TIMES THEATRE TRIBUTES--2008
Greater Cleveland is blessed with a vital theatre scene. It is the purpose of the TIMES THEATRE TRIBUTES to recognize theatrical experiences that, in the mind of this reviewer, were excellent and deserve special recognition.
Only shows performed in 2008 which I reviewed were considered. Selections were limited to locally produced stagings, so none of the professional touring shows are recognized, though actors, directors and technicians who were imported by local theatres were considered. Actors are not separated by gender or leading or supporting roles.
If you would like to read any of my reviews for the year, please go to www.royberko.info, enter the blog and click on “2008 Reviews” or click on the name of the producing theatre and scroll through their performances. Reviews from previous years may also be accessed.
Please excuse any errors in name spelling. If there is a mistake please let me know (royberko@yahoo.com) and I will correct it in the blog announcement and your certificate.
Certificates will be mailed to the sponsoring theatre by the end of January with a request to forward to the individual recognized recipients.
Thanks to the following for making the 2008 theatre scene in the Cleveland area stimulating and memorable:
PRODUCTIONS
ALICE (Porthouse)
ANYTHING GOES (Porthouse)
BROOKLYN BOY (JCC/CCC)
BROOKLYN, THE MUSICAL (BW/PHS)
CAROLINE, OR CHANGE (Karamu/Dobama)
COLDER THAN HERE (Dobama)
DOUBT: A PARABLE (CPH)
GOLDA’S BALCONY (Actors’ Summit)
GOLDSTAR, OHIO (CPT)
HAROLD AND MAUDE (Cain Park)
I HAVE BEFORE ME A REMARKABLE DOCUMENT GIVEN TO ME BY A
YOUNG LADY FROM RWANDA (Dobama)
IN THE CONTINUUM (CPT)
INTO THE WOODS (GLTF)
MACBETH (GLTF)
ORANGE FLOWER WATER (Bang and Clatter)
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (CPH)
PROOF (ACTORS’ SUMMIT)
RAISIN IN THE SUN (CPH)
TALKING HEADS 2 (BECK)
THE CARPETBAGGER’S CHILDREN (Ensemble)
THE CRUCIBLE (GLTF)
THE HISTORY BOYS (Beck)
TWO ROOMS (Charenton/CPT)
URINETOWN: THE MUSICAL (Beck)
DIRECTORS
Amster, Peter PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (CPH)
Barr, Drew, THE CRUCIBLE (GLTF)
Bellamy, Lou, RAINSIN IN THE SUN (CPH)
Bobgan, Raymond, THE OTHER SIDE (CPT)
Bussert, Victoria, BOOKLYN, THE MUSICAL (BW/PHS)
Bussert, Victoria, INTO THE WOODS (GLTF)
Bussert, Victoria, HAROLD AND MAUDE (CAIN PARK)
Colombi, Lucia, THE CARPETBAGGER’S CHILDREN (Ensemble)
Earnest, Matthew, ALICE (Porthouse)
Fee, Charles, MACBETH (GLTF)
Gordon, Seth, DOUBT, A PARABLE (CPH)
Hammer, Joel, COLDER THAN HERE (Dobama)
Kent, Terri, ANYTHING GOES (Porthouse)
Loewy, Jacqui, TWO ROOMS (Charenton/CPT)
May, Sarah, CAROLINE, OR CHANGE (Karamu/Dobama)
May, Sarah, THE HISTORY BOYS (Beck)
McConaha, Sean, ORANGE FLOWER WATER (Bang and Clatter)
Paris, Andy, GOLDSTAR, OHIO (CPT)
Sias, Tony, IN THE CONTINUUM (CPT)
Silver, Reuben & Thackaberry, Neil, GOLDA’S BALCONY (Actors’ Summit)
Spence, Scott, URINETOWN: THE MUSICAL (BECK CENTER)
Turney, Wayne, PROOF (Actors’ Summit)
Zoldessy, Brain, BROOKLYN BOY (JCC/CCC)
Zoldessy, Brian, I HAVE BEFORE ME A REMARKABLE DOCUMENT GIVEN
TO ME BY A YOUNG LADY FROM RWANDA (Dobama)
PERFORMERS
Andres, Barbara (Doubt, A Parable)—CPH
Besler, Andrea (I Have Before Me…Rwanda)—Dobama
Black, MaryAnn (Anything Goes)—Porthouse
Boll, Heather Lea Anderson (Colder Than Here)—Dobama
Budin, Noah (Brooklyn Boy)—JCC/CCC
Clarke, Gerald (The Wiz)—Cain Park
Cope, Jessica L. (Into the Woods)—GLTF
Cross, Chaon (Pride and Prejudice)—CPH
Culler, Kathleen (Main-Travelled Roads)—Actors’ Summit
Davies, Aled (All’s Well That Ends Well)—GLTF
Davies, Aled (The Crucible)—GLFT
DiBlasi, Stephen (Brooklyn, the Musical)—BW/PHS
Dooley, Sheffia, Randall (Caroline, or Change)—Karamu/Dobama
Dorn, Franchelle Stewart (Raisin in the Sun)—CPH
Elliott, Kelly (Boom)—CPT
Emerick, Sandra (Anything Goes)—Porthouse
Felder, Hershey (George Gershwin Alone)—Cleveland Play House
Flaherty, Christian (Caroline, or Change)—Karamu/Dobama
Folino, Dan (The History Boys)—Beck
Ford, Tom (Into the Woods)—GLTF
Frederic, Michael (Doubt, A Parable)—CPH
Grover, Jeffrey (TWO ROOMS—Charenton/CPT
Gulick, Lissy (Carpetbagger’s Children)—Ensemble
Hart, Dana (The History Boys)—Beck
Hawkes, Robert (Talking Heads 2)—Beck
Joyce, Daniel Damon (Glass Menagarie)—CPH
Kahl, Betsy (Urinetown: the Musical)—Beck Center
Kartali, Charles (The Christmas Story)--CPH
Kartali, Charles, (Brooklyn Boy)—JCC/CCC
Kimberly Brown (In the Continuum)—CPT
Klika, Jen (ORANGE FLOWER WATER—Bang and Clatter
Kusak, Doug (This Is How It Goes)—Bang and Clatter
LaVonn, Erika (Raising in the Sun)—CPH
Lewellen, Hester (Carpetbagger’s Children)—Ensemble
Mach, Corey (Harold and Maude)—Cain Park
Matthew Wright (Urinetown: the Musical)—Beck Center
May, Andrew (The Crucible)—GLTF
McElhaney, Daniel (ORANGE FLOWER WATER—Bang and Clatter
McEvoy, Anne (Between Life and Death)—CPT
McEvoy, Anne (Colder Than Here)—Dobama
Miller, Scott (I Have Before Me…Rwanda)—Dobama
Morton, Sarah (TWO ROOMS—Charenton/CPT
Nagel, Maryann (Harold and Maude)—Cain Park
Nottage, Mary Jane (Carpetbagger’s Children)—Ensemble
Patterson, Tracee ((The Breakup Notebook: The Lesbian Musical)—Beck Center
Petty, Malika (Brooklyn, the Musical)—BW/PHS
Petty, Malika (The Wiz)—Cain Park
Pote, Emily (Alice)—Porthouse
Riddle, John (Altar Boyz)—Beck Center
Roth, George (The Fantastics)—Ensemble
Silver, Dorothy (Golda’s Balcony)—Actors’ Summit
Silver, Dorothy (Talking Heads 2)—Beck
Snow, Charene (Doubt, A Parable)—CPH
Stefanko, Joey (The Christmas Story)—CPH
Thackaberry, Constance (Proof)—Actors’ Summit
Thomas, Matthew Martin (The History Boys)—Beck
VanBaars, Eric (The Breakup Notebook: The Lesbian Musical)—Beck Center
Violand, Greg (Urinetown: the Musical)—Beck Center
Wells, Ker, (Living Tall)—Cleveland Public Theatre
Wright, Mathew (My Favorite Year)—Beck Center
Wyse, Alex, (Honk)—Mercury Summer Theatre
COMPOSITE CASTS
Colder Than Here (Dobama)
Doubt, A Parable (CPH)
Goldstar, Ohio (CPT)
Into the Woods (GLTF)
Orange Flower Water (Bang and Clatter)
Proof (Actors’ Summit)
Talking Heads 2 (Beck)
The Carpetbagger’s Children (Ensemble)
The History Boys (Beck)
TECHNICIANS
Borski, Russ, costume design (The Wiz)—Cain Park
Borski, Russ, set design ((The Breakup Notebook: The Lesbian Musical)—Beck
Brassard, Gail, costume design, (Pride and Prejudice)—CPH
Burns, Trad, lighting and set design (Goldstar, Ohio)—CPT
Burns, Trad, lighting design (Altar Boyz)—Beck Center
Burns, Trad, set and light design (The History Boys)—Beck
Center
Coates, Norman, lighting design (Into the Woods)—GLTF
Davis, John, sword fight sequences (My Favorite Year)—Beck Center
DiBernardo, Dale, costumes (Damn Yankees)—Carousel
DiBernardo, Dale, set design (The King and I)—Carousel
Gilliam, Michael, lighting design (George Gershwin Alone)—CPH
Herman, Jeff, scenic design (Into the Woods)—GLTF
Ingraham, Richard, sound design (I Have Before Me…Rwanda)—Dobama
Johnson, Pat, costume design (Alice)—Porthouse
Koharchik, Robert, set design (Pride and Prejudice)—CPH
Kovach, Robert, set design (The King and I)—Carousel
Kozak, Stan, sound design (Into the Woods)—GLTF
Leonard, Joy James, set design (Noises Off)—CPH
Lincoln, Michael, lighting design (Glass Menagerie)—CPH
Moxley, Star, costume design (Macbeth)—GLTF
Needham, Ben, set design (Brooklyn Boy)—JCC/CCC
Needham, Ben, set design (Peter Pan)—Beck Center
Ostaszewski, Michel, projections (Two Rooms)—Charenton/CPT
Pardess, Yael, scenic design (George Gershwin Alone)—CPH
Parkman, Russell, set design (Doubt: A Parable)—CPH
Patton, Fritz, original music and sound design (The Crucible)—GLTF
Pauna, Steve, set design (Alice)—Porthouse
Smith, Vicki, set design (Raisin in the Sun)—CPH
Thackaberry, Neil, visual effects(Golda’s Balcony)—Actors’ Summit
Tulenson, Nathan, sound design (Two Rooms)—Charenton/CPT
Williams, Gage, scenic design (Macbeth)—GLTF
Yetman, Charlotte, costume design (Into the Woods)—GLTF
MUSICAL DIRECTION
Andersen Wolfgang, Nancy (Anything Goes), Porthouse
Espino, John Jay, (Into the Woods)—GLTF
Maier, Nancy (Brooklyn, the Musical), BW/PHS
Morris, Evie (Main-Travelled Rloads), Actors’ Summit
Ricci, Jodie (Harold and Maude), Cain Park
Ridley, Ed (Caroline, or Change,) Karamu/Dobama
CHOREOGRAPHY
Black, MaryAnn (Anything Goes)—Porthouse
Cespedes, Martin (Into the Woods)--GLTF
Cespedes, Martin ((Urinetown: the Musical)—Beck Center
Cespedes, Martin (The Breakup Notebook: The Lesbian Musical)—Beck Center
Cortez, Hernando (Altar Boyz)—Beck Center
Merckx, Ken, (Macbeth)—GLTF (fight choreography)
Pesce, Vince, (The King and I)—Carousel
SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Joyce Casey, for her continued dedication to making Dobama a high quality entity.
Sean Derry and Sean McConaha of The Bang and Clatter for having the “chutpsa” to open a new theatre in downtown Cleveland with no parking!
Gina Vernaci and Victoria Bussert for their new collaboration between Playhouse Square and Baldwin-Wallace College.
Gina Vernaci for her continued excellent coordination and program development for Playhouse Square Foundation.
Great Lakes Theatre Festival for the creation of a superb new theatre space in the reburbished Hanna Theatre.
THE BEST OF THE BEST
I have been asked why I don’t select my “best of the best” for each season. So, to satisfy those requests, I present my selections:
2008 BEST OF THE BEST DRAMAS:
Golda’s Balcony (Actors’ Summit)
I Have Before Me a Remarkable Document Given to Me by a Young Lady from
Rwanda (Dobama)
The History Boys (Beck)
Two Rooms (Charenton/CPT)
2008 BEST OF THE BEST MUSICALS:
Brooklyn (BW/Playhouse Square)
Caroline, or Change (Karamu/Dobama)
Into the Woods (GLTF)
2008 BEST PERFORMANCES:
Andrea Belser (I Have Before Me a Remarkable Document Given to Me by a
Young Lady from Rwanda (Dobama)
Dorothy Silver (Golda’s Balcony)—Actors’ Summit
Dorothy Silver (Talking Heads 2)—Beck Center
Mathew Wright (Urinetown: the Musical)—Beck Center
Sheffia Dooley (Caroline, or Change)—Karamu/Dobama
