2010- Year in Review

It's hard to believe that it's the last day of 2010. This has been a wonderful and incredibly challenging year for me as an artist, as a friend, as a wife and as a human being in general. I've learned and experienced a lot and, barring any incidents today/tonight (knock on wood!), it's been a year without loss of anyone in my family! Woo hooo!!!

So, let's recap the year, shall we?? It was a LOT less insane than 2009 was, that's for sure! I don't think I could have handled another year like that, and I certainly would be divorced by now if I'd tried.

January: Show Boat in Concert

Role: Ensemble

Company: Lyric Stage
Read the Review

Read my Recap

May: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Role: Muriel Eubanks
Company: Music Theatre of Denton
Read the Review
Read Another Review
Read my Recap

June: Encore III –The Divas!
Role: Director and Performer
Company: Denton Community Theatre
Read my Recap

August: The Producers!
Role: Ulla
Company: Denton Community Theatre
Read the Review
Read my Recap

I'd say that was a much more manageable year, wouldn't you?? I also kept most of my sanity this time and was able to focus on some Very Important Things such as my very best friend in the whole world getting married:

...and walking 60 miles in the Dallas 3-Day Walk for the Cure:

I also wrote the following reviews for John Garica's The Column before I resigned from that post:

Women and Wallace at Sundown Collaborative Theatre

Tuna Does Vegas at Casa Manana

24 Hours of Love at MBS Productions

La Llorona at Amphibian Stage Productions

Getting Sara Married at Runway Theatre

Again, not nearly as busy a year for me. Last year I wrote 11 reviews! So, 2010 was definitely a lot less insane, but because of that, it was also a lot more fulfilling. The projects I did meant so much to me and they are so special to me (not to take anything away from the wonderful experiences I had in 2009 of course) because I was able to take the time over this recent 4 month break and really reflect on them as landmarks in this year. Rather than a blur of images that I have from 2009, each show I did in 2010 stands out clearly.

I also went through some very major physical changes this year that have boosted my confidence so much that I enjoyed that time onstage so much more because I felt better about myself and I was able to do more and have more energy than I have in previous shows.

2010 was also the year that I had a spiritual re-awakening that caused me to even question what I should be doing artistically. I still don't know...in case you were wondering.

However, I do know that I've learned a lot about what I need to focus on (God, family, work) and that I am going to be a lot choosier about shows; picking of projects are going to mean the most to me and challenge me as a performer.

I'd really like to work with some different theatre companies in 2010 and add a non-musical or two to my resume. I've been to four non-musical auditions in the past two months (though I sang at 2 of them, funny enough) and I have already learned so much about what I need to do to improve. I haven't been blogging about these auditions because...well, I'm a little superstitious and don't ever want to jinx them and also...because I know that these auditions aren't always going to result in a role and I don't want to just blog about each audition/possible rejection. That's just boring, so I'll just save that kind of talk for my husband and close friends. You're welcome!

Finally...I've been hesitating about writing this next part for a few days now, actually, but I really feel like I want to share the biggest artistic discovery I've made this year. I am well aware that this is my own personal opinion, and you should treat it as such.

It really does not matter "who you know" as much as people think it does. "Networking" will only take you so far if you don't have the talent and the work ethic to back up all your "connections in the business."

No, that doesn't mean that meeting people in the field isn't important. No, that doesn't mean that you can just say or do anything you want because you don't care whom you offend. It's very important to meet other people in the biz because they are your future colleagues. But it's just more important, I feel, to show those colleagues that you deserve to be there because you are talented and you work hard and your behavior is above reproach. I've grown so weary of all the fake friendships and the walking on eggshells that so many people do around people who do not matter in the grand scheme of things.

In a nutshell: Don't burn bridges...but also don't worry about the ones that lead nowhere. Consider if the bridge you're working so hard to build and maintain is worth the effort and energy. Don't spend so much time looking at what's on the other side of that bridge that you are completely disregarding all the awesome things that are right next to you.

Is the bridge metaphor getting confusing? I'll be clearer: don't say no to projects because you're afraid of what other people will think -- if it's going to challenge and fulfill you artistically: do it. Don't spend hours and days and pieces of your soul keeping people happy who wouldn't do the same for you if it were asked of them, and especially don't do that if it means you're missing completely awesome friendships and relationships that are right in front of your face and so much easier to maintain.

Okay, I'm officially getting off my soap box now! Cheers to an incredible 2010, and here's to an amazing 2011!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Women and Wallace

Women and Wallace at Sundown Collaborative Theatre, my latest review for John Garcia's The Column -- published on Friday, February 5th, 2010 in The Column and on PegasusNews.com:

John Garcia's THE COLUMN- Friday February 5, 2010

www.thecolumnonline.com
www.thecolumnawards.org
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=504595304
www.talkinbroadway.com
www.pegasusnews.com

THE COLUMN STAFF:

CHIEF SENIOR THEATER CRITIC: John Garcia

ASSOCIATE THEATER CRITICS:

Clyde Berry
Mary Clark
Cheryl Cory
Esther Coughey
Ray Gestaut
Richard Goulde
Lyle Huchton
Laurie Lindemeier
Samantha McChensney Franks
Mandy Rausch
Mark-Brian Sonna

*THE COLUMN: READ BY OVER 15,150 SUBSCRIBERS WORLDWIDE!*

WOMEN AND WALLACE-A play by Jonathan Marc Sherman
Sundown Collaborative Theatre

*REVIEWED 02-04-10 PERFORMANCE

REVIEWED BY Mandy Rausch
ASSOCIATE THEATER CRITIC for John Garcia's THE COLUMN

Directed by Cody Lucas
Assistant Director Morgan Hillan
Costume/Makeup Design by Candace Cockerham
Props Design by Cody Lucas and Tiffany Hillan
Scenic Artist Andrew K. Currey

CAST:

Wallace Kirkman…….....….Travis Stuebing
Mother/Psychiatrist….…..Samantha Labrada
Grandmother…………........…Whitnie Wood
Victoria/Wendy……......……Jenna Holley
Sarah/Lily………….......…….Danielle Trudeau
Nina…………………..........…..Vera Brumley

WOMEN AND WALLACE
REVIEWED BY Mandy Rausch
ASSOCIATE THEATER CRITIC for John Garcia's THE COLUMN

As we enter into the month of February, we find ourselves bombarded with accoutrements of "love" everywhere we look. "Show your love by buying her ______," the radio and television commercials tell us. Stores have set up blinding pink and red displays as you walk in, so as to make sure you can't miss the giant stuffed pink gorilla wearing a t-shirt that says "Wild Thing." It's enough to make a person sick.

Leave it to the innovative and edgy Sundown Collaborative Theatre, a grass-roots theatre company picking up a lot of steam in Denton, Texas, to take the cheesy Nicholas Sparks version of love and give it a swift kick in the rump. Love, ladies and gentleman, is nothing like The Notebook, and Sundown's first show of 2010, WOMEN AND WALLACE by Jonathan Marc Sherman, is here to show us just how difficult, heartbreaking, and sometimes agonizing finding love can be. But if you think this play is anti-love – think again.

With the clever use of a handful of set pieces (boxes and columns painted black) in the sparse, black box setting (the upstairs of a coffee shop); creative use of props and staging; a soundtrack of carefully picked tunes; and a great cast who isn't afraid of anything, WOMEN AND WALLACE shows us that, while the path towards finding love can be ugly and sometimes make us crazy, in the end the ugly and crazy journey can help us appreciate the destination so much more.

The story revolves around Wallace Kirkman at various stages of his life from second grade up until his college years. At six years old, Wallace comes home from school one day to find his mother has committed suicide. Because of this obviously traumatic incident, his relationships with women going forward are awkward, strained and usually doomed from the start. These relationships are presented in the form of vignettes, often narrated by Wallace himself through the use of his journal entries.

Travis Stuebing as Wallace gives a truly remarkable performance. He never leaves the stage, which is a feat in itself with this script. All his costume changes are done off to the side or as part of the action between scenes, and even at these times he remains in character and never loses focus. An actor could easily turn Wallace into an over the top and one-dimensional "traumatized male now hates women and is angry at the world" character, but Stuebing finds and presents all the layers of Wallace's personality and bares them to the audience with heart-breaking and poignant reality.

In one moment, Wallace has the audience laughing (albeit a bit uncomfortably) in the reenactment of a dream, and in the very next moment he is poised at the edge of the stage (and likely at the edge of his own reason) pitifully crying out for want of his mother there with him. His facial expressions and total commitment to the character help him to take the audience along on Wallace's roller coaster ride through relationships. You'll laugh, you'll cry…and you'll probably cringe more than a few times. I cannot say enough good things about Travis Stuebing.

The women of Wallace's life are played by Samantha Labrada, Whitnie Wood, Jenna Holley and Danielle Trudeau. Labrada's characters have the fewest lines, but she still manages to say a lot as Wallace's mother and psychiatrist. Wood gets several laughs as the grandmother who seems to have a morbid obsession with framed photographs of people days before their deaths.

Holley and Trudeau each play two different love interests of Wallace's at various stages in his journey. Each relationship fails, but each also reinforces Wallace's idea that all women will eventually desert him. In addition to their named roles, this talented quartet acts as both a run crew changing around set pieces and handing Wallace his props as needed, as well as a miniature Greek chorus, aiding Wallace in the vignettes of his life and the transitions in between.

Vera Brumley plays Nina; the one woman who challenges all of Wallace's preconceived notions about women. It is entirely necessary that the character of Nina should stand out from the rest of the women in Wallace's life, so Brumley is dressed differently from the other girls in a very obvious way, and does not participate in any of the aforementioned action of the other four women. She gives a solid, mature performance, and it is no wonder that Wallace should eventually be stopped in his tracks by her.

One of the reasons (besides the talent of the actors of course) that this production is so effective is the script itself. It is funny and poignant without being pretentious at all. Any of the obvious references and symbols one might draw from the content are put into the script itself and addressed (i.e. Freud, Oedipus complexes, etc.) candidly.

The other reason is the team behind this production. Director Cody Lucas deserves high praise for his unique and fun (and often funny) staging and use of the female ensemble and the boxy set pieces.

There is constant action and entertainment even during the
scene changes and, while nobody is credited for the sound
design, I'm willing to venture a guess that he had a lot to
do with the soundtrack to this production, which I enjoyed very much.

In his Director's Notes, Lucas mentions that he felt an instant connection with Sherman's script the first time he read it. Lucas's understanding of the material is very clear in his directorial choices. Everything has a purpose, the action is fast-paced and energetic, and there seems to be symbolism ingrained in every piece of staging, every song choice, every movement made onstage.

The themes created and chosen by Lucas are carried throughout the design elements of the show. The oversized and cartoonish props made out of cardboard (designed by Tiffany Hillan and Lucas) seem indicative of the child in Wallace that remains prevalent in the years following his mother's death.

The costume and makeup design by Candace Cockerham is simple and effective: the members of the female ensemble wear all black when they are not playing a specific character, and pieces are added to these basic costumes as they take on the roles of specific women.

Nina's character, by contrast, is dressed primarily in white. She does wear black leggings, tying her in with the female ensemble, but with pink accessories that accentuate her sweetness and set her apart from all the rest. Wallace is dressed in jeans, but changes shirts to indicate the progression through his life and his mental state at the time – from cartoony pajamas at age six to a bare chest and jeans when he is at his most vulnerable.

Perhaps my very favorite element of the production, however, is the scenic artistry of Andrew K. Currey. I mentioned before that the set pieces are utilitarian blocks and columns painted black, but this is only upon first glance. As the vignettes of Wallace's life are presented and the scenery is shifted for each, snippets of color and bits of phrases are shown as these set pieces are turned at different times. One might think that these little bits of color and words shown in specific scenes are arbitrary, but I would put money on there being a purpose and reason for each piece shown at any given time. Lucas doesn't appear to have done anything accidentally in this production.

I won't give away the final statement and picture shown (it is much better in person anyway), but it truly is a beautiful piece of art punctuating Wallace's final realization in the last scene of the play.

I give major kudos to Sundown Collaborative Theatre for being, in this critic's opinion, the epitome of what an upstart theatre company should be. They choose edgy and thought-provoking material and present it in a creative and compelling manner on a low budget. This company knows exactly who they are and what they want to accomplish, and it seems they are doing just that.

So, instead of going to see your run-of-the-mill, sappy romantic movie for Valentine's Day, take a walk on the cynical and realistic side and go see WOMEN AND WALLACE while you still can.

REVIEWED by Mandy Rausch
ASSOCIATE THEATRE CRITIC for John Garcia's THE COLUMN

___________________________________________
WOMEN AND WALLACE, February 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13 and 14
at the Hydrant Café, 208 W. Oak Street, Denton TX 76201.

Ticket prices $8-10; www.sundowntheatre.org for more info.

Outside the Box

"Talking of Michelangelo" image (originally uploaded to FightBoy Theatre)

Due to the recent surge in some of my closest friends and colleagues encouraging me to step outside the box, leave my comfort zone, try something new, etc., last week I went to two auditions that pretty much scared the hell out of me. But, due to the strong desire to have something other than the two (wonderful!) Denton musical theatre companies on my resumé, I swallowed my fear and got my audition materials ready for the week.

The first audition was for a concert version of Show Boat at Lyric Stage in Irving, TX, which will not even begin rehearsals until January of 2010. Lyric is a highly respected company in this area, due to their diligence in producing beautiful productions with full, lush orchestras. The thought of working with a theatre of this caliber, especially after performing my last role to a recorded orchestra, was too wonderful to pass up. I don't have high expectations for this one, especially due to it being my first audition outside of community theatre, well,....ever. I just wanted to feel as though I did my best and gave a good audition. I think that I achieved that. The jury is still out on casting, as far as I know, but overall I'm pleased with the experience and am very glad that I got my first audition for an equity theatre out of the way. It will only get easier, right?

The second audition was for a straight play, which I have not done since high school. I won't even tell you how many years ago that was, but suffice it to say, I'm a little rusty and anxious when there is no big musical number (or several) for me to fall back on! The play is called Talking of Michelangelo, and it is an original work by FightBoy Theatre founder (and friend of mine) Joshua Scott Hancock. This audition was so much more intense - but relaxed at the same time - than most musical theatre auditions, and I really had to step outside my comfort zone a few times. It was incredibly fun - and liberating! - and the eclectic group of talented people that showed up to auditions made me feel very comfortable, and not quite as vulnerable as I was afraid of feeling.

I ended up getting cast as an ensemble role in the play, and our first rehearsal/read-through is this evening. This will be a very short and intense rehearsal process - the show opens on October 21st - and I'm very much looking forward to it.

Finally, I'd like to say congratulations to another of Denton's indie theatre companies, Sundown Collaborative Theatre. They opened Nina Raine's Rabbit this past weekend and have been receiving great reviews so far, both from my colleague Gina Robertson of The Column as well as Mark Lowry from Theater Jones. I hope to catch a performance this weekend, and I encourage you to do the same and support the indie theatres!

The Wait is Over!

Remember when I posted about having exciting news?? I can finally share it with everyone!

I am VERY happy and proud to say that I am now one of the Associate Theatre Critics (ATCs) for The Column by John Garcia!

I will not be posting any of my reviews here on the blog, in accordance with John's rules. However, once they are published in the Column and on Pegasus News' web site, I will post a link.

I am very excited and grateful for such an amazing opportunity to get out and see more live theatre while simultaneously stretching my writing muscles and facing the challenges that come with critiquing my peers while maintaining objectivity.

I've set a very organic mission statement for myself (nothing set in stone, nothing even written down) that I will never, for any reason, completely trash a show. I can see no valid point in people who are mean and nasty just for entertainment's sake (though, it can only entertain them personally...it certainly isn't entertaining to the reviewees!) and, as a sometimes-performer myself, I see no point in being hateful and acerbic to those people who, just like me, are trying to do what they love. I will strive to make any and all criticism constructive, and to balance negative/critical comments with positive ones as well.

I'm very much looking forward to my first assignment, and I'm thrilled to be associated with a local staple such as The Column!

The Reviews are In

Well, put another script on the shelf for posterity. Crazy For You closed on May 10th after what I feel was a VERY successful run. We sold out the entire second weekend of performances, which is a huge step in the right direction for MTD, and I could not be more proud of this show. The cast, the production team, the crew -- everyone and I mean everyone worked their asses off on this show, and we all were boo-hooing on the last performance. Not just because it was the last performance, but because we truly all formed an emotional bond that I can't describe to anyone who hasn't been a part of such a process. I'm blessed to have known and worked with ALL of them, and my thanks go out to each and every new relationship I formed within this production process.

That being said, the reviews are in, and prove that everyone does in fact have their own opinion and that you can't please everyone! This one was written and posted by John Garcia of The Column, a weekly email group that began as a source for Dallas/Ft. Worth theatre-lovers and has expanded to more than 12,000 subscribers. This one was written by a couple of new reviewers who are just starting their "business" as it were and only have a couple of reviews up.

No matter what, though, nothing will take away from my experience and my views on a wonderful, exhausting, emotional, and rewarding experience.

Now. What's next?

I'm going to be assistant stage managing Denton Community Theatre's production of Don't Dress for Dinner, which is a play opening the first weekend in June, and there's a chance I'll be auditioning for a new adaptation/collaboration piece with a smaller theatre in Denton that same weekend. I'll try to be better at keeping everyone posted. I know, I've been bad...but work + two shows back-to-back = one stressed out and tired and BUSY lady! Summer will be a lot more laid back. :)

P.S. those beautiful photos above were taken by my friend and Very Favorite Photographer, Lynn Michelle when I invited her to be my guest at our preview performance. She rules...as usual.

And the winners are...

"Please help spread the word of your winners! Below is the list of winners and total amount of awards your theater companies won. Please post them in your newsletters, official theater websites, email "newsletter" blasts, etc.

It would mean the world to the Board and I'm sure the winners to see their COLUMN AWARD wins on your websites, newsletters, email blasts, etc. Thank you all so, so, so much for your support!" --John Garcia; Editor and Chief Senior Theatre Critic, The Column by John Garcia


You got it, John! Here they are, ladies and gentlemen!

The 2009 COLUMN AWARD WINNERS ARE...............

Best Play – Non-Equity
Topdog / Underdog
Upstart Productions

Best Play – Equity
Bent
Uptown Players

Best Musical – Non-Equity
NINE
ICT Mainstage

Best Musical – Equity
The Who's Tommy
Dallas Theater Center

Best Sound Design Play – Non-Equity
Kyle McClaran
Murder on the Nile
Garland Civic Theatre

Best Sound Design Play – Equity
Heath Gage
The Pillowman
Kitchen Dog Theater

Best Sound Design Musical – Non-Equity
Jeff D. Sones
NINE
ICT Mainstage

Best Sound Design Musical – Equity
Ryan Rumery
The Who's Tommy
Dallas Theater Center

Best Costume Design Play – Non-Equity
Suzi Cranford
The Facts Of Life
Uptown Players

Best Costume Design Play – Equity
Bruce R. Coleman
Trysts in Toledo
Theatre Three

Best Costume Design Musical – Non-Equity
Ryan Matthieu Smith
Sweeney Todd
Onstage in Bedford

Best Costume Design Musical – Equity
Barbara Cox
A Year With Frog and Toad
Dallas Children's Theater

Best Lighting Design Play – Non-Equity
Ana F. Petit
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Grapevine's Runway Theatre

Best Lighting Design Play – Equity
Laura McMeley
Doubt, A Parable
Water Tower Theatre

Best Lighting Design Musical – Non-Equity
Sam Nance
NINE
ICT Mainstage

Best Lighting Design Musical – Equity
Sam Nance
The Light in the Piazza
Theatre Three

Best Scenic Design Play – Non-Equity
Dennis Canright
The Facts of Life
Uptown Players

Best Scenic Design Play – Equity
Bruce R. Coleman
Bent
Uptown Players

Best Scenic Design Musical – Non-Equity
Paul Fiorella
NINE
ICT Mainstage

Best Scenic Design Musical – Equity
Beowulf Borritt
The Who's Tommy
Dallas Theater Center

Best Stage Manager Play – Non-Equity
Jodi Kopaniky
Murder on the Nile
Garland Civic Theatre

Best Stage Manager Play – Equity
Cory Boulieris
Bent
Uptown Players

Best Stage Manager Musical – Non-Equity
Stacey Street
NINE
ICT Mainstage

Best Stage Manager Musical – Equity
K. Doug Miller
The Light in the Piazza
Theatre Three

Outstanding New Work By a Local Playwright
Bruce R. Coleman
Whatever Happened to Pixie DeCosta
Theatre Too

Chita Rivera Dance Award – Female
Jennifer Laws
Damn Yankees
Garland Summer Musicals

Chita Rivera Dance Award – Male
Darius-Anthony Robinson
Footloose
Garland Civic Theatre

Best Choreography of a Musical – Non-Equity
Michael Serrecchia
NINE
ICT Mainstage

Best Choreography of a Musical – Equity
Nan Gammon
Zanna Don't
Uptown Players

Best Musical Director – Non Equity
Scott A. Eckert
NINE
ICT Mainstage

Best Musical Director – Equity
Jeff Crouse
Damn Yankees
Garland Summer Musicals

Best Director of a Play – Non-Equity
Andi Allen
The Facts Of Life
Uptown Players

Best Director of a Play – Equity
Bruce R. Coleman
Bent
Uptown Players

Best Director of a Musical – Non-Equity
Michael Serrecchia
NINE
ICT Mainstage

Best Director of a Musical – Equity
Kevin Moriarty
The Who's Tommy
Dallas Theater Center

Best Featured Actress in a Play – Non-Equity
Laura Warner
Steel Magnolias
Repertory Company Theatre

Best Featured Actor in a Play – Non-Equity
Andrew Phifer
Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-5
Risk Theater Initiative

Best Featured Actress in a Play – Equity
M. Denise Lee
Doubt, A Parable
Water Tower Theatre

Best Featured Actor in a Play – Equity
Clayton Younkin
Bent
Uptown Players

Best Featured Actress in a Musical – Non-Equity
Deborah Dennard
Sweeney Todd
OnStage in Bedford

Best Featured Actor in a Musical – Non-Equity
Chris Edwards
La Cage Aux Folles
Onstage in Bedford

Best Featured Actress in a Musical – Equity (Tie)
Melissa Farmer
Zanna Don't!
Uptown Players

Delynda Moravec
Damn Yankees
Garland Summer Musicals

Best Featured Actor in a Musical – Equity
Darius-Anthony Robinson
A Year With Frog & Toad
Dallas Children's Theater

Best Supporting Actress in a Play – Non-Equity
Jennifer Sipes
Crimes of the Heart
Garland Civic Theatre

Best Supporting Actor in a Play – Non-Equity
Chad Peterson
The Facts of Life
Uptown Players

Best Supporting Actress in a Play – Equity
Natalie King
Legends
Uptown Players

Best Supporting Actor in a Play – Equity
Gary Floyd
Crimes of the Heart
Theatre Three

Best Supporting Actress in a Musical – Non-Equity
Sarah Geist
Sweeney Todd
OnStage In Bedford

Best Supporting Actor in a Musical – Non-Equity (Tie)
Drew Kelly
All Shook Up!
Garland Civic Theatre

Tyler Martin
Sweeney Todd
OnStage in Bedford

Best Supporting Actress in a Musical – Equity
Lindsey Holloway
Zanna Don't!
Uptown Players

Best Supporting Actor in a Musical – Equity
Gregory Lush
The Who's Tommy
Dallas Theater Center

Best Actress in a Play – Non-Equity
Catherine Dubord
Proof
ICT Mainstage

Best Actor in a Play – Non-Equity
Chris Robinson
The Facts Of Life
Uptown Players

Best Actress in a Play – Equity
Jessica Wiggers
A Streetcar Named Desire
Contemporary Theatre of Dallas

Best Actor in a Play – Equity
Regan Adair
Doubt, A Parable
Water Tower Theatre

Best Actress in a Musical – Non-Equity
Sara Shelby-Martin
NINE
ICT Mainstage

Best Actor in a Musical – Non-Equity
Donald Fowler
NINE
ICT Mainstage

Best Actress in a Musical – Equity
Wendy Welch
The Light In The Piazza
Theatre Three

Best Actor in a Musical – Equity
Cedric Neal
The Who's Tommy
Dallas Theater Center

Kathleen Freeman Award
Brittany Stene

Ben Brettell Youth Award (5 individual awards)

Erich de la Torre
Taylor Scorse
Sam Swenson
Brett Thiele
Caleb White

Rudy Seppy Volunteer Award (3 individual awards)

Robin Stephens – ICT Mainstage
Judy Bauman Blalock – Grapevine's Runway Theatre
Jake Correll – McKinney Repertory Theatre

TOTAL AWARDS FOR THEATER COMPANIES:

Uptown Players – 14
ICT Mainstage – 12
Dallas Theater Center – 6
Garland Civic Theatre – 5
Theatre Three – 5
OnStage in Bedford – 5
Water Tower Theatre – 3
Garland Summer Musicals – 3
Dallas Children's Theater – 2
Grapevine's Runway Theatre -2
Repertory Company Theatre – 1
Risk Theater Initiative – 1
Contemporary Theatre Dallas – 1
McKinney Repertory Theatre – 1
Upstart Productions – 1
Kitchen Dog Theater – 1
Theatre Too - 1

The Column Awards!

Yesterday, on the official "The Column Awards Day" in Dallas, the 10th Annual Column Awards were held at the Irving Arts Center.

I was, sadly, unable to go due to financial constraints, but I am SO anxious and excited to see the official Winner's List! I'm hoping that John Garcia will send out a press release very soon today, so that I can repost!

Meanwhile, if anyone has any picture albums to share, I'd be happy to post them here! Please send any online web albums (Picasa, Shutterfly, etc) to dfw.backstage@gmail.com and I'll be happy to post some pictures. It would be a tremendous help if you have already tagged or captioned the photos with names of people in the photos, so that they will come up in search engines once I post them.

Very exciting! Stay tuned!

The 10th Annual Column Awards - Nominees announced later today!

I'm so excited!

For those of you who do not subscribe to The Column by John Garcia, I strongly suggest that you click on that link over on the sidebar and get yourself subscribed immediately. In my opinion, it is the best Dallas/Ft. Worth area resource for up-to-date audition notices, theatre reviews, and updates from the theatre community at large (regional, Broadway, film, etc).

Every year, John Garcia and his team put together an awards ceremony recognizing and honoring local talents. Every year I've read The Column and read about the awards ceremony, but this year marks my first year voting.

It took me over an hour to get through Round One of the voting ballots, and I am waiting on pins and needles to hear the official nominees announced later today.

Stay tuned!