LCT issues some more awards

The League of Cincinnati Theatres LCT) continues its program of recognition for 2011-2012 theater productions with recently announced awards for productions of As You Like It at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and Gruesome Playground Injuries at Know Theatre of Cincinnati. Nine shows have now been handed awards by panels of informed theatergoers.

There seem to me to be some big misses — including Jessica Hendy’s gripping performance as Diana, the bipolar mother in Ensemble Theatre’s Next to Normal as well as Bruce Cromer’s measured but passionate portrait of Sir Thomas More in Cincinnati Shakespeare’s A Man for All Seasons — as well as a few curiosities (such as a production of Tracy Letts’ Superior Donuts by a company, Clifton Players, which is more of a community theater than a professional company although several Equity actors were involved in the show).

The flow of information from LCT remains erratic so here’s a summary of recognition so far.

Winter Wonderettes (Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, June 24-July 24)

·      Ensemble performance: Denise Devlin, Mia Gentile, Sara Mackie & Brooke Rucidlo 


·      Specialized Design (Props & Set Decoration): Shannon Rae Lutz & Brian c. Mehring 

Bedroom Farce (Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, July 14-Aug. 7)

·      Ensemble: Sara Clark, Jeremy Dubin, Jim Hopkins, Miranda McGee, Kelly Mengelkoch, Nick Rose, Kate Wilford & Brent Vimtrup

Pippin (Carnegie Center, Aug. 19-Sept. 3)

·      Featured Actor in a Musical: Deb G. Girdler

·      Choreography: Jane Green & Jay Goodlett

Next to Normal (Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, Sept. 7-25)

·      Scenic Design (Brian c. Mehring),

·      Lighting Design (Brian c. Mehring),

·      Musical Direction (Scot Woolley) and

·      Ensemble: Jessica Hendy, Mark Hardy, Mia Gentile, Nick Cearley, Charlie Clark & Michael Schwitter

God of Carnage (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Sept. 8-Oct. 1)

·      Direction of a Play: Edward Stern

·      Ensemble: Eva Kaminsky, Anthony Marble, Susan Louise O'Connor & Triney Sandoval

A Man For All Seasons (Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Sept. 9-Oct. 2)

·      Featured Actor in a Play: Jeremy Dubin

Superior Donuts (Clifton Players, Sept. 9-16)

·      Leading Actor in a Play: Kevin Crowley

·      Featured Actor in a Play: Brandon Anderson

·      Ensemble: Kevin Crowley, Brandon Anderson, Michael Bath, Buz Davis, Pam Shooner, Reggie Willis, Pepper Sweeney, Carol Brammer & Carter Bratton

As You Like It (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Oct. 6-Nov. 6)

·      Direction of a Play: Ed Stern & Michael Evan Haney

·      Leading Actress in a Play: Sarah Dandridge

·      Featured Actor in a Play: David Graham Jones

·      Lighting Design: Thomas C. Hase

Gruesome Playground Injuries (Know Theatre of Cincinnati, Oct. 8-Nov. 5)

·      Specialized Design (Video): Andrew Hungerford and Doug Borntrager

·      Lead Actor in a Play: Jens Rasmussen

·      Direction of a Play: Drew Fracher

One more piece of evidence that LCT is not firing on all cylinders: On Oct. 2, LCT sponsored a “Meet the Artistic Directors” event in the same vein as those offered at Joseph-Beth Booksellers for several years hosted by the Enquirer’s Jackie Demaline. There was confusion all around: The event was originally to happen on Sept. 25, then moved a week later without much conversation. No publicity was disseminated until Sept. 30, just two days before the event. I stopped in to listen, only to discover that Demaline and six theater representatives had an audience of three people on a Sunday afternoon, plus a few LCT folks.

Why Demaline, who lined up directors from the Cincinnati Playhouse, Ensemble Theatre, Know Theatre, Cincinnati Shakespeare, New Edgecliff Theatre and Cincinnati Landmark Productions (Covedale Center and the Showboat Majestic), didn’t promote it in the Enquirer is a mystery since she was the organizer. She told the “audience” that this was “an example of poor marketing,” since she never received a publicity release, so she couldn’t report it, despite her involvement in the program. Since the Acclaim Awards, which Demaline created and operated until last spring, were dissolved in favor of a program run by LCT, there has been a disconnect between Demaline and the LCT team regarding many aspects of the new program. That doesn’t bode well for the future, I’m afraid. Stay tuned for more.