VWCT announces 2018 annual awards

VW independent/submitted information

This past Saturday at Willow Bend Country Club, the Van Wert Civic Theatre officially wrapped up the 2017-18 season with its Annual Banquet and Awards.

Updates on the various theatre projects were also given, including an invitation to attend the youth production of Madagascar Jr. set to run June 21-24 and to audition on June 24 and 25 for The True Story of Hey Diddle Diddle, also a youth production to be produced in late July. Elected to three-year terms on the Board of Trustees were Keith Allen, Lisa Eichler, and Amy McConn.

The Board of Trustees honored Eichler with the Trustee Award, the highest honor VWCT bestows on a member. Production of the year went to The Great American Trailer Park Musical. Each show has an option to give a Company Choice Award. The director or cast and crew give these awards. The director determines how the choice is made. The award can be given for any contribution to the production that was meaningful.

Company Choice awards were presented to Daileas Duclo for Gypsy, Joe Maurer for It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, Stan Lippi for Deathtrap, Mary Ann Falk for The Great American Trailer Park Musical, and to Alexis Gossett and Trent Gossett for Love, Sex, and the IRS.

The most exciting part of the evening is always the awards presentations. Each year, VWCT invites three adjudicators attend each production. The adjudicators determine awards to be presented for various aspects of each production.

Gypsy, which ran in September 2017, won awards for Merit in Costuming to Ruth Ann Boley and Kristy Bidlack; Excellence in Ensemble to The Strippers: Amy Boley, Stacy Rife, and Megan Ryan; Excellence in Direction to Jerry Zimmerman; Outstanding in Musical Performance to Mary Ann Falk; and Outstanding in Acting to Mary Ann Falk.

The cast and crew of the holiday production of It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Playgarnered the following awards: Merit in Set Design to Chad Kraner; Merit in Acting to Daniel Sanderson; and Merit in Sound Effects to Travis Nihiser and Whitney Nihiser. The thriller Deathtrap, which ran in January, was honored with Merit in Sound Design to Burdette Bolenbaugh; Excellence in Set Design to Chad Kraner and Matt Krol; and Excellence in Acting to Amy McConn.

The March 2018 production The Great American Trailer Park Musical, which is also representing VWCT at the Northwest Ohio Community Theatre Association Festival on June 9 and 10, seemed to be well-liked by the adjudicators. Awards of Excellence were given for the following: Wig Design to Mary Ann Falk; Musical Direction to Dee Fisher; Vocal Performance to Kristin Lee; Vocal Performance to Kara Place; Ensemble to The Girls: Kristin Lee, Kara Place, and Stacy Rife; Costuming to Kristy Bidlack and Jerry Zimmerman; Vocal Performance to Nancy Shuffle; and Choreography to Jerry Zimmerman. In addition, Outstanding in Ensemble to The Cast; Outstanding in Vocal Performance to Mary Ann Falk; Outstanding in Set Design to Chad Kraner and Jerry Zimmerman; Outstanding in Set Decoration to Mary Ann Falk and Chad Kraner; and Outstanding in Direction to Jerry Zimmerman were presented to the cast and crew.

Love, Sex, and the IRS rounded out the 2017-18 season and took the following honors: Merit in Acting to Jan Miller; Excellence in Acting to Amy McConn; Excellence in Acting to Steve Lane; Excellence in Direction to Randy Wieging; Excellence in Ensemble to The Cast; and Outstanding in Acting to Chad Kraner.

Van Wert Civic Theatre will celebrate 60 years of Dazzling Live Theatre during the 2018-19 season.  Season Subscriptions are now on sale.  Visit www.vwct.orgfor more information about the upcoming season and subscription options.