Back row: (From left) Ann Glenn, Chad Badgero, Kristine Thatcher, John Lepard, Chris Purchis, Bob Gras and Elizabeth Todd. Front row (From left) Chad Dekatch, Sergei Kvitko, Patricia Smyka and Mary Job.
The cast was dessed to impress and the scenes were charged with emotion at Houlihan's on Monday, as City Pulse hosted the 2009 Pulsar Awards honoring local theater.
After all the envelopes had been opened, Riverwalk Theatre walked away with the most accolades, carting off a total of 13 trophies for musicals “The Dead” and “Little Shop of Horrors” and Black Box series shows “Under Milk Wood” and “The Substance of Fire.”
BoarsHead Theater’s “Permanent Collection” took home four trophies, including Best Production (Professional), and Best Director of a Play (Professional), which went to Kristine Thatcher, whose contract has not been renewed. (See story on Page 8.) “Permanent Collection” stars and Best Lead Actor nominees Michael Joseph Mitchell and Alan Bomar Jones came from out of town for the event. Jones said when Thatcher asked him to be in the show, he “grew wings,” and Mitchell praised Thatcher and the Lansing theater community, saying, no better work was being done per capita anywhere.
Another
big winner was Mary Job, director of Riverwalk’s “The Dead” and LCC
Theatre Department’s “An Experiment with an Air Pump.” Job made several
trips to the podium to accept awards on behalf of the cast and crew of
both shows, as well as a Best Director – Musical award for “The Dead.”
“We don’t do plays for awards,” Job told the audience while accepting.
“I did this show for my dad, who would have loved this party, and for
[late MSU Theatre head] Frank Rutledge, who would have hated this
party, but probably enjoyed the play.”
New to the Pulsars, the Holt
Dimondale Community Players netted three awards for its production of
“Urinetown.”
Here’s a complete list of winners, as well as some scenes from the evening. (More images available at www.lansingcitypulse.com)
Best Play (Professional) “Permanent Collection” BoarsHead Theater
Best Play (Community) “Under Milk Wood” Riverwalk Theatre
Best Musical “The Dead” Riverwalk Theatre
Best Director – Play (Professional) Kristine Thatcher “Permanent Collection” BoarsHead Theater
Best Director – Play (Community) Bob Gras & Judy Barber “Under Milk Wood” Riverwalk Theatre
Best Director - Musical Mary Job “The Dead” Riverwalk Theatre
Best Ensemble - Play “Under Milk Wood” Riverwalk Theatre
Best Ensemble – Musical “The Dead” Riverwalk Theatre
Best Lead Actor – Play Bob Gras “The Substance of Fire” Riverwalk Theatre
Best Lead Actor - Musical Rusty Broughton “Cabaret” MSU Theatre Department
Best Lead Actress – Play Yana Levovna “The Clean House” Peppermint Creek Theatre Co.Best Lead Actress – Musical Patricia Smyka “Little Shop of Horrors” Riverwalk Theatre
Best Supporting Actor – Play Ian Griffin “The Substance of Fire” Riverwalk Theatre
Best Supporting Actor - Musical Monty Bieber “Urinetown” Holt Dimondale Community Players
Best Supporting Actress - Play Gini Larson “The Clean House” Peppermint Creek Theatre Co.
Best Supporting Actress - Musical Candance Stanfield “Little Shop of Horrors” Riverwalk Theatre
Best Featured Actor – Play (Professional) Gary Houston “Permanent Collection” BoarsHead Theater
Best Featured Actor – Play (Community) David G.B. Brown “An Experiment with an Air Pump” LCC Theatre Department
Best Featured Actor - Musical Chad Dekatch “Little Shop of Horrors” Riverwalk Theatre
Best Featured Actress - Play Ariel Ojibway “An Experiment with an Air Pump” LCC Theatre Department
Best Featured Actress - Musical Ann Glenn “Urinetown” Holt Dimondale Community Players
Casey Shipman (left) and Alec Nagy wined and dined before the ceremony.
Best Music Director Scott Stearns “Urinetown” Holt Dimondale Community Players
Best Choreography Elizabeth Todd “Fiddler on the Roof” Lansing Civic Players
Best Costumes Lark Burger “The Dead” Riverwalk Theatre
Best Properties Christy Pierce “An Experiment with an Air Pump” LCC Theatre Department
Best Set Design (Professional) Bart Bauer “Talley’s Folly” Williamston Theatre
Best Set Design (Community) Thomas Schraeder “An Experiment with an Air Pump” LCC Theatre Department
Best Lighting (Professional) Jeremy Winchester “Talley’s Folly” Williamston Theatre
Best Lighting (Community) Kristina Miller “Far Away” & “This is a Chair” MSU Theatre Department
Best Sound (Professional) Sergei Kvitko “Permanent Collection” BoarsHead Theater
Best Sound (Community) Joe Dickson “Under Milk Wood” Riverwalk Theatre
BoarsHead Theatre's Karen Doyle presents the award for Best Featred Actress.
(From left) BoarsHead costumer designer Holly Speers, Second Company member Kellie Stonebrook, production manager/technical director Michelle Raymond and board member and literary manager George Orban.
Elizabeth Todd accepts the award for Best Choreography for Lansing Civic Players’ “Fiddler on the Roof.”
Patricia Smyka clutches her Pulsar Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical for her performance in Riverwalk’s "Little Shop of Horrors."
Pre-ceremony mingling at Houlihan's.
Casey Shipman (left) and Alec Nagy wined and dined before the ceremony.
BoarsHead Theatre's Karen Doyle presents the award for Best Featured Actress.
