The winners for Outstanding Lead Male Performance included David Newcomer for Camarillo Community Theatre’s “The Diary of Anne Frank”, Scott White for Ojai Art Center Theater’s “Kiss Me Kate”, Spanky for Elite Theatre Company’s “Ruthless!” and Ronald Rezac for Santa Paula Theater Center’s “Honour”. Outstanding Lead Female Performance award winners included Lori Lee Gordon for Elite Theatre Company’s “Ruthless!”, Vonder Gray for Ojai Art Center Theater’s “The Last Night at Ballyhoo”, Linda Livingston for Santa Paula Theater Center’s “Honour”, and Erin Fagundes for Camarillo Community Theatre’s “The Spitfire Grill”. Outstanding Male Featured Performer awards went to Buddy Wilds for Ojai Art Center Theater’s “The Heidi Chronicles”, Philip Wieck for Camarillo Community Theatre’s “L’il Abner”, C. J. Walsh for Elite Theatre Company’s “The Debt” and Don Pearlman for Santa Paula Theater Center’s “I Never Sang for my Father”. The Outstanding Female Featured Performer award winners included Peggy Steketee for Santa Paula Theater Center’s “Enchanted April”, Lea Baskas for Elite Theatre Company’s “Crimes of the Heart”, Sierra Hall for Ojai Art Center Theater’s “The Last Night at Ballyhoo”, and Valorie Paradise-Lant for Camarillo Community Theatre’s “The Spitfire Grill”.Awards were also given for outstanding achievement lighting, sound, set, and costume design. For Outstanding Lighting Design the winners included Adam Rayzor for Camarillo Community Theatre’s “The Diary of Anne Frank”, Gary Richardson for Santa Paula Theater Center’s “Honour”, Steve Grumette for Elite Theatre Company’s “Vincent” and Graham Whipple for Ojai Art Center Theater’s “Kiss Me Kate”. Outstanding Sound Design awards went to Steve Grumette for both Ojai Art Center Theater’s “Greater Tuna” and Elite Theatre Company’s “Vincent”, Laura Schreiner for Ojai Art Center Theater’s “Greater Tuna”, Ken Rayzor for Camarillo Community Theatre’s “Grease”, and Gary Poirot for Santa Paula Theater Center’s “Cricket on the Hearth”. The winners for Outstanding Set Design included Gary Richardson for Santa Paula Theater Center’s “Enchanted April”, Sean Harrington for Elite Theatre Company’s “Crimes of the Heart”, Bob Decker for Camarillo Community Theatre’s “The Spitfire Grill”, and Chris Jones for Ojai Art Center Theater’s “Kiss Me Kate”. Outstanding Costume Design awards went to Shawn W. Lanz, Beth Glasner, Spanky and Linda Stiegler for Elite Theatre Company’s “Ruthless!”, Randon Pool for Santa Paula Theater Center’s “Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure”, Joan Novakovich, Donna Powell, and Lorna Bowen for Camarillo Community Theatre’s “L’il Abner”, and Edmund Arredondo for Ojai Art Center Theater’s “The Last Night at Ballyhoo”.The final two award categories included Outstanding Direction and Outstanding Overall Production. Tom Eubanks took the honors for Ojai Art Center Theater’s “The Last Night at Ballyhoo”, Juanita Seavey and Jeff Wallach for Camarillo Community Theatre’s “The Diary of Anne Frank”, Shawn W. Lanz for Elite Theatre Company’s “Ruthless!” and David Ralphe for Santa Paula Theater Center’s “Honour”. The producers who accepted the Outstanding Overall Production awards included Leslie Nichols for Santa Paula Theater Center’s “Honour”, Bill Spellman for Ojai Art Center Theater’s “The Last Night at Ballyhoo”, Arryck Adams for Elite Theatre Company’s “Ruthless!” and Kathee Boyer, Adrienne Freeland and Janis Johnson for Camarillo Community Theatre’s “Grease”.
Award Winners announced for Four Star Theater Awards
February 08, 2008
Santa Paula News
Four local community based theaters in Ventura County who have recently joined forces to create The Four Star Theater Awards Committee celebrated the culmination of their year-long efforts in a Four Star Theater Award Celebration held on January 23 at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center.
Four local community based theaters in Ventura County who have recently joined forces to create The Four Star Theater Awards Committee celebrated the culmination of their year-long efforts in a Four Star Theater Award Celebration held on January 23 at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center. Ten winners from each of the four theaters received awards for outstanding work in various categories.The purpose of this committee includes fostering a spirit of camaraderie, cooperation and mutual respect among Ventura County’s community theaters by creating an annual awards ceremony to honor excellence in the arts. Participating theaters included the Elite Theater Company in Oxnard, the Camarillo Community Theatre, the Ojai Art Center Theater and the Santa Paula Theater Center. Future plans of the committee include expanding to other theaters in the county that express an interest in joining. High Street Arts Center in Moorpark is already scheduled to be included in the 2008 awards committee.The Four Star Theater Committee is made up of three representatives from each participating theater. Judges were selected to review each theater’s full 2007 season and winners were determined in late 2007. Each theater received one award for each category – making it a truly community event and not a competition. These awards honor excellence in performance for male and female actors in both leading and featured roles, as well as awards for excellence in direction, set design, lighting and costumes, as well as overall production.