Bloglander

The best of local theater in 2010-11!  Winners to be revealed in our July 21 issue!

I first selected the Spokies (so called), on my own, in June 2006. In 2005, I was joined by five local actors in a selection committee forthe "Spokane Theater Awards." For three years before that (2002-04),I voted for theater awards along with other local theater critics. So, that's a decade of choosing awards; this is the sixth year of the Spokies.  

Nominations may be more meaningful than the awards themselves, because a single selector has a better chance of identifying a range of good performances than settling on just a single "best" performance. (Nevertheless, awards shows need winners, and the Spokies need to forge on.)

Eligible productions (those that I managed to see during June2010-May 2011) include four shows at CdA Summer Theatre, 11 shows at SpokaneCivic Theatre, seven shows at Interplayers, eight shows at Lake City Playhouse,and one show each at Lewis and Clark High, Gonzaga, EWU, Whitworth and SFCC.

Here are one person's list of nominees for the best of local theater in 2010-11.

LEADING ACTRESS, MUSICAL

Emily Cleveland as Hope Cladwell in Urinetown, Lake City

Andrea Dawson as Maria in West Side Story, Civic (concertversion)

Alyssa Day as Eva Peron in Evita, Lake City Playhouse

Jean Hardie as Sister Mary Regina in Nunsense, Spokane CivicTheatre

Lindsey Hedberg as Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray, Coeur d'AleneSummer Theatre

Jessica Skerritt in the title role of Cinderella, Coeur d'AleneSummer Theatre

LEADING ACTOR, PLAY

Wes Deitrick as Richard Nixon in Frost/Nixon, Civic Studio

Gene Engene as Tim O'Brien in The Things They Carried, EWU

David Gigler as Lennie Small in Of Mice and Men, Lake CityPlayhouse

George Green as George Milton in Of Mice and Men, Lake CityPlayhouse

Kelly Hauenstein as David Frost in Frost/Nixon, Civic Studio

Todd Kehne as Arthur Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter, Lake City

Christopher Lamb as Joseph Merrick in The Elephant Man, LakeCity

Damon Mentzer in the title role of Richard III, SFCC

Kevin Partridge as Jack Lawson in Race, Interplayers

Patrick Treadway as Dorian in Opus, Interplayers

LEADING ACTOR, MUSICAL

Doug Dawson as Caldwell B. Cladwell in Urinetown, Lake City

Robby French as Jerry Lukowski in The Full Monty, Civic

Brian Gunn in the title role of Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story,Civic

Troy Nickerson as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, Lewis and ClarkH.S.

Roger Welch as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, CdA Summer Theatre

LEADING ACTRESS, PLAY

Sarah Denison as Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker,Interplayers

Elisha Gunn in multiple roles in The 39 Steps, Interplayers

Katie Haster as Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire,Gonzaga

Susan Hardie as Lucille in The Cemetery Club, Civic Studio

Jillian Kramer as Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter, Lake City

Leigh Sandness as Jacqueline in Don't Dress for Dinner, Civic

BEST COMEDY

The 39 Steps, Interplayers

Almost, Maine at Lake City

Together Again for the Next Time, Interplayers

BEST DRAMA

Frost/Nixon, Civic Studio

Metamorphoses, Civic Studio

Opus, Interplayers

Race, Interplayers

The Scarlet Letter, Lake City

The Things They Carried, EWU

BEST LOCAL MUSICAL

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Civic

Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, Civic

The Full Monty, Civic

Hairspray, CdA Summer Theatre

Urinetown, Lake City Playhouse

BEST TOURING MUSICAL

South Pacific

Spring Awakening

Wicked

SET DESIGN

David Baker for Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, Civic

George Green and Dan Heggem for The Scarlet Letter, Lake City

Peter Hardie for White Christmas, Civic

Cameron Anderson for Hairspray, CdA Summer Theatre

Scott Nicks for Honky Tonk Angels Holiday Spectacular,Interplayers

LIGHTING DESIGN

Dan Heggem for Of Mice and Men, Lake City Playhouse

Dan Heggem for The Scarlet Letter, Lake City

Joel Williamson for Hairspray, CdA Summer Theatre

COSTUME DESIGN

Jessica Ray for Hairspray, CdA Summer Theatre

Jan Wanless for White Christmas, Civic

CHOREOGRAPHY

Christopher Moll for Hairspray, CdA Summer Theatre

Troy Nickerson, Jillian Wylie and Kathie Doyle-Lipe for WhiteChristmas, Civic

Ali Waid for Urinetown, Lake City

DIRECTOR, PLAY

Jadd Davis for Opus, Interplayers

Patty Duke for The Miracle Worker, Interplayers

Sara Goff for The Things They Carried, EWU

Marina Kalani for The Elephant Man, Lake City

Susan Hardie for Frost/Nixon, Civic Studio

Marilyn Langbehn for Race, Interplayers

DIRECTOR, MUSICAL

Kathie Doyle-Lipe for The 25th Annual Putnam County SpellingBee, Civic Studio

George Green for Urinetown, Lake City Playhouse

Yvonne A.K. Johnson for Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, Civic

Kirk Mouser for Hairspray, CdA Summer Theatre

Troy Nickerson for The Full Monty, Civic

SUPPORTING ACTOR, PLAY

David Casteal as Henry Brown in Race, Interplayers

Howard Halcomb as Lt. Jimmy Cross in The Things They Carried,EWU

Thomas Heppler as Sam in The Cemetery Club, Civic Studio

Chris LeBlanc as Roger Chillingworth in The Scarlet Letter, LakeCity

J.P. O'Shaughnessy as Mervyn Kant in The Sisters Rosensweig,Civic

Andrew Scott Parish as Roger Wolders in Together Again for theNext Time, Interplayers

Gary Pierce as Swifty Lazar and Mike Wallace in Frost/Nixon,Civic Studio

Dave Rideout as Carl in Opus, Interplayers

Jeffrey Sanders as Ted in Privilege, Interplayers

Terry Sticka as Jack Brennan in Frost/Nixon, Civic Studio

Dalin Tipton as First Man (multiple roles) in Metamorphoses,Civic Studio

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, MUSICAL

Lacey Bohnet as Olive Ostrovsky in The 25th Annual Putnam CountySpelling Bee, Civic Studio

Patricia Brady as Sister Mary Amnesia in Nunsense, Civic

Kathie Doyle-Lipe as Martha Watson in White Christmas, Civic

Kathie Doyle-Lipe as Sister Mary Hubert in Nunsense, Civic

Diedra Grace as Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray, CdA SummerTheatre

Siri Hafso as Judy Haynes in White Christmas, Civic

Maureen Kumakura as Rona Lisa Perretti in The 25th Annual PutnamCounty Spelling Bee, Civic Studio

Megan Maddox as the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, CdA SummerTheatre

Yvonne Same as Marcy Park in The 25th Annual Putnam County SpellingBee, CdA Summer Theatre

Tamara Schupman as the Female Authority Figure in Hairspray, CdASummer Theatre

Mary Starkey as Jeanette Burmeister in The Full Monty, Civic

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, PLAY

Wendy Carroll in Together Again for the Next Time, Interplayers

Sarah Denison as Erla in Privilege, Interplayers

Nike Imoru as Susan in Race, Interplayers

Cory Jasmin in multiple roles in Almost, Maine at Lake CityPlayhouse

Esa Lariviere as Gorgeous Teitlebaum in The Sisters Rosensweig,Civic

Anne Lillian Mitchell as Mrs. Kendal in The Elephant Man, LakeCity

Mary Starkey as Madeline Arnhand in Together Again for the NextTime, Interplayers

SUPPORTING ACTOR, MUSICAL

Lance Babbitt as William Barfee in The 25th Annual Putnam CountySpelling Bee, Civic Studio

David Gigler as Dave Bukatinsky in The Full Monty, Civic

Jhon Goodwin as the Big Bopper in Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story,Civic

Thomas Heppler as Wilbur Turnblad in Hairspray, Lewis and ClarkH.S.

Gabe Lawson as Seaweed J. Stubbs in Hairspray, CdA Summer Theatre

Cameron Lewis as Phil Davis in White Christmas, Civic

Reed McColm as Mr. Pinky and Male Authority Figure in Hairspray,CdA Summer Theatre

Dan McKeever as Agustin Magaldi in Evita, Lake City Playhouse

Mark Pleasant as Leaf Coneybear in The 25th Annual Putnam CountySpelling Bee, Civic Studio

Paul Villabrille as Ritchie Valens in Buddy: The Buddy HollyStory, Civic

ENSEMBLE

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Civic Studio

The Cemetery Club, Civic Studio

Nunsense, Civic

Race, Interplayers

TOTAL NOMINATIONS

Gonzaga 1, SFCC 1, Lewis and Clark H.S. 2, EWU 4,

CdA Summer Theatre 15

Interplayers 21

Lake City Playhouse 21

Spokane Civic Theatre 43 

NOTE: This post originally misidentified the designers of the sets. lighting and costumes for the production of Hairspray at CdA Summer Theatre. My apologies, and the names have been corrected.