Geraldine Ann Snyder & Paul Lenzi of Blue Apple. Photos: Lana Lindsay
Awards Are Fluid
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Education, Black solidarity, and queer theatre were the central themes of the 2024 Arts-Louisville Theatre Awards, held on February 19 at Art Sanctuary. (scroll down for a full list of winners)
Kentucky Shakespeare Education Director Kyle Ware received the Barbara Cullen Theatre Educator Award and spoke with feeling about the inspiration provided by “artist educators” to all of us when we were children. The essential value of reaching young audiences was addressed with even greater passion by Paul Lenzi during his acceptance speech for the Kathi E.B. Ellis Lifetime Achievement Award, bestowed on him and his partner in life and theatre, Geraldine Ann Snyder. The pair spent a lifetime in children’s theatre, including the founding of Blue Apple Players, which the couple managed until its 2017 merger with Walden Theatre that resulted in the Commonwealth Theatre Center.
While the two honors were emotional highlights of the evening, performances by Hilary Van Reinen and Kara Luanne from Va Va Vixens, Elise Wobble from the Youth Performing Arts School (winning Best Student Musical for their 2022 production of Anything Goes), Megan Elizabeth of Shelby County Community Theatre (both Best Play & Best Musical by a Regional Company) and Naomi Wayne from Jesus Christ Superstar (Best Musical – local) energized the evening, and a preview of Redline Performing Art’s Single Black Female, although a scene from a “straight” play, had the dynamic movement of musical number.
Brittany “BeeBee” Patillo was one of two Best Performances in a Play (professional) for her Puck in Kentucky Shakespeare’s 2023 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and her win was met with enthusiasm from the crowd, as was Brandi LaShay’s empowering acceptance speech for her role in Pipeline from Redline Performing Arts.
The evening ended with Louisville’s newest theatre company, three witches Shakespeare winning Best Ensemble and Best Play for their production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream staged at The Louisville Nature Center. Acceptance speeches from founding members Tory Parker and Clarty Hagan emphasized another celebratory moment for marginalized voices for a group whose motto is “We’re here, we’re queer, we do Shakespeare!”
A full list of winners:
(The period of eligibility for all categories was September 1, 2022, through August 31, 2023. Productions must have opened within those dates)
Best Student Performances
Audrey Lucas – Anything Goes – Youth Performing Arts School (YPAS)
Riley McNerney – Anything Goes– YPAS
Best Student Play
Peter and the Starcatcher – Jeffersonville High School
Best Student Musical
Anything Goes – YPAS
Musical Number: YPAS Senior Elise Wobbe sang “I Get a Kick Out of You” from Anything Goes, accompanied by YPAS faculty Jay Schwandt on piano.
Presentation of Barbara Cullen Theatre Educator Award to Kyle Ware (Kentucky Shakespeare) by Megan Massie Ware
Best Play by A Regional Company (outside a 15-mile radius)
Frankenstein – Shelby County Community Theatre
Best Musical by A Regional Company (outside a 15-mile radius)
9 to 5 – Shelby County Community Theatre
Musical Number: Megan Elizabeth sang “Backwoods Barbie” from 9 to 5.
Best Choreographer
Heather Paige Folsom – White Christmas – Derby Dinner Playhouse
Best Costume Design
Donna Lawrence Downs – Enter Ghost – Kentucky Shakespeare
Best Lighting Design
Jesse Alford – Enter Ghost – Kentucky Shakespeare
Best Music Director
Scott Bradley – The Buddy Holly Story – Derby Dinner Playhouse
Best Scenic Design
Karl Anderson – Enter Ghost – Kentucky Shakespeare
Best Sound Design
Laura Ellis – Enter Ghost – Kentucky Shakespeare
Best Original Short Play by a Louisville-based Writer
The Local Piglet and The Whooping Crane by Brooke Morrison
Best Original Play by a Louisville-based Writer
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Holmes – Martin French & the company
Best Performances in a Play (professional)
Brittany “BeeBee” Patillo – A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Kentucky Shakespeare
J.R. Stuart – Murder on the Orient Express – Derby Dinner Playhouse
Best Director/Play (professional)
Jim Hesselman – Murder on the Orient Express – Derby Dinner Playhouse
Best Ensemble Cast (professional)
Dracula, A Feminist Revenge Fantasy – Actors Theatre of Louisville
Best Play (professional)
Murder on the Orient Express – Derby Dinner Playhouse
Best Performances in a Musical (professional)
Mandi Elkins Hutchins – Young Frankenstein – Derby Dinner Playhouse
Dick Baker – The Buddy Holly Story – Derby Dinner Playhouse
Best Director/Musical (professional)
Lee Buckholz – The Buddy Holly Story – Derby Dinner Playhouse
Best Musical (professional)
The Buddy Holly Story – Derby Dinner Playhouse
Presentation of The Kathi E.B. Ellis Lifetime Achievement Award to Paul Lenzi & Geraldine Ann Snyder by Mera Kathryn Corlett
Scene: from the upcoming production of Single Black Female at Redline Performing Arts
Introduced by Brandi LaShay
Best Performances in a Musical (local)
Olivia Allen – Once on this Island – Redline Performing Arts
Naomi Wayne – Jesus Christ Superstar – Drag Daddy Productions & The Chicken Coop Theatre
Best Director/Musical (local)
Tyler Tate – Once on this Island – Redline Performing Arts
Tony Lewis – Jesus Christ Superstar – Drag Daddy Productions & The Chicken Coop Theatre
Best Musical (local)
Jesus Christ Superstar – Drag Daddy Productions & The Chicken Coop Theatre
Musical number: Naomi Wayne performing “Gethsemane” from Jesus Christ Superstar
Best Performances in a Play (local)
Brandi LaShay – Pipeline – Redline Performing Arts
Chase Dean – Pipeline – Redline Performing Arts
Best Director/Play (local)
Alonzo Ramont – Pipeline – Redline Performing Arts
Best Ensemble Cast (Local)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream – three witches shakespeare
Best Play (local)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream – three witches Shakespeare
