Midwinter's First Night Taps Nashville Rep, Boiler Room Theatre, ACT 1

Bawdy, irreverent, perhaps even unhinged: What better way to describe Midwinter's First Night? Held Sunday night at Backstage at the Barn, the intimate cabaret theater at Nashville's iconic Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre, the slightly offbeat, decidedly more casual younger sibling of The First Night Honors focused on the fun, while honoring some of Middle Tennessee's best and brightest with First Night Awards.

Hosted by First Night founder and executive producer Jeffrey Ellis, who reports on theater, opera and dance in the Volunteer State for BroadwayWorld.com Nashville, Sunday night's entertainment was provided by seven local actresses vying for the title of 2015's "Miss 'Cathy from The Last Five Years'."

"Recently, there's been this 'thing' on Facebook, in which actors have been posting their lists of most-coveted stage roles," explains Ellis. "It became apparent that for young actresses of a certain age, the role of Cathy in Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years is the one role they all seemed to want."

And with that, the entertainment for Midwinter's First Night was created, with seven women competing for the title and the sparkling tiara that went with the title. The seven contestants (who competed in the American Idol-styled audition, evening wear, the talent category - each woman had to sing a few bars of "Still Hurting" - and an onstage, dyed-in-the-wool pageant question (for example: "What book will we find on your nightstand, besides the Bible, of course?") before the three-member panel of judges issued their verdict.

Delaney Amatrudo was crowned the winner of the contest, with Abigail Davis Haggard named first runner-up. Second runners-up were Jenna Pryor, Emily Faith, Rachel Beth Jackson, Kaila Brooke and Memory Strong. Judges included 2013 First Night Honoree Jane Kelley, 2014 First Night Honoree Robert Kiefer and Miss Chattanooga 1987 Linda Sue Simmons Runyeon.

More important, however, were the presentation of The First Night Award for the Best of 2014, which included...

• The First Night Award for Show of the Year: As You Like It, presented by Nashville Shakespeare Festival
• Theatrical Icon of the Year: Nashville Repertory Theatre... "Nashville Rep continues to make up proud, setting the standard of excellence as they show the nation the excellence of theater in Tennessee."
• The First Night Award for Outstanding Tennessee Theater Company: Actors Point Theater Company and Greg Wilson
• The First Night Award for Outstanding Professional Theater Company: Boiler Room Theatre, Jamey Green and Corbin Green
• The First Night Award for Nashville's Outstanding Community Theater: ACT 1 (Artists' Cooperative Theatre 1), Eric Ventress, executive director
• The First Night Award for Tennessee's Outstanding Community Theatre: The Arts Center of Cannon County
• A Special First Night Award: The Gaslight Dinner Theatre and The Renaissance Players, both of Dickson, for their "recovery" from closure in 2014 under the leadership of volunteers and dedicated theater supporters
• The First Night Award for Outstanding Collegiate Theater: Lipscomb University Department of Theatre
• The First Night Award for Outstanding Touring Production: The Book of Mormon

Ellis also revealed the names of the first eight members of the Class of 2015 Most Promising Actors, including: Cameron Bortz, Jess Darnell, Zoe Garner, Gerold Oliver, Caroline Anne Sandrell, Harley Seger, Shawn Michael Sookram and Karissa Wheeler.

photos by Katherine Morgan, Jonathan Pinkerton and Cameron Bortz