Announcing: 2011 Ovation Award Winners

2011 LA STAGE ALLIANCE OVATION AWARDS PRESENTED
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2011
AT THE HISTORIC ORPHEUM THEATRE IN DOWNTOWN LA

KUDOS FOR 2010-2011 SEASON
SHARED BY 20 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA THEATRE COMPANIES

The LA STAGE Alliance Ovation Awards, celebrating theatrical excellence and achievement during the 2010-2011 season, were presented on Monday, November 14, 2011 at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles.

Thirty-five awards were bestowed upon 20 different Southern California theatre companies. Leading the pack with five awards was The Troubadour Theater Company (A Withers Tale, Best Season), followed by Center Theatre Group with four (Leap of Faith at the Ahmanson Theatre, Venice at the Kirk Douglas Theatre), and Rogue Machine with three (Small Engine Repair).

Crooked Arrow Productions (Hello), Ebony Repertory Theatre (A Raisin in the Sun), Pasadena Playhouse (Twist), Reprise Theatre Company (Kiss Me, Kate) and Sacred Fools Theatre Company (Voice Lessons, Watson – The Last Great Tale of the Legendary Sherlock Holmes) took home two statuettes each.

LA STAGE Alliance CEO Terence McFarland commented, “Tonight’s recipients reflect the diverse and rich landscape of greater Los Angeles theatre. The Ovation Awards are a celebration of excellence and one way that LA STAGE Alliance shines a light on the fantastic work of our LA theatre artists. Theatres across the country should take note that these are the best of the best, stimulate the economy, and hire an Ovation Award-winning LA theatre artist today!”

For a complete list of winners, visit www.LASTAGEOvations.com.

Hosted by Carolyn Hennesy, presenters included Sally Struthers, Debbie Allen, Millicent Martin, Patrick Adams, Greg Watanabe, Francois Chau, Jason Alexander, Michele Lee, French Stewart, Malissa Feruzzi Shriver (Chair, California Arts Council), Craig Watson (Director, California Arts Council), Parvesh Cheena (Outsourced), Betsy Brandt (Breaking Bad), Edi Gathegi (Superior Donuts), Vanessa Stewart (Louis & Keely Live at the Sahara), Alaman Diadhiou (Twist), Erika Sellin (Casting Director, Center Theatre Group), Larry Dean Harris (Dramatists Guild), Ann E. Wareham (Artistic Director, Laguna Playhouse), Dale Franzen (Director, Broad Stage), Steve Julian (KPCC Radio), Julio Martinez (KPFK Radio), Gail Eichenthal (KUSC Radio), Michael Donovan (independent casting director), Charles Berliner (United Scenic Artists), Laura
Zucker (Executive Director, LA County Arts Commission), Allan Miller (Director/Founder, Back Alley Theatre), Tom Moore (representing SDC and director of the original Broadway production of Grease), Lindsay Allbaugh (Producing Associate, Center Theatre Group), and Anthony Byrnes (KCRW Radio).

LA STAGE Alliance (LASA), a non-profit organization empowering artists and engaging audiences since 1975, is dedicated to building awareness, appreciation, and support for the performing arts in Greater Los Angeles by strengthening the sector through community building, collaborative marketing, audience engagement, professional development, and advocacy. LASA serves over 900 arts organizations annually, including over 450 dues-paying member professional, educational, and community based producing and presenting performing
arts organizations in the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, and Ventura. LASA’s constituents operate in intimate sized venues (99 seats or less), mid-sized venues (100-499 seats), and in large venues (500+ seats), and include independent producers, educational groups, and social service organizations that have a performing arts component. Additionally, LASA directly serves over 50,000 diverse local, regional, national, and international performing arts patrons and, indirectly, three million unique patron households by conducting research on their behavior and buying habits. Providing access to the performing arts for patrons and access to resources for organizations has been our focus for 35 years.

LA STAGE Alliance programs are sponsored, in part, by Actors Equity Association, The Angell Foundation, Arts Council for Long Beach, California Arts Council, California Community Foundation, City of Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA/LA), City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Pasadena Cultural Affairs Division, City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Division, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Goldstar, the James Irvine Foundation,   Los Angeles County Supervisors through the LA County Arts Commission, Los Angeles Times, MusiCares/Grammy Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation, SDC, The Shubert Foundation, and Sony Pictures Entertainment.

This year’s Ovation Awards were sponsored by Actors Equity Association, Wells Fargo, Goldstar Events, Green Hasson Janks, Go 2 Talent Agency, International Creative Management (ICM), La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, and Pacific Coast Entertainment.

The Ovation Awards are tabulated by Green Hasson Janks.

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11-14-11

Announcing: 2010 LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards Presented

2010 LA STAGE ALLIANCE OVATION AWARDS PRESENTED
MONDAY, JANUARY 17, 2011
AT THOUSAND OAKS CIVIC ARTS PLAZA

KUDOS FOR 2009-2010 SEASON
SHARED BY 21 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA THEATRE COMPANIES

The LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards, celebrating theatrical excellence and achievement during the 2009-2010 season, were presented on Monday, January 17, 2011 at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, home of Cabrillo Music Theatre.

Thirty-six awards were bestowed upon 21 different Southern California theatre companies. Leading the pack, tied with five awards each, were The Fountain Theatre (The Ballad of Emmett Till, Opus, and the coveted Best Season Award), and The Geffen Playhouse (Equivocation, Through the Night). Center Theatre Group (Parade at the Mark Taper Forum and The Wake at the Kirk Douglas Theatre) and the Rubicon Theatre Company (Daddy Long Legs) tied with three each. Reprise Theatre Company (Carousel, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying), The Colony Theatre Company (Grace & Glorie), The Theatre @ Boston Court (The Good Book of Pedantry and Wonder, a win shared with Circle X Theatre Company, and Oedipus El Rey) and the Troubadour Theatre Company (Oedipus The King, Mama!), each took home two statuettes.

Four 2010 Ovation Honors were acknowledged: KC Wilkerson (Video Design, The Who’s Tommy at The Chance Theatre), Ego Plum (Music Composition for a Play, Gogol Project at the Bootleg Theater), Lynn Jeffries (Puppet Design, Project Wonderland at the Bootleg Theater), and Edgar Landa (Fight Choreography, Oedipus El Rey at The Theatre @ Boston Court).

For a complete list of winners, visit www.lastagealliance.com.

Presenters included Shirley Jones, Patrick Cassidy, Sally Struthers, Doris Roberts, T.R. Knight, Jenny Powers, Matt Cavenaugh, Harry Groener, Mike O’Malley (Glee), Alan Mandell, Tessa Thompson (For Colored Girls …), Monica Rosenthal (Everybody Loves Raymond), Erich Bergen and Michael Ingersoll (Jersey Boys), Carole W. Nussbaum (President and Chief Executive Officer, Cabrillo Music Theatre), Jacqui V. Irwin (City of Thousand Oaks Council Member and Mayor Pro Tem), Mary Lou Westerfield (Western Regional Director, Actors Equity Association), and Oz Scott (West Coast Board Member, Stage Directors & Choreographers Society).

LA Stage Alliance is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to building awareness, appreciation and support for the performing arts in greater Los Angeles through community building, collaborative marketing, audience development, professional development to strengthen operations for members, and advocacy. LASA serves over 325 organizational members (professional, educational, and community-based producing and presenting performing arts organizations) annually in the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara and Ventura, and individual members comprised of local, regional, national, and international performing arts patrons.

The Ovation Awards are made possible by LA Stage Alliance and Cabrillo Music Theatre sponsors: Actors Equity Association, Goldstar, the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles, Gelson’s The Super Market, Footlights, Production Resource Group, Ken Werther Publicity, Capture Imaging, Schwabel Studio, Bakers Man Productions, KUSC Classical 91.5 FM, the Los Angeles Times, Patron Technology, Target Resource Group, Valley Bakery, Marriott, the City of Thousand Oaks and the City of Thousand Oaks Board of Governors.

The Ovation Awards are tabulated by Green Hasson Janks.

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01/17/11

Announcing: 2009 Ovation Award Winners

LA STAGE ALLIANCE OVATION AWARDS PRESENTED
MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2010
AT REDONDO BEACH PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

KUDOS FOR 2008-09 SEASON
SHARED BY 17 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA THEATRE COMPANIES

The LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards, celebrating theatrical excellence and achievement during the 2008-2009 season, were presented on Monday, January 11, 2010 at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center.

Twenty-nine awards were bestowed upon seventeen different Southern California theatre companies.  Center Theatre Group (Lydia at the Mark Taper Forum and The Little Dog Laughed at the Kirk Douglas Theatre) led with four, followed by the Troubadour Theatre Company (Alice in One Hit Wonderland and As U2 Like It) and the Louis & Keely producing team (Louis & Keely, Live at the Sahara) with three each.  NoHo Arts Center Ensemble (Dracula), Musical Theatre West (The Producers), Havok Theatre Company (Kiss of the Spider Woman), Ebony Repertory Theatre (Two Trains Running) and Chalk Repertory Theatre (Family Planning) tied with two awards each.

Several other companies and productions with multiple nominations, including The Chance Theatre, Rubicon Theatre Company, Road Theatre Company, Renal Support Network , Pasadena Playhouse, Open Fist Theatre Company, Fountain Theatre, East West Players and A Noise Within, went home without statuettes.

The Troubadour Theatre Company was honored with the newest Ovation Award for Best Season.

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1-12-10