We have a very eclectic and dynamic and somewhat opinionated group of nominees this year and we wanted to get to know them a little better so we asked them to answer a few questions about their work.
Here are their answers to question #4:
What was your favorite part of the show you were nominated for?
“Balm in Gilead was such an amazing experience it's hard to say I had a ‘favorite part.’ If I had to pick, it would be getting the opportunity to meet and perform for Lanford Wilson. Getting his seal of approval was the high point of the run for me. Also, just being part of such a groundbreaking play that effectively started the Off-Off movement was an honor, a privilege, and an invaluable learning experience.”
– Ian Bell, Outstanding Ensemble nominee for Balm in Gilead, T. Schreiber Studio
“Unleashing my inner-Donkey Kong. Very liberating stuff.”
– Kent Meister, Outstanding Ensemble nominee for Theater of the Arcade, Piper McKenzie & The Fifth Wall in association with The Brick Theater
“Playing absurd moments with the rest of the absurd cast.”
– Jenny Lee Mitchell, Outstanding Ensemble nominee for Radio Purgatory, Theater THE
“My favorite part of Balm in Gilead was any moment that most of the 32 actors were all on the stage. I loved being part of that ensemble.”
- Jill Bianchini, Outstanding Ensemble and Outstanding Actress in a Lead Role nominee for Balm in Gilead, T. Schreiber Studio
“The Pumpkin Pie Show is like a literary Gallagher routine, where the front row tends to get a little messy with sweaty metaphors. There’s a certain moment within each show where the audience clicks into just what they’ve gotten themselves into… It’s different for every audience member, but it’s fun to be onstage and see that flash of recognition where folks in the front row go: Oh, hell—I think I should’ve sat a few rows back.”
– Clay McLeod Chapman, Outstanding Short Script nominee for both Diary Debris and Sixteen Again which was part of the Pumpkin Pie Show, Horse Trade Theatre Group
“The team, specifically the director Victor Maog, the actors Roger Lirtsman, Danielle Slavick, Kevin Dwyer, Jessica Howell, and Clayton Apgar, and the producers Allyson Morgan and Mara Kassin. I list their names because if you ever have a chance to work with any of these people, do it.”
- Isaac Oliver, Outstanding Short Script nominee for Come Here, which was a part of The Spring Fling, F*It Club
“I was blessed to have a wonderful director, Hans Friedrichs, who allowed me the chance to do my homework and bring ideas to the table for my character. The Drowsy Chaperone is a show dear to my heart and I could not have found such exciting new levels to the "man in chair" if it were not for his help. Working with Hans on establishing the man’s arc would be one of my favorite things about this show.”
- Craig E. Treubert, Outstanding Ensemble and Outstanding Actor in a Lead Role nominee for The Drowsy Chaperone, The Gallery Players
“The script! The script was shared with me several years ago by Joe Tantalo, our Artistic Director, who had been introduced to Matt Pelfrey and his work by a colleague. Ever since the first time I read Rupture and the role of Terry, it was on my ‘list’ of roles I had to play, and it came true! There was just an instant connection with the material and the way Matt writes is exactly what young, contemporary actors want to tackle!”
- Deanna McGovern, Outstanding Actress in a Featured Role nominee for An Impending Rupture of the Belly, Godlight Theatre Company
“When Jesus comes down to visit Jimmy in the church to get him off of Reefer and he sings like a Las Vegas lounge singer with back up angels.”
- Heather Siobhan Curran, Artistic Director for The Gallery Players, which is nominated for Outstanding Production of a Musical for both Reefer Madness and The Drowsy Chaperone
“I loved doing the ‘who's on first’ scene with Edward Juvier, who played Aldopho. We're great friends off stage so to do the scene was a little slice of heaven every time!”
- Robert Anthony Jones, Outstanding Ensemble nominee for The Drowsy Chaperone, The Gallery Players
“The harmonious chorus who stole the show and their awesome songs designed by Stephanie Seward.”
- Belle Caplis, Outstanding Ensemble and Outstanding Actress in a Lead Role nominee for Balm in Gilead, T. Schreiber Studio
“The Former Convent of St. Cecelia's Church was the perfect environment in which to explore the sprawling, constantly shifting landscape of this play. The building's art-deco domestic spaces, dank basement, and crumbling, desanctified chapel served as more than just backdrops for the performance--they became the most important characters in the play.”
- Matt Wilson, Outstanding Original Full-Length Script nominee for Play America (Life is Short, Wear Your Party Pants), Sister Sylvester
“I loved the fact that I was playing a computer. It gave me the opportunity to explore a non-human character, and I had so much fun finding those quirks and playing in a different realm than I am used to. I worked hard to really change my voice and make it computer-like, and people who saw the show still ask me to deliver quotes in my Navigator voice!”
- Kelly Anne Burns, Outstanding Actress in a Lead Role nominee for The Navigator, Workshop Theater Company
“My favorite part was the montage at the end of the play. I got to work with all the actors, and the dancer was moving to the sound of their voices, having to relate to what they were saying and to how they were saying it.”
– Elisabetta Spuria, Outstanding Choreography/Movement nominee for disOriented, Theatre C
“I particularly loved the sound design and original compositions. Underscoring is sadly underused in theatre.”
– Matt Brogan, Outstanding Set Design nominee for Balm in Gilead, T. Schreiber Studio
“I think my favorite part of Drowsy… was not only the company but also working closely with the designers and my Choreographer Christine O'Grady it wasn't separate corners it was totally all of us working together so when I would say things like; In Show Off - it takes place poolside so why not have Janet actually go into the pool for some synchronized swimming and everybody was like "yeah that’s funny!" so we had to figure out how that might happen in a 1920's musical. Also I cannot say enough about my producer Robert Earle Jones he was there every minute for us!”
– Han Friedrichs, Outstanding Director nominee for The Drowsy Chaperone, The Gallery Players
“The great group of people that came together to create this show was an amazing assembly of different personalities that clicked together really well. When I first walked into rehearsal and saw everyone's ease and comfortableness with each other I thought they had all worked together before. I was wrong, everyone was new to each other.”
– M.L. Dogg, Outstanding Sound Design nominee for The Land Whale Murders, Shelby Company
“I'm grateful we partnered with community organizations to raise awareness and provoke wider discussion on the state of environment.”
– Jeff Pagliano, Outstanding Actor in a Featured Role nominee for Fracturing, Sweeter Theater Productions
“I had so many favorite parts of The Drowsy Chaperone that I got to watch from the wings at every performance: the moment the live orchestra took over from the ‘record,’ Robert and George’s tap dance, the perfectly constructed scene between Feldzig and Aldolpho. My favorite part to perform was ‘The Toledo Surprise.’ (Are you surprised?) It was the only time the whole cast was onstage singing and dancing together. I’m such a sucker for a clever production number that builds into something grand, especially if there’s a key change (which there was). What is it about key changes?”
– Dawn Trautman, Outstanding Ensemble nominee for The Drowsy Chaperone, The Gallery Players
“I really enjoyed all of the performances for the three soloNOVA nominations we received. Charlotte Bydwell's Woman of Leisure and Panic was a perfect blend of humor and despair that every NYC artist goes through every day of our lives. Grant Neale's portrayal of Roman Polanski in Saviana Stanescu's Polanski, Polanski was an amazing new perspective on this man's life. Who knew I might actually begin to understand the complexity behind why Polanski did what he did to such a young girl. And finally, Andrea Caban's Questions My Mother Can't Answer touched my heart as a woman. The way Andrea captured the wisdom of an older generation of women was an inspiration in my life that I carry with me to this day.”
– Jennifer Conley Darling, Artistic Director for terraNOVA Collective and the soloNOVA Arts Festival which is nominated for Outstanding Performance Art Production for Woman of Leisure and Panic
“The company of the other artists...all of them!”
– Aldo Perez, Outstanding Ensemble, Outstanding Sound Design and Outstanding Original Music for Radio Purgatory, Theater THE
“I loved that playwright Eddie Antar created this odd little world-- almost all of the drama happens in a car.”
– Quentin Chiappetta, Outstanding Sound Design nominee for The Navigator, Workshop Theater Company
“No longer needing to imagine what it would be like to see someone doing an impression of Al Pacino doing an impression of Mamet dialog, telling the story of the video game Asteroids. That is one need in my life that I can definitely put a check mark in front of. And, I’m a better man for it.”
– Frank Padellaro, Outstanding Original Music nominee for Theater of the Arcade, Piper McKenzie & The Fifth Wall in association with The Brick Theater
“Benefactors is an extremely wordy play, full of debate and discussion and even monologue. But I don't think you need to be a heady person or an academic to appreciate it. And the reason for that is largely due to the act of violence towards the end of the play. I loved in our production how the sound and lights worked together with the actors in that flash of a moment - when the boiling liquid leaves the pot towards Colin - to create this moment of disbelief and of time standing still for the audience, just as it might if you were actually there and involved.”
– Heather Cunningham, Outstanding Ensemble and Outstanding Actress in a Lead Role for Benefactors, Retro Productions
“The amazing ensemble of actors I got to work with. From the beginning they were superb people, and really helped bring my designs to life. I could not have asked for a better group of people to dress!”
– Ryan Moller, Outstanding Costume Design nominee for The Drowsy Chaperone, The Gallery Players
“Watching the audience's reaction to our star acrobat, Ryan Shinji Murray, falling 10 feet from a stack of chairs he was doing hand-stands on. Of course it was staged, but he would ‘fall to his death’ every night. Even for the cast, it was terrifying every night. He's really good at falling really hard!”
– Kae Burke, Outstanding Costume Design and Outstanding Innovative Design nominee for Circus of Circus, The House of Yes
“Since the show was pitched sort of equally at gamers and at theater people - and since we didn't give away the combination of game and style within the show itself - it was a constant pleasure to sit in the audience and hear different people laugh in recognition at different jokes at different times. Sometimes a snatch of dialogue parodying a particular playwright would get a reaction, sometimes a reference to a particular detail of game mechanics, and, as more people solved the puzzle, the laughter was grow. It was something different every night, and it added a whole other layer to the experience of the show, one that I hadn't anticipated at all.”
– Jeff Lewonczyk, Outstanding Original Full-Length Script nominee for Theater of the Arcade, Piper McKenzie & The Fifth Wall in association with The Brick Theater
“My personal favorite part of The Drowsy Chaperone was performing ‘Show Off.’ Actually, it was rehearsing and then getting to perform ‘Show Off.’ Our creative team was so visionary in not following exactly what the Broadway production did. They took some key gimmicks from the Broadway production and completely threw them out. Our choreographer, Christine O'Grady, basically asked me to try everything during rehearsals for ‘Show Off.’ She'd say ‘now, try a backbend into a lift with the boys’ and we'd all go, ‘sure!’ Having the freedom to play and experiment with such a well written show was a true rarity.”
– Whitney Branan, Outstanding Ensemble nominee for The Drowsy Chaperone, The Gallery Players
“The people I had the opportunity to work with. The cast, other artists, writers and directors were awesome and like family.”
– Angela Harriell, Outstanding Choreography/Movement nominee for Circus of Circus, the House of Yes
“My favorite part undoubtedly was listening to my audience...during each performance...I learned so much. Timing with laughter and sniffles, being present in every moment of every performance, and later learning my shows impact on the audience. I have never understood better the power of theater!”
– Elaine Del Valle, Outstanding Solo Performance nominee for Brownsville Bred, Del Valle Productions, Inc.
“I loved the silly bits. We took silly very seriously on this show. So I got to ‘play’ a cardboard violin, do a little dance, play some pool and scare people. Oh, but one of the parts I looked forward to every night was the moment the dancer peeled her sunburn. Gross every time, but shark that I was licked my lips.”
– Donya K. Washington, Outstanding Ensemble nominee for (oh my god I am so) THIRST(y), Little Lord (a theater company)
“Honestly, and this may sound like I'm not actually answering the question because it technically isn't ‘part of the show,’ but arriving to the theater every night was and always is my favorite part of working with the company of actors with whom I perform."
– Nick Paglino, Outstanding Actor in a Lead Role nominee for An Impending Rupture of the Belly, Godlight Theatre Company
