TIMES THEATER TRIBUTES--2012
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 view of this
reviewer, were excellent and deserve recognition.
Only shows performed in
2012 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.
2012 BEST DRAMATIC PRODUCTIONS
4000 MILES,
Dobama (Director: Joel Hammer)
OF MICE AND
MEN, Blank Canvas (Director: Patrick Ciamacco)
PROOF, Lakeland
Civic Theatre Civic Theatre (Director:
Martin Friedman)
THE NORMAL
HEART, Ensemble Theatre (Director:
Sarah May)
THE VELOCITY
OF AUTUMN, Beck Center for the Arts Center (Director: Eric Schmiedl)
THE WHIPPING MAN, Cleveland Play House (Director: Giovanna Sardelli)
2012 BEST MUSICAL THEATRE PRODUCTIONS
BLOODY,
BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON, Beck Center for the Arts (Director: Scott
Spence)
MY MOTHER’S
LESBIAN JEWISH WICCAN WEDDING, Actor’s Summit (Director: Neil Thackaberry)
SPRING
AWAKENING, Beck Center for the Arts/Baldwin Wallace Musical Theater
Program (Director: Victoria Bussert)
2012 BEST CHOREOGRAPHY IN A MUSICAL
THEATRE PRODUCTION
Gregory Daniels, SPRING AWAKENING, Beck Center for the Arts/Baldwin Wallace
Musical Theater Program
Martin Céspedes, ANNIE, Beck Center for the Arts
Martin
Céspedes, BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON, Beck Center for the Arts
2012 BEST PERFORMANCES IN A THEATRE PRODUCTION
Brian Zoldessy, THE NORMAL HEART, Ensemble Theatre
Dorothy
Silver, 4000 MILES, Dobama
Dorothy
Silver, THE VELOCITY OF AUTUMN, Beck Center for the Arts
Elizabeth
Conway, PROOF, Lakeland Civic Theatre
Patrick
Ciamacco, OF MICE AND MEN, Blank Canvas
Russell G.
Jones, THE WHIPPING MAN, Cleveland Play House
2012 BEST PERFORMANCES IN A MUSICAL
PRODUCTION
Beachman, Kelvette, ONCE UPON A MATTRESS, Mercury
SummerStock
Coleen Longshaw, THE
COLOR PURPLE, Karamu
Dan Folino,
BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON, Beck Center for the Arts
Jesse
Markowitz, AVENUE Q, Cain Park
Lindsey
Mitchell, MY MOTHER’S LESBIAN JEWISH WICCAN WEDDING, Actor’s
Summit
Zach Adkins,
SPRING AWAKENING, Beck Center for the Arts/Baldwin Wallace
Musical Theater Program
SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Eric Coble for his
creation of three plays that were produced in the Greater Cleveland
area, THE VELOCITY OF AUTUMN, GIRL’S GUIDE TO COFFEE
and A CAROL FOR CLEVELAND
Michael Bloom and the
Board of the Cleveland Play House for the foresight to move
the theater company into Allen Theatre complex on Playhouse Square
Patrick Ciamacco, the
heart and sole of Blank Canvas, the area’s newest professional
theatre
Reuben Silver, for a
career of outstanding work as producer, director, educator, and
actor
Roe Green for her
sponsorship of the Cleveland Critics Circle clevelandtheaterreviews.com
blog site
The Members of the
Cleveland Critics Circle for the creation of clevelandtheaterreviews.com,
a reader friendly site for composite reviews
of local critics
In addition, recognition to the following for
making the 2012 theatre scene in the Cleveland area stimulating and memorable:
A BRIGHT NEW
BOISE, Dobama (Director: Nathan
Motta)
AVENUE Q,
Cain Park (Director: Russ Borski)
GOD OF
CARNAGE, Dobama (Joel Hammer)
IN ARABIA
WE’D ALL BE KINGS, Case/Cleveland Play House MFA Acting Program
(Director: Ron Wilson)
LEGALLY
BLONDE, Beck Center for the Arts (Director: Scott Spence)
NEXT FALL, Blank Canvas (Director: Pat Ciamacco)
THE
MOTHERFUCKER WITH THE HAT, Dobama (Director: Dianne Boduszek)
THE WORLD
GOES ROUND, Porthouse (Director:
Shawn Morrissey)
PERFORMERS
Anderberg,
Therese, IN ARABIA WE’D ALL BE KINGS, Case/Cleveland Play House
MFA Acting Program
Ari, Bob,
RED, Cleveland Play House
Barnett, Dyrell, THE
COLOR PURPLE, Karamu
Barrett,
Anna, ANNIE, Beck Center for the Arts
Beachman, Kelvette, ALL SHOOK UP, Mercury Summer Stock
Belser, Andrea, THE BLUEST EYE, KARAMU
Bistok-Bunce, Amy, DEVIL BOYS FROM BEYOND,
convergence continuum
Black,
MaryAnn, DAMN YANKEES, Porthouse
Boukis, John
Paul, AVENUE Q, Cain Park
Bush,
Kimberly, LEGALLY BLOND, Beck Center for the Arts
Carrier,
Donald, TEN CHIMNEYS, Cleveland Play House
Chervony,
Margo, A GIRL’S GUIDE TO COFFEE, Actors’ Summit
Ciamacco, Patrick, HELLCAB, Blank Canvas
Cikra, Alex,
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, Weathervane
Day, Brandyn Leo Lynn, THE LITTLE
DOG LAUGHED, Beck Center for the Arts
DeBoir, Katherine, ANYONE CAN WHISTLE, Lakeland
Civic Theatre
Deike,
Andrew, A BRIGHT NEW BOISE, Dobama
Elder, Maryann, STANDING ON CEREMONY: THE GAY MARRIAGE PLAY, Cleveland
Public Theatre
Elersich,
Aaron, PROOF, Lakeland Civic Theatre
Espisito,
Scott, THE NORMAL HEART, Ensemble
Theatre
Fagan, Shawn,
THE WHIPPING MAN, Cleveland Play House
Fields,
Mitchell, PROOF, Lakeland Civic Theatre
Folino, Dan, ANYONE CAN WHISTLE, Lakeland Civic
Theatre
Glavan,
Michael, DAMN YANKEES, Porthouse
Glover, Jeff, NEXT FALL, Blank Canvas
Glymph,
Avery, THE WHIPPING MAN, Cleveland Play House
Griffin,
Zach, MY MOTHER’S LESBIAN JEWISH WICCAN WEDDING, Actor’s Summit
Hancock,
Todd, AVENUE Q, Cain Park
Harrison,
Randy, RED, Cleveland Play House
Hart, Dana,
ANTEBELLUM, Cleveland Public Theatre
Hart, Dana, STANDING ON CEREMONY: THE GAY MARRIAGE PLAY, Cleveland
Public Theatre
Hartley,
Mariette, TEN CHIMNEYS, Cleveland Play House
Hinckley,
Christa, IN ARABIA WE’D ALL BE KINGS, Case/Cleveland Play House
MFA Acting Program
Hobbs, Lauryn Alexandria, ALL SHOOK UP, Mercury Summer Stock
Hoffman,
Laurel, PROOF, Lakeland Civic Theatre
Kartali,
Charles, A CAROL FOR CHRISTMAS, Cleveland Play House
Kendall,
Jeremy, THE MOTHERFUCKER WITH THE HAT, Dobama
Kenderes,
Joe, OF MICE AND MEN, Blank Canvas
Kennedy,
Kyra, SPRING AWAKENING, Beck Center for the Arts/Baldwin Wallace
Musical Theater Program
Kinsey,
Sarah, THE MISANTHROPE, Case/Cleveland Play House MFA Acting Program
LaShawn, Mikhaela, THE
COLOR PURPLE, Karamu
Lockshine,
Elliot, A CAROL FOR CHRISTMAS, Cleveland Play House
Markowitz,
Jesse, ALL SHOOK UP, Mercury Summer Stock
Marshall,
Brian, ALL SHOOK UP, Mercury Summer Stock
Marshall,
William Clarence, LOWER NINTH, Ensemble Theatre
McEvoy, Anne, NEXT FALL, Blank Canvas
O’Byrne, David, THE
MOUSETRAP, Great Lakes Theatre
O’Shea, Matt,
4000 MILES, Dobama
Patterson, Tracee, GOD OF CARNAGE, Dobama
Penca, James,
SPRING AWAKENING, Beck Center for the Arts/Baldwin Wallace
Musical Theater Program
Reilly,
Caitlin Elizabeth, LEGALLY BLONDE, Beck Center for the Arts
Ring, Derdriu, GOD OF CARNAGE, Dobama
Ring,
Derdriu, THE NORMAL HEART, Ensemble
Theatre
Ruttle, Kelli, THE WINTER’S TALE, Case/Cleveland Play House
MFA Acting Program
Sniadak-Yamoloski,
Dawn, MY MOTHER’S LESBIAN JEWISH WICCAN WEDDING,
Actor’s Summit
Spencer,
Stephen, A CAROL FOR CHRISTMAS, Cleveland Play House
Spencer,
Stephen, IN ARABIA WE’D ALL BE KINGS, Case/Cleveland Play House
MFA Acting Program
Spencer, Stephen, THE MISANTHROPE,
Case/Cleveland Play House
MFA Acting
Program
Sturgis, Nisi, IN THE NEXT ROOM, Cleveland Play
House
Sweeney,
Nicholas, ANTEBELLUM, Cleveland Public Theatre
Taggett,
Gilgamesh, ANNIE, Beck Center for the Arts
van Baars,
Eric, DAMN YANKEES, Porthouse
Woodward,
Tom, A BRIGHT NEW BOISE, Dobama
Woodward,
Tom, MIDDLETOWN, Dobama
TECHNICIANS
Boeman, Melanie, costumes, ANTEBELLUM, Cleveland Public Theatre
Bruns, Tradd,
set design, BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON, Beck Center for the Arts
Burns, Tad,
ANNIE, Beck Center for the Arts
Burns, Trad,
scenic and light design, XANADU, Beck Center for the Arts
Burns, Trad,
set and light design, ANYONE CAN WHISTLE, Lakeland Civic Theatre
Carlson,
Laura, set design, 4000 MILES, Dobama
Carlson,
Laura, set design, MIDDLETOWN, Dobama
Conley, Janet, scenic art work, ALL SHOOK UP, Mercury Summer Stock
Dana, Marcus,
light design, A BRIGHT NEW BOISE, Dobama
Ferrell,
Alan Scott, scenic design,
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, Weathervane
Herrmann,
Jeff, set and light design, SPRING AWAKENING, Beck Center for the Arts/Baldwin
Wallace Musical Theater Program
Krispinsky,
Todd, set design, THE VELOCITY OF AUTUMN, Beck Center for the
Arts
Merckx, Ken,
fight design, ROMEO AND JULIET, Beck Center for the Arts
Mickelson, David Kay, costume design, IN THE
NEXT ROOM, Cleveland Play House
Nagy, Keith,
scenic design, PROOF, Lakeland Civic Theatre
Needhmam,
Ben, set design, LEGALLY BLONDE, Beck Center for the Arts
Pieritz, Terry and Russ
Borski, with Larry Nehring, puppets for AVENUE Q, Cain
Park
Raiford, Michael, set design, IN THE NEXT ROOM, Cleveland
Play House
Scribner,
Tiffany, set design, IN ARABIA WE’D ALL BE KINGS, Case/Cleveland Play
House MFA Acting Program
Swonger, James,
seound design, THE WHIPPING MAN, Cleveland Play House
MUSICAL DIRECTORS
Buck, J. T.,
MY MOTHER’S LESBIAN JEWISH WICCAN WEDDING, Actor’s Summit
Garrett, Ryan
Fielding, SPRING AWAKENING, Beck Center for the Arts/Baldwin
Wallace Musical Theater Program
Goodpaster,
Larry and Yurich, Dennis, BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON, Beck Center
for the Arts
Goodpaster,
Larry, ANNIE, Beck Center For The Arts
Goodpaster,
Larry, ANYONE CAN WHISTLE, Lakeland Civic Theatre
Goodpaster,
Larry, LEGALLY BLONDE, Beck Center for the Arts
Goodpaster,
Larry, XANADU, Beck Center for the Arts
Long, Kevin,
THE WORLD GOES ROUND, Porthouse
Robinson,
David, AVENUE Q, Cain Park
Swoboda,
Jonathan, DAMN YANKEES, Porthouse
CHOREOGRAPHERS
Céspedes,
Martin, LEGALLY BLONDE, Beck Center for the Arts
Céspedes,
Martin, XANADU, Beck Center for the Arts
Crawford,
John, DAMN YANKEES, Porthouse
Morrissey,
Shaw, THE WORLD GOES ROUND, Porthouse
If any names are spelled incorrectly or there are
errors in identifications please let me know so I can change the permanent
record on www.royberko.info.
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 “2012 Reviews” or click on the name of the
producing theatre and scroll through their performances. Reviews from previous
years may also be accessed.
