Sadly, yours truly did not take her sparkly pumps out of the closet and go to the Kevin Kline Awards last night, and so did not have the chance to Twitter the presentation, blow by blow, for SLM readers. Yours truly is sitting at her desk, clad in simple linen and denim, posting the list of winners a day after the fact, like a True Luddite. However, I suspect some of you theater fans out there are True Luddites, too, and will not only forgive me, but will interested in the results posted below.
I attended the Klines in 2007, and my most enduring memory from that night is watching Steve Wolff ascend and descend the stage steps multiple times to accept awards. This year The Rep dominated again, taking home 10 statuettes. Two of them went to director Rob Ruggerio, who won for his work on The Little Dog Laughed and Ella. Ruggerio won in 2006 for Take Me Out and in 2007 for Urinetown; both productions, like Little Dog, were part of the Rep's edgy Off-Ramp Series. That series will be mothballed for the 2009-2010 season due to financial constraints. For whatever reason, the Professinal Theater Awards Council judges love the edgier shows ... Little Dog pretty much did the Oscar Sweeps thing, taking accolades in nearly every category it qualified for. It will be interesting to see if The Rep's return to more mainstream, traditional programming alters the outcome of the awards.
That said: Three years ago when I interviewed Steve Isom about the then brand-new Kline Awards, he stated his hope that shining a light on the good work being done here would inspire more professional theater in St. Louis, thereby creating opportunities for writers, actors, directors, and set, costume and sound designers. To my eyes, it looks like that's what's happening. I was heartened to see that The Black Rep is now participating (and won multiple awards for Sarafina!), and that brand-new Insight Theater Company took home a couple of awards for Grace and Glorie. I was also glad to see that Gitana Productions and Mustard Seed Theatre Company made showings. Just seeing that list of names makes me excited for fall, to see what St. Louis theater companies are going to stage next year, even if they have to scale it back a touch because of the recession. --Stefene Russell
Outstanding Production for Young Audiences
Winner: ME & RICHARD 3 (Shakespeare Festival St. Louis)
Other nominees: The Jungle Book (Stages St. Louis)
Midsummer (Shakespeare Festival St. Louis)
Myth Adventures (The Imaginary Theatre Company)
The Starry Messenger (Upstream Theater)
Outstanding New Play or Musical
Winner: CARTER W. LEWIS, Evie’s Waltz (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Other nominees: Lee Patton Chiles, Complacency of Silence: Darfur (Gitana Productions)
Tim Collins, A Fire as Bright as Heaven (St. Louis Actors’ Studio)
Gregory Jones, Men With Clubs (HotCity Theatre)
Dan Rubin and Lauren Dusek, Overexposed (OnSite Theatre Company)
Outstanding Costume Design
Winner: LOU BIRD (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Stages St. Louis)
Other nominees: Fumiko Bielefeldt (Emma, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Lou Bird (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Stages St. Louis)
Lou Bird (Little Women, Stages St. Louis)
Amanda Handle (The Comedy of Errors, St. Louis Shakespeare)
Outstanding Lighting Design
Winner: THOMAS DUNN (The Little Dog Laughed, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Other nominees: John Lasiter (Ella, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Dominique Gallo (Mary’s Wedding, Echo Theatre Company)
Tim Poertner (Complacency of Silence: Darfur, Gitana Productions)
John Wylie (Evie’s Waltz, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Outstanding Set Design
Winner: Adrian W. Jones (The Little Dog Laughed, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Other nominees: Gianna Downs (The Lieutenant of Inishmore, The Repertory Theatre of
St. Louis)
Steve Gilliam (My Fair Lady, The Muny)
Scott C. Neale (Blood Knot, Upstream Theater)
Tim Poertner (Complacency of Silence: Darfur, Gitana Productions)
Patrick Huber (9 Parts of Desire, St. Louis Actors’ Studio)
Dunsi Dai (Two-Headed, Black Cat Theatre)
Outstanding Sound Design
Winner: TORI MEYER (Grace and Glorie, Insight Theatre Company)
Other nominees: Jason Krueger (My Fair Lady, The Muny)
Michael Miceli (Ella, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Zachary Williamson (The Little Dog Laughed, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Kelly Kerr (Mary’s Wedding, Echo Theatre Company)
Outstanding Ensemble in a Play
Winner: GRACE AND GLORIE (Insight Theatre Company)
Other nominees: The Last Seder (New Jewish Theatre)
The Lieutenant of Inishmore (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
The Little Dog Laughed (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Primal (Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play
Winner: COLLEEN BACKER (Morning’s at Seven, Stray Dog Theatre)
Other nominees: Thomasina Clark (Complacency of Silence: Darfur, Gitana Productions)
Kari Ely (Chaim’s Love Song, New Jewish Theatre)
Jennifer Nitzband (The Scene, HotCity Theatre)
Jenni Ryan (Grace and Glorie, Insight Theatre Company)
Carolyn Swift (Rabbit Hole, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play
Winner: JOHN PIERSON (The Late Henry Moss, St. Louis Actors’ Studio)
Other nominees: Mark Fisher (The Little Dog Laughed, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Bob Harvey (Chaim’s Love Song, New Jewish Theatre)
Joel King (Complacency of Silence: Darfur, Gitana Productions)
Jared Nell (The Comedy of Errors, St. Louis Shakespeare)
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play
Winner: ERIKA ROLFSRUD (The Little Dog Laughed, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Other nominees: Victoria Adams-Zischke (Rabbit Hole, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Amy Loui (Two-Headed, Black Cat Theatre)
Donna Weinsting (’night, Mother, Stray Dog Theatre)
Magan Wiles (Mary’s Wedding, Echo Theatre Company)
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play
Winner: DAVID WHALEN (The Lieutenant of Inishmore, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Other nominees: J. Samuel Davis (Blood Knot, Upstream Theater)
Keith Jochim (Frost/Nixon, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Ben Nordstrom (Mary’s Wedding, Echo Theatre Company)
Cody Proctor (The Comedy of Errors, St. Louis Shakespeare)
Outstanding Director of a Play
Winner: ROB RUGGIERO (The Little Dog Laughed, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Other nominees: Philip Boehm (Blood Knot, Upstream Theater)
Stuart Carden (The Lieutenant of Inishmore, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Eric Little (Mary’s Wedding, Echo Theatre Company)
Wayne Loui (Grace and Glorie, Insight Theatre Company)
Outstanding Production of a Play
Winner: THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Other Nominees: Blood Knot (Upstream Theatre)
Evie’s Waltz (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
The Lieutenant of Inishmore (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Rabbit Hole (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Outstanding Musical Direction
Winner: DANNY HOLGATE (Ella, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Other nominees: Laura Bergquist (Emma, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
David Alexander Foote (Cotton Club Revue, Unity Theatre Ensemble)
James Moore (The Producers, The Muny)
Chris Peterson (High Fidelity, New Line Theatre)
Outstanding Choreography
Winner: KEITH TYRONE (Sarafina!, The Black Rep)
Other nominees: Stephen Bourneuf (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Stages St. Louis)
Bill Burns (The Producers, The Muny)
Niki Harris (My One and Only, The Muny)
Dana Lewis (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Stages St. Louis)
Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical
Winner: SARAFINA! (The Black Rep)
Other nominees: Cotton Club Revue (Unity Theatre Ensemble)
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Stages St. Louis)
The Music Man (Stages St. Louis)
My Fair Lady (The Muny)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical
Winner: COLLEEN BACKER (Smoke on the Mountain, Mustard Seed Theatre)
Other nominees: Dani Marcus (Emma, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Angie Schworer (The Producers, The Muny)
Willena Vaughn (Cotton Club Revue, Unity Theatre Ensemble)
Zoe Vonder Haar (My Fair Lady, The Muny)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical
Winner: CHRISTOPHER HICKEY (Smoke on the Mountain, Mustard Seed Theatre)
Other nominees: Eugene Fleming (My One and Only, The Muny)
Aaron Lawson (High Fidelity, New Line Theatre)
Lee Roy Reams (The Producers, The Muny)
Daniel Reichard (My Fair Lady, The Muny)
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical
Winner: TINA FABRIQUE (Ella, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Other nominees: Catherine Brunell (My Fair Lady, The Muny)
Casey Erin Clark (Little Women, Stages St. Louis)
Kari Ely (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Stages St. Louis)
Sharisa Whatley (Sarafina!, The Black Rep)
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical – A TIE
Winners: JEFFREY D. PRUETT (Pippin, Stray Dog Theatre) … and …
LEWIS J. STADLEN (The Producers, The Muny)
Other nominees: Timothy Gulan (Emma, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Christopher Kale Jones (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Stages St. Louis)
Robert Westenberg (My Fair Lady, The Muny)
Outstanding Director of a Musical
Winner: ROB RUGGIERO (Ella, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Other nominees: Stephen Bourneuf (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Stages St. Louis)
Ron Himes (Sarafina!, The Black Rep)
Robert Kelly (Emma, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Gary John La Rosa (Fiddler on the Roof, The Muny)
Outstanding Production of a Musical
Winner: SARAFINA! (The Black Rep)
Other nominees: Cotton Club Revue (Unity Theatre Ensemble)
Ella (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Emma (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
Thoroughly Modern Millie (Stages St. Louis)
