Metro audiences have chosen Aurora Theatre as their favorite theater, one of seven 2013 Suzi Bass Awards the Lawrenceville company landed in ceremonies held Monday night.
Aurora won best musical production for its stunning fall staging of Les Miserables. Les Miz also won for featured actress Leslie Bellair as Eponine (a tie with Adrienne Reynolds of True Colors Theatre Company’s Shakin’ the Rafters), director Justin Anderson, music direction by Ann-Carol Pence and scenic design by Phil Male. The theater’s staging of Unnecessary Monsters was named best theater for youth production and the company itself won the Audience Choice award. No other company won more than three Suzis.
The awards for professional theater in metro Atlanta are named for the late Suzi Bass, a force of nature who appeared on stages all over town from the late 1970s until her death in 2002.
Best play honors went to Horizon Theatre’s Time Stands Still by Pulitzer Prize-winner Donald Margulies, the story of an injured photojournalist who returns home from the battlefields of Iraq only to learn that some images can never be erased. Carolyn Cook was named best actress in a play for her work in the piece.
Allan Edwards was named best actor/play for Serenbe Playhouse’s A Walk in the Woods. Leading actor and actress in a musical went to Craig Waldrip in Kiss of the Spider Woman at Actor’s Express and Catherine Porter in the Alliance Theatre’s Next to Normal.
Atlanta-bred, Los Angeles-based playwright Steve Yockey, who’s world premiere of Pluto is now onstage at Actor’s Express, won best world premiere production for Wolves, which debuted at the Express last winter.
Playwright Topher Payne earned the Gene-Gabriel Moore Playwriting Award for his world premiere Angry Fags at 7 Stages. Synchronicity Theatre’s Betty Mitchell was named volunteer of the year, and 7 Stages founders Del Hamilton and Faye Allen were hon0red for their 35-plus years in Atlanta theater with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Here’s a complete list of nominees, with winners’ names in bold.
Musical production
- The Ghastly Dreadfuls: The Last Ghast at Center for Puppetry Arts
- Les Miserables at Aurora Theatre
- Next to Normal at Alliance Theatre
- Ragtime at Atlanta Lyric Theatre
- Zorro at Alliance Theatre
Play production
- Equus at Actor’s Express
- Fly at Theatrical Outfit
- Time Stands Still at Horizon Theatre
- A Walk in the Woods at Serenbe Playhouse
- The Whipping Man at Alliance Theatre
World premiere production
- Angry Fags by Topher Payne at 7 Stages
- The Great McAnigan by Dave Lauby at The Collective Project
- Shakin’ the Rafters by Robert Deason at True Colors Theatre Company
- Swell Party by Topher Payne at Georgia Ensemble Theatre
- Wolves by Steve Yockey at Actor’s Express
Theater for Youth production
- The Adventures of Mighty Bug at Center for Puppetry Arts
- Brer Rabbit and Friends at Center for Puppetry Arts
- Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat at Center for Puppetry Arts
- Petite Rouge at Aurora Theatre and Synchronicity Theatre
- Unnecessary Monsters at Aurora Theatre
- The Velveteen Rabbit at Serenbe Playhouse
Director/musical
- Alan Kilpatrick for Ragtime at Atlanta Lyric Theatre
- Anne Towns for The Drowsy Chaperone at Aurora Theatre
- Jon Ludwig for The Ghastly Dreadfuls: The Last Ghast at Center for Puppetry Arts
- Justin Anderson for Les Miserables at Aurora Theatre
- Scott Schwartz for Next to Normal at Alliance Theatre
Lead actress/musical
- Alison Brannon Wilhoit for Legally Blonde at Atlanta Lyric Theatre
- Catherine Porter for Next to Normal at Alliance Theatre
- Christy Baggett for Ragtime at Atlanta Lyric Theatre
- Liberty Cogan for Kiss of the Spider Woman at Actor’s Express
- Natasha Drena for Les Miserables at Aurora Theatre
Lead actor/musical
- Adam Jacobs for Zorro at Alliance Theatre
- Bryant Smith for Les Miserables at Aurora Theatre
- Craig Waldrip for Kiss of the Spider Woman at Actor’s Express
- Kevin Harry for Les Miserables at Aurora Theatre
- Kevin Harry for Ragtime at Atlanta Lyric Theatre
Featured actress/musical
- (tie) Adrienne Reynolds for Shakin’ the Rafters at True Colors Theatre Company
- (tie) Leslie Bellair for Les Miserables at Aurora Theatre
- Marcie Millard for Les Miserables at Aurora Theatre
- Mary Nye Bennett for Legally Blonde at Atlanta Lyric Theatre
- Natascia Diaz for Zorro at Alliance Theatre
Featured actor/musical
- Anthony P. Rodriguez for Les Miserables at Aurora Theatre
- Bryant Smith for Kiss of the Spider Woman at Actor’s Express
- Geoff Uterhardt for Next to Normal at Alliance Theatre
- Jimi Kocina for Sweet Charity at Aurora Theatre
- Michael Stiggers for Les Miserables at Aurora Theatre
Ensemble/musical
- Beehive at Atlanta Lyric Theatre (Mary Nye Bennett, Christy Clark, Jamie Wood Katz, Lisa Manuli, Chimere Scott and Kayce Grogan-Wallace)
- The Fabulous Lipitones at Theatrical Outfit (Daniel Hilton, Tom Key, William S. Murphey, and Glenn Rainey)
- The Ghastly Dreadfuls: The Last Ghast at Center for Puppetry Arts (Scott DePoy, Kristin Haverty, Reay Kaplan, Jon Ludwig, Spencer G. Stephens, Robert Strickland and Jason von Hinezmeyer)
- The Gifts of the Magi at Theatrical Outfit (Nick Arapoglou, Caroline Freedlund, Jeff McKerley, Bernardine Mitchell, Glenn Rainey and Adrienne Reynolds)
- I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change at Stage Door Players (Laura Floyd, Erin Meadows, Craig Waldrip and Jeremy Wood)
Music direction
- Ann-Carol Pence for Les Miserables at Aurora Theatre
- BJ Brown for Ragtime at Atlanta Lyric Theatre
- Boko Suzuki for Next to Normal at Alliance Theatre
- Fred Lassen for Zorro at Alliance Theatre
- Michael Monroe for The Fabulous Lipitones at Theatrical Outfit
Choreography
- Bethany Hayes Smith for Tarzan at Legacy Theatre
- Jevares C. Myrick for Ragtime at Atlanta Lyric Theatre
- Karen Hebert for Anything Goes at Atlanta Lyric Theatre
- Rafael Amargo for Zorro at Alliance Theatre
- Sarah Turner Sechelski for Les Miserables at Aurora Theatre
Costume design/musical
- Alan Yeong for Les Miserables at Aurora Theatre
- Amanda McGee for Tarzan at Legacy Theatre
- Jamie Bullins and Stephanie Kaskel Bogle for The Ghastly Dreadfuls: The Last Ghast at Center for Puppetry Arts
- Lindsey Goodson Paris for Ragtime at Atlanta Lyric Theatre
- Tom Piper for Zorro at Alliance Theatre
Lighting design/musical
- Ben Ormerod for Zorro at Alliance Theatre
- Liz Lee for The Ghastly Dreadfuls: The Last Ghast at Center for Puppetry Arts
- Mary Parker for Ragtime at Atlanta Lyric Theatre
- Mike Baldassari for Next to Normal at Alliance Theatre
- Mike Post for Les Miserables at Aurora Theatre
Scenic design/musical
- Joshua Flannigan for The Ghastly Dreadfuls: The Last Ghast at Center for Puppetry Arts
- Kat Conley for Ragtime at Atlanta Lyric Theatre
- Kevin Rigdon for Next to Normal at Alliance Theatre
- Phillip Male for Les Miserables at Aurora Theatre
- Tom Piper for Zorro at Alliance Theatre
Sound design/musical
- Bobby Johnston for Hair at Serenbe Playhouse
- Bobby Johnston for Ragtime at Atlanta Lyric Theatre
- Daniel Terry for Les Miserables at Aurora Theatre
- Gregory Montague, Kristin von Hinezmeyer & Mimi Epstein for The Ghastly Dreadfuls: The Last Ghast at Center for Puppetry Arts
- Kai Harada for Zorro at Alliance Theatre
Director/play
- Alexander Greenfield for The Whipping Man at Alliance Theatre
- David Crowe for Equus at Actor’s Express
- Justin Anderson for Angry Fags at 7 Stages
- Lisa Adler for Time Stands Still at Horizon Theatre
- Melissa Foulger for Wolves at Actor’s Express
- Patdro Harris for Fly at Theatrical Outfit
Lead actress/play
- Carolyn Cook for Time Stands Still at Horizon Theatre
- Crystal Fox for What I Learned in Paris at Alliance Theatre
- Kate Buddeke for Good People at Alliance Theatre
- Minka Wiltz for Every Tongue Confess at Horizon Theatre
- Veronika Duerr for The Summer of Daisy Faye at Marietta Theatre
Lead actor/play
- Allan Edwards for A Walk in the Woods at Serenbe Playhouse
- Andrew Benator for Seminar at Actor’s Express
- Nick Arapoglou for My Name Is Asher Lev at Theatrical Outfit
- Rob Cleveland for Master Harold … and the Boys at Aurora Theatre
- Theo Harness for Visiting Mr. Green at Stage Door Players
Featured actress/play
- Ann Marie Gideon for Time Stands Still at Horizon Theatre
- Bernardine Mitchell for Every Tongue Confess at Horizon Theatre
- Suehyla El-Attar for Angry Fags at 7 Stages
- Suehyla El-Attar for Swell Party at Georgia Ensemble Theatre
- Tess Malis Kincaid for Swell Party at Georgia Ensemble Theatre
Featured actor/play
- Barrett Doyle for Seminar at Actor’s Express
- Brian Kurlander for My Name Is Asher Lev at Theatrical Outfit
- Chris Kayser for Time Stands Still at Horizon Theatre
- J.C. Long for The Tempest at the New American Shakespeare Tavern
- John Stewart for The Whipping Man at Alliance Theatre
Ensemble/play
- The Book Club Play at Horizon Theatre (John Benzinger, Bryan Brendle, Danielle Deadwyler, Wendy Melkonian, Maria Rodriguez-Sager and Dan Triandiflou)
- Fly at Theatrical Outfit (John E. Doyle, Fenner Eaddy, Joel Ishman, Brian Kurlander, Eric J. Little, J.C. Long and Doc Waller)
- Lark Eden at Aurora Theatre (Rachel Garner, Naima Carter Russell and Minka Wiltz)
- Tales of Edgar Allan Poe at Center for Puppetry Arts (Luis R. Hernandez, Reay Kaplan and Rudy Roushdi)
- Wolves at Actor’s Express (Brian Crawford, Kate Donadio, Clifton Guterman and Joe Sykes)
Costume design/play
- Alexandra Matthews for The Great McAnigan at The Collective Project
- Anne Carole Butler for The Tempest at the New American Shakespeare Tavern
- (tie) Jamie Bullins for Tales of Edgar Allan Poe at Center for Puppetry Arts
- Lex Liang for What I Learned in Paris at Alliance Theatre
- (tie) Linda Patterson for Swell Party at Georgia Ensemble Theatre
Lighting design/play
- Andre C. Allen for The Mountaintop at True Colors Theatre Company
- Ben Tilley for Wolves at Actor’s Express
- Liz Lee for Tales of Edgar Allan Poe at Center for Puppetry Arts
- Liz Lee for The Whipping Man at Alliance Theatre
- Mary Parker & Rob Dillard for Fly at Theatrical Outfit
Scenic design/play
- Collette Pollard for Good People at Alliance Theatre
- F. Elaine Williams for Tales of Edgar Allan Poe at Center for Puppetry Arts
- Isabel A. Curley-Clay and Moriah Curley-Clay for Betrayal at Aurora Theatre
- Isabel A. Curley-Clay and Moriah Curley-Clay for Time Stands Still at Horizon Theatre
- Jason Sherwood for The Whipping Man at Alliance Theatre
Sound design/play
- Atlanta Shakespeare Company for The Tempest at the New American Shakespeare Tavern
- Dan Bauman for It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play at Stage Door Players
- Dan Bauman for Wolves at Actor’s Express
- Gregory Montague & Brian Kettler for Tales of Edgar Allan Poe at Center for Puppetry Arts
- Jonathan Summers for Fly at Theatrical Outfit
Winners by theater company
- Aurora — 7
- Horizon Theatre — 4
- Actor’s Express — 3
- Alliance — 3
- Center for Puppetry Arts — 3
- Theatrical Outfit — 2
- New American Shakespeare Tavern — 2
- Serenbe Playhouse — 2
- Georgia Ensemble Theatre — 1
- Legacy Theatre — 1
