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CL's 19th Annual Charlotte Theater Awards
It was the year of imagination -- and ImaginOn
By Perry TannenbaumPage 3 of 4
Simmons kept his company afloat while experiencing serious health problems -- a potentially deadly kidney combination of stones and tumor. But he soldiered onstage to perform as the spit-and-polish judge in A Few Good Men, which arguably merited another nod in the cameo category. Simmons' health woes have forced the cancellation of Lips Together Teeth Apart, but we expect him and CAST to keep on keeping on.
DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
When you've directed the two best musicals we saw in Charlotte last year, you've earned this recognition. Craig Spradley did that at Actor's Theatre, a company that isn't blessed with the lavish production budgets it deserves. With Spradley in the director's chair and a fab Tommy Foster singing the lead role of a struggling composer (Rent's Jonathan Larson thinly disguised), tick, tick ... BOOM! was both irresistibly effervescent and finely nuanced. Johnny Guitar wasn't quite so perfected, but it was as funny as any comedy produced last year, glittering with more performance gems and liberally laced with Spradley shtick.
ACTOR OF THE YEAR
In a crowded, hotly contested field, Hank West ekes out a microscopic win, largely on the strength of his performance as Red Pewsey in Coyote Ugly, winner of our Best Comedy laurel and easily the wickedest show to hit Charlotte in 2005. West also helped keep an oft-tedious Caught in the Net watchable for CP Summer Theatre. Now that I think of it, he took on a similar lifesaving role in his brief stint at the MTA Awards ceremonies.
ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
No contest here as Susan Roberts Knowlson racked up what must be considered among the most prolific -- and artistically accomplished -- years ever achieved in Charlotte theater. Knowlson began the year stealing the spotlight as ditzy Brooke Ashton in Theatre Charlotte's remount of Noises Off, and she finished by gloriously christening the new Halton Theater, starring as Maria Rainer in The Sound of Music. In between, Knowlson scored additional comedy triumphs in Miss Nelson Is Missing and Gypsy -- her gyrating Tessie Tura winning an additional palm in the cameo category. What else could you ask for? Lyrical perfection as Knowlson scintillated in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
SHOW OF THE YEAR
By far, the best of the best was The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. But for once, you don't have to take our word for it. For those of you who missed the record-breaking, sellout presentation last fall, there's an encore coming back to McColl Family Theatre on May 19. Tickets are already on sale.
COMPANY OF THE YEAR
Need we say more? Children's Theatre of Charlotte wins for the fifth time, moving ahead of Actor's Theatre -- and Charlotte Rep -- for the most wins ever. Let us count the ways:
1. Three of the best dramas of 2005, Fahrenheit 451, Amazing Grace and Lion.
2. One of our top finalists among the musicals, Miss Nelson Is Missing.
3. One of our top comedy finalists, A Christmas Story.
4. Solid productions that were crowded out from our lists of nominees but worthy of honorable mention, including A Thousand Cranes, The Velveteen Rabbit and The Littlest Angel.
The place is a powerhouse, still Charlotte's top hatchery of new theater talent. Armed with ImaginOn, Children's Theatre is stronger than ever.
DRAMAS
Best Drama: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe -- Children's Theatre of Charlotte
Best Actor: Tom Scott -- Orphans (Harold)
Best Actress: Catherine Smith -- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The White Witch)
Best Director: Alan Poindexter -- Fahrenheit 451, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Best Choreographer: Delia Neil -- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Best Supporting Actress: Kim Watson Brooks -- A Lesson Before Dying (Vivian Baptiste), Bug (R.C.)
Best Supporting Actor: Jonathan Ewart -- Orphans (Phillip)
MUSICALS
Best Musical: tick, tick ... BOOM! -- Actor's Theatre of Charlotte
Best Actor: Jerry Colbert -- Johnny Guitar (Johnny Guitar)
Best Actress: Susan Roberts Knowlson -- Miss Nelson Is Missing (Miss Nelson-Viola Swamp), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Millie Pontipee), The Sound of Music (Maria Rainer)
Best Director: Craig Spradley -- tick, tick ... BOOM!, Johnny Guitar
Best Conductor/Music Director: Drina Keen -- Cats, The Sound of Music
Best Supporting Actress: Polly Adkins -- Johnny Guitar (Emma)
Best Supporting Actor: Joseph Klosek -- tick, tick ... BOOM! (Michael), Johnny Guitar (The Dancin' Kid)
Best Cameo Appearance, Female: Susan Roberts Knowlson -- Gypsy (Tessie Tura)
COMEDIES
Best Comedy: Coyote Ugly -- BareBones Theatre Group
Best Actor: David Holland -- The Tempest (Prospero)
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Coach Conroy's All Sports Camp @ Chestnut Square Park
- Thu., June 19, 9 a.m.-12 p.m., Mon., July 7, 9 a.m.-12 p.m., Tue., July 8, 9 a.m.-12 p.m., Wed., July 9, 9 a.m.-12 p.m., Thu., July 10, 9 a.m.-12 p.m., Mon., July 21, 9 a.m.-12 p.m., Tue., July 22, 9 a.m.-12 p.m., Wed., July 23, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and Thu., July 24, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
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Coveted Luxury Watches
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AllMachines
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