIP tables are also available. Call 483-3129 for more information.
2008 Big Easy Special Recognition Awards
Lifetime Achievement Award
Becky Allen
Business Recognition Award
Marc Fouchi - www.Stageclick.com
Theatre Person of the Year
John Biguenet
2008 Big Easy Theatre Awards Nominees
Best Musical
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre
Sugar Babies
Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre
Little Me
Summer Lyric at Tulane
Best Comedy
The Lieutenant of Inishmore
NOLA Project & Southern Repertory Theater
Valhalla
To Do Productions
The Titanic Adventures of the Loveboat Poseidon
Running with Scissors
Among the nominees from the cast of Doubt are Claire Moncrief (Best Actress in a Drama), Jamie Wax (Best Actor in a Drama) and Andrea Franklin (Best Supporting Actress in a Drama).
Best Drama
Doubt
All Kinds of Theater & Southern Repertory Theater
The Pillowman
Dem Boys Productions
Rising Water
Southern Repertory Theater
Best Director of a Musical
Sonny Borey & Derek Franklin
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
Gary Rucker
Thoroughly Modern Millie
Rivertown Repertory
Sonny Borey & Derek Franklin
Sugar Babies
Best Director of a Comedy
Noel Wilson
The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Glenn Meche
Valhalla
Richard Read
Carrie's Facts of Life
Running with Scissors
Best Director of a Drama
Carl Walker
Doubt
Dane Rhodes
The Pillowman
Ryan Rilette
Rising Water
Among the eight nominations garnered by The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas are Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for Karen Hebert (left) and Jessie Terrebonne.
Best Supporting Actress in a Musical
Joan C. Spraggins
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
Carol Sutton
Purlie
Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre
Jessie Terrebonne
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
Best Supporting Actor in a Musical
Bob Edes Jr.
The Pajama Game
Rivertown Repertory Theater
Dane Rhodes
Purlie
Sean Patterson
Little Me
Best Actress in a Musical
Kelly Fouchi
Thoroughly Modern Millie
Idella Johnson
Purlie
Karen Hebert
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
Marc Fouchi will receive the Business Recognition Award for creating www.Stageclick.com.
Best Actor in a Musical
Dane Rhodes
Sugar Babies
Ricky Graham
Little Me
Fenwick Broyard III
Purlie
Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy
Cammie West
Valhalla
Dorian Rush
The Titanic Adventures of the Loveboat Poseidon
Kathlyn Tarwater
The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy
James Bartelle
The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Bob Edes Jr.
Carrie's Facts of Life
Running with Scissors
Brian Peterson
The Titanic Adventures of the Loveboat Poseidon
Best Actress in a Comedy
Angela Papale
Prelude to a Kiss
Actor's Theater of New Orleans
Melissa Ogren
Private Lives
Minacapelli's Dinner Playhouse
Stacy Taliancich
Arsenic and Old Lace
Rivertown Repertory Theater
Idella Johnson is nominated for Best Actress in a Musical for her work in Purlie.
Best Actor in a Comedy
Peter McElligott
The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Marc Fouchi
Arsenic and Old Lace
Tim Bellow
Driving Miss Daisy
Actor's Theater of New Orleans
Best Supporting Actress in a Drama
Andrea Frankle
Doubt
Southern Repertory Theater
Troi Bechet
The Breach
Southern Repertory Theater
Donna Duplantier
Doubt
Southern Repertory Theater
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama
Bob Edes Jr.
The Breach
Leon Contavesprie
The Pillowman
Harold X. Evans
Gem of the Ocean
Anthony Bean Community Theater
The musical Sugar Babies earned five nominations including Best Musical, Best Choreography and Best Costumes. (7 Pajama Game) The Pajama Game featured Carrie Black and Bob Edes Jr. who is nominated for Best Supporting Actor in three categories.
Best Actress in a Drama
Claire Moncrief
Doubt
Veronica Russell
A Different Woman
Textpatriot Productions
Cristine McMurdo-Wallis
Rising Water
Best Actor in a Drama
Jamie Wax
Doubt
Danny Bowen
Rising Water
Blake Balu
The Pillowman
Best Original Play
Rising Water
John Biguenet
Scrooge in Rouge
Ricky Graham & Jeff Roberson
Le Chat Noir
The Breach
Catherine Filloux, Tarell McCraney and Joe Sutton
Best Musical Director
Derek Franklin
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
Jonne Dendinger
Tunes
Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre
C. Leonard Raybon
Chicago
Summer Lyric at Tulane
Best Choreography
Kelly Fouchi
The Pajama Game
Karen Hebert
Sugar Babies
Karen Hebert
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
Best Costume Design
R. Haylock, C. Casey-Covert, R. Schlotzhaven, C. Barrois and L. Fried
Sugar Babies
Cecile Casey Covert
Scrooge in Rouge
Linda Fried
Thoroughly Modern Millie
Best Set Design
Chad Talkington and Josh Palmer
The Pillowman
David Raphel
Doubt
Rick Paul
Little Me
Best Lighting Design
Chad Talkington and Josh Palmer
The Pillowman
Earl H. Lennie III
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
William Liotta
The Breach
Best University Production
Dog Sees God
Gary Rucker, Director
Tulane University
The Three Sisters
David W. Hoover, Director
University of New Orleans
Sylvia
Benjamin Clement, Director
Loyola University
Best Performance by a Child
Andy LaRocca
Ordinary People
Actor's Theater of New Orleans
Tony Felix
Morning, Noon and Night
Anthony Bean Community Theater
Tyler Chetta
The Red Sneaks
Crescent City Lights/NORD