Asian American artists and Asian American theatre companies really got recognized in Seattle in 2015. Justin Huertas was nominated for four categories (the most in Gypsy history).
Other Asian American artists recognized include
Best Production (Smaller Theatre)
Chinglish, ArtsWest
Dance Like a Man, Pratidhwani
Direction of a Play (Smaller Theatre)
Desdemona Chiang and Howie Seago, Sound, Azeotrope
Excellence in Performance in a Musical as a Lead Actor (Male)
Justin Huertas – Lizard Boy (Seattle Repertory Theatre)
Excellence in Performance in a Play as a Lead Actor (Female)
(Larger Theatres): Hana Lass – The Explorers Club (Taproot Theatre Company)
(Smaller Theatres): Kathy Hsieh – Chinglish (ArtsWest)
Excellence in Performance as an Ensemble
(Smaller Theatres): Dance Like a Man, Pratidhwani
Excellence in Set Design
(Larger Theatres): Carey Wong, The Comparables, Seattle Rep
(Smaller Theatres): Craig Wollam, The Tumbleweed Zephyr, Pork Filled Productions
Excellence in Musical Direction
RJ Tancioco – Lizard Boy (Seattle Repertory Theatre)
Excellence in Local Playwriting
Keiko Green – Bunnies (Annex Theatre)
Justin Huertas – Lizard Boy (Seattle Repertory Theatre)
Excellence in Local Composing
Justin Huertas – Lizard Boy (Seattle Repertory Theatre)
SEATTLE, WA – January 13, 2016
– Seattle Theater Writers critics’ circle is pleased to present the nomination slate of the fifth annual Gypsy Rose Lee Awards, theater awards devoted to recognizing excellence across the economic spectrum of professional Seattle theaters in the prior calendar year.
“2015 was a challenging year, with many kinds of productions from powerhouse co-productions to the proliferation of tiny companies with mighty visions that continue to populate our cultural landscape,” says Miryam Gordon, head writer-wrangler. “Our nominations therefore include 53 productions from 29 different producing companies! That’s an enormous acknowledgement of the vibrancy of our theatrical community.”
The 2015 Gypsy Rose Lee Award Nominees are (in alpha order by name):
Excellence in Production of a Play
(Larger Theaters): Best of Enemies – Taproot Theatre Company
Orpheus Descending – Intiman Theatre Festival/The Williams Project
Our Town – Strawberry Theatre Workshop
Slaughterhouse-Five – Book-It Repertory Theatre
The Flick – New Century Theatre Company
(Smaller Theaters): Chinglish – ArtsWest
Dance Like A Man – Pratidhwani
The Secretaries – Theater Schmeater
The Tall Girls – Washington Ensemble Theatre
Water By The Spoonful – Theatre22
Excellence in Production of a Musical
American Idiot – ArtsWest
Come From Away – Seattle Repertory Theatre
Into the Woods – STAGEright Theatre
Lizard Boy – Seattle Repertory Theatre
The Great America Trailer Park Musical – STAGEright Theatre
Excellence in Direction of a Play
(Larger Theaters): Josh Aaseng – Slaughterhouse-Five (Book-It Repertory Theatre)
David Bennett – Buyer & Cellar (Seattle Repertory Theatre)
Malika Oyetimein – Bootycandy (Intiman Theatre Festival)
Ryan Purcell – Orpheus Descending (Intiman Theatre Festival/The Williams Project)
MJ Sieber – The Flick (New Century Theatre Company)
(Smaller Theaters): Julie Beckman – Water By The Spoonful (Theatre22)
Desdemona Chiang and Howie Seago – Sound (Azeotrope)
John Kazanjian – Mud (New City Theater)
Kelly Kitchens – The Art of Bad Men (MAP Theatre)
Annie Lareau – Chinglish (ArtsWest)
Excellence in Direction of a Musical
Eric Ankrim – American Idiot (ArtsWest)
Christopher Ashley – Come From Away (Seattle Repertory Theatre)
Matt Giles – Into the Woods (STAGEright Theatre)
Brandon Ivie – Lizard Boy (Seattle Repertory Theatre)
Steve Tomkins – No Way to Treat a Lady (Village Theatre)
Excellence in Performance in a Play as a Lead Actor (Male)
(Larger Theaters): John Aylward – Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (ACT Theatre)
Robert Bergin/Erik Gratton/Todd Jefferson Moore – Slaughterhouse-Five (Book-It Repertory Theatre)
Jeff Berryman – Best of Enemies (Taproot Theatre Company)
Scott Drummond – Buyer & Cellar (Seattle Repertory Theatre)
Tyler Trerise – The Flick (New Century Theatre Company)
(Smaller Theaters): Jany Bacallao – Water By The Spoonful (Theatre22)
Ryan Higgins – 99 Ways To Fuck A Swan (Washington Ensemble Theatre)
Joseph Lavy – The Glas Nocturne (Akropolis Performance Lab)
Terry Edward Moore – A Delicate Balance (Theatre9/12)
Tyler Trerise – My Mañana Comes (ArtsWest)
Excellence in Performance in a Musical as a Lead Actor (Male)
Mark Anders – My Fair Lady (Village Theatre)
Nick DeSantis – No Way to Treat a Lady (Village Theatre)
Brian Earp – Cabaret (Village Theatre)
Frederick Hagreen – American Idiot (ArtsWest)
Justin Huertas – Lizard Boy (Seattle Repertory Theatre)
Excellence in Performance in a Play as a Lead Actor (Female)
(Larger Theaters): Hana Lass – The Explorers Club (Taproot Theatre Company)
Claudine Mboligikpelani Nako – Little Bee (Book-It Repertory Theatre)
Jeanne Paulsen – Mother Courage And Her Children (Seattle Shakespeare Company)
Faith Russell – Best of Enemies (Taproot Theatre Company)
Amy Thone – Our Town (Strawberry Theatre Workshop)
(Smaller Theaters): Mary Ewald – Mud (New City Theater)
Sophia Franzella – My Dear Miss Chancellor (Annex Theatre)
Kathy Hsieh – Chinglish (ArtsWest)
Yesenia Iglesias – Water By The Spoonful (Theatre22)
Anna Kasabyan – Bad Jews (Seattle Public Theater)
Excellence in Performance in a Musical as a Lead Actor (Female)
Kristin Burch – Legally Blonde (SecondStory Repertory)
Jenn Collela – Come From Away (Seattle Repertory Theatre)
Beth DeVries – Snapshots (Village Theatre)
EmilyRose Frasca – Are You There, God? It’s Me, Karen Carpenter (STAGEright Theatre)
Allison Standley – My Fair Lady (Village Theatre)
Excellence in Performance of a Play as a Supporting Actor (Male) – any non-lead
(Larger Theaters): Quinn Franzen – Threesome (ACT Theatre)
Sam Hagen – The Flick (New Century Theatre Company)
Bill Johns – The Explorers Club (Taproot Theatre Company)
Isaiah Johnson – Bootycandy (Intiman Theatre Festival)
Adam Standley – Mr. Burns, a post-electric play (ACT Theatre)
(Smaller Theaters): Scott Ward Abernethy – Indian Ink (Sound Theatre Company/Pratidhwani)
Ben Phillips – Bad Jews (Seattle Public Theater)
Brandon Ryan – The Art of Bad Men (MAP Theatre)
Ryan Schlect – Sound (Azeotrope)
Valmont Thomas – Water By The Spoonful(Theatre22)
Excellence in Performance of a Musical as a Supporting Actor (Male)
Rodney Hicks – Come From Away (Seattle Repertory Theatre)
Dan Kremer – My Fair Lady (Village Theatre)
David Pichette – The Sound of Music (The 5th Avenue Theatre)
Caesar Samayoa – Come From Away (Seattle Repertory Theatre)
William A. Williams – Lizard Boy (Seattle Repertory Theatre)
Excellence in Performance of a Play as a Supporting Actor (Female)
(Larger Theaters): Angel Brice – Bootycandy (Intiman Theatre Festival)
Emily Chisholm – The Flick (New Century Theatre Company)
Rebecca M. Davis – Bootycandy (Intiman Theatre Festival)
Jenny Vaughn Hall – Best of Enemies (Taproot Theatre Company)
Sarah Harlett – The Memorandum (Strawberry Theatre Workshop)
(Smaller Theaters): Rose Cano – Water By The Spoonful (Theatre22)
Cheyenna Clearbrook – Sound (Azeotrope)
Ashley Flannegan – The Secretaries (Theater Schmeater)
Peggy Gannon – The Art of Bad Men (MAP Theatre)
Rhonda J. Soikowski – Wizzer Pizzer (Theatre22)
Excellence in Performance of a Musical as a Supporting Actor (Female) – any non-lead
Kirsten deLohr Helland – Lizard Boy (Seattle Repertory Theatre)
Priscilla Hake Lauris – My Fair Lady (Village Theatre)
Chelsea LeValley – Angry Housewives (ArtsWest)
Q. Smith – Come From Away(Seattle Repertory Theatre)
Billie Wildrick – Carousel (The 5th Avenue Theatre)
Excellence in Performance as an Ensemble
(Larger Theaters): Bootycandy – Intiman Theatre Festival (Chris Ensweiler, Tyler Trerise, Rebecca M. Davis, Isaiah Johnson, Angel Brice)
Come From Away – Seattle Repertory Theatre (Eric Ankrim, Petrina Bromley, Jenn Colella, Joel Hatch, Rodney Hicks, Kendra Kassebaum, Chad Kimball, Lee MacDougall, Caesar Samayoa, Q Smith, Astrid Van Wieren, Sharon Wheatley)
Festen – New Century Theatre Company (Emily Chisholm, Bradford Farwell, Ray Gonzalez, Brenda Joyner, Conner Neddersen, Michael Patten, Jason Sanford, Betsy Schwartz, MJ Sieber, Amy Thone, Connor Toms, Evan Whitfield, Peter Dylan O’Connor, Helen Milam)
Orpheus Descending – Intiman Theatre Festival/The Williams Project (Grant Chapman, Kemiyondo Coutinho, Rebecca Gibel, Tiffany Nichole Greene, Elise LeBreton, Richard Prioleau, Max Rosenak, Charlie Thurston)
No Way to Treat a Lady – Village Theatre (Nick DeSantis, Dane Stokinger, Jessica Skerritt, Bobbi Kotula, Jayne Muirhead)
(Smaller Theaters): Brechtfest – The Horse in Motion (Katherine Bicknell, Nathan Brockett, Liza Curtiss, Amy Escobar, Chris Lee Hill, Harry Todd Jamieson, Sylvia Kowalski, Adria LaMorticella, Kevin Lin, Jocelyn Maher, Nic Morden, Andrew Pritzkau, Hannah Ruwe, Matt Sherrill, Dylan Smith, Shaudi Bianca Vahdat)
Dance Like a Man – Pratidhwani (Jay Athalye, Tanvee Kale, Abhijeet Rane, Meenakshi Rishi)
The Art of Bad Men – MAP Theatre (Grace Carmack, Peggy Gannon, Ben McFadden, Ben Burris, Brandon Ryan, Sean Schroeder)
The Tall Girls – Washington Ensemble Theatre (Leah Salcido Pfenning, Hannah Ruwe, Chelsea Callahan, Adria LaMorticella, Bailie Breaux, Ali Mohamed el-Gasseir)
Water By The Spoonful – Theatre22 (Jany Bacallao, Yesenia Iglesias, Rose Cano, G. Valmont Thomas, Keiko Green, Jeff Allen Pierce, Jake Ynzunza)
Excellence in Set Design
(Larger Theaters): Andrea Bryn Bush – The Flick (New Century Theatre Company)
L.B. Morse – Lizard Boy (Seattle Repertory Theatre)
Matthew Smucker – Cabaret (Village Theatre)
Matthew Smucker – Our Town (Strawberry Theatre Workshop)
Carey Wong – The Comparables (Seattle Repertory Theatre)
(Smaller Theaters): Nina Moser – Mud (New City Theater)
Jared Roberts – American Idiot (ArtsWest)
Paul Thomas – Dump Site (Seattle Immersive Theatre)
Montana Tippett – Water By The Spoonful (Theatre22)
Craig Wollam – The Tumbleweed Zephyr (Pork Filled Productions)
Excellence in Costume Design
(Larger Theaters): Erik Andor – Lizard Boy (Seattle Repertory Theatre)
Sarah Nash Gates – Carousel (The 5th Avenue Theatre)
Kelly McDonald – Bootycandy (Intiman Theatre Festival)
Pete Rush – Slaughterhouse-Five (Book-It Repertory Theatre)
Deb Trout – Mr. Burns, a post-electric play (ACT Theatre)
(Smaller Theaters): Cherelle Ashby & Jonelle Cornwell – Are You There, God? It’s Me, Karen Carpenter (STAGEright Theatre)
Candace Frank – Indian Ink (Sound Theatre Company/Pratidhwani)
Kelly McDonald – Chinglish (ArtsWest)
Nina Moser – Mud (New City Theater)
Ali Rose Panzarella – 99 Ways To Fuck A Swan (Washington Ensemble Theatre)
Excellence in Lighting Design
(Larger Theaters): Howell Binkley – Come From Away (Seattle Repertory Theatre)
Kent Cubbage – Slaughterhouse-Five (Book-It Repertory Theatre)
Geoff Korf – Festen (New Century Theatre Company)
Geoff Korf – Mr. Burns, a post-electric play (ACT Theatre)
Andrew D. Smith – The Flick (New Century Theatre Company)
(Smaller Theaters ): Tess Malone – The Art of Bad Men (MAP Theatre)
Tristan Roberson – Water By The Spoonful (Theatre22)
Gwyn Skone – My Dear Miss Chancellor (Annex Theatre)
Lindsay Smith – Mud (New City Theater)
Tim Wratten – Tilt Angel (theater simple)
Excellence in Sound Design
(Larger Theaters): Dominic CodyKramers – Mr. Burns, a post-electric play (ACT Theatre)
Mark Lund – Best of Enemies (Taproot Theatre Company)
Evan Mosher and Robertson Witmer – The Flick (New Century Theatre Company)
Matt Starritt – Lizard Boy (Seattle Repertory Theatre)
Matt Starritt – Slaughterhouse-Five (Book-It Repertory Theatre)
(Smaller Theaters): Dana Amromin – The Secretaries (Theater Schmeater)
Christen Audio Group (Andy Somora and Hannah Victoria Franklin) – Is She Dead Yet? (Annex Theatre)
Evan Mosher and Andre Nelson – Slowgirl (Seattle Public Theater)
Haley Parcher – American Idiot (ArtsWest)
Kyle Thompson – Water By The Spoonful (Theatre22)
Excellence in Musical Direction
Ian Eisendrath – Come From Away (Seattle Repertory Theatre)
Chris Ranney and R.J. Tancioco – American Idiot (ArtsWest)
RJ Tancioco – Lizard Boy (Seattle Repertory Theatre)
Excellence in Choreography or Movement
Donald Byrd – Carousel (The 5th Avenue Theatre)
Kelly Devine – Come From Away (Seattle Repertory Theatre)
Trina Mills, Shadou Mintrone and Gabe Corey – American Idiot (ArtsWest)
Excellence in Local Playwriting
Josh Aaseng – Slaughterhouse-Five (Book-It Repertory Theatre)
Caitlin Gilman – My Dear Miss Chancellor (Annex Theatre)
Keiko Green – Bunnies (Annex Theatre)
Justin Huertas – Lizard Boy (Seattle Repertory Theatre)
Brandon Simmons – Is She Dead Yet? (Annex Theatre)
Excellence in Local Composing
Justin Huertas – Lizard Boy (Seattle Repertory Theatre)
Zhenya Lavy – The Glas Nocturne (Akropolis Performance Lab)
Mark Siano, Opal Peachey, and Dayton Alleman – Bohemia (Marxiano Productions)
About Seattle Theater Writers:
Founded in 2010 by Miryam Gordon and comprised of local writers and reviewers, Seattle Theater Writers is a group dedicated to raising public awareness of theater practitioners and the work produced by professional theater organizations. Seattle Theater Writers’ hope is that awareness through these awards might encourage theater attendance and enjoyment of our rich cultural offerings. Born from this mission are the annual Gypsy Rose Lee Awards, recognizing excellence in Seattle theater across 32 categories.
The participants in this year’s award process were
Jose Amador (www.seattlestar.net),
Candace Brown (goodlifenw.blogspot.com),
Miryam Gordon (Seattle Gay News and miryamstheatermusings.blogspot.com),
David-Edward Hughes (www.talkinbroadway.com/regional/seattle),
Rosemary Jones (www.examiner.com/theater-in-seattle/rosemary-jones),
Alice Kaderlan (blog.seattlepi.com/feetfirst),
Jerry Kraft (http://www.seattleactor.com/news/)
Dusty Somers (blogcritics.org/author/Dusty-Somers), and Michael Strangeways (www.seattlegayscene.com/).
For more information, go to www.facebook.com/SeattleTheaterWriters. The Notes section of the Facebook page shows the evolution of the awards.
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