2011 COLUMN Awards Nominations Announced

The 2011 COLUMN Awards will have blinding star wattage appearing on their stage for this year's gala. Yesterday on a live tele/webcast the 2011 COLUMN Award nominations were announced. The COLUMN AWARDS Gala will be held Monday March 14, 2011 at the exquisite Carpenter Hall Theater at the Irving Arts Center. Cocktail reception begins at 7pm with the awards ceremony at 8pm. More info can be found at www.thecolumnawards.org

Due to the line up of great stars and the vast landscape of this year's nominees the Board of Directors anticipate the gala will sell out fast. Tickets will go on sale on midnight of February 14th. Ticket prices are as follows:

$25 - general admission (+$1.00 handling fee, so $26.00)

$50 - VIP admission (Gives you access to VIP lounge where you get to meet our special guest stars. Food and alcohol is served in this private reception and this year VIP ticket holds will have reserve seating in the VIP center section-+$1.00 handling fee, so $51.00)

To purchase tickets online:

http://www.irvingartscenter.com/Performances/EventsCalendar.aspx

Serving as Co-hosts for the evening will be Broadway stars Max Von Essen and Tyler Maynard!

Mr. von Essen is currently starring in Michael John LaChiusa's HELLO AGAIN,
which is having its first major New York revival. Max was most recently seen roller skating across the country as Sonny Malone in the national tour of XANADU. On Broadway, Max played Enjolras in the recent revival of Les Misérables. His other Broadway credits include Alfred in Dance of the Vampires starring alongside Michael Crawford, Jean Prouvaire in the closing company of the original Les Misérables, and his debut as a disciple in the 2000 revival of Jesus Christ Superstar. In that production, Max understudied the role of Jesus and performed it many times. Other New York credits include Tremont in Jerry Springer: The Opera at Carnegie Hall, and Matt in The Fantasticks at the Sullivan Street Playhouse.

Mr. Maynard is best known for originating the role of "Mark" in the mega hit off-Broadway musical, ALTAR BOYZ. He earned a Theater World award for
Outstanding Breakthrough Actor and a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding
Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance. Theater critic Charles
Isherwood of The New York Times wrote, "None grabs [the spotlight] quite as
ferociously as Tyler Maynard... Mr. Maynard's deliciously overwrought
performance is both an affectionate tribute to and a parody of American
Idol-style vocal histrionics." On Broadway he originated the role of
"Flotsam" in THE LITTLE MERMAID & was in the original casts of MARY POPPINS and MAMMA MIA! Off Broadway he portrayed "Chad" in the musical THE KID. Film credits include Palindromes, Parents Wanted and Red Doors.

Making a very special guest appearance will be one of Broadway's biggest
legends, Tony Award winner Donna McKechnie!

Ms. McKechnie originated the role of "Cassie" in the history making Broadway musical A CHORUS LINE, which won her the Tony Award & Drama Desk Award for Best Actress in a Musical.

Cassie is a character based in great part on herself. She & Bennett created one of Broadway's legendary 11:00 O'clock numbers, "The Music and the Mirror", in which the vocal sections were tailored to her unusually large range.

She earned a second Tony nomination in 1996 for STATE FAIR. She became the muse for the great Michael Bennett (whom she later married). Her Broadway debut was in the original cast of HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING. Her next original Broadway musical was PROMISES, PROMISES (which she made the "Turkey Lurkey Time" time a showstopper); and she also was in Stephen Sondheim's masterpiece, COMPANY as "Kay". Once again Bennett created a show stopping number for her with "Tick Tock". She also toured in CALL ME MADAM with the great Ethel Merman and was in the 1971 Broadway revival of ON THE TOWN. She also portrayed to great acclaim the role of "Sally" in Papermill's production of FOLLIES.

McKechnie wrote her thoroughly engrossing and moving autobiography Time Steps: My Musical Comedy Life. Currently she is on tour with her critically acclaimed one woman show about her career and life titled MY MUSICAL COMEDY LIFE.

Executive Director/Producer John Garcia stated with great excitement,
"We've had such illuminating and incredible celebrities attend our past galas. But to have this kind of guest star line up surpassed my wildest dreams. I've met all three of them before and even shared a scene with Max in the national tour of XANADU when it came to Dallas. What will ante up the fun is that Max & Tyler are actually good friends, so the stage chemistry and their humor will be the icing on the cake."

He went on to say, "But to have one of the greatest stars of the Broadway stage like Donna McKechnie attending, words cannot express my exhilaration and honor of having her grace our gala. I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that the original Cassie will be at the COLUMN Awards! Who on earth could ever dream that happening?!"

All three stars will also perform a musical number during the evening. "I feel like one of those chefs on TLC's FABULOUS CAKES. Let's add another layer of delicious, yummy coating to this incredible night by have three Broadway stars perform at the gala!"

The COLUMN Awards honor excellence in theater within the Dallas-Fort Metroplex. They are in fact the only awards organization to do this. This will mark their 12th year in existence.

But the gala also serves as a major charity for BROADWAY CARES/EQUITY FIGHTS AIDS. They have done this since their inception. Last year they donated a staggering $10,000.00 to the organization. THE COLUMN AWARDS holds the great distinction of being the ONLY Awards organization in the United States to do this.

LIST OF 2011 COLUMN AWARD NOMINEES:

http://thecolumnawards.org/nominations.asp

Garcia stated, "The Board of Directors and I are thrilled how once again the nominations went all over the metroplex, not just Dallas. This is the goal we strive so hard to the voters to do when making their selections." The winners will be announced at the Gala on March 14.

 

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos

 

---

Join Team BroadwayWorld

Are you an avid theatergoer? We're looking for people like you to share your thoughts and insights with our readers. Team BroadwayWorld members get access to shows to review, conduct interviews with artists, and the opportunity to meet and network with fellow theatre lovers and arts workers.

Interested? Learn more here.

---