THEATRE PREVIEW
PATTÉ AWARDS 2001
Published in KPBS On Air Magazine February
2002
Five years ago, I sat down at my computer with an
idea. I wanted to give something back to the theater community, to provide some
tangible appreciation of the creative energy, the exhaustive hours, the
brilliant commitment and endless entertainment provided by local artists in
this evanescent artform.
Ever since 1998, KPBS has been hosting an ever-expanding
bash to honor the awardees, a joyous opportunity to celebrate the splendor of
San Diego theater. After all, this was the year that Travelocity.com proclaimed
San Diego "the newest cultural mecca in the United States."
So, herewith is my own personal Pat on the back,
the 2001 5th annual KPBS Patté Awards for Theater Excellence, which
I presented at a dinner/entertainment gala on January 14, in the Shiley Studio
at KPBS. The scrumptious, festive evening and the stunningly purple plexiglas
sculpture that is the award itself were made possible by a generous grant from
Donald and Darlene Shiley, the ultimate Theater Angels.
Last year, the KPBS Patté Theater Angel Award was
gratefully given to writer/director/scholar/philanthropist Marianne McDonald.
This year, she gave her name to the first-ever McDonald Playwriting Award,
which went to the extremely inventive and now highly in-demand young writer,
Annie Weisman, whose premiere, Be
Aggressive, was the most successful production in the 10-year history of
the Mandell Weiss Forum of La Jolla Playhouse. Weisman is a genuine theater
native: an alumna of San Diego Junior Theatre, the Playwrights Project and
UCSD.
Two other special awards were given again this
year. The Shiley Award for Lifetime Achievement was presented to beloved local
(and New York) director Jack O'Brien, who celebrated his 20th
anniversary at the helm of The Globe Theatres this year with two Tony
nominations (for the irresistible The
Full Monty and the thought-provoking Invention
of Love). The Patté Theater Angel Award was bestowed on theater-lovers
Judith Harris and Robert Singer, avid supporters of companies as diverse and
wide-ranging as Sledgehammer and La Jolla Playhouse. Harris just completed her
highly praised term as Chair of the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and
Culture.
The rest of the 2001 KPBS Patté Awards follow, in
no particular order (except, like the Oscars and the Tonys, the Outstanding
Performances, Directors and Productions come last).
Outstanding Ensemble
"The Beauty Queen
of Leenane"
San Diego Repertory
Theatre
"The Laramie
Project"
La Jolla Playhouse
"Jeffrey"
Diversionary Theatre
"Who's Afraid of
Virginia Woolf"
San Diego Repertory
Theatre
Outstanding Scenic Design
James Joy
"Twelfth
Night"
The Globe Theatres
Marty Burnett
"Long Day's Journey
into Night"
Renaissance Theatre
Company
and several productions
at North Coast Repertory Theatre
Liam O'Brien
"10 Human
Beings"
UCSD Theatre & Dance
Outstanding Lighting Design
David F. Segal
"Dinner with
Friends"
The Globe Theatres
Karen Filijan
North Coast Repertory
Theatre, Diversionary Theatre, Renaissance Theatre
Outstanding Costume Design
Zandra Rhodes
"The Magic
Flute"
San Diego Opera
Jeanne Reith
"Tarantara!"
& "Dr. Faustus"
Lamb's Players Theatre
Outstanding Sound Design
Francis Thumm
"Quoth the
Raven"
Sledgehammer Theatre
Michael Roth
"A Midsummer
Night's Dream"
The Globe Theatres
Outstanding Performance
Ron Choularton
"Breaking the
Code"
Diversionary Theatre
Robert Dahey
"Amelia Earhart,
Lost and Found"
6th @ Penn
Theatre
Jefferson Mays
"I Am My Own
Wife"
La Jolla Playhouse
Sean Murray
"Man of La
Mancha"
North Coast Repertory
Theatre
Rosina Reynolds
"Long Day's Journey
into Night"
Renaissance Theatre
Company
Outstanding Direction
Suzanne Agins
"Life's a
Dream"
UCSD Theatre & Dance
Tim Irving
"Jeffrey"
Diversionary Theatre
Des McAnuff & Kate
Whoriskey
"The Collected
Works of Billy the Kid"
La Jolla Playhouse
Charlie Oates
"10 Human
Beings"
UCSD Theatre & Dance
Outstanding Production
"bash"
UCSD
Theatre & Dance
"Lot's
Daughters"
Diversionary Theatre
"The Mad
Dancers"
San Diego Repertory
Theatre
"Twelfth
Night"
The Globe Theatres
A few other people and productions bear
mentioning:
Most Exciting New Theatre Company: New Village
Arts
Promising Playwrights: Julia Edwards, Laura Henry,
David Wiener, Rachael Van Wormer
Fresh-Faced Talent to Watch: Meredith Kaye Clark,
Matthew DeMeritt, Thomas Fonss, Michael Kary, Joy Osmanski, Kate Reynolds,
April Tra
Overall, 2001 was a spacey odyssey. May this year
be less dramatic on the world stage and even more dramatic on theater stages.
©2002 Patté Productions Inc.