IMHO: Recognition for Austin Live Theatre APPLAUSE

Sometime in February or March of this year, Austin Live Theatre started to assert an existence of its own.

ALT had reached the stage where it began to believe that it was entitled to be addressed in the third person ("ALT considers that. . . "). Or to use the plural ("ALT and I devote ourselves to the widest possible coverage of the Austin live theatre scene"). Or even in the royal "we" as in, "We at ALT read assiduously the comments of others who write on the arts in Austin."

Ouf-dah! God help us! Or rather, God help me!

All the views expressed here have one thing in common: they are just my humble opinions.

There are lots of them (both reviews and opinions). Since June, 2008 I've attended 119 theatrical events in the greater Austin area and written about 116 of them. I left out one dance event because I'm not confident in reviewing modern dance. I left out Texas State's Kander and Ebb's As The World Goes Round, because it turned out to be a (lovely) end-of-term song-and-dance recital for talented musical theatre students, with no real narrative thread.

I have another review in the hopper, probably ready for publication tomorrow.

Just like any other arts buff, I've identified my own favorites over the last year. They don't necessarily tally closely with those announced yesterday by the informal Critics' Table made up of writers from the Chronicle and the Statesman. My tastes are different; my coverage is wider and a bit more random. I concentrate on narrative theatre. A lot of times I appear to be the only spectator who's publishing anything about the theatrical event. In general, my aim is less to criticize than to applaud and encourage the artists and to steer their potential public to them.

So with that orientation firmly in mind, I offer to readers and potentially to fellow members of the Austin Circle of Theatres my own slate of favorites, dubbed Austin Live Theatre's APPLAUSE awards, with 25 categories of recognition.

This isn't a competition, and as of now I don't plan to distinguish among those listed. Artists and productions are listed in alphabetical order. If anything, I might add to the list, with a performance or a production that slipped past me as I was going browsing through the archives at ALT.

To all those listed below and to the many others providing entertainment, THANK YOU! And another round of APPLAUSE!

AUSTIN LIVE THEATRE APPLAUSE to:

Leading Actor in a Drama
Robert Pellette, Jr., as Troy Maxon in Fences, City Theatre
Marc Pouhé, Macbeth, Austin Shakespeare
Charles P. Stites, Glengarry Glen Ross, City Theatre
Tom Truss as Prince Myshkin in The Idiot, University of Texas
Chase Wooldridge, The Bird and The Bee, Capital T Theatre

Supporting Actor in a Drama
Craig Kanne as Reginald Bridgenorth in Getting Married, Different Stages
Ev Lunning, Jr. as Dr. Chebutykin in Three Sisters, Mary Moody Northern Theatre, St. Edward's University
Jarret Mallon as Noah Joad, et.al., in The Grapes of Wrath
Macarthur Moore as Uncle Gabe in Fences, CIty Theatre
Marc Pouhé as Lt. Col. Vershinin in Three Sisters
Marc Pouhé as Jim Casey in The Grapes of Wrath
Ernesto "Roze" Rosas as Lord Capulet in Romeo and Juliet, Austin Shakespeare
Ben Wolfe as MacDuff in Macbeth, Austin Shakespeare
Ben Wolfe as Carlos Homenides de Histangua in A Flea in Her Ear, Austin Playhouse
Ben Wolfe as Friar Laurence in Romeo and Juliet, Austin Shakespeare

Leading Actress in a Drama
Verity Branco in An Ideal Husband, Austin Shakespeare
Shannon Brower as Lady Macbeth, Austin Shakespeare
Xochitl Romero as Una in Blackbird, Hyde Park Theatre

Supporting Actress in a Drama
Janelle Buchanan as Ma Joad in the Grapes of Wrath
Babs George in Cloud 9, Mary Moody Northern Theatre at St. Edward's University
Jennie Gravenstein in Age of Arousal, Austin Playhouse Larry L. King stage
Bobbie Oliver as the nurse in The Flu Season, Austin Community College
Fiona Rene as Rizzo in Grease, Georgetown Palace Theatre
Miriam Rubin as Agnes in The Shadow Box, North by Northwest Theatre
Selma Pinkard as "Miss Ruth" in Common Ground by Antoinette Winstead

Comic Actor
Matt Burnett as Carmen Ghia in The Producers, Georgetown Palace
Matt Connely as Roger de Bris in The Producers, Georgetown Palace
Steven Reynolds in Amateurs and Almost, Maine (Gaslight Baker Theatre) and Leading Ladies (Wimberley Players)
David Stokey as Victor Emmanuel in A Flea in Her Ear, Austin Playhouse

Comic Actress
Jennie Gravenstein in Age of Arousal, Austin Playhouse Larry L. King stage
Shelley Kelley as Ouiser Boudreaux, Steel Magnolias, Way Off Broadway Community Players, Leander
Eva McQuade as the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet, Austin Shakespeare
Nicole Sykes as Alice in Alice in Wonderland, City Theatre

Ensemble Piece
The five sisters of Dancing at Lughnasa: Babs George, Margaret Hoard, Rebecca Robinson, Lara Toner, and Cyndi Williams, directed by Don Toner for Austin Playhouse
The four actors of A Drowned World: Xochitl Romero, Andrea Skola, Benjamin Summers and Ben Wolfe, directed by Ken Webster for FronteraFest 2009

Solo Drama
Alex Garza in Abuelita's Christmas Carol
Maggie Gallant, Our Angle in Heaven, FronteraFest 2009
Natalie Marlena Goodnow in Munti, Voces de Vivo, Teatro Vivo
Shawn McCormick in Unbeaten, Salvage Vanguard Theatre
Zell Miller III, My Child, My Alien Child, Hyde Park Theatre
Anna Deavere Smith, Let Me Down Easy, Zach Scott Theatre
Ken Webster in House by Daniel McIvor, Hyde Park Theatre

Staging of an Adaptation
Alice in Wonderland, City Theatre, directed by Stacey Glazer and Andy Berkovsky, City Theatre
The Idiot by Dostoyevski, adapted and directed by Scott Kanoff, University of Texas
The Night of the Living Dead, directed by John CarrollWeird CIty Theatre Company
The Positively Serene Death of Sir Ritter Hans von Wittenstein zu Wittenstein, adapted from Giradoux' Ondine by Josie Collier, directed by Josie Collier with Kate Meehan, Aggressive Muse Productions
It's A Wonderful Life, Austin Playhouse Larry L. King Stage, directed by Lara Toner

Staging of a New Original Script
Bernard Henry's Magic Tricks by Aimée Gonzalez, Time Steps, directed by Ellie McBride
Drywall by David Meyers and Patrick Kniseley, directed by David Meyers for Buy the Whey, Fronterafest 2009
The Harrowing by Katherine Catmull, Time Steps, directed by Ellie McBride
Human Sketches by Trey Deason, directed by Sean Hunter, Sam Bass Community Theatre, Round Rock
Las Amandas by Michael Mendoza, Voces de Vivo, Teatro Vivo
Shooting Star, written and directed by Steven Dietz, Zach Scott Theatre
Dug Up by Cyndi WIlliams, Austin Playhouse Larry L. King Stage, directed by Lara Toner

Contemporary Drama
Blackbird by David Harrower, Hyde Park Theatre, directed by Mark Pickell
Cloud 9 by Caryl Churchill, St. Edward's University, directed by David Long
God's Man in Texas by David Rambo, Georgetown Palace Theatre, directed by Mary Ellen Butler
The Nina Variations by Steven Dietz, Gobotrick Theatre Company, directed by Will Hollis Schneider
A Number by Caryl Churchill, Different Stages, directed by Robert Tolaro

Classical Drama
Bacchae, Austin Community College, directed by Arthur Adair
Macbeth, Austin Shakespeare, directed by Ann Ciccolella
The Tempest, Baron's Men at Castleton Village, directed by Athena Z. Peters
Twelfth Night, Scottish Rite Theatre, directed by Beth Burns

Production by a University or School
Bacchae by Austin Community College, directed by Arthur Adair
Buried Child by Southwestern University, directed by Jared J. Stein
Cloud 9 by St. Edward's University, directed by David Long
Lysistrata by Southwestern University, directed by Jared J. Stein

Production by a Non-Profit/Ad-hoc Organization
The Merry Wives of Windsor by the Weird Sisters, directed by Susan Todd, at the Vortex
School for Scandal, Vortex Youth Summer Program 2008, Betsy McCann and Gabriel Maldonado

Production by a Community Theatre
Almost, Maine, Gaslight Baker Theatre, Lockhart, directed by Randy Wachtel
Human Sketches by Trey Deason, directed by Sean Hunter, Sam Bass Community Theatre, Round Rock
Lading Ladies, Wimberley Players, directed by David Bisett

Stage Director
Arthur Adair, Bacchae, Austin Community College
Ann Ciccolella, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Austin Shakespeare
Jaclyn Lowenstein, Wanda's World, Zach Scott Youth Productions
Michael McKelvey, The Last 5 Years, Penfold Theatre
Jared J. Stein, Lysistrata and Buried Child, Southwestern University

Stage Design
Todd Allen Martin, Gaslight Baker Theatre, Lockhart, for Amateurs
Sergio R. Samayoa, Electronic Planet Ensemble for Spaceman Dada Robot, at the Vortex
Cliff Simon, Zach Scott Theatre, for Grapes of Wrath
Leilah Stuart, Rude Mechanicals, The Method Gun at the Off Center
Peter Sukovaty, Austin Community College, for Proof and The Flu Season
Scott Wade, Wimberley Players, for Leading Ladies
TBA, Gaslight Baker Theatre, Lockhart, for Sleuth
Steve Williams and Michael Davis, Georgetown Palace, for Grease

Promising Actor
Aaron Alexander in Two Souls and A Promise (Teatro Vivo) and Common Ground (ProArts)
Matt Gallagher in Amadeus, 5 Years, and Time Steps

Promising Actresss
Annika Johansson in The Last Five Years, Penfold Theatre
Xochitl Romero as Una in Blackbird, Hermia in Midsummer Night's Dream, Tara in A Drowned World, and Rose of Sharon in The Grapes of Wrath

Musical Comedy
Grease, Georgetown Palace Theatre, directed by Ron Watson
I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change by North by Northwest Theatre Company
Nunsense, Georgetown Palace Theatre, directed by Ron Watson
The Producers, Georgetown Palace Theatre, directed by Mary Ellen Butler

Song & Dance Man
Matthew Burnett in The Producers, Grease, and Little Shop of Horrors
Andrew Cannada as Sid in The Pajama Game, Mary Moody Northern Theatre, St. Edward's University
Larry Frier as Leo Bloom in The Producers, Georgetown Palace Theatre

Woman Featured in A Musical
Julia Duffy as Gladys in Pajama Game, Mary Moody Northern Theatre, St. Edward's University
Annika Johansson in The Last 5 Years, Penfold Theatre at Austin Playhouse
Nicole Pritchard as Ulla in The Producers, Georgetown Palace TheatreSelena Rosanbalm in Always, Patsy Cline, Tex-Arts, Lakeway
Wendy Zavaleta in I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, North by Northwest Theatre Company

Writer on Austin Theatre
Elizabeth Cobbe, Austin Chronicle (based on 19 reviews, linked by ALT)
Robert Faires, Austin Chronicle (based on 11 reviews, linked by ALT)
Hanna Kenah, Austin Chronicle (based on 10 reviews, linked by ALT)
Barry Pineo, Austin Chronicle (based on 14 reviews, linked by ALT
Avimaan Syam, Austin Chronicle (based on 12 reviews, linked by ALT)

Good Humor Award
Da! Theatre Collective for Relative Space, Heron and Crane
Electronic Planet Collective and David Jewell for Spaceman Dada Robot
The Rude Mechanicals for The Method Gun
Yellow Tape Construction Company for a thumping, raging explosion of marvelous light and color

Pure Theatre Award -- Drama of Art and Integrity
Gobotrick/Cambiare Productions, Travis Bedard, for The Nina Variations and Seven Jewish Children