TIMES THEATRE TRIBUTES--2011
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 recognition.
Only shows performed in 2011 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, equity or lack of union affiliation, or leading or supporting roles.
2011 BEST DRAMATIC PRODUCTIONS:
THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL (CPH)
INSOMNIA THE WAKING OF HERSELVES (CPT)
HUCK AND HOLDEN (Ensemble)
RACE (Beck)
THE LIFE OF GALILEO (CPH)
2011 BEST MUSICAL THEATRE PRODUCTIONS:
A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (FPAC)
CHICAGO (Porthouse)
2011 BEST CHOREOGRAPHY IN A MUSICAL THEATRE PRODUCTION:
Céspedes, Martin , JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT (Beck)
2011 BEST PERFORMANCES IN A THEATRICAL PRODUCTION:
Mitchell, Lizan, THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL (CPH)
Kendall, Jeremy, A STEADY RAIN (Dobama)
Caraballo, Daniel, HUCK AND HOLDEN (Ensemble)
Hart, Dana, ST. NICHOLAS (Ensemble)
SPECIAL RECOGNITION:
Roe Green for her major contribution and underwriting of the Fusion Festival at the Cleveland Play House.
The staff, Board of Directors and management of the Cleveland Play House for their farsighted move to Playhousesquare.
Gina Vernaci, in working with New York’s Dodger Productions, to bring the developmental project, THE FAT CAMP to the Hanna Theatre.
Cleveland Play House, PlayhouseSquare Center, Cleveland State University for the re-creation of the Allen Theatre.
Jeremy Paul, Theatre Ninjas, for continued creativity in development of new and creative theatrical presentations.
Celeste Cosentino for giving new life to Ensemble Theatre.
Thanks to the following for making the 2011 theatre scene in the Cleveland area stimulating and memorable:
PLAY/MUSICAL
A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (FPAC)
A STEADY RAIN (Dobama)
CHICAGO (Porthouse)
COMPANY (Fairmount PAC)
DARWINII (CPT)
DADDY LONG LEGS (CPH)
HUCK AND HOLDEN (Ensemble)
INSOMNIA THE WAKING OF HERSELVES (CPT)
JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT (Beck)
MY NAME IS ASHER LEV (CPH)
PASSING STRANGE (BW/PHSQ)
RACE (Beck)
RENT (BW)
THE LIFE OF GALILEO (CPH)
THE MIRACLE AT NAPLES (congruence-continuum)
THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL (CPH)
TRYING (Cesear’s Forum)
WOODY GUTHRIE’S AMERICAN SONG (Actors’ Summit)
DIRECTOR
Bobgan, Raymond, INSOMNIA THE WAKING OF HERSELVES (CPT)
Bussert, Victoria, PASSING STRANGE (BW/PHSQ)
Bussert, Victoria, RENT (BW)
Caird, John, DADDY LONG LEGS (CPH)
Cesear, Greg, TRYING (Cesear’s Forum)
Céspedes, Martin and Spence Scott, JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR
DREAMCOAT (Beck)
Cosentino, Celeste, HUCK AND HOLDEN (Ensemble)
Douglas, Timothy, THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL (CPH)
Edwards, Michael Donald, THE LIFE OF GALILEO (CPH)
Hammer, Joel, A STEADY RAIN (Dobama)
Hoffman, Geoffrey, MIRACLE AT NAPLES (congruence-continuum)
Kent, Terri, CHICAGO (Porthouse)
Kepley, Laura, MY NAME IS ASHER LEV (CPH)
May, Sarah, RACE (Beck)
Paul, Jeremy, MY BARKING DOG (Cleveland Public Theatre)
Paul, Jeremy, THE EXCAVATION (Theatre Ninjas)
Sternfeld, Fred, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (FPAC)
Sternfeld, Fred, COMPANY (Fairmount PAC)
Thackaberry, Neil, WOODY GUTHRIE’S AMERICAN SONG (Actors’ Summit)
PERFORMER
Anderson Boll, Heather, MY BARKING DOG (Cleveland Public Theatre)
Arnold, Curt, VALPARAISO (convergence-continuum)
Bergeron, Ryan, JERRY SPRINGER THE OPERA (Beck)
Bestic, Tricia, TRYING (Cesear’s Forum)
Black, Maryann, CHICAGO (Porthouse)
Brault, Pierre-Jacques, DR. DOOLITTLE (Mercury Summerstock)
Bredeson-Smith, Lucy, VALPARAISO (convergence-continuum)
Bruner, Sara, THE TAMING OF THE SHREW (GLT)
Caraballo, Daniel, HUCK AND HOLDEN (Ensemble)
Carthens, Kyle, HUCK AND HOLDEN (Ensemble)
Cataan, Ursula, COMPANY (FPAC)
Cleveland, Adrianna, DREAMGIRLS (Cain Park)
Colerider, Glenn, TRYING (Cesear’s Forum)
Culver, Tim, CHICAGO (Porthouse)
Domingue, Nina, YA MAMA! (CPT)
Eckstrom, Brittany, HAIRSPRAY (Beck)
Emeka, Justin, RACE (Beck)
Emerick, Sandra, CHICAGO (Porthouse)
Esposito, Scott, ASSASSINS (Lakeland)
Farrell, Diana, JERRY SPRINGER THE OPERA (Beck)
Floyd, Aric Generette, THE LIFE OF GALILEO (CPH)
Gehlert, Rachel, TIGERS BE STILL (Dobama)
Gorell, Andrew, PRESENT LAUGHTER (CWRU/CPH AC)
Grandillo, Sean, big, THE MUSICAL (FPAC)
Hammer, Joel, THE SEAFARER (Dobama)
Hancock, Robert Adelman, DADDY LONG LEGS (CPH)
Hart, Dana, ST. NICHOLAS (Ensemble)
Holsinger, Holly, INSOMNIA THE WAKING OF HERSELVES (CPT)
Hudak, Zac, FIVE BIRDS (convergence continuum)
Hudak, Zac, THE MIRACLE AT NAPLES (convergence continuum)
Kelly, Kevin Joseph, HAIRSPRAY (Beck)
Kendall, Jeremy, A STEADY RAIN (Dobama)
Keyster, Brett, DARWINII (CPT)
Kline-Messner, Paula, BECKY’S NEW CAR (Actors’ Summit)
Koesters, Nick, MY BARKING DOG (Cleveland Public Theatre)
Lawrence, Rod, PASSING STRANGE (BW/PHSQ)
Leach, Andrea, RENT (BW)
Learned, Brint, ASSASSINS (Lakeland)
Lee, Heather, BACKWARD IN HIGH HEELS (CPH)
Little, Kristi, HUCK AND HOLDEN (Ensemble)
Mackay, Donald Sage, SOMETHINGS AFOOT (CPH)
McEvoy, Anne, INSOMNIA THE WAKING OF HERSELVES (CPT)
McGinnis, Meg, DADDY LONG LEGS (CPH)
Mitchell, Lian, THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL (CPH)
Morgan-Moyer, Cerris, LEGACY OF LIGHT (CPH)
Nehring, Larry, THE SEAFARER (Dobama)
Patterson, Tracee A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (FPAC)
Patterson, Tracee, COMPANY (Fairmount PAC)
Pedlow, Amelia, LEGACY OF LIGHT (CPH)
Perrotta, Laura, CABARET (GLT)
Plate, Scott, A STEADY RAIN (Dobama)
Ratell, Dylan, CHICAGO (Porthouse)
Scerbak, Erin , GRIZZLY MAMA (Dobama)
Sage, Donald Mackay, THE GAMES AFOOT (CPH)
Scott, Aungelique, RACE (Beck)
Seibert, Chris, INSOMNIA THE WAKING OF HERSELVES (CPT)
Simon, Clyde, THE BOYS IN THE BAND (convergence continuum)
Stump, Tina, HAIRSPRAY (Beck)
Taylor, Myra Lucertia, THE LIFE OF GALILEO (CPH)
Thompson, Matthew Ryan, JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT
(Beck)
van Baars, Eric, HELLO DOLLY (Porthouse)
Violand, Greg, THE UNDERPANTS (Beck)
White, Jon, RENT (BW)
Whitworth, Paul, THE LIFE OF GALILEO (CPH)
Woodson, John, CABARET (GLT)
Woodward, Tom, RACE (Beck)
Composite cast
A STEADY RAIN (Dobama)
DADDY LONG LEGS (CPH)
HUCK AND HOLDEN (Ensemble)
INSOMNIA THE WAKING OF HERSELVES (CPT)
MONSTER PLAY (Theatre Ninjas)
MY BARKING DOG (CPT)
MY NAME IS ASHER LEV (CPH)
THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES (Beck)
THE MIRACLE AT NAPLES (convergence continuum)
THE GAME’S AFOOT (CPH)
THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL (CPH)
WOODY GUTHRIE’S AMERICAN SONG (Actor’s Summit)
TECHNICIANS
Borski, Russ, costume design, DREAMGIRLS (Cain Park)
Burns, Trad, lighting design, JERRY SPRINGER, THE OPERA (Beck)
Burns, Trad, lighting design, JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT
(Beck)
Burns, Trad, set design, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (FPAC)
Conway, Daniel, scenic design, THE GAMES AFOOT (CPH)
Gantose, Benjamin, light design, MONSTER PLAY (Theatre Ninjas)
Gould, Richard, set design, RACE (Beck)
Horvitz, Joan, set design, INSOMNIA THE WAKING OF HERSELVES (CPT)
Ingraham, Richard, MY BARKING DOG (Cleveland Public Theatre)
Metheny, Russell, set design, TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA (GLTF)
Mitchell, Joseph, set design, HUCK AND HOLDEN (Ensemble)
Needham, Ben, scenic design, THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES (Beck)
Richards, Matthew, light design, LEGACY OF LIGHT (CPH)
Studley, Christopher, lighting design, THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL (CPH)
Tucker, Craig, costume design, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (FPAC)
MUSICAL DIRECTION
Anderson, Michael, WOODY GUTHRIE’S AMERICAN SONG (Actors’ Summit)
Garret, Ryan Fielding, PASSING STRANGE (BW/PHSQ)
Goodpaster, Larry, THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES (Beck)
Krol, John, ASSASSINS (Lakeland)
Swoboda, Jonathan, CHICAGO (Porthouse)
Swoboda, Jonathan, COMPANY (Fairmount PAC)
Swoboda, Jonathan, HELLO DOLLY! (Porthouse)
Webb, Matthew, TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA (GLTF)
Williams, David, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (FPAC)
CHOREOGRAPHY
Black, Maryann, CHICAGO (Porthouse)
Céspedes, Martin, HAIRSPRAY (Beck)
Céspedes, Martin, JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT (Beck)
Crawford, John, HELLO DOLLY! (Porthouse)
Daniel, Gregory, RENT (BW)
Daniels Greg, DREAMGIRLS (Cain Park)
Reilly, Caitlin Elizabeth, THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES (Beck)
Robertson, Pandora, THE LIFE OF GALILEO (CPH)
Weinberg-Katz, Bebe, COMPANY (FPAC)
If any names are spelled incorrectly or there are errors in identifications please let me know so I can change the permanent record on my blog.
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 “2011 Reviews” or click on the name of the producing theatre and scroll through their performances. Reviews from previous years may also be accessed.
NOTE: THOSE WHO WOULD LIKE A CERTIFICATE ATTESTING TO THEIR RECOGNITION SHOULD E-MAIL ME @ royberko@yahoo.com. PLEASE INCLUDE THE ADDRESS TO WHICH THE CERTIFICATE(S) SHOULD BE MAILED!
