COVID-19 Pandemic Results in Production Streamcast by HEC Media
New Jewish Theatre led the way with six awards at the eighth annual St. Louis Theater Circle Awards ceremony on Tuesday, April 7, 2020. Max & Louie Productions’ performance of Indecent garnered five awards, followed by four awards to The Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis for its production of A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Circle’s gala event for this year’s award ceremony, originally scheduled for March 30, 2020 at the Loretto-Hilton Center, was canceled. Instead, HEC Media produced a version of the ceremonies that was streamcast on HEC Media’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/hectv/live/) as well as telecast on Spectrum channel 989 and AT&T U-verse channel 99. Here is the YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/tCo0AFHbChE
Awards were given in 31 categories covering comedies, dramas and musicals as well as two categories for opera. In addition, Ken and Nancy Kranzberg received a special award for their philanthropic contributions to the arts and theater in the St. Louis area, including many developments in Grand Center. The awards honored outstanding achievement in locally produced professional theater for the calendar year 2019.
A total of 21 productions and 14 companies were recognized by the awards, including eight individuals who have received honors in previous years. Will Bonfiglio, honored as Outstanding Actor in a Comedy for his performance in New Jewish Theatre’s production of Fully Committed, received an award for the third time in the last four years.
The 2020 presentation featured nominees from two companies, Black Mirror Theatre and The Q Collective, which were represented for the first time in consideration of St. Louis Theater Circle Awards. Each company received an award for outstanding achievement.
In all, 25 local companies received nominations in 33 categories for comedy, drama, musical and opera, as well as 125 individuals up for awards. Honorees who have previously received St. Louis Theater Circle Awards include Will Bonfiglio, J. Samuel Davis, Kari Ely, Michael Hamilton, Patrick Huber, Sean M. Savoie, Margery and Peter Spack, and Maggie Wininger.
The mission of the St. Louis Theater Circle is simple: To honor St. Louis professional theater. Other cities around the country, such as Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington D.C., pay tribute to their own local theatrical productions with similar awards programs.
Nominations for the St. Louis Theater Circle Awards were divided into categories for musicals, dramas, comedies and operas. More than 120 local professional theatrical productions were staged in the St. Louis area in 2019.
Honorees of the eighth annual St. Louis Theater Circle Awards are:
Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy
A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur, Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy
Kelley Weber, A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur, Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy
Patrick Blindauer, Love’s Labors Lost, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis
Outstanding Actress in a Comedy (tie)
Katie Kleiger, Pride and Prejudice, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
Maggie Wininger, A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur, Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy
Will Bonfiglio, Fully Committed, New Jewish Theatre
Outstanding Director of a Comedy
Kari Ely, A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur, Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis
Outstanding Production of a Comedy
Brighton Beach Memoirs, New Jewish Theatre
Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama
Indecent, Max & Louie Productions
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama
Carly Uding, Translations, Black Mirror Theatre
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama
J. Samuel Davis, District Merchants, New Jewish Theatre
Outstanding Actress in a Drama
Donna Weinsting, Salt, Root and Roe, Upstream Theater
Outstanding Actor in a Drama
Gary Wayne Barker, District Merchants, New Jewish Theatre
Outstanding Director of a Drama
Joanne Gordon, Indecent, Max & Louie Productions
Outstanding Production of a Drama
Indecent, Max & Louie Productions
Outstanding Set Design in a Play
Margery and Peter Spack, Brighton Beach Memoirs, New Jewish Theatre
Outstanding Costume Design in a Play
Felia Davenport, District Merchants, New Jewish Theatre
Outstanding Lighting Design in a Play
Patrick Huber, Indecent, Max & Louie Productions
Outstanding Sound Design
Phillip Evans, Indecent, Max & Louie Productions
Outstanding Set Design in a Musical
Mary Engelbreit and Paige Hathaway, Matilda, The Muny
Outstanding Costume Design in a Musical
Sarah Porter, La Cage aux Folles, New Line Theatre
Outstanding Lighting Design in a Musical
Sean M. Savoie, Man of La Mancha, Stages St. Louis
Outstanding Musical Director
Charles Creath, Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope, The Black Rep
Outstanding Choreographer
Dexandro Montalvo, Such Sweet Thunder, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis,
Big Muddy Dance Company, Jazz St. Louis, Nine Network of Public Media
Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical
Matilda, The Muny
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical
Taylor Louderman, Kinky Boots, The Muny
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical
Tielere Cheatem, La Cage aux Folles, New Line Theatre
Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Kendra Kassebaum, Guys and Dolls, The Muny
Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Luke Steingruby, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, The Q Collective
Outstanding Director of a Musical
Michael Hamilton, Man of La Mancha, Stages St. Louis
Outstanding Production of a Musical
Such Sweet Thunder, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis,
Big Muddy Dance Company, Jazz St. Louis, Nine Network of Public Media
Outstanding New Play
Nonsense and Beauty, by Scott C. Sickles, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
Outstanding Achievement in Opera (tie)
Terence Blanchard and Kasi Lemmons, Fire Shut Up in My Bones, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
Roland Wood, Rigoletto, Opera Theatre of St. Louis
Outstanding Production of an Opera
La Boheme, Union Avenue Opera
Special Award
Ken and Nancy Kranzberg
Members of the St. Louis Theater Circle include Steve Allen, stagedoorstl.com; Mark Bretz, Ladue News; Bob Cohn, St. Louis Jewish Light; Tina Farmer, KDHX; Michelle Kenyon, snoopstheatrethoughts.com; Gerry Kowarsky, Two on the Aisle (HEC Media); Chuck Lavazzi, KDHX; Sarah Bryan Miller, St.Louis Post-Dispatch; Judith Newmark, judyacttwo.com; Ann Lemons Pollack, stlouiseats.typepadcom; Tanya Seale, Broadwayworld.com; Lynn Venhaus, PopLifeSTL.com; Bob Wilcox, Two on the Aisle (HEC Media); and Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch.Eleanor Mullin, local actress and arts supporter, is the group’s administrator.
For more information, contact stltheatercircle@sbcglobal.net or ‘like’ The St. Louis Theater Circle on Facebook.
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Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.