Cleburne theatre big winner at Annual Column Awards

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The Plaza Theatre Company in Cleburne was the big winner at the 20th Annual Column Awards Sunday night at the Irving Arts Center. The event honors the best in theatrical productions throughout North Texas, and is sponsored by theatre critic John Garcia’s THE COLUMN web site.

Plaza shows walked away with 13 awards, including eight for their production of the play “To Kill A Mockingbird.” They also won two each for the musical “West Side Story” and “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” and another for the musical “The Little Mermaid.”

The Artisan Center Theater in Hurst brought home eight honors for shows. They won three each for the musicals “Cats” and “The Little Mermaid,” while also winning one each for the musical “Beauty and the Beast” and the play “Anne of Green Gables.”

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Capturing five awards for the show “The Cuban and the Redhead” was the Pegasus Theater in Dallas, including the Steve Lovett Award for Outstanding New Work by a Local Playwright to Robert Bartley and Danny Whitman.

“I was completely left speechless that we sold out the Gala on our first year back at the Irving Arts Center. My board of Directors and myself were hoping we’d get it half full, and instead it sold out,” Garcia said. “I was so thrilled to see over 10 new theater companies join THE COLUMN Awards Organization, and most of them earned nominations, and even some wins.

“I was extremely excited to see on our stage such a wide representation of theater companies performing. That’s what our mission strives to be, which is to bring theater companies from all over the DFW metroplex to unite and celebrate as a theater family the past season, and this year we truly achieved that goal.”

Garcia added that it as purely coincidence that the Gala was held on the same night as the Academy Awards.

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“It was just scheduling,” he said with a laugh. “We had to go for the dates that the venue was avaliable. We didn’t know we had scheduled on the same night of the Oscars until someone informed us the day our nominations went out. But that’s what DVRS are for.”

Here is a complete list of this year’s THE COLUMN Award winners:

Best Musical – Equity

“News, the Musical”

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Lyric Stage

Best Musical – Non-Equity

“Cats”

Artisan Center Theater

Best Musical – Non-Equity

“Into the Woods”

Granbury Theatre Company

Best Play Equity

“Men On Boats”

Circle Theatre

Best Play Non-Equity

“To Kill a Mockingbird”

Plaza Theatre Company

Steve Lovett Award for Outstanding New Work by a Local Playwright

Robert Bartley and Danny Whitman, “The Cuban and the Redhead”

Pegasus Theatre

Best Director of a Musical – Equity

Ashley H. White, “Murder Ballad”

Imprint Theatreworks

Best Director of a Musical – Non-Equity

Jenny Tucker, “She Loves Me”

Runway Theatre

Best Director of a Play – Equity

Lauren and Jason Morgan, “The Hollow”

Stolen Shakespeare Guild

Best Director of a Play – Non-Equity

Kevin Poole, “To Kill a Mockingbird”

Plaza Theatre Company

Best Musical Director of a Musical – Equity

Richard Gwozdz, “The Little Mermaid”

Artisan Center Theater

Best Musical Director of a Musical – Non-Equity

Meredith Browning, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”

Plaza Theatre Company

Best Choreographer of a Musical – Equity

Katharine Quinn, “Newsies, the Musical”

Lyric Stage

Best Choreographer of a Musical – Non-Equity

Tabitha Ibarra, “West Side Story”

Plaza Theatre Company

Best Stage Manager

Adam Livingston

Best Actor in a Musical – Equity

Anthony Fortino (Jack Kelly), “Newsies, the Musical”

Lyric Stage

Best Actor in a Musical – Non-Equity

Shafer Wilkerson (Beast), “Beauty and the Beast”

Artisan Center Theater

Best Actor in a Play – Equity

Dan Evers (Elwood P. Dowd), “Harvey”

Richardson Theatre Centre

Best Choreographer of a Musical – Non-Equity

Tabitha Ibarra, “West Side Story”

Plaza Theatre Company

Best Actor in a Play – Non-Equity

Luke Hunt (Atticus Finch), “To Kill a Mockingbird”

Plaza Theatre Company

Best Actress in a Musical – Equity

Jenny Tucker (Mrs. Lovett), “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”

L.I.P. Service

Best Actress in a Musical – Non-Equity

Mary Ridenour (Grizabella), “Cats”

Artisan Center Theater

Best Actress in a Play – Equity

Camille Monae (John Wesley Powell), “Men On Boats”

Circle Theatre

Best Actress in a Play – Non-Equity

Mimi Barrus (Scout), “To Kill a Mockingbird”

Plaza Theatre Company

Best Supporting Actor in a Musical – Equity

Clint Gilbert (Busby Berkeley and Larry Hart), “The Cuban and the Redhead”

Pegasus Theatre

Best Supporting Actor in a Musical – Non-Equity

Nolan Moralez (Bernardo), “West Side Story”

Plaza Theatre Company

Best Supporting Actor in a Play – Equity

Stan Graner (Leon Gaev), “The Cherry Orchard”

The Classics Theatre Project

Best Supporting Actor in a Play – Non-Equity

Gavin Clark (Dill), “To Kill a Mockingbird”

Plaza Theatre Company

Best Supporting Actress in a Musical – Equity

Janelle Lutz (Carole Lombard), “The Cuban and the Redhead”

Pegasus Theatre

Best Supporting Actress in a Musical – Non-Equity

Kathryn Taylor Rose (Ilona Ritter), “She Loves Me”

Runway Theatre

Best Supporting Actress in a Play – Equity

Sue Goodner (Betty Chumley), “Harvey”

Richardson Theatre Centre

Best Supporting Actress in a Play – Non-Equity

Sherry Etzel (Old Shady), “Men On Boats”

ONSTAGE in Bedford

Best Featured Actor in a Musical – Equity

Mark Tam Quach (Eddie), “Mamma Mia”

Brick Road Theatre

Best Featured Actor in a Musical – Non-Equity

Freddy Martinez Jr. (Chef Louis, et al.), “The Little Mermaid”

Plaza Theatre Company

Best Featured Actor in a Play – Equity

Christopher Lew (Brer Rabbit/Captain Ratts), “An Octoroon”

Stage West

Best Featured Actor in a Play – Non-Equity

Dan Johnston (Station Master), “Anne of Green Gables”

Artisan Center Theater

Best Featured Actress in a Musical – Equity

Elisa Danielle James (The Beggar Woman), “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”

L.I.P. Service

Best Featured Actress in a Musical – Non-Equity

Cheyenne Shreve (Rapunzel), “Into the Woods”

Granbury Theatre Company

Best Featured Actress in a Play – Equity

Camille Monae (Grace), “An Octoroon”

Stage West

Best Featured Actress in a Play – Non-Equity

Trich Zaitoon (Mrs. Dubose), “To Kill a Mockingbird”

Plaza Theatre Company

Chita Rivera Dance Award – Male

Jonathan Hardin, “The Rocky Horror Show”

North Texas Performing Arts Repertory Theatre

Chita Rivera Dance Award – Female

Abi Abel, “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”

Granbury Theatre Company

Best Original Costume Design of a Musical – Equity

Bruce Coleman, “The Cuban and the Redhead”

Pegasus Theatre

Best Original Costume Design of a Musical – Non-Equity

Michelle Cawood, Henry Cawood, “Cats”

– CATS – Artisan Center Theater

Best Original Costume Design of a Play – Equity

Lauren Morgan, “The Hollow”

Stolen Shakespeare Guild

Best Original Costume Design of a Play – Non-Equity

Jessie Wallace, “The Revolutionists”

Imprint Theatreworks

Best Lighting Design of a Musical – Equity

Natalie Burkhart, “The Little Mermaid”

Artisan Center Theater

Best Lighting Design of a Musical – Non-Equity

Kalani Morrisette, “Young Frankenstein”

Granbury Theatre Company

Best Lighting Design of a Play – Equity

Jason Leyva, “Marat/Sade”

L.I.P. Service

Best Lighting Design of a Play – Non-Equity

Cameron Barrus, “To Kill a Mockingbird”

Plaza Theatre Company

Best Original Scenic Design of a Musical – Equity

Eric Luckie, “The Little Mermaid”

Artisan Center Theater

Best Original Scenic Design of a Musical – Non-Equity

Wendy Searcy, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”

Plaza Theatre Company

Best Original Scenic Design of a Play – Equity

Jason Leyva, “Marat/Sade”

L.I.P. Service

Best Original Scenic Design of a Play – Non-Equity

Ellen Mizener, “The Revolutionists”

Imprint Theatreworks

Best Sound Design of a Musical – Equity

Jason Biggs, “The Cuban and the Redhead”

Pegasus Theatre

Best Sound Design of a Musical- Non-Equity

G. Aaron Siler, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”

Plaza Theatre Company

Best Sound Design of a Play – Equity

Jason Leyva, “Marat/Sade”

L.I.P. Service

Best Sound Design of a Play – Non-Equity

G. Aaron Siler, “To Kill a Mockingbird”

Plaza Theatre Company

Ben Brettell Youth Award

David Midkiff

Eden Barrus

Tony Morrell

Nathan Griffin

Caleb Midkiff Award

William Power

Jude Lewis

Maddox Rogers

Cooper Carter

Kathleen Freeman Award

Erin Ragsdale

Special Recognition Award

Nancy Churnin