The 2009 Theatre Puget Sound
Gregory Awards
Contents
Overview
For many years, there has been discussion within the Puget
Sound theatre community of creating an annual awards event, as is done for many
regions across North America (the Nortons in Boston; the Drammys in Portland;
the Jesses in Vancouver, BC; the Doras in Toronto; the Barrymores in
Philadelphia and the Column awards in Dallas, to name just a few).
In
conjunction with Live Theatre Week this October,
Theatre Puget Sound will hold present our first annual
regional theatre awards. Honors in six categories will be presented in addition to our existing
Gregory A. Falls Sustained Achievement Award, now in its
twelfth year, for a total of seven awards.
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The Awards Event
To announce the recipients, we’re throwing a great party featuring hot hors d’oeuvres, cool cocktails and
Seattle-style glamour … and you’re invited! Live
entertainment will be provided by
the Love Markets,
featuring Nick Garrison and Angie Louise. No-host bar.
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Where
The Intiman Theatre, 201 Mercer Street, Seattle
When
Monday, October 19th, 7:30pm - 10:00pm
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Can't make the gala?
Please support TPS with
a tax-deductible
donation. |
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Tickets: $20, available through
Brown Paper Tickets.
TPS Members are eligible to purchase
a ticket at a special rate of $12 (discount code was emailed to
all TPS members last month). Tickets
will also be available at the door for $25.
(click above to order tickets online)
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Why an awards ceremony?
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What are the Categories?
The categories for the 2009 Gregory Awards are as follows:
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How Are Nominees and Recipients Chosen?
The process balances input from critics and theatre professionals alike
in determining the results.
Nomination Process
During the month of August 2009, nominations from shows
in the 2008-2009 season were submitted by a panel of eighteen theatre critics
representing print and online media from across Western Washington. The
nominations included 46 actors, 42 actresses, 35 directors, 46 persons to watch,
44 productions and 26 theatre companies. An
independent consultant subsequently tallied the submissions and determined the four
top contenders in each of the six categories. These constituted the final
nominees that appeared on a ballot to be voted on by the
approximately 1,400 members of Theatre Puget Sound.
For the 2009 Gregory Awards, the nominating panel consisted of:
Voting Process
In mid-September, all TPS members were emailed a unique web link to
an online ballot in which they were given the chance to vote for their choice
of the four nominees in each of the six categories. The ballot also provided
a blank fifth slot, for each category, in which the voter was given the ability to list a
write-in candidate instead.
TPS members will have until the end of September to submit their
votes. An independent official will tabulate the results, which will be
announced at the awards event following Live Theatre Week.
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The Honorees and Nominees
Recipient of the Gregory A. Falls
Sustained Achievement Award
The Gregory A. Falls Sustained Achievement Award honors
individuals in our theatrical community who have given their time, energy and
talents over a number of years. In particular, this award honors people who have
had a widespread positive effect on the community. The recipient is determined
by a process separate from the rest of the awards. This year, the award goes to
Chris Bennion, who has dedicated over thirty-five years of his
time and talents as a professional photographer to promoting and documenting
theatre in the Puget Sound region.
Chris Bennion
Chris was born in Boston, raised in Riverside, Connecticut, completed a
2-year program at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and went on to graduate
from Stanford University. Margaret Booker, a classmate, invited him to Seattle
in 1973 to photograph her new theater, Intiman. Seattle felt like home, and
he's been here since 1975. In addition to Intiman, Chris has worked with ACT,
Seattle Repertory Theatre, 5th Avenue, Seattle Opera, Empty Space, Book-It,
Pacific Northwest Ballet and Alice B. He has shot several national tours
including Proof, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Hairspray
and Annie. He has also done considerable editorial photography,
corporate annual reports and foreign trips for the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation.
For more information on past recipients, visit the
Falls Award Page.
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Nominees for Outstanding Actor
2009 eligibility for nomination: Any male performer, lead or
supporting, regardless of union status, in a 2008-2009 Season production taking
place in Washington State.
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Hans Altwies
From the nomination panel: In The Seafarer at Seattle Rep, Altwies invested this Irish dirge with a performance that was a landmark of conviction. Beleaguered, ensnared by circumstance and his love for his brother, this character was a loser -- but only on paper, and only until Altwies brought him to life.
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Charles Leggett
From the nomination panel: Leggett's shrewdly understated, yet insightful and complex, portrayal of Shylock
led the strong performances which abounded in Seattle Shakespeare's Merchant
of Venice.
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MJ Sieber
From the nomination panel: A perfect blend of physical
expression and emotional subtlety, his performance in Strawberry Theatre
Workshop's Elephant Man will stick with you for a very long time. In Strawshop's Guttenberg: The Musical, he was side-splittingly funny. No
matter where you put him, Sieber brings a fresh look, irrepressible energy and
complete conviction to every portrayal.
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Paul Morgan Stetler
From the nomination panel: In The Adding Machine at New Century Theatre, his was one of the really memorable performances of the season, part of a string of recent outstanding portrayals by Stetler.
In ACT's Eurydice, he was malevolent, childlike, deadly, petulant and utterly unforgettable. Stetler created a character that was a logical extension not only of the text, but of the trickster character seen so often in mythology.
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Nominees for Outstanding Actress
2009 eligibility for nomination: Any female performer, lead or
supporting, regardless of union status, in a 2008-2009 Season production taking
place in Washington State.
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Kimberly King
From the nomination panel: In Becky's New Car at
ACT, King easily shuttled between living room and office with a word to the
light booth and a saunter across the stage. Her every reaction was completely
uninhibited, heightened enough for comedy while still natural enough that you
identified with each one.
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Hana Lass
From the nomination panel: Lass deserves credit one way or
another--of all the performances seen this year, she's the most deserving
of some recognition, either in Crime & Punishment at Intiman or for her
role in The Tempest at Seattle Shakes.
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Amy Thone
From the nomination panel: Amy Thone's cackling performance
in New Century's The Adding Machine was incredible. It incorporated
non-traditional movement, vocalization, and characterization, and still packed
an emotional wallop.
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Billie Wildrick
From the nomination panel: From Sunday in the Park With
George (5th Avenue) to Das Barbecu (ACT), Ms. Wildrick not only
shines wherever she appears, but also can take a difficult, problematic role and
make it her own.
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Nominees for Outstanding Director
2009 eligibility for nomination: The director of any show
produced in Washington State in the 2008‐2009 season.
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Kurt Beattie
From the nomination panel: Beattie's
Becky's New Car (ACT) was a snappy, funny, and spontaneous production
of a brand-new play. In Pharaoh Serket and the Lost Stone of Fire
(Seattle Children's), he successfully created an Indiana Jones vibe for the
under-12 set.
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Julie Beckman
From the nomination panel: In Strawberry Theatre
Workshop's Elephant Man, the physical transformations throughout the
performance and the pure and palpable emotions erupting forth from the actors
had an incredible impact on the audience from start to finish.
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John Langs
From the nomination panel: His direction of The
Adding Machine (New Century Theatre) was startling, creative and totally
mesmerizing. Everything worked: set, lighting, sound, costumes.
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Allison Narver
From the nomination panel: Orange Flower Water
(New Century Theatre) showed Narver's work at its best, highlighting her ability
to create a special universe in which people behave in particular ways, yet
still seem familiar to us. Incredibly deft handling of veering and colliding
naturalistic dialogue with actors.
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Nominees for Person To Watch
2009 eligibility for nomination: Any Theatre Practitioner
involved in any show produced in Washington State in the 2008‐2009 season. This
category is intended to honor excellent ongoing or emerging work in a variety of
theatrical disciplines . A Theatre Practitioner is
defined as any individual involved in the theatre arts, including but not
limited to: actor, actress, artistic director, costume designer, composer,
director, lighting designer, set designer, sound designer, stage manager or
technical director.
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Vincent Delaney (Playwright)
From the nomination panel: Delaney's work has appeared
with more and more frequency in Seattle over the course of the past year. He has
a very accessible and whimsical style while dealing with the troublesome and
delicate topics of modern ethics and sensibilities.
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Etta Lilienthal (Set Designer)
From the nomination panel: Lilienthal's innovative
design work has been seen all over town and is always spectacular. When she
waves her magic wand, one cannot help but love the work that comes out.
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Don Darryl Rivera (Actor, Musician)
From the nomination panel: Mr. Rivera has shown a bold
comic sensibility in productions such as The Wizard of Oz at Seattle
Children's Theater.
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Robertson Witmer (Sound Designer, Musician)
From the nomination panel: Ever innovative, cool and
competent, Witmer's work seems to be everywhere. His great instincts and
funny sense of humor drive his excellent sound choices.
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Nominees for Outstanding Production
2009 eligibility for nomination: Any show produced by a TPS
Organizational Member in the 2008‐2009 season. A TPS Organizational
Member is defined as an organizational member in good standing of
Theatre Puget Sound. Professional theatre organizations can find out more about
joining Theatre Puget Sound here:
http://tpsonline.org/join/organizations.shtml.
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The Adding Machine (New Century Theatre)
From the nomination panel: The stunner of the season:
a much-anticipated debut to launch this company in tough times, and it worked.
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The Elephant Man (Strawberry Theatre Workshop)
From the nomination panel: Julie Beckman's direction,
along with some of Seattle's most skilled performers, made for one of this
season's most heartbreaking and beautiful nights of theatre.
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Eurydice (ACT)
From the nomination panel: A gossamer-like, magical
production that reminded us why we still concern ourselves with myths.
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The Seafarer (Seattle Repertory Theatre)
From the nomination panel: Vivid, fantastic production.
There was never a moment in this hilarious show when you were not simultaneously
clenching your heart and wiping your eyes from tears of laughter.
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Nominees for Theatre of the Year
2009 eligibility for nomination: Any TPS Organizational
Member which has produced at least one show during the 2008‐2009 season. A
TPS Organizational Member is defined as an organizational
member in good standing of Theatre Puget Sound. Professional theatre
organizations can find out more about joining Theatre Puget Sound here:
http://tpsonline.org/join/organizations.shtml.
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ACT
From the nomination panel: ACT has been one of
Seattle's heavy-hitters for years and years and has no intention of stopping any
time soon. They are a spectacular member of the community here and are the most
consistently edgy and exciting of the bigger venues in town.
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Intiman
From the nomination panel: Intiman exudes an honest
sense of how theater should fit into a community .
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New Century Theater Company
From the nomination panel: Only two productions in
their inaugural season, but both stunners and an incredibly powerful launch for
what promises to be a powerhouse company.
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Strawberry Theatre Workshop
From the nomination panel: StrawShop has consistently
provided amazing productions with fantastic performers and directors and has
done so increasingly this past season. It seems that they have really reached a
new pinnacle and are climbing still.
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The TPS members' ballot, which determines who will receive
the award in each of the Gregory categories, also includes an entry for a
write-in candidate in each category, in addition to the nominees listed above.
After voting closed September 30, Theatre Puget Sound determined the top write-in candidate for each category. Those six individuals
and
groups are be honored with the TPS Members' Voice:
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Outstanding Actor
Brandon Ryan
From Member Comments: An extraordinary
performance (Maria/Stuart, Theater Schmeater).
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Outstanding Actress
Terri Weagant
From Member Comments: She dazzled
audiences with her roles in Othello and Arabian Nights (Balagan
Theatre).
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Outstanding Director
Sheila Daniels
From Member Comments: Smart, snappy
production of Crime and Punishment at Intiman. Bold, inventive
production of Rubble Women (UMO Ensemble).
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Person to Watch
Scott Warrender
Das Barbecu's score wowed
us with his "sophisticated compositions" (Seattle Times) that
formed the backbone of this "sassy summer musical" (Seattle Gay News).
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Outstanding Production
The History Boys
"Hilarious and heartbreaking." (Seattle Times).
"Director Christopher Zinovitch helps create a band of brothers that bursts with
both intellect and the throbbing sexual energy of adolescence." (Seattle
P-I)
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Theatre of the Year
Village Theatre
From Member Comments: Consistently present
outstanding productions of established musicals, and yet have a long-standing
commitment to new work, as well as a fantastic training program.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Greg Falls?
Gregory A. Falls, the namesake of our theatre awards, was a leading force in establishing theatre in Seattle. He was a former chair of the UW School of Drama and founder of its Professional Actor Training Program; he also founded ACT, and was its artistic director for 23 years. He was instrumental in helping the Empty Space and Intiman theaters get their start. Before coming to Seattle in 1961, Mr. Falls started Ohio's Mad Anthony Players and ran both the University of Vermont's drama program and the Champlain Shakespeare Festival. A former president of the National Theater Conference and of the Washington Association of Theater Artists, Falls was inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Theatre in 1994. He died in 1997.
Why so few categories?
As this is the first year we are expanding the Falls honors from a single award, we want to take small steps to make the nomination and voting process manageable.
We eventually plan to cover many more disciplines, from designers to volunteers
to educators, and we will grow the categories incrementally from year to year.
Why this particular nomination and voting model?
We realize that no selection method is perfect, and we intend to refine our
own process moving forward. This is only the first year of these awards; some
regions have the benefit of 25+ years of hindsight refining their own awards
ceremonies, and it seems that no one solution fits all communities.
Models vary all over the continent: Some have judging committees composed
entirely of critics. Others open up judging to the general public. Still others
have a panel balanced between critics, theatre professionals and academics. Some
(like ours) have separate nominating and judging models. All have their pluses
and minuses.
Our model for 2008-2009 balances input from critics (as proxies for the
audience) in nominating shows, and input from TPS members (as representatives of
the theatre profession) in having the final vote on the candidates. This final
vote includes the ability to write-in a show or individual who may never have
been reviewed at all. We expect our selection model to evolve through the years,
as we discover what works most effectively in the Puget Sound theatrical
community.
How can I prepare for next year's Gregory Awards?
First of all, make sure that your
organization's Theatre Puget Sound membership is up-to-date. TPS
membership is a requirement for producing companies to be considered.
Secondly, ensure your online TPS
information is up to date and accurate, since nominators and voters will be
directed to SeattlePerforms.com for reference purposes:
For producing companies:
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Enter all the performance dates for
each show of your season into Seattleperforms.com (NOTE that just listing
the opening and closing dates of your run is NOT enough, as any show
searches are based on actual performance dates).
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Make sure that Seattleperforms.com lists all your cast
and crew for each production.
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Add images, descriptions and reviews of your shows to
your Seattleperforms.com record.
For individual TPS members:
What if I have other questions or comments?
Additional questions
and comments can be addressed to
awards@tpsonline.org
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