Bill's Best of 2015. Part 1. Original Work and Holiday Shows

PLEASE NOTE:

THIS POST WAS EDITED ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2016 TO CORRECT AN OVERSIGHT.  

"Unmarried in America" by Colorado playwright K.D. Carlson had its World Premiere on May 8, 2015 at the Vintage Theatre.  My mistake; I had considered it in the Drama category, but it belongs in the Original Work category.  That mistake has been corrected below.  As a result, there are some changes to the nominations in this category.  I regret the error and apologize for any inconvenience.

I have two new categories this year, one for original scripts and one for holiday shows.  I'm making this a separate post for a couple of reasons.

1.  I have so many shows to work with this year that putting them all in a single post makes the post much too long.  Just as I sometimes complain when a show exceeds 3 hours, my posts should be tailored to a reader's endurance level.  

2.  Original work is an important topic.  It is critical to the theater community; new plays and new playwrights keeps the productions new, fresh, and often more relevant.  Therefore, I am putting it out first this year.  As an aside, it's exciting to see how much support there is in the Colorado theater community for new work.

3.  I'm including Holiday Shows here, as it's a pretty small category.  These are productions that are seasonal, done between Thanksgiving and New Years.  Because of the specialized nature of holiday shows and their seasonal scheduling, I thought it worth separating them from the other shows that can be done year round.

Because of the limited nature and number of shows in both these categories, I am dispensing the LARGE/SMALL/MICRO categories.  Every show competes against the others, regardless of the size of the company.  While this may put some companies at a disadvantage (and there is considerable dispute about that), it just didn't make sense to split 6-7 shows into three different categories.

Further, these NOMINATIONS test the theory that "acting is acting," regardless of budget.  

Does more money make a better production?  I saw big budget shows (Irving Berlin's White Christmas, and A Christmas Carol) and holiday shows with a tiny budget (Stocking Stuffers and Scrooge's Christmas).  There is no question in my mind that, at least in these two categories, money may help but high quality productions can be done on a very small budget.

Reasonable people may well differ, but the little guys in these categories did very well in the 2015 nominations for Bill's Best.

ORIGINAL WORK

ELIGIBLE PLAYS:

1.  Ham McBeth, Square Product Theatre Company

2.  Looking Glass Alice, Denver Center Theater Company

3.  Beets, Read and Rant Productions

4.  What Color is That Dress?, Dragon Theatre Productions

5.  Stick Guns, Millibo Arts Center

6.  Benediction, Denver Center Theater Company

7.  Ranch Dressing and Other Coping Mechanisms, Square Product Theatre Company

8.  Unmarried in America, Vintage Theatre Company

Nominations for best original play:

1.  Benediction, Denver Center Theater Company

2.  Beets, Read and Rant Productions

3.  Stick Guns, Millibo Arts Center

4.  Unmarried in America, Vintage Theatre Company

Nominations for best actor in an original play:

1.  Jim Jackson as Jim Jackson, Stick Guns, Millibo Arts Center*

2.  Andrew Uhlenhopp as Fred Hunt, Beets, Read and Rant Productions

3.  Mike Hartman as Dad Lewis, Benediction, Denver Center Theater Company

*I do not normally consider playing oneself to be acting; it's more a matter of performing as the person you know best.  That said, however, Mr. Jackson's role is a semi-autobiographical account of his childhood, but not completely factual.  It was an impressive performance of a one man show, written by Jackson, performed by Jackson, and highly dependent on his ability to play himself and other characters.

Nominations for Best Actress in an original play:

1.  Kelly Uhlenhopp as Isabelle Hunt, Beets, Read and Rant Productions

2.  Emily K. Harrison as Ham Jones, Ham McBeth, Square Product Theatre Company

3.  Joyce Cohen as Mary Lewis, Benediction, Denver Center Theater Company

4.  Lauren Hirte as Alice, Looking Glass Alice, Denver Center Theater Company

5.  Kelsie Huff, Ranch Dressing and Other Coping Mechanisms, Square Product Theatre Company.

6.  Missy Moore as Gina, Unmarried in America, Vintage Theatre

Nominations for Best Supporting Actor in an original play:

1.  Drew Hirschboeck as Dieter, Beets, Read and Rant Productions

2.  Ed F. Martin as Reverend Rob Lyle, Benediction, Denver Center Theater Company

3.  Samuel Taylor as the White Knight, Lookingglass Alice, Denver Center Theater Company.

4.  Jeff Jesmer as Gary, Unmarried in America, Vintage Theatre Company.

Nominations for Best Supporting Actress in an original play:

1.  Nancy Lemenager as Beverly Lyle, Benediction, Denver Center Theater Company.

2.  Jordyn Morgan as Anna, Beets, Read and Rant Productions.

3.  Molly Brennan as The Red Queen, Lookingglass Alice, Denver Center Theater Company.

READINGS:

All three of these companies are supporting the development of new talent and new material.  As these were not full scale productions, there are no individual acting awards.  

I will be preparing certificates to recognize these three companies for their support of new and original works.

1.  9th Annual Front Range Playwright’s Showcase, Coal Creek Theater Company

2.  24/7, Funky Little Theater Company

3.   Rough Writer’s New Play Festival, CS Fine Arts Center

HOLIDAY SHOWS

ELIGIBLE PLAYS:

1.   Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Arvada Center

2.  A Christmas Carol, Denver Center Theater Company

3.  A Tuna Christmas, Millibo Arts Center

4.  Scrooge’s Christmas, A Christmas Carol, CS Black Box Theater Company

5.   Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, CS Fine Arts Center

6.  Stocking Stuffers, Springs Ensemble Theatre Company

Nominations for Best Holiday Play:

1.  Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Arvada Center

2.  A Christmas Carol, Denver Center Theater Company

3.   Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, CS Fine Arts Center

4.  Stocking Stuffers, Springs Ensemble Theatre Company

Nominations for Best Actor(s), Holiday Shows

1.  Philip Pleasants as Ebenezer Scrooge, A Christmas Carol, Denver Center Theater Company.

2.  David Olson as Scrooge, Scrooge’s Christmas:  A Christmas Carol, Black Box Theatre

3.  Ben Michael as Bob Wallace, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Arvada Center.

4.  Sammie Joe Kinnett and Sammy Gleason, multiple roles (dual nomination as Kinnett/Gleason are co-stars of a 2 person show), A Tuna Christmas, Millibo Art Theatre (MAT).

5.  James Michael Reilly as Bob Cratchit, A Christmas Carol, Denver Center Theater Company.

Nominations for Best Actress, Holiday Shows

1.  Mackenzie Sherburne as Betty Haynes, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center.

2.  Lauren Shealy as Betty Haynes, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Arvada Center.

3.  Erica Sweany as Judy Haynes, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Arvada Center.

4.  Alannah Vaughn as Judy Haynes, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center.

Nominations for Best Supporting Actor, Holiday Shows

1.  Paul Page, General Henry Waverly, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Arvada Center

2.  John A. Zincone, multiple roles, Stocking Stuffers, Springs Ensemble Theatre

3.  Max Ferguson, multiple roles, Stocking Stuffers, Springs Ensemble Theatre.

4.  Jeffrey Roark as the Ghost of Jacob Marley, A Christmas Carol, Denver Center Theater Company.

Nominations for Best Supporting Actress, Holiday Shows

1.  Autumn Schubauer, multiple roles, Stocking Stuffers, Springs Ensemble Theatre.

2.  Jen Lennon as Martha Watson, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center.

3.  Sarah S. Shaver, multiple roles, Stocking Stuffers, Springs Ensemble Theatre.

4.  Leslie O’Carroll as Mrs. Fezziwig, A Christmas Carol, Denver Center Theater Company.