CATS, PETER PAN & More Win Big at Elly Awards

For the second year in a row the annual Elly Award ceremonies were separated into Youth and Adult ceremonies. Tonight marked the celebration of excellence by Sacramento's youth performers at the 31st Annual Elly Awards- Youth Division at the Roseville Theatre Arts Academy at the Roseville Theatre. Named for Eleanor McClatchy, a devoted patron of the arts and former publisher of the Sacramento Bee, the Elly Awards celebrates excellence in Sacramento's local and regional community theater. A grand total of 54 Elly Awards were given to individuals and theaters from across a 10-county region in the Youth Division. Sponsored by the Sacramento Area Regional Theatre Alliance (SARTA), this semi-formal event was attended by over 550 active youth community theatre and high school members and their families and friends.

Hosting theatre Roseville Theatre Arts Academy opened the ceremony with the raucous and rowdy number " Master of the House" from Les Miserables, School Edition. Awards for Education Musicals and Education Plays were announced during the first act. Performers from Woodland Opera House offered their rendition of "We're Going Home" from Peter Pan and were the Elly winner of Overall Production - Musicals in the Young People's division. By the end of evening, Woodland Opera House had won 12 Elly's for its production of Peter Pan in the Young People's Musical division.

The second act opened with "Oh, The Thinks You Can Think" from Seussical, The Musical performed by Flying Monkey Productions. Then, the awards for Young People's - Musical and Young People's - Play were announced. River City Theatre Company gave a heartfelt performance from Children of Eden, while Stand Out Talent dazzled the audience with a number from 13, The Musical.

A grand total of 54 Elly awards in the Youth Division were handed out over the course of evening. The Youth productions receiving the most Elly Awards were:

Peter Pan - Woodland Opera House (12)

Cats - El Dorado High School (8)

Death of a Salesman - Cosumnes Oaks High School (5)

Into the Woods - St. Francis High School (4)

Still Life with Iris - Sutter Street Theatre (4)

The MISER, Paris Texas - Sheldon High School (4)

Elly Awards for Overall Production in individual categories in the Youth Division went to:

Education - Musical - CATS - El Dorado High School

Education - Play - Death of a Salesman - Cosumnes Oaks High School

Young People's - Musical - Peter Pan - Woodland Opera House

Young People's - Play - Still Life with Iris - Sutter Street Theatre

59 participating theatres submitted 109 productions
16 Education - Musicals
22 Education - Plays
39 Young People's - Musicals
32 Young People's - Plays

Nominations and Awards
284 Nominations for 58 Elly Awards
34 Theatres received nominations (57% of participating theaters were
nominated)
13 Theaters received awards (22% of participating theaters received awards)
58 Productions received nominations (53% of productions submitted were
nominated)
22 Productions received awards (20% of productions submitted received awards)

Theaters receiving the most Awards
Woodland Opera House (12)
Sutter Street Theatre (8)
El Dorado High School (8)
Cosumnes Oaks High School (6)
Sheldon High School (6)
Runaway Stage Productions (5)
St. Francis High School (4)

Productions receiving the most Awards:
Peter Pan, Woodland Opera House (12)
Cats, El Dorado High School (8)
Death of a Salesman, Cosumnes Oaks High School (5)
Into the Woods, St. Francis High School (4)
Still Life With Iris, Sutter Street Theatre (4)
The MISER, Paris Texas, Sheldon High School (4)
Seussical, The Musical, Flying Monkey Productions, (3)

The 284 Youth Elly nominations represented 109 productions from 59 different theatres. The final 54 Elly Awards recognized 22 productions and 13 theatres. There were two ties tonight- including a tie for Lead Actress:Child in a Young People's Play in which Hannah Hurst tied herself as the Elly Award winner in two separate plays.

The Elly Awards program serves community theatres within a 70-mile radius from downtown Sacramento. Thirteen judges volunteered countless hours attending every show submitted in the category they judged. The categories are Education- Musicals; Education- Plays; Young People's- Musicals and Young People's- Plays. Awards within each category are given for: Leading Actor and Actress; Supporting Actor and Actress; Direction; Costume Design; Lighting Design; Set Design; Sound Design, Musical Direction, if applicable; Choreography, if applicable; and Overall Production. In the Young People's division, they are also awards given for: Leading Actor and Actress: Adult and Supporting Actor and Actress; Adult.

SARTA's mission is to promote high quality community theatre in the Sacramento area and neighboring regions. When combined with the opportunity to provide quality entertainment and formal recognition of those in the performing arts, SARTA and the Sacramento community benefit.

In addition to the Elly Awards program, SARTA provides its members with a weekly email update for auditions, casting calls, workshops, events and jobs plus a monthly electronic TheatreLetter featuring current and on-going theatre production listings and upcoming SARTA events. SARTA members also receive discounted ticket prices at participating SARTA member theatres and the annual Elly Award ceremony. Members also receive a complimentary headshot and resume listing on SARTA's Talent Database! For more information about SARTA and how you can support this programming, please visit the website at www.sarta.com. SARTA is a non-profit 501© 3 organization.