Winners Announced for 4th Annual Kevin Kline Awards; Rep Theatre of St. Louis Leads Pack

Thirteen different stage productions were honored at the fourth annual Kevin Kline Awards ceremony. Nine St. Louis area theater companies were recognized with awards. Five of those nine theaters were multiple award winners.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis received 10 awards, the most of any individual theater. Two productions accounted for eight of those ten awards. The Little Dog Laughed received five Kevin Kline Awards, including Outstanding Production of a Play and Outstanding Lead Actress [Erika Rolfsrud]. Ella earned three Kevin Kline Awards, including Outstanding Lead Actress [Tina Fabriqe]. Rob Ruggiero, who directed both The Little Dog Laughed and Ella, received two Kevin Kline Awards, as Outstanding Director of both a Play and a Musical.

The Black Rep's staging of Sarafina! also received three awards. In addition to Outstanding Production of a Musical, the show was honored as Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical and for Choreography (Keith Tyrone). In addition to Rob Ruggieros's two Kevins, actress Colleen Backer also was a multiple award winner. Backer was voted Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play (Morning's at Seven at Stray Dog Theatre) and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical (Smoke on the Mountain at Mustard Seed Theatre).

In all, 23 Kevin Kline Awards were bestowed in 22 categories. (The voting in one category - Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical - resulted in tie. Kevin Kline Awards were given to both Jeffrey D. Pruett in Pippin at Stray Dog Theatre and to Lewis J. Stadlen in The Producers at the Muny.)

Sponsored by the Professional Theatre Awards Council of Greater St. Louis to honor theater achievement in St. Louis, the March 30 ceremony was held at the Loretto-Hilton Center in Webster Groves, home of the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. The gala ceremony was hosted by Broadway star Lee Roy Reams.

The Professional Theatre Awards Council of Greater St. Louis (PTAC) was formed in 2004 to heighten awareness of theater in St. Louis. During the twelve months of 2008, 100 different plays and musicals were evaluated by a floating pool of 45 judges. Each show was seen by seven judges (children's shoes were seen by three judges), and each judge was required to submit his or her ballot within 24 hours of attending a production, thus insuring that each production was weighed on its own merits rather than in comparison to others.

THE WINNERS AND NOMINEES (categories listed in the order in which they were announced):

Outstanding Production for Young Audiences

Winner: ME & RICHARD 3 (Shakespeare Festival St. Louis)

Other nominees: The Jungle Book (Stages St. Louis)

Midsummer (Shakespeare Festival St. Louis)

Myth Adventures (The Imaginary Theatre Company)

The Starry Messenger (Upstream Theater)

Outstanding New Play or Musical

Winner: CARTER W. LEWIS, Evie's Waltz (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Other nominees: Lee Patton Chiles, Complacency of Silence: Darfur (Gitana Productions)

Tim Collins, A Fire as Bright as Heaven (St. Louis Actors' Studio)

Gregory Jones, Men With Clubs (HotCity Theatre)

Dan Rubin and Lauren Dusek, Overexposed (OnSite Theatre Company)

Outstanding Costume Design

Winner: LOU BIRD (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Stages St. Louis)

Other nominees: Fumiko Bielefeldt (Emma, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Lou Bird (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Stages St. Louis)

Lou Bird (Little Women, Stages St. Louis)

Amanda Handle (The Comedy of Errors, St. Louis Shakespeare)

Outstanding Lighting Design

Winner: THOMAS DUNN (The Little Dog Laughed, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Other nominees: John Lasiter (Ella, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Dominique Gallo (Mary's Wedding, Echo Theatre Company) 

Tim Poertner (Complacency of Silence: Darfur, Gitana Productions)

John Wylie (Evie's Waltz, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Outstanding Set Design

Winner: Adrian W. Jones (The Little Dog Laughed, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Other nominees: Gianna Downs (The Lieutenant of Inishmore, The Repertory Theatre of 

St. Louis)

Steve Gilliam (My Fair Lady, The Muny)

Scott C. Neale (Blood Knot, Upstream Theater)

Tim Poertner (Complacency of Silence: Darfur, Gitana Productions)

Patrick Huber (9 Parts of Desire, St. Louis Actors' Studio)

Dunsi Dai (Two-Headed, Black Cat Theatre)

Outstanding Sound Design

Winner: TORI MEYER (Grace and Glorie, Insight Theatre Company)

Other nominees: Jason Krueger (My Fair Lady, The Muny)

Michael Miceli (Ella, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Zachary Williamson (The Little Dog Laughed, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Kelly Kerr (Mary's Wedding, Echo Theatre Company)

Outstanding Ensemble in a Play

Winner: GRACE AND GLORIE (Insight Theatre Company)

Other nominees: The Last Seder (New Jewish Theatre)

The Lieutenant of Inishmore (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

The Little Dog Laughed (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Primal (Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play

Winner: COLLEEN BACKER (Morning's at Seven, Stray Dog Theatre)

Other nominees: ThomasIna Clark (Complacency of Silence: Darfur, Gitana Productions)

Kari Ely (Chaim's Love Song, New Jewish Theatre)

Jennifer Nitzband (The Scene, HotCity Theatre) 

Jenni Ryan (Grace and Glorie, Insight Theatre Company)

Carolyn Swift (Rabbit Hole, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

 

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play

Winner: JOHN PIERSON (The Late Henry Moss, St. Louis Actors' Studio)

Other nominees: Mark Fisher (The Little Dog Laughed, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Bob Harvey (Chaim's Love Song, New Jewish Theatre)

Joel King (Complacency of Silence: Darfur, Gitana Productions)

Jared Nell (The Comedy of Errors, St. Louis Shakespeare)

 

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play

Winner: Erika Rolfsrud (The Little Dog Laughed, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Other nominees: Victoria Adams-Zischke (Rabbit Hole, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Amy Loui (Two-Headed, Black Cat Theatre)

Donna Weinsting ('night, Mother, Stray Dog Theatre)

Magan Wiles (Mary's Wedding, Echo Theatre Company)

 

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play

Winner: DAVID WHALEN (The Lieutenant of Inishmore, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis) 

Other nominees: J. Samuel Davis (Blood Knot, Upstream Theater)

Keith Jochim (Frost/Nixon, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Ben Nordstrom (Mary's Wedding, Echo Theatre Company)

Cody Proctor (The Comedy of Errors, St. Louis Shakespeare)

 

Outstanding Director of a Play

Winner: Rob Ruggiero (The Little Dog Laughed, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Other nominees: Philip Boehm (Blood Knot, Upstream Theater)

Stuart Carden (The Lieutenant of Inishmore, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Eric Little (Mary's Wedding, Echo Theatre Company)

Wayne Loui (Grace and Glorie, Insight Theatre Company) 

 

Outstanding Production of a Play

Winner: THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Other Nominees: Blood Knot (Upstream Theatre)

Evie's Waltz (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

The Lieutenant of Inishmore (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Rabbit Hole (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

 

Outstanding Musical Direction

Winner: Danny Holgate (Ella, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Other nominees: Laura Bergquist (Emma, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

David Alexander Foote (Cotton Club Revue, Unity Theatre Ensemble)

James Moore (The Producers, The Muny)

Chris Peterson (High Fidelity, New Line Theatre)

 

Outstanding Choreography

Winner: Keith Tyrone (Sarafina!, The Black Rep)

Other nominees: Stephen Bourneuf (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Stages St. Louis)

Bill Burns (The Producers, The Muny)

Niki Harris (My One and Only, The Muny)

Dana Lewis (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Stages St. Louis)

 

Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical

Winner: SARAFINA! (The Black Rep)

Other nominees: Cotton Club Revue (Unity Theatre Ensemble)

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Stages St. Louis)

The Music Man (Stages St. Louis)

My Fair Lady (The Muny)

 

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical

Winner: COLLEEN BACKER (Smoke on the Mountain, Mustard Seed Theatre)

Other nominees: Dani Marcus (Emma, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Angie Schworer (The Producers, The Muny)

Willena Vaughn (Cotton Club Revue, Unity Theatre Ensemble)

Zoe Vonder Haar (My Fair Lady, The Muny)

 

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical

Winner: CHRISTOPHER HICKEY (Smoke on the Mountain, Mustard Seed Theatre)

Other nominees: Eugene Fleming (My One and Only, The Muny)

Aaron Lawson (High Fidelity, New Line Theatre)

Lee Roy Reams (The Producers, The Muny)

Daniel Reichard (My Fair Lady, The Muny)

 

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical

Winner: Tina Fabrique (Ella, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis) 

Other nominees: Catherine Brunell (My Fair Lady, The Muny)

Casey Erin Clark (Little Women, Stages St. Louis)

Kari Ely (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Stages St. Louis)

Sharisa Whatley (Sarafina!, The Black Rep)

 

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical - A TIE

Winners: JEFFREY D. PRUETT (Pippin, Stray Dog Theatre) ... and ...

Lewis J. Stadlen (The Producers, The Muny)

Other nominees: Timothy Gulan (Emma, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Christopher Kale Jones (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Stages St. Louis)

Robert Westenberg (My Fair Lady, The Muny)

 

Outstanding Director of a Musical

Winner: Rob Ruggiero (Ella, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Other nominees: Stephen Bourneuf (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Stages St. Louis)

Ron Himes (Sarafina!, The Black Rep)

Robert Kelly (Emma, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Gary John La Rosa (Fiddler on the Roof, The Muny)

 

Outstanding Production of a Musical

Winner: SARAFINA! (The Black Rep)

Other nominees: Cotton Club Revue (Unity Theatre Ensemble)

Ella (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis) 

Emma (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)

Thoroughly Modern Millie (Stages St. Louis)