Amanda McMichael to host the eighth annual event April 15

Amanda McMichael will be the master of ceremonies for the eighth annual Theatre Mask Awards, which will be presented on April 15, sponsored by Arts For Life. Tickets must be ordered by April 10.

Through the nonprofit organization AFL, the TMAs have honored drama and comedy plays since 2015.

“Arts For Life provides a community recognition program. These events recognize the incredible talent we have in St. Louis community theater and honor the passion and dedication of those who build this amazing and unique theatrical community,” said Mary McCreight, AFL president.

This year’s TMAs includes a luncheon menu starting at 11 a.m., with doors open at 10:30 a.m., on Saturday, April 15, at Andre’s Banquet Center South, 4254 Telegraph Road, St. Louis.

Cocktail attire is suggested. Seating will be eight per table, and seating assignments will be available at the entrance.

Tickets, including full brunch, are $28 each, with a $2 fee if you purchase tickets online. Here is the link for purchase or to download a form to mail-in: https://artsforlife.org/2023-ceremony-tickets

The buffet menu includes chicken parmesan, roast beef, cavatelli con broccoli, Italian potatoes, salad, rolls, brownies, soft drinks, and coffee. Only a cash bar is available. There is an ATM machine on the premises.

McMichael won the TMA in 2020 for Lead Actress in a Comedy, for Act Two Theatre’s “Plaza Suite,” which was performed in 2019. She has participated and is supportive of local community theater, and is also a small business owner, of Once Upon a Time, in St. Charles’ historic business district.

Award Nominations

For the TMAs, the Hawthorne Players in Florissant received 18 nominations for “A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” (10) and “Picnic” (8), leading all St. Louis area – metro-east Illinois community theater groups.

The O’Fallon Theatre Works had 16 for TMAs – “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” (8) and “Shakespeare in Love.”

The Kirkwood Theatre Guild had 15 TMA nods for “Calendar Girls” (11) and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” (4).

Act Two in St. Peters 12 TMA nods for “Arsenic and Old Lace” (10) and “Any Number Can Die” (2).

Monroe Actors Stage Company in Waterloo, Ill., earned eight nominations for “Moon Over Buffalo” (4), “Footlight Frenzy” (3) and “Night Must Fall” (1).

The Theatre Guild of Webster Groves received six for “A Few Good Men” (5) and “Farce of Habit” (1). Goshen Theatre Project in Collinsville, Ill., earned four for the comedy “Puffs.” Wentzville Connection Theatre earned four for “The Dinner Party.” Clayton Community Theatre earned three nominations – “Broadway Bound” (2) and “Uncommon Women and Others” (1). KTK had one nomination for “The Gingerbread Lady.”

Nominations are listed on the website, www.artsforlife.org.

Arts For Life is a local not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to the healing power of the arts through its work with youth, the underserved, and the community, with its goal of “Making a Dramatic Difference.”

AFL is dedicated to promoting public awareness of local community theatre, encouraging excellence in the arts, and acknowledging the incredible people who are a part of it.

For more information, email afltrg@artsforlife.org or visit the website, www.artsforlife.org

More information is on the website about the 23rd Best Performance Awards on July 2 at 2 p.m. at the Florissant Performing Arts Center. The BPAs have honored musical theater in community and youth productions since AFL’s founding in 1999.