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2002 - 2003 San Diego Playbill "Billie" Awards Three years ago, I began reviewing plays for my new San Diego Playbill website. Two years ago, and 50 plays later, we announced awards to recognize some of the outstanding theatre work I had been privileged enough to see. Last year, 127 plays were reviewed, and we have now branched out to do both the regular awards and a special set of awards for our local youth theatres. This year, 152 shows have been reviewed, and it was such a thrill to see so much fantastic theatre. Of course, that also made it that much harder to pick these winners! As happened last year, UCSD Theatre and Dance has garnered the most awards of any theatre with 10, followed right behind by Sledgehammer with 8 (although they did get one Youth "Billie," which would bring them to 9). Welk Resort Theatre's Show Boat led the way with five awards. Several shows received three. Many, many thanks to all the winners as well as all the other artists who have made producing this little website such an unparalleled joy for me over the past two years. Below is a complete list of this year's winners. Please note that Dale Morris has generously donated his 6th @ Penn Theatre as the venue for an awards ceremony that will be held on Saturday, June 29 to honor the winners. If you are interested in attending the awards ceremony and have not received an e-mailed invitation, please e-mail me and let me know. Until June 17, only award winners and other invited guests will be able to RSVP. Seating is very limited, and the sooner we hear from you, the better the chances. Rob Hopper San Diego Playbill Youth Awards And the winners are ... Outstanding Production: A Midsummer Night's Dream directed by Kyle Donnelly (The Globe Theatres) Review Godspell directed by Robert Smyth (Lamb's Players Theatre) Review Show Boat directed by Lewis Wilkenfeld (Welk Resort Theatre) Review Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical: David Brannen as Bill Snibson in Me and My Girl (Starlight Musical Theatre) Review David Cochran as William S. Gilbert in Tarantara! Tarantara! (Lamb's Players Theatre) Review Doren Elias as Arthur S. Sullivan in Tarantara! Tarantara! (Lamb's Players Theatre) Review Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical: Laura Dekkers as Magnolia in Show Boat (Welk Resort Theatre) Review Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy or Drama: Ron Campbell as Shylock in The Merchant of Venice (San Diego Repertory Theatre) Review Robert Dahey as Toshi in Amelia Earhart: Lost & Found (6th @ Penn Theatre) and Sang Sang in Struggling Truths (Asian American Repertory Theatre) Amelia Review Struggling Truths Review Brian P. Evans as Nicodemus/Lady Enid/Alcazar in The Mystery of Irma Vep (La Jolla Stage Co.) Review Daoud Heidami as the Old Man in The Chairs (Sledgehammer Theatre) Review Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy or Drama: Dana Hooley as the Old Woman in The Chairs (Sledgehammer Theatre) Review Julie Jacobs as Louellen Dinwiddle in Losing Mother (The Fritz Theater) Review Lee Lampard as Chloe in Lips Together, Teeth Apart (Actor's Asylum) Review Amy Peters as Paulina Escobar in Death and the Maiden (Stone Soup Theatre Company) Review Makela Spielman as Donna in Arrangements (UCSD) Review Amy Stewart as Francine in There's No Bayville in Texas (UCSD) Review Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical: Dan Walsh as Zeke/the Lion in The Wizard of Oz (Christian Community Theater) Review Dan Tullis, Jr. as Joe in Show Boat (Welk Resort Theatre) Review Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical: Debbie Prutsman as the Witch in Into the Woods (Moonlight Amphitheatre) Review Susan Hogle as Ellie in Show Boat (Welk Resort Theatre) Review Mindi Metzger as Little Red Riding Hood in Into the Woods (Moonlight Amphitheatre) Review Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama: Douglas Lay as Lancelot/Prince of Aragon in The Merchant of Venice (San Diego Repertory Theatre) Review Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Drama: Priscilla Allen as Queen Margaret in Richard III (Sledgehammer Theatre) Review Dikla Marshall as Dolores Demuchio in 10 Human Beings (UCSD) Review Jen Smith-DeCastroverde as Cherubin in The Marriage of Figaro (UCSD) Review Outstanding Ensemble: Pageant directed by Russell Garrett (North Coast Repertory Theatre) Review Richard III directed by Kirsten Brandt (Sledgehammer Theatre) Review Show Boat directed by Lewis Wilkenfeld (Welk Resort Theatre) Review Outstanding Costume Design: Terri Davis and Clark Mires for The Wizard of Oz (Christian Community Theater) Review Rebecca Lustig for Life's a Dream (UCSD) Review Jeanne Reith for Dr. Faustus (Lamb's Players Theatre) Review Outstanding Lighting Design: David Lee Cuthbert for Richard III (Sledgehammer Theatre) Review Mike Durst for Never the Sinner (Diversionary Theatre) Review Karen Filijan for Wait Until Dark (North Coast Repertory Theatre) Review Jennifer Setlow for Quoth the Raven (Sledgehammer Theatre) Review Outstanding Set Design: Marty Burnett for The Caretaker (Renaissance Theatre Company) David Kievit for The Wizard of Oz (Christian Community Theater) Review Patrick Larsen for Life's a Dream (UCSD) Review Liam O'Brien for 10 Human Beings (UCSD) Review Outstanding Sound Design: Francis Thumm for Quoth the Raven (Sledgehammer Theatre) Review Outstanding Choreography: Don and Bonnie Ward for Crazy For You (Moonlight Amphitheatre) Review Outstanding Direction: Suzanne Agins for Arrangements and Life's a Dream (UCSD) Arrangements Review Life's a Dream Review Charlie Oates for 10 Human Beings (UCSD) Review Jonathan Silverstein for The Chairs (Sledgehammer Theatre) Review Outstanding New Play by San Diego Playwright: Ken Weitzman for Arrangements (UCSD) Review Tim West for Amelia Earhart: Lost & Found (6th @ Penn Theatre) Review Ruff Yeager for Losing Mother (The Fritz Theater) Review Totals: 110 Total Shows (+ 14 youth productions) 31 Different Theatres (+ 8 youth theatres) 48 Awards Given 26 Shows received awards (Show Boat - 5, 10 Human Beings, Arrangements, The Chairs, Richard III, and The Wizard of Oz at CCT - 3). 17 Theatres received awards (UCSD - 9, Sledgehammer - 8, Welk - 5). Shows Reviewed: 1. 10 Human Beings (UCSD) [N] 2. Actor's Festival - Program #2 (Actor's Alliance of San Diego) [N] 3. Amelia Earhart (6th @ Penn Theatre) [N] 4. American Rhythm (Lamb's Players Theatre) 5. Arrangements (UCSD) [N] 6. Betrayal (The Globe Theatres) 7. Blood Brothers (Grossmont College) 8. Boomers (Lamb's Players Theatre) 9. The Boswell Sisters (The Globe Theatres) 10. Camelot (Christian Community Theater) 11. Can-Can (Welk Resort Theatre) 12. Carousel (Welk Resort Theatre) 13. The Civil War (Broadway-San Diego) 14. The Chairs (Sledgehammer Theatre) 15. A Chorus Line (Starlight Musical Theatre) 16. Cloud 9 (Diversionary Theatre) 17. Compleat Female Stage Beauty (The Globe Theatres) 18. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) (Palomar College) 19. Contact (Broadway-San Diego) 20. Copenhagen (Broadway-San Diego) 21. Crazy For You (Moonlight Amphitheatre) 22. The Czar of Nothingness (AASD - staged reading) 23. Da (The Globe Theatres) 24. Death and the Maiden (Stone Soup Theatre Company) 25. Defending the Caveman (Broadway-San Diego) 26. The Disappearance Conundrum/Pure (UCSD) [N] 27. Dr. Faustus (Lamb's Players Theatre) 28. Dracula: The Musical (La Jolla Playhouse) 29. The Duchess of Malfi (UCSD) 30. Eastern Standard (Backyard Productions) 31. Eleanor (North Coast Repertory Theatre) 32. Emilia's Sugarplum Nightmare (Talent to aMuse Theatre Company) 33. Enter the Guardsman (The Globe Theatres) 34. Evita (Moonlight Amphitheatre) 35. Fertile Deception (The Fertavalon Group at 6th @ Penn) 36. Festival of Christmas: Angel's Arms (Lamb's Players Theatre) 37. First Date (6th @ Penn) [N] 38. Forever Plaid (Moonlight Stage Productions) 39. Fritz Blitz #1: Roman and the Somnambulant/Up and Away [N] 40. Fritz Blitz #2: Carnivals of Desire [N] 41. Fritz Blitz #3: Humphrey, Nevada/Twenty-Nine [N] 42. Fritz Blitz #4: Easter's Exile/Having Your Cake [N] 43. Fritz Blitz #5: The Definition of It/Losing Mother [N] 44. Fuddy Meers (North Coast Repertory Theatre) 45. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Moonlight Amphitheatre) 46. Gershwin's Gold, Rodger's Riches (La Jolla Stage Company) 47. Godspell (Lamb's Players Theatre) 48. A Handful of Earth (UCSD) [N] 49. A Hatful of Rain (New Village Arts) 50. Holiday Hilarities (La Jolla Stage Company) 51. Holiday Memories (North Coast Repertory Theatre) 52. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (The Globe Theatres) 53. An Infinite Ache (The Globe Theatres) 54. Into the Woods (Moonlight Amphitheatre) 55. Kiss Me, Kate (Broadway-San Diego) 56. The Last Night of Ballyhoo (Full Circle Theatre Group) 57. The Last Night of Ballyhoo (Moonlight at the Avo) 58. Lend Me a Tenor (Scripps Ranch Theatre) 59. Les Misérables (Broadway-San Diego) 60. Life's a Dream (UCSD) 61. Lips Together, Teeth Apart (Actor's Asylum Productions) 62. Machinal (UCSD) 63. A Man for All Seasons (Lamb's Players Theatre) 64. The Marriage of Figaro (UCSD) 65. Me and My Girl (Starlight Musical Theatre) 66. Memoir (The Globe Theatres) 67. The Merchant of Venice (San Diego Repertory Theatre) 68. A Midsummer Night's Dream (The Globe Theatres) 69. A Midsummer Night's Dream (UCSD) 70. The Misanthrope (Epic Risk Theatre Company) 71. Moiseyev (Broadway-San Diego) 72. The Mystery of Irma Vep (La Jolla Stage Company) 73. Never the Sinner (Diversionary Theatre) 74. Oklahoma! (Christian Community Theater) 75. Our Lady of the Shoulder of the Road (6th @ Penn Theatre) [N] 76. Pageant (North Coast Repertory Theatre) 77. The Pavilion (The Globe Theatres) 78. Playwrights Project: Details/The Point of You (Globe) [N] 79. Playwrights Project: Funny/Through the Window (Globe) [N] 80. Quoth the Raven (Sledgehammer Theatre) 81. Richard III (Sledgehammer Theatre) 82. Riverdance (Broadway-San Diego) 83. The Santaland Diaries (The Globe Theatres) 84. Saturday Night Fever (Broadway-San Diego) 85. Savion Glover's Foot Notes (Broadway-San Diego) 86. Scapino! (Moonlight Stage Productions) 87. The School for Wives (La Jolla Stage Company) 88. Show Boat (Welk Resort Theatre) 89. Sisters in Bondage (Asian American Repertory Theatre) 90. Smokey Joe's Café (Broadway-San Diego) 91. Songs in the Key of Winter (6th @ Penn Theatre) [N] 92. South Pacific (Welk Resort Theatre) 93. Stepping Out (Full Circle Theatre Company) 94. Stones in His Pockets (The Globe Theatres) 95. Struggling Truths (Asian American Repertory Theatre) 96. Swing (Broadway-San Diego) 97. Taming of the Shrew (Coronado Playhouse) 98. Tarantara! Tarantara! (Lamb's Players Theatre) 99. Teach Me How to Cry (Full Circle Theatre Company) 100. There's No Bayville in Texas (UCSD) [N] 101. Tommy (Broadway-San Diego) 102. Traditions of Christmas (Christian Community Theater) 103. Trapped (New Village Arts) 104. Twelfth Night (The Globe Theatres) 105. Two by Shepard (UCSD) 106. The Universal Monster Show (Sledgehammer Theatre) 107. Wait Until Dark (North Coast Repertory Theatre) 108. Waiting On Arleen (La Jolla Stage Company) 109. The Wizard of Oz (Christian Community Theater) 110. The Wizard of Oz (Starlight Musical Theatre) [N] = New Play |