How about that gong? This year’s Drammy Awards ceremony Monday night at The Armory may have been an epic affair packed with tearful acceptance speeches, technical difficulties and even bingo, but the unofficial star of the night was the golden, disc-shaped gong that was on hand just in case any long-winded winners needed a nudge to get off stage.
In many ways, the gong embodied the spirit of the show, which honored the best achievements on Portland area theater stages in the 2017-18 season: It was playful, but added a simmering tension to the night. The show was two hours shorter than Artists Rep’s Magellanica (which should have been a contender, but Artists Rep, like Portland Center Stage, doesn’t participate in the awards) but felt longer and didn’t exactly spread the wealth around (at times it felt like the Drammy Committee’s main goal was to honor Broadway Rose and Broadway Rose). But there were entertaining, human moments as well, thanks to some powerful speeches as the comedic verve of host Claire Willett.
So who won? The aforementioned Broadway Rose took home an armload of prizes for two musicals, The Addams Family (best production/musical)and Trails. Dancing Brain’s Tender Napalm also dominated with awards in, to name a few, the best production/play, directing, acting, and fight choreography categories. And the biggest loser of the night was easily Donald Trump, who was the subject of several oblique but unmistakable criticisms (side note: did the night really pass without a single thank you to Ronni Lacroute?).
At the end of the day, what I savored the most were the moments that peeked through the show’s structure. I’m thinking of Trisha Mead’s fearless onstage reckoning with her mortality (Mead founded Fertile Ground, which received a special achievement award). I’m thinking of Charles Grant winning best actor in a musical for his performance in Oregon Children’s Theater’s A Year With Frog and Toad and describing the letter that a young black girl who saw the show sent him: “Dear Frog: I love you and you are dark-skinned.”
And then there was Fertile Ground Director Nicole Lane, who delivered the best line of the night: “Please don’t gong me, Agatha.” It was a perfect moment because it was a reminder that the Drammys are capable of delivering the kind of onstage action that makes them an entertaining play in their own right.
The nominees and winners in each category, with the winner listed in boldface:
Best Actor in a Musical
Charles Grant, A Year with Frog and Toad, Oregon Children’s Theatre
John Ellingson, Cinderella, Northwest Children’s Theatre and School
Joel Walker, Trails, Broadway Rose Theatre Company
James Sharinghousen, A Year with Frog and Toad, Oregon Children’s Theatre
Best Actor in a Play
Josh Weinstein, Tender Napalm, Dancing Brain Productions
La’Tevin Alexander, And in This Corner: Cassius Clay, Oregon Children’s Theatre
Wrick Jones, Two Trains Running, PassinArt: A Theatre Company
Ted Rooney, Quietly, Corrib Theatre
Best Actress in a Musical
Sara Catherine Wheatley, Always, Patsy Cline, Broadway Rose Theatre Company
Casi Q Kohl, The Pirates of Penzance, Mocks Crest Productions
Sharon Maroney, Always, Patsy Cline, Broadway Rose Theatre Company
Rebecca Teran, Scarlet, Portland Playhouse
Best Actress in a Play
Beth Thompson, Tender Napalm, Dancing Brain Productions
Sharonlee McLean, Luna Gale, CoHo Productions and Danielle Weathers
Verónika Nuñez, Astucias por heredar un sobrino a un tío, Miracle Theatre Group
Julana Torres, Water by the Spoonful, Profile Theatre
Best Choreography
Peggy Taphorn, The Addams Family, Broadway Rose Theatre Company
Sara Jane Hardy, Cinderella, Northwest Children’s Theatre and School
Lane Hunter, John Hughes High: The 1980s Teen Musical, Staged!
Anita Menon, Chitra: The Girl Prince, Northwest Children’s Theatre and School
Best Costume Design
Mary Eggers and Suvarna Menon, Chitra: The Girl Prince, Northwest Children’s Theatre and School
Jenny Ampersand, Uncle Vanya, Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble
Shannon Targosz, Always, Patsy Cline, Broadway Rose Theatre Company
Wanda Walden, Two Trains Running, PassinArt: A Theatre Company
Best Director of a Musical
Dani Baldwin, A Year with Frog and Toad, Oregon Children’s Theatre
Brian Schnipper, Trails, Broadway Rose Theatre Company
Peggy Taphorn, The Addams Family, Broadway Rose Theatre Company
Samantha Van Der Merwe, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Shaking the Tree Theatre
Best Director of a Play
Jen Rowe, Tender Napalm, Dancing Brain Productions
Tamara Carroll, This Girl Laughs, This Girl Does Nothing, CoHo Productions, Tamara Carroll & Beth Thompson
Stan Foote and Jerry Foster, And in This Corner: Cassius Clay, Oregon Children’s Theatre
William Earl Ray, Two Trains Running, PassinArt: A Theatre Company
Best Ensemble in a Musical
The Addams Family, Broadway Rose Theatre Company
Chitra: The Girl Prince, Northwest Children’s Theatre and School
Cinderella, Northwest Children’s Theatre and School
The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Shaking the Tree Theatre
Best Ensemble in a Play
Two Trains Running, PassinArt: A Theatre Company
And in This Corner: Cassius Clay, Oregon Children’s Theatre
This Girl Laughs, This Girl Does Nothing, CoHo Productions, Tamara Carroll & Beth Thompson
Water by the Spoonful, Profile Theatre
Best Fight Choreography
Kristen Mun, Tender Napalm, Dancing Brain Productions
Alwynn Accuardi, Nesting: Vacancy, Natalie Heikkinen and Joel Patrick Durham
Kristen Mun, Year of the Rooster, CoHo Productions and Rolland Walsh
Damaris Webb, And in This Corner: Cassius Clay, Oregon Children’s Theatre
Best Lighting Design
Carl Faber, Trails, Broadway Rose Theatre Company
Don Crossley and James Mapes, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Oregon Children’s Theatre
Nia Fillo, Nesting: Vacancy, Natalie Heikkinen and Joel Patrick Durham
Jennifer Lin, This Girl Laughs, This Girl Does Nothing, CoHo Productions, Tamara Carroll & Beth Thompson
Best Music Direction
Jeffrey Childs, A Year with Frog and Toad, Oregon Children’s Theatre
Eric Nordin, Trails, Broadway Rose Theatre Company
Joellen Sweeney, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Shaking the Tree Theatre
Andrei Temken, Uncle Vanya, Portland Experimental Theatre Company
Best Original Script
Ellen Margolis, Pericles Wet, Portland Shakespeare Project
Liz Mogan, The Clark Doll, Syde-Ide Collaboations
C.S. Whitcomb, Parnassus on Wheels, Lakewood Theatre Company
Best Original Musical
Mark LaPierre and Eric Nordin, John Hughes High: The 1980s Teen Musical, Staged!
Sarah Jane Hardy, John Ellingson, Sam Burns, Reece Marshburn, Marianna Thielan, and The Starlings, Amelia Earhart’s First Flight, Northwest Children’s Theatre and School
Michelle Horgan, Scarlet, Portland Playhouse
Best Pit Ensemble
Uncle Vanya, Portland Experimental Theatre Company
Always, Patsy Cline, Broadway Rose Theatre Company
Cabaret, Lakewood Theatre Company
Trails, Broadway Rose Theatre Company
Best Production of a Musical
The Addams Family, Broadway Rose Theatre Company
A Year with Frog and Toad, Oregon Children’s Theatre
Cinderella, Northwest Children’s Theatre and School
John Hughes High: The 1980s Teen Musical, Staged!
Best Production of a Play
Tender Napalm, Dancing Brain Productions
Luna Gale, CoHo Productions and Danielle Weathers
This Girl Laughs, This Girl Does Nothing, CoHo Productions, Tamara Carroll & Beth Thompson
Two Trains Running, PassinArt: A Theatre Company
Best Scenic Design
Aran Graham, Two Trains Running, PassinArt: A Theatre Company
Kaye Blankenship, This Girl Laughs, This Girl Does Nothing, CoHo Productions, Tamara Carroll & Beth Thompson
Peter Ksander, Water by the Spoonful and The Happiest Song Plays Last, Profile Theatre
Daniel Meeker, The Language Archive, Portland Playhouse
Best Sound Design
Em Gustason, The Language Archive, Portland Playhouse
Andrew Bray, Nesting: Vacancy, Natalie Heikkinen and Joel Patrick Durham
Cameron McFee, Tender Napalm, Dancing Brain Productions
Rodolfo Ortega, And in This Corner: Cassius Clay, Oregon Children’s Theatre
Best Supporting Actor in a Musical
Colin Kane, A Year with Frog and Toad, Oregon Children’s Theatre
Kimo Camat, Cinderella, Northwest Children’s Theatre and School
Isaac Lamb, The Addams Family, Broadway Rose Theatre Company
Dan Murphy, Billy Elliot, Pixie Dust Productions
Best Supporting Actor in a Play
Sam Dinkowitz, Year of the Rooster, CoHo Productions and Rolland Walsh
Duffy Epstein, The Happiest Song Plays Last, Profile Theatre
Tim Golden, Two Trains Running, PassinArt: A Theatre Company
William Earl Ray, Two Trains Running, PassinArt: A Theatre Company
Best Supporting Actress in a Musical
Amy Jo Halliday, The Addams Family, Broadway Rose Theatre Company
Susannah Mars, Scarlet, Portland Playhouse
Jessica Tidd, Under the Influence: All Trumped Up, Fuse Theatre Ensemble and The OUTright Theatre Ensemble
Danielle Weathers, Trails, Broadway Rose Theatre Company
Best Supporting Actress in a Play
Foss Curtis, The Language Archive, Portland Playhouse
Cycerli Ash, Two Trains Running, PassinArt: A Theatre Company
Caren Graham, To Kill a Mockingbird, Lakewood Theatre Company
Kerry Ryan, Men on Boats, Third Rail Repertory Theatre
Best Young Performer
Brendan Long, John Hughes High: The 1980s Teen Musical, Staged!
Callan Barth, Billy Elliot, Pixie Dust Productions
Martin Hernandez, John Hughes High: The 1980s Teen Musical, Staged!
Aida Valentine, Pete the Cat, Oregon Children’s Theatre
Special Achievement Award
Fertile Ground Festival
Outstanding Achievement in Movement Design
Matthew Kerrigan, Tender Napalm, Dancing Brain Productions
Outstanding Achievement in Properties Design
Emily Wilken, Men on Boats, Third Rail Repertory Theatre
Outstanding Achievement in Puppetry
The Cast, Marcella Crowson, and Tony Feummeler, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Oregon Children’s Theatre
Outstanding Achievement in Solo Performance
Todd Van Voris, The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, Triangle Productions!
2 Responses
Hello, you spelled my name wrong. Could you please edit it? My name is Kristen Mun, with an M. Thank you.
Got it — it’s fixed now. Apologies for the typo, Kristen. We knew better!
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