The Colorado Theatre Guild’s annual Henry Awards are back and, after a year’s absence, so is the Denver Center Theatre Company.
The awards, named after retired producer Henry Lowenstein, honor the best in metro- area theater performed by the guild’s member companies. Winners will be announced at a public awards ceremony tonight at the Town Hall Arts Center in Littleton.
The DCTC earned 25 nominations, nearly one-fourth of the 102 available slots in 20 categories. Last year, the DCTC withdrew because of a residency rule that has since been eliminated. So the DCTC is again being considered alongside the guild’s 48 other eligible member companies.
Putting the Denver Center and its $10 million annual budget up against small companies scraping every available dollar to put on a show has been a source of some contention. The Denver Post separates the city’s Tony-winning regional theater company from the rest of the theater community when selecting its Ovation Awards.
Sam Gregory, who is nominated as best lead actor for both a Denver Center play (“Doubt”) and a smaller local company’s play (Paragon’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”), thinks it’s great for both sides to be in the mix together.
“Remember that (in 2006), the Denver Center was nominated in a number of categories — and lost in a number of categories,” he said. “I think it makes the award more valuable, because these small companies are now competing, in a sense, on a national scale.”
Yes, the Denver Center is a bit of an 800-pound gorilla in the room, “but small theaters can learn from the big guy, and the big guy can really learn from the small theaters,” Gregory said. “I learned a heck of a lot working at Paragon. It was probably the most satisfying artistic experience I’ve had in eight years, one that was really matched at the end of this last year with ‘Doubt.’ ”
Megan Van De Hey, nominated for both lead actress (“Always, Patsy Cline”) and supporting actress (“Company”), said the format “raises the level of our performance for all of us, and I’m honored to be up there among Denver Center performers. It speaks to the level of quality in this city.”
Added Gregory: “To an actor, yes, it’s nice to have air conditioning. But where you are doing it isn’t as important as who you are doing it with.”
Of course, when the Denver Center is involved, the question is always how much is too much, and how little might be seen as a slight. In 2006, the DCTC pulled 36 percent of nominations and won eight of 20 awards.
Family ties
Boulder’s Dinner Theatre director and choreographer Scott Beyette is a triple nominee, all the more remarkable given that his wife, Joanie Brosseau-Beyette, was a triple nominee last year. And how many did she win? “She went home with her pride,” Scott said with a laugh, “but she deserved to win every one.” Brosseau-Beyette is back in contention as a best-actress nominee for “Little Shop of Horrors.” …
Van De Hey’s husband, Joel Sutliffe, is also nominated, as best actor in am musical, for “Company.”
Fun with figures
Tonight’s most-nominated play is Paragon’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” with six. The most nominated musical is the handicapped company PHAMALy’s “Urinetown” (nine). . . .
Boulder’s Dinner Theatre, which won seven Henrys in ’07, and the resurging Arvada Center were second only to the DCTC with 11 nominations each. . . .
Brian Freeland, who directed Countdown to Zero’s “best ensemble” nominee “The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui,” is a triple nominee for various sound and lighting projects . . . A.K. Klimpke was cited as lead actor for Boulder’s Dinner Theatre’s “The Will Rogers Follies” and as supporting actor in “The Sound of Music.” . . .
This year’s winners were determined by a weighted vote by eight critics who had to have seen at least 50 shows in the previous year: Holly Bartges, ; Lisa Bornstein, Rocky Mountain News; Mark Collins, Boulder Daily Camera; Sonya Ellingboe, Colorado Community Newspapers; David Marlowe, Out Front, John Moore, The Denver Post; Juliet Wittman, Westword; and Craig Williamson, North Denver Tribune.
The real gorilla in the room is the obvious favoritism the voting system gives shows that happened to be seen by the most judges.
Colorado Theatre Guild Henry Awards
Hosted by Brian Colonna and Erin Rollman. Tonight: Cocktails at 6, awards at 7. $25. Town Hall Arts Center, 2450 W. Main St., Littleton 303-794-2787, .
Online: John Moore’s complete podcast interview with multiple nominees Sam Gregory, Megan Van De Hey and Scott Beyette. Also: Complete list and slide show of all 102 nominees. Listen/read at .
John Moore: 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com
Colorado Theatre Guild Henry Awards
Hosted by Brian Colonna and Erin Rollman. Tonight: Cocktails at 6, awards at 7. $25. Town Hall Arts Center, 2450 W. Main St., Littleton 303-794-2787 or go to .
This week’s podcast
Running Lines with . . . Henry Award nominees. Denver Post theater critic John Moore chats with three multiple nominees at the upcoming Colorado Theatre Guild Henry Awards: Sam Gregory, Megan Van De Hey and Scott Beyette. The public gala is 6 p.m. Monday at the Town Hall Arts Center (303-778-7724). To listen, You will be taken to a miniplayer. Once there, click on the miniplayer’s triangular “play” button, and the podcast will begin playing without your having to download. Or, right-click on the “download MP3” option to save a copy to your own desktop. Run time: 20 minutes.
Complete 2008 Henry Award nominations
Note: Germinal Stage-Denver has withdrawn from consideration for this year’s Henry Awards:
Outstanding Actor in a Play
Ed Baierlein, Germinal Stage Denver, “A Touch of the Poet”
Gene Gillette, Curious Theatre, “The Lieutenant of Inishmore”
Sam Gregory, Denver Center Theatre Company, “Doubt”
Sam Gregory, Paragon Theatre, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”
Keith L. Hatten, Aurora Fox, “The Emperor Jones”
Outstanding Actress in a Play
Stephanie Beatriz, Denver Center Theatre Company’s “Lydia”
Martha Harmon Pardee, Paragon Theatre, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Jeanne Paulsen, Denver Center Theatre Company’s “Doubt”
Onahoua Rodriguez, Denver Center Theatre Company’s “Lydia”
Karen Slack, Curious’ “9 Parts of Desire”
Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Leonard Barrett, PHAMALY, “Urinetown, the Musical”
Brandon Dill, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre’s “Little Shop of Horrors”
Michael E. Gold, Arvada Center, La Cage aux Folles
A.K. Klimpke, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre, The Will Rogers Follies
Joel Sutliffe, Town Hall Arts Center, Company
Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Joanie Brosseau-Beyette, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre’s “Little Shop of Horrors”
Shelley Cox-Robie, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre, “The Will Rogers Follies”
Beth Flynn, Arvada Center, “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”
Megan Van de Hey, Town Hall Arts, “Always, Patsy Cline”
Juliet Villa, PHAMALY, “Urinetown, the Musical”
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play
Mike Hartman, Denver Center Theatre Company, “Plainsong”
Randy Moore, Denver Center Theatre Company, You Can’t Take It With You
Matthew Mueller, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, “Around the World in Eighty Days”
Gregory Price, Aurora Fox, “The Emperor Jones”
Sean Tarrant, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, “All’s Well That Ends Well”
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play
Barbra Andrews, Paragon Theatre, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”
Rhonda Brown, Arvada Center, “House of Blue Leaves”
GerRee Hinshaw, Listen Productions, “Macbeth”
Kim Staunton, Denver Center Theatre Company’s “Doubt”
Mare Trevathan, Paragon Theatre, “The Night Heron”
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical
A.K. Klimpke, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre, “The Sound of Music”
Milton Craig Nealy, Arvada Center, “La Cage aux Folles”
D.P. Perkins, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre, “The Will Rogers Follies”
Kent Randell, Performance Now’s “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”
Marcus Waterman, Arvada Center, “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical
Jenna Bainbridge, PHAMALY, “Urinetown, the Musical”
Amy Board, Nile Productions, “The Great American Trailer Park Musical”
Amanda Earls, Town Hall Arts Center, “Company”
Kathleen Traylor, PHAMALY, “Urinetown, the Musical”
Megan Van de Hey, Town Hall Arts Center, “Company”
Outstanding Sound Design
El Armstrong, Aurora Fox, “The Emperor Jones”
Craig Beitenbach, Denver Center Theatre Company, “Plainsong”
Brian Freeland, Curious Theatre, “How I Learned to Drive ”
Brian Freeland, Curious Theatre, “9 Parts of Desire”
Steve Stevens, Arvada Center, “Of Mice and Men”
Outstanding Lighting Design
Brian Freeland, Countdown to Zero, “The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui”
Steven D. Mazzeno, PHAMALY, “Urinetown, the Musical”
Shannon McKinney, Listen Productions, “Macbeth”
Victor En Yu Tan, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
Jacob M. Welch, Paragon Theatre, “The Night Heron”
Outstanding Costume Design
Nicole Harrison, Arvada Center, “La Cage aux Folles”
Patrick Holt, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
Clare Henkel, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, “The Servant of Two Masters”
Linda Morken, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre, “The Will Rogers Follies”
Annette Westerby, Listen Productions, “Macbeth”
Outstanding Scenic Design
Tina Anderson, Listen Productions, “Macbeth”
David Lafont, Paragon Theatre, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”
Hugh Landwehr, Denver Center Theatre Company, “The Merry Wives of Windsor”
Charles Dean Packard, Aurora Fox, “The Emperor Jones”
Vicki Smith, Denver Center Theatre Company, “Doubt”
Vicki Smith, Denver Center Theatre Company, “Plainsong”
Outstanding Choreography
Scott Beyette, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre, “The Will Rogers Follies”
DeAndre Carroll, Aurora Fox, “The Emperor Jones”
Patty Colombo, Denver Center Theatre Company, “Irving Berlin’s White Christmas”
Kitty Skillman Hilsabeck, Arvada Center, “La Cage aux Folles”
Debbie Stark and Cindy Bray, PHAMALY, “Urinetown, the Musical”
Outstanding Ensemble Performance
Denver Center Theatre Company, “The Diary of Anne Frank”
Denver Center Theatre Company, “Lydia”
Denver Center Theatre Company, “Plainsong”
Countdown to Zero, “The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui”
PHAMALY, “Urinetown, the Musical”
Outstanding New Play
“Contrived Ending,” Josh Hartwell, Conundrum Productions
“The Denver Project,” Mildred Ruiz and Steve Sapp, Curious Theatre
“Every Secret Thing,” Judy GeBauer, Modern Muse Theatre Company
“Lydia,” Octavio Solis, Denver Center Theatre Company
“Plainsong,” Eric Schmiedl, Denver Center Theatre Company
Outstanding Production of a Play
Denver Center Theatre Company, “Doubt”
Curious Theatre, “The Lieutenant of Inishmore”
Denver Center Theatre Company, “Lydia”
Denver Center Theatre Company, “Plainsong”
Paragon Theatre, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”
Outstanding Production of a Musical
Town Hall Arts, “Company”
Arvada Center, “La Cage aux Folles”
Denver Center Theatre Company, “Irving Berlin’s White Christmas”
PHAMALY, “Urinetown, the Musical”
Boulder’s Dinner Theatre, “The Will Rogers Follies’
Outstanding Direction of a Play
Paul Mason Barnes, Denver Center Theatre Company, “The Diary of Anne Frank”
Juliette Carrillo, Denver Center Theatre Company, “Lydia”
Terry Dodd, Arvada Center, “Of Mice and Men”
Warren Sherrill, Paragon Theatre, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”
Chip Walton, Curious Theatre, “The Lieutenant of Inishmore”
Kent Thompson, Denver Center Theatre Company, “Plainsong”
Outstanding Direction of a Musical
Scott Beyette, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre, “The Sound of Music”
Scott Beyette, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre, “The Will Rogers Follies”
Rod Lansberry, Arvada Center, “La Cage aux Folles”
Robert Wells, Town Hall Arts, “Company”
Steve Wilson, PHAMALY, “Urinetown, the Musical”
Outstanding Season for a Theater Company
Aurora Fox
Curious Theatre
Denver Center Theatre Company
Germinal Stage Denver
Paragon Theatre
