Press Release
The 28th Annual LA STAGE Alliance Ovation Awards, celebrating theatrical excellence and achievement throughout Los Angeles, were presented on Monday, January 29, at the Theatre at Ace Hotel in downtown LA.
Thirty-five awards were bestowed upon 19 different Southern California theatre companies. The most honored companies of the year were Geffen Playhouse (The Legend of Georgia McBride, Actually); East West Players (Next to Normal); Actors Co-op (33 Variations); The Echo Theater Company (Dry Land [shared with Center Theatre Group], The Cake, Blueberry Toast); Center Theatre Group (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Archduke, Dry Land [shared with The Echo Theater Company]); and Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (The Encounter, For the Record: Scorsese – American Crime Requiem). Rogue Machine received the Best Season Award (Dutch Masters, Les Blancs, Still Life, The Super Variety Match Bonus Round!).
Ovation Honors, which recognize outstanding achievement in areas that are not among the standard list of nomination categories, were awarded to Noah Agruss (Music Composition for a Play, Bars and Measures at The Theatre @ Boston Court); Ahmed Best (Fight Choreography, The Echo Theater Company’s Blueberry Toast); and Joe Seely (Puppet Design, Wicked Lit 2016, Unbound Productions).
Additionally, Center Theatre Group presented the 2017 Sherwood Award for innovative and adventurous artists to Hana Kim. This award is endowed by the Sherwood family and is accompanied by $10,000 to further Kim’s artistic work.
The ceremony was hosted by Kirsten Vangsness, and this year’s presenters included theatre notables (in alphabetical order) Malcolm Barrett, Alexandra Billings, Nathan Birnbaum, Melody Butiu, Crystal Diaz, Sheldon Epps, Larissa Fasthorse, Sam Harris, Russell Hornsby, Diarra Kilpatrick, Justin Kirk, Reggie Lee, Pam MacKinnon, Kelly Miller, Mitch O’Farrell, Rose Portillo, Armin Shimerman, J.K. Simmons, Miranda Wright, and Zakiya Young. Musical numbers were performed by Alexandra Billings, Melody Butiu, and Zakiya Young.
Founded in 1989, the LA STAGE Alliance Ovation Awards are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles. Voters are Los Angeles theatre professionals who are chosen each year through an application process by the Ovation Rules Committee. This year’s Ovation Awards eligibility period ran from August 29, 2016 through August 27, 2017.
Since 1975, LA STAGE Alliance has been dedicated to building awareness, appreciation, and support for the performing arts in Greater Los Angeles. All of its initiatives aim to serve and strengthen the sector — both at individual and community levels — providing resources that facilitate audience engagement, collaborative marketing, community building, and professional development.
Sponsors for this year’s Ovation Awards ceremony were Bakers Man Productions, Butcher Bird Studios, CBS, F&D Scene Changes Ltd., Footlights, KCET, Peter Konerko Photography, Malibu Family Wines, Ovation TV, Rose Brand, TheaterMania, Theatre Corner, UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television, USC School of Dramatic Arts, Variety, Venture Hill Entertainment, and Ken Werther Publicity.
WINNERS
Best Season
Rogue Machine
LES BLANCS STILL LIFE
THE SUPER VARIETY MATCH BONUS ROUND!
Best Production of a Play (Intimate Theatre)
33 VARIATIONS
Actors Co-op
Best Production of a Play (Large Theatre)
GULF VIEW DRIVE
Rubicon Theatre Company
Best Production of a Musical (Intimate Theatre)
WHEN JAZZ HAD THE BLUES
CEK Productions
Best Production of a Musical (Large Theatre)
NEXT TO NORMAL
East West Players
Best Presented Production
THE ENCOUNTER
Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
Acting Ensemble of a Play
MA RAINEY‘S BLACK BOTTOM Center Theatre Group
Acting Ensemble of a Musical
FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE
Ebony Repertory Theatre
Choreography
PAUL MCGILL
THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA MCBRIDE
Geffen Playhouse
Music Direction
JESSE VARGAS
FOR THE RECORD: SCORSESE – AMERICAN CRIME
REQUIEM
Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
Book for an Original Musical
CAROLE KOSOFF
WHEN JAZZ HAD THE BLUES
CEK Productions
Lyrics/Composition for an Original Musical
MICHAEL SHAW FISHER
SKULLDUGGERY: THE MUSICAL PREQUEL TO HAMLET
Sacred Fools Theater Company
Playwriting for an Original Play
ANNA ZIEGLER
ACTUALLY
Geffen Playhouse
Direction of a Musical
NANCY KEYSTONE NEXT TO NORMAL
East West Players
Direction of a Play
THOMAS JAMES O‘LEARY
33 VARIATIONS
Actors Co-op
Lead Actor in a Musical
B. SLADE as Stacks
FOR THE RECORD: SCORSESE – AMERICAN CRIME
REQUIEM
Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
Lead Actress in a Musical
DEEDEE MAGNO HALL as Diana NEXT TO NORMAL
East West Players
Lead Actor in a Play
HARRY GROENER as Big Daddy
Antaeus Theatre Company
Lead Actress in a Play
DEBRA JO RUPP as Della
THE CAKE
The Echo Theater Company
Featured Actor in a Musical
ROGELIO DOUGLAS JR. as Four Eyed Moe
FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE
Ebony Repertory Theatre
Featured Actress in a Musical
ISA BRIONES as Natalie NEXT TO NORMAL
East West Players
Featured Actor in a Play
ADOLPHUS WARD as Stool Pigeon
AUGUST WILSON‘S KING HEDLEY II
Sophina Brown
Featured Actress in a Play
ELLA JOYCE as Ruby
AUGUST WILSON‘S KING HEDLEY II
Sophina Brown
Lighting Design (Intimate Theatre)
ANDREW SCHMEDAKE
33 VARIATIONS
Actors Co-op
Lighting Design (Large Theatre)
JOSH EPSTEIN
THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA MCBRIDE
Geffen Playhouse
Scenic Design (Intimate Theatre)
NICHOLAS ACCIANI
33 VARIATIONS
Actors Co-op
Scenic Design (Large Theatre)
TIM MACKABEE
ARCHDUKE
Center Theatre Group
Sound Design (Intimate Theatre)
JOSEPH SLAWINSKI
BURNERS
Moving Arts
Sound Design (Large Theatre)
JEFF GARDNER
DRY LAND
Center Theatre Group / The Echo Theatre Company
Costume Design (Intimate Theatre)
MICHAEL MULLEN
SIAMESE SEX SHOW
Theatre Planners
Costume Design (Large Theatre)
E.B. BROOKS
THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA MCBRIDE
Geffen Playhouse
Video Projection Design
CORWIN EVANS PLASTICITY
SoulArt
Music Composition for a Play
NOAH AGRUSS
BARS AND MEASURES
The Theatre @ Boston Court
Fight Choreography
AHMED BEST
BLUEBERRY TOAST
The Echo Theater Company
Puppet Design
JOE SEELY
WICKED LIT 2016
Unbound Productions
Gia On The Move 
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