Colorado Backstage Spotlight Awards

I bow to the Theatre Community. I bow to the dedication and artistic expertise demonstrated over and over again. I ask them to “tell us a story,” but they won’t. They show us. They give us a story with heart and soul. There are the masters and those who will be one day, and those who are well on their way.

Sitting in a sea of 136 playbills in a whirl of truth and fantasy, funny frivolous and deadly serious there are several spotlights that beg to shine: Would I had a golden statue to lay at their feet, or a golden penny, What I do have is complete admiration for these artists. Some categories have more than one “winner” simply because apples and oranges cannot compete with each other. Some of the small theatres with limited budgets deserve high recognition. They have produced some amazing pieces in their short young lives, and deserve the spotlight as much as the larger more well-established theatres. With the tip of my hat and a bow, I give you:

Drama:

The Miracle Worker, Aurora Fox
Painting Churches, Miners Alley Playhouse

Comedy:

Escanaba in da Moonlight, Aurora Fox
Run For Your Wife, Miners Alley Playhouse

Musical:

The Wizard of Oz, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre
West Side Story, Littleton Town Hall
Aida, Arvada Center

New Play:

Dead White Males: William Missouri Downs, Miners Alley Playhouse
Poignant Irritations: Melissa McCarl, Mizel Center

New Production Company:

Identity Theatre Company with The Credeaux Canvas

Year for a Theatre Company:

Germinal Stage Denver with Fool for Love, Habeas Corpus, Independence, Heartbreak House, and Indulgences in the Louisville Harem

Drama Spotlights:

Director:

Ed Baierlein, Indulgences of a Louisville Harem, Germinal Stage Denver
Bernie Cardell, Wait Until Dark, Evergreen Players
Bev Newcomb-Madden, The Miracle Worker, Aurora Fox

Actor:

Russell Costen, Paul Robeson, Shadow Theatre Company
Michael Stricker, The Mercy Seat, Paragon Theatre Company
David Harms, Buicks, Paragon Theatre Company

Actress:

Deborah Persoff, Painting Churches, Miners Alley Playhouse
Karen Slack, The Syringa Tree, Alliance Stage
Claire Carson, The Miracle Worker, Aurora Fox
Haley Johnson, Wait Until Dark, Evergreen Players
Judy Phelan-Hill, A Place At Forest Lawn, Arvada Center

Supporting Actor:

David C. Riley, Death of A Salesman, Denver Repertory
Terry Burnsed, Indulgences of a Louisville Harem, Germinal Stage Denver
Ken Witt, Buicks, Paragon Theatre Company

Supporting Actress In A Dramatic Production:

Sarah Mae Johnson, The Miracle Worker, Aurora Fox
Lori Hansen, Indulgences of a Louisville Harem, Germinal Stage Denver
Patty Mintz Figel, A Place At Forest Lawn, Arvada Center

Scenic Design:

Charles Dean-Packard/Jen Orf, The Miracle Worker, Aurora Fox
James Holly, Inherit The Wind, Modern Muse Theatre Company
Michael Duran, Retreat From Moscow, Aurora Fox

Musical Spotlights:

Director:

Gene Kato, Assassins, Next Stage
Michael J. Duran, The Wizard of Oz, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre
Steve Wilson, Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, PHAMALy

Actor:

Ryan Belinak, West Side Story, Town Hall Arts Center
Wayne Kennedy, The King and I, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre
Tim Welsh, Kiss Me Kate, Town Hall Arts Center

Actress:

Elizabeth Welch, West Side Story, Littleton Town Hall
Emily Van Fleet, The Wizard of Oz, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre
Shelly Cox-Robie, The King and I, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre

Supporting Actor:

David Ballew, Naked Boys Singing, Theatre Group
Marcus Waterman, Aida, Arvada Center
AK Klimpke, The Wizard of Oz, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre
Scott Beyette, The Wizard of Oz, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre
John Clough, The Wizard of Oz, Boulde’s Dinner Theatre

Supporting Actress:

Melissa McCarl, West Side Story, Littleton Town Hall
Amy Grass, The King and I, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre

Scenic Design:

Melissa Schrank, The Wizard of Oz, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre
Joseph J. Egan, Aida, Arvada Center

Choreographer:

Nicholas Sugar, West Side Story, Littleton Town Hall
Alicia Dunfee, The Wizard of Oz, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre
Debbie Stark, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, PHAMALy

Music Director:

Donna Kolpan Debreceni, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, PHAMALy
Neal Dunfee, The King and I, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre

Comedy Spotlights:

Director:

John Ashton, Escanaba in da Moonlight, Aurora Fox

Actor:

Robert Kramer, Chapter Two, Miners Alley Playhouse
Ed Baierlein, Heartbreak House, Germinal Stage Denver

Actress:

Suzanna Wellens, Heartbreak House, Germinal Stage Denver
Pam Clifton & Beth Flynn, Parallel Lives, Avenue Theatre

Supporting Actor:

Bill Hahn, Escanaba in da Moonlight, Aurora Fox

Supportive Actress:

Edith Weiss, The Fourth Wall, Avenue Theatre

Lighting:

Cletus Katamon, The Wizard of Oz, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre
Mel Strasser, Misery, Paragon Theatre Company
Brian Miller, Death of A Salesman, Denver Repertory Company, John Hand Theatre
Shannon McKinney, Trumbo, Curious Theatre Company, Acoma Center

Sound

Michael Andrew Doherty, Misery, Paragon Theatre Company
Brian Freeland, Bug, Curious Theatre Company, Acoma Center

Costumes

Nicole M. Harrison-Hoof, Aida, Arvada Center
Linda Morkin, The Wizard of Oz and The King and I, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre

Young Actor Spotlight

Desiree Samler, Wait Until Dark, Evergreen Players

Ensemble Spotlight:

Assassins, Next Stage
The Full Monty, Arvada Center

Revision of Play:

The Fourth Wall, Avenue Theatre

Special Effects:

The Wizard of Oz with flying monkeys, puppets, bungee chords, and high-wire acrobatics at Boulder’s Dinner Theatre

Spotlight on Wade Wood for bringing the Grand Dame The Victorian Playhouse back to life to do what she does best: produce plays.