Summer Place Family and Friends Up For Awards!
Congratulations to all the Nominees!
We're quite proud of the wonderful cast and crew who put together our shows, and we should say it more often, so thank you Broadway World for holding an awards competition so we can remind everyone again! Take a look at all the nominess for the 2019 season!
BroadwayWorld just announced (on Nov 19) the nominees for their regional awards, and Summer Place has much to boast about!
Of course, we think all our shows and all those who work on them are the crème de la crème, but we can't help mentioning those who have specifically been nominated since it gives them, the shows and, of course our theatre company, recognition and exposure in the larger community. In fact, we'd love for you to jump on the Broadway World website and cast your votes for the Summer Place entries. Who knows? We may win some awards and have even more braggin' rights!
First, here are the nominations* involving our shows:
South Pacific was nominated NINE TIMES for:
- Best Direction of a Musical or Revue - Jorge Bermudez
- Best Musical Direction - Emma Gingold
- Best Choreography - Nickel Hays
- Best Performer - 6 of them! - Jaime Sandoval, Jason Peck, Jessica Pouranfar, Nick Greanias, Pam Hart, and Sam Martin.
Mamma Mia! was nominated TEN TIMES for:
- Best Ensemble of a Musical
- Best Sound Design - Jeff Sand
- Best Scenic Design - Charles Martin
- Best Musical Direction - Kayla Lollar
- Best Costume Design - Jane Grebeck
- Best Choreography - Samantha Seighart
- Best Performer - 4 of them! - Adam Rociles, Amy Rodriguez, Marie Groh, and Matt Whalen
We'd also like to note Summer Place friends who were nominated for other shows during the past year:
- Craig Gustafson, Best Direction of a Play, for Stagecoach's production of August: Osage County. (Craig directed My Three Angels in 2019.)
- Vicki Jablonski, Best Costume Design for Fremont's Legally Blonde. (Vicki directed Sugar for us in 2018.)
- Andrew Trygstad, Best Choreography for Wheaton Drama's Silent Laughter. (He played Tiny Tim in Barnum in 2006.)
- Samantha Seighart, Best Choreography, 9 to 5. (Sam directed Mamma Mia in 2019.)
- Ben Vargas, Best Costume Design for Aurora Riverfront Theatre's Fasting Cougars, a show written by Craig Gustafson. (Ben dressed My Three Angels for us in 2019.)
And a list of fine actors who've been in numerous Summer Place productions are up for best performer:
- Carolyn Pizzato for The Government Inspector. (She was in Anything Goes.)
- Meg McGarry for Jekyll and Hyde. (She was in Secret Garden and Legally Blonde.)
- Jake Murphy for Silent Laughter. (He was in Footloose.)
- Ken Kaden for Adams Family. (He was in numerous shows including Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof.)
- Patti Shore Kaden for Fasting Cougars. (She has also been in numerous shows, plus she has ASL-signed shows in past years.)
All these people did a wonderful job in bringing these shows to life, but there were certainly others. Nominations for this award are from peers (or one's self) or a passionate fan, not a team of judges. Likewise, votes are cast by the general public. That said, it's still fun to participate in the awards and rally behind our family and friends who are on the lists. Vote for your favorites - or a straight Summer Place ticket! - by visiting the Broadway World site and follow the instruction. Here's the link:
https://www.broadwayworld.com/chicago/voteregion.cfm
Congratulations to all the nominees from all the productions and companies represented. "Nominated" and "Award-Winning" are wonderful adjectives to get more people to attend a play or musical, so let's talk 'em up!
* This is just one reporter doing his best to spot the nominees related to us, so apologies and an offer to anybody who was missed: please let me know and I'll add you into the list. All these awards are in the Resident Non-Equity category.