10-13-06
Theatres Celebrated at After Dark Awards
Rondi Reed and Anderson Matthews in Northlight Theatre’s Retreat from Moscow. Both Reed and the production received
After Dark Awards.
The After Dark Awards Ceremony isn’t really an awards show. Nor is it very ceremonious. It is, by all accounts, a night of great fun for the theatre community.
For starters the awards are non-competitive. Seven separate shows received After Dark Awards for production at the Oct. 9 party, and nine shows won the ensemble award.
And it’s not just about theatre. Cabaret is celebrated at this awards show sponsored by Gay Chicago Magazine. The arts staff of Gay Chicago also has the freedom to honor people or companies in ways that don’t fall into the usual categories. Lifeline, for instance, was honored for its technical design for the season. And Next Theatre and actor Kevin O’Donnell were given special awards.
This year’s event, which was at the Lakeshore Theatre on Broadway, benefited Season of Concern, the theatre community’s AIDS care-giving charity.
Following are the recipients of the 2006 After Dark Awards:
Outstanding Season
Lifeline Theatre – Overall Technical Design
Next Theatre
Kevin O’Donnell
Outstanding Production
Back of the Throat - Silk Road Theatre Project
Dust Bowl Gothic – Building Stage Company
Man of La Mancha – Court Theatre
The Retreat From Moscow – Northlight
The Secret Garden – Porchlight Music Theatre
Seussical The Musical – Chicago Shakespeare
Side Show – Bohemian Theatre Ensemble
Outstanding Cabaret Artist
Amy Armstrong & Freddy Allen
Pam Peterson
Suzanne Petri
Outstanding Ensemble
Autobahn – Profiles Theatre Ensemble
Cloud 9 – Infamous Commonwealth Theatre
Dealer’s Choice – Shattered Globe Theatre
Grace – Northlight Theatre
Sleeping Ugly – Griffin Theatre Company
Three Sisters – Strawdog Theatre Company
Time and the Conways – Griffin Theatre
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – David Stone, et al
The Uneasy Chair – Writers’ Theatre
Outstanding Direction
Dado – Huddersfield – Tuta Theatre Chicago
Marti Maraden – Much Ado About Nothing – Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Charles Newell – Man of La Mancha – Court
Eric Rosen – Seussical The Musical – Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Jessica Thebus – The Clean House – Goodman Theatre
John W. Schmid Award for Outstanding New Work or Adaptation
Jeffrey Bruner – Katrina: State of Emergency – Bailiwick Repertory
Will Clinger & James Fitzgerald – Two For the Show – Theatre Wit
Yussef El Guindi – Ten Acrobats In an Amazing Leap of Faith – Silk Road Theatre Project
Outstanding Performance
Yetide Badaki – I Have Before Me a Remarkable Document Given to Me By a Young Lady From Rwanda – Victory Gardens
Rick Boynton – A Flea In Her Ear – Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Dean Evans – The Santa Abductions – The Neo-Futurists
Rebecca Finnegan – Gypsy – Porchlight Music Theatre
Jon Frazier – Urinetown – Blue Dog Entertainment
Patricia Hodges – Lettice and Lovage – Court
Scott Jaeck – Much Ado About Nothing – Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Ora Jones - A Flea In Her Ear – Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Kelly Leaman – The Talisman Ring – Lifeline
Eric Lindahl – Side Show – Bohemian Theatre Ensemble
Rondi Reed – The Retreat From Moscow – Northlight Theatre
Carmen Roman – Orpheus Descending – American Theater Company
Gary Simmers – Talley & Son – Eclipse Theatre Company
Jeremy Trager – Flora, the Red Menace – Theo Ubique Theatre Company
Cora Vander Broek – Book of Days – Raven
Stephen Wallem – Man of La Mancha – Court Theatre
Jacqueline Williams – Fences – Court Theatre
Bernie Yvon – Seussical the Musical – Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Outstanding Music & Lyrics
George Howe – Sleeping Ugly – Griffin Theatre Company
Lilly Alison, Kyle Dolan, Jennifer Estlin, Tony Mendoza, Ellen Stoneking, Josh Walker & Lisa McQueen – President Bush Is a Great Man – Annoyance Theatre
Outstanding Musical Direction
Michael Sobie – Urinetown – Blue Dog Entertainment
Steve Sivak – MaCabaret – Porchlight Music Theatre
A. Scott Williams – Side Show – Bohemian Theatre Ensemble
Outstanding Choreography
Kevin Bellie – Gypsy – Porchlight Music Theatre
Brian Loeffler – Urinetown – Blue Dog Entertainment
Outstanding Overall Technical Design
A Flea In Her Ear – Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Orpheus Descending – American Theater Co.
Three Sisters – Strawdog Theatre Company
Outstanding Costume Design
Laura M. Dana – Seascape – Signal Ensemble
Laura LaMere Klapperich – The Great and Terrible Wizard of Oz – The House Theatre of Chicago
Bill Morey – Gypsy – Porchlight Music Theatre
Outstanding Set Design
Brian Sidney Bembridge – Hortensia and the Museum of Dreams – Victory Gardens Theater
Todd Rosenthal – The Clean House – Goodman Theatre
Outstanding Lighting Design
Christopher Ash – Sweet Smell of Success – Circle Theatre
Richard Norwood – Old Clown Wanted – Trap Door Theatre
Outstanding Sound Design
Eric Burgher – Autobahn – Profiles Theatre
Robert Steele – Ten Acrobats In an Amazing Leap of Faith – Silk Road Theatre Project