Audiences Honor Local Theater through BroadwayWorld Appleton Awards

The 2016 BroadwayWorld Appleton Awards winners were recently announced. A strong voting turnout illustrated local audiences' appreciation of the excellent theater the region has enjoyed over the last year.

Peninsula Players Theatre in Door County won five awards. Harter Clingman swept the best professional actor categories, taking home Best Actor in a Musical (Professional) for his performance in THE FULL MONTY and Best Actor in a Play (Professional) for his performance in ALABAMA STORY. Peggy Roeder won Best Actress in a Musical (Professional) for her work in THE FULL MONTY. THE FULL MONTY also won Best Musical (Professional), while ALABAMA STORY was awarded Best Play (Professional).

D.C. Everest Senior High School in Weston won Best Musical (Non-professional) for its presentation of DISNEY'S HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL, while Logan Wehmeyer took home Best Actor in a Musical or Play (Non-professional) for his performance in the show.

Cecelia Schefcik from Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln High School won Best Actress in a Musical or Play (Non-professional) for her performance in MARY POPPINS.

Katherine Duffy was awarded Best Actress in a Play (Professional) for her work in Door County's Third Avenue Playhouse's THE AMISH PROJECT.

The award for Best Play (Non-professional) went to Riverside Players from Neenah for its production of AND THEN THERE WERE NONE. Laurie Friedman Fannin, who directed AND THEN THERE WERE NONE and serves as the Artistic Director of Riverside Players stated "I am particularly pleased because it was Riverside's 60th season and we truly embody everything that is weird and wonderful about community theatre. No pretense, divas or "stars," just a bunch of dedicated people who love the theatre and each other. We have no grandiose ideas about who we are or who our audience is. We are friends, neighbors...we are a community, and we hope to keep the arts alive and accessible to everyone for another 60 years."

Best Touring Show (Musical Theater) went to the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center's presentation of NEWSIES.

Best Touring Show (Other) went to the Weidner Center's popular presentation of MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER CHRISTMAS Diane Nagy, Director of Marketing for the Weidner Center, stated "Mannheim Steamroller Christmas is an all-time fan favorite show for us at the Weidner Center. We look forward to each return visit."

Finally, the Theater of the Year award went to Wausau's Grand Theater.

Thank you to all who participated in the 2016 BroadwayWorld Appleton Awards! Check back next fall to nominate and vote for shows that premiered between October 1, 2016 and September 30, 2017 for the 2017 BroadwayWorld Appleton Awards!