Alliance Theatre's CHOIR BOY, HARMONY Top 2014 Suzi Bass Awards; Winners Announced!

The Suzi Bass Awards, Inc. announced winners for the 2013-2014 Atlanta professional theatrical season this evening at the awards ceremony at the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts Center. The evening was hosted by Rob Cleveland. Presenters included Deadre Moore, Ingrid Cole and Christy Baggett, Eric and Bethany Mendenhall, Veronika Duerr and Laura Cole, Clifton Guterman and WABE's John Lemley, Tess and Mark Kincaid, and Karen Howell and Chris Ekholm. Scroll down for the full list of winners!

Tonight's ceremony was filmed by students and faculty in the TV Production program of Chattahoochee Tech, for broadcast by Atlanta's PBA30 television station. Broadcast will be on December 13, 2014 at 10pm. Chattahoochee Tech and WPBA are major partners of the Suzi Awards.

A special tribute was performed by Broadway's Amber Iman (who hails from Atlanta and got her start on our stages) who sang "No Tears in Heaven" during the In Memoriam segment recognizing deceased members of the Atlanta theatre family. In addition to several professional artists recently working in Atlanta theatre, we also lost actor and teacher Georgia Allen, 94, who was the first African-American actor to integrate Atlanta's stages.

There are five special awards announced at the ceremony. They and their recipients are the The 2014 Gene Gabriel Moore Playwriting Award, given to Suehyla El-Attar for her play, Third Country produced by Horizon Theatre. The 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Monty Schuth, wig and hair designer. The 2014 Volunteer of the Year was presented to Beverly Powell of Stage Door Players. This year's new award, The 2014 Callboard Award, recognizes work by theatre professionals in production areas not included in the categories of the Suzi Performance Awards such as stage managers, technicians, front of house and patron staff, or others. It is voted upon exclusively by Suzi members. It was awarded to Wendell Johnson, House Manager of Theatrical Outfit. And finally, The 2014 Audience Choice Award for Outstanding Season was awarded to Actor's Express.

As for the Suzi Awards for performance, the Alliance Theatre took home the most awards, 11 total, while Aurora Theatre was next in total awards with 6. Actor's Express, 7 Stages. Center for Puppetry Arts and Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre each took home 2 awards. Atlanta Lyric Theatre, Georgia Ensemble Theatre, Georgia Shakespeare, Horizon Theatre, Serenbe Playhouse, and Theatrical Outfit each grabbed one award.

For further information, go to www.SuziAwards.org.

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2013-2014 Suzi Bass Award Winners List:

Outstanding Production of a Play
Choir Boy - Alliance Theatre

Outstanding Director of a Play
Trip Cullman for Choir Boy -- Alliance Theatre

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play
Natasha Drena for End of the Rainbow -- Actor's Express

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play (tie)

Andrew Benator for Race -- True Colors Theatre Company

Neal A. Ghant for Race -- True Colors Theatre Company

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play (tie)

Courtenay Collins for The Geller Girls -- Alliance Theatre

LaLa Cochran for Best of Enemies -- Theatrical Outfit

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Richard Garner for One Man, Two Guvnors -- Georgia Shakespeare

Outstanding Ensemble of a Play

Choir Boy - Alliance Theatre

with Nicholas L. Ashe, Joshua Boone, Caleb Eberhardt, Jeremy Pope, Scott Robertson, John Stewart, and Charles E. Wallace

Outstanding Production of a Musical
Harmony -- Alliance Theatre

Outstanding Director of a Musical
Tony Speciale for Harmony -- Alliance Theatre

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical
Galen Crawley for Mary Poppins -- Aurora Theatre

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical
Andy Meeks for Mary Poppins -- Aurora Theatre

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Marcie Millard for Annie -- Atlanta Lyric Theatre

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Austin Tijerina for Oklahoma! -- Serenbe Playhouse

Outstanding Ensemble of a Musical

Harmony - Alliance Theatre

with Will Blum, Liberty Cogen, Hannah Corneau, Chris Dwan, Bryan Thomas Hunt, Greg Kamp, Shayne Kennon, Leigh Ann Larkin, Chad Lindsey, Lindsay Moore, Brandon O'Dell, Patrick O'Neill, Charles Osborne, Kim Sava, Dave Schoonover, Lauren Elaine Taylor, Will Taylor, Douglas Williams, and Tony Yazbeck

Outstanding Music Direction
Ann-Carol Pence for Mary Poppins -- Aurora Theatre

Outstanding Choreography
Jen MacQueen for Mary Poppins -- Aurora Theatre

Outstanding Costume Design of a Play
Erik Teague for The Navigator -- 7 Stages

Outstanding Lighting Design of a Play
Ken Yunker for The Geller Girls -- Alliance Theatre

Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play
Isabel A. & Moriah Curley-Clay for Elemeno Pea -- Horizon Theatre

Outstanding Sound Design of a Play
Klimchak for The Navigator -- 7 Stages

Outstanding Costume Design of a Musical
Sydney Roberts for Mary Poppins -- Aurora Theatre

Outstanding Lighting Design of a Musical
Jeff Croiter & Darrell Maloney (projections) for Harmony -- Alliance Theatre

Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musical
Shannon Robert for Mary Poppins -- Aurora Theatre

Outstanding Sound Design of a Musical
John Shivers & David Patridge for Harmony -- Alliance Theatre

Outstanding World Premiere Production
Pluto by Steve Yockey -- Actor's Express

Outstanding Production -- Theatre for Young Audiences
1001 Nights: A Love Story about Loving Stories -- Center for Puppetry Arts

Outstanding Direction -- Theatre for Young Audiences
And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank -- Georgia Ensemble Theatre, Director -- Peter Hardy

Outstanding Design -- Theatre for Young Audiences

Shrek the Musical -- Alliance Theatre

with Scenic Designer -- Kat Conley, Costume Designer -- Sydney Roberts. Lighting Designer -- Pete Shinn, and Sound Designer -- Clay Benning

Outstanding Performance -- Theatre for Young Audiences
1001 Nights: A Love Story about Loving Stories -- Center for Puppetry Arts with Ally Duncan, Terry Guest, Mary Nye Bennett, Googie Uterhardt, and John Wright

2014 Gene-Gabriel Moore Playwriting Award
Third Country by Suehyla El-Attar, produced by Horizon Theatre

2014 Lifetime Achievement Award
Monty Schuth, wig and hair designer

2014 Volunteer of the Year
Beverly Powell, Stage Door Players

2014 Callboard Award
Wendell Johnson, House Manager, Theatrical Outfit

2014 Audience Choice Award for Outstanding Season
Actor's Express

Breakdown by Theatre (Suzis and TYA Suzis):

Alliance Theatre - 11 [Harmony - 5, Choir Boy - 3, The Geller Girls - 2, Shrek the Musical - 1 ]

Aurora Theatre - 6 [Mary Poppins - 6]

7 Stages - 2 [The Navigator - 2]

Actor's Express - 2 [End of the Rainbow - 1, Pluto - 1]

Center for Puppetry Arts - 2 [1001 Nights: A Love Story about Loving Stories - 2]

Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company - 2 [Race]

Atlanta Lyric Theatre - 1 [Annie]

Georgia Ensemble Theatre - 1 [And Then They Came For Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank]

Georgia Shakespeare - 1 [One Man, Two Guvnors]

Horizon Theatre - 1 [Elemeno Pea]

Serenbe Playhouse - 1 [Oklahoma!]

Theatrical Outfit - 1 [Best of Enemies]

Pictured: The cast of Alliance Theatre's HARMONY. Photo by Greg Mooney.