Bre Jackson performs as Ado Annie after she was named Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical for the DCPA Theatre Company’s ‘Oklahoma!’ at the 2019 Henry Awards. Photo by John Moore.

Fine Arts Center at Colorado College is honored with prestigious Outstanding Season award

The DCPA Theatre Company’s ‘Oklahoma!’ was the most honored production by the 2019 Henry Awards, with seven, including Outstanding Musical. Photo by AdamsVisCom.

The Colorado Theatre Guild’s annual Henry Awards honored the breadth of work on stages all across the state on Monday night, but the wind whipping down the plain blew most strongly in the direction of the DCPA Theatre Company’s Oklahoma! The musical, daringly set in an all African American town, was honored with seven awards, including Outstanding Musical and Ensemble.

“Representation matters,” Bre Jackson said in accepting the Henry Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Ado Annie. “Whether we are black, white, purple, transgender or whatever, it is important that we all be seen for the beautiful people we are.”

“Wokelahoma!” as Jackson called it, also earned awards for Outstanding Director (Chris Coleman), choreographer (Dominique Kelley), Ensemble, Actor (Antoine L. Smith) and Supporting Actor (Rennie Anthony Magee).

Playwright Jason Odell Williams joined ‘Church & State’ cast members Sally Hybl, Brian Landis Folkins and Sara Whitmore. Photo by John Moore.

Coleman, who is preparing to open his second season as the DCPA Theatre Company’s Artistic Director, thanked the community for welcoming him to Denver and cited what he called “the incredible honor” of working with the cast and creative team that brought Oklahoma! to life.

The most honored play of the theatre year that ended June 1 was Thunder River Theatre Company of Carbondale’s Equus, which won three Henry Awards, though the Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College‘s Church & State won both Outstanding Play and Outstanding Actor for Brian Landis Folkins, a longtime DCPA Teaching Artist. Church & State is an agonizingly personal look at how a school massacre impacts a conservative North Carolina senator’s views on gun violence days before an election.

The versatile Nathan Halvorson made Henry Awards history last month by having a hand in six 2018-19 nominations as an actor, director and choreographer, but he wasn’t called to the stage on Monday until the penultimate award of the night, for directing Church & State. “I had two beers because I kept losing,” he said to laughs. He called the experience “playing in a sandbox filled with joy.” Playwright Jason Odell Williams was a surprise guest at the ceremony, which was held for the second straight year at the Lone Tree Arts Center.

Mary Louise Lee and Mayor Michael B. Hancock. Photo by John Moore.

A whopping nine shows were nominated for Outstanding Musical because of ties in the voting, and eight of them performed at Monday’s ceremony. Mary Louise Lee drew a prolonged standing ovation just before she was named Outstanding Actress for her performance in the Aurora Fox’s Caroline, Or Change as an African American maid in 1963 Louisiana. Among those standing was her husband, the recently re-elected Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock.

“She’s never ceased to amaze me,” said Hancock, “whether she’s stepped on the stage as a singer for her band or as a performer in a theatrical musical – which I know is her favorite thing to do. She was wonderful tonight, and I am so proud of her.” Lee is currently starring in the Vintage Theatre’s Crowns through August 4.

Lee accepted her award “on behalf of my ancestors and their untold stories.” She thanked her mother for taking her to productions at the Bonfils Theatre when she was a girl. “That’s why I wanted to become an actor,” Lee said. The Henry Awards are named for Henry Lowenstein, the late longtime producer at the former Bonfils Theatre. Kevin Hart, who won the Outstanding Supporting Actor Award for his work in Breckenridge Backstage Theatre’s Lend Me a Tenor, also credited Lowenstein for his start.

The Henry Awards, which consider achievements among the Colorado Theatre Guild’s statewide member companies, have been a topsy-turvy, roller-coaster affair throughout their controversial 14-year existence. The DCPA Theatre Company, which received just one Henry Award last year, took home eight of Monday’s 28 competitive awards, followed by the Fine Arts Center with five, and Thunder River with four.

Go to our growing gallery of photos from Monday’s Henry Awards

The Arvada Center, which led all companies with eight wins in 2018, won two on Monday while Miners Alley Playhouse, which won seven Henrys last year, landed just one nomination this year. But beyond the Oklahoma! runaway, the rest of Monday’s awards were widely dispersed. In all, 12 companies and 14 productions won at least one award.

In accepting one of two awards for Outstanding Direction of a Play for The Diary of Anne Frank, Christy Montour-Larson pointed out that had Anne Frank survived the Holocaust, she would have turned 90 last month. “She could have given so much to the world,” Montour-Larson said. “But through her work, we see what was destroyed by the murder of 6 million human beings – the lost promise, creativity and potential from the failure of a world to respond. I think Anne Frank lives on in everyone here tonight who uses the power of theatre to shine a light about prejudice and the nobility of human compassion.”

There were two special awards given this year. The Denver Children’s Theatre, which ceased operations last month, was recognized for performing for more than 150,000 young people over the past 22 years at the JCC Mizel Arts and Culture Center. In presenting the award to Executive Artistic Director Steve Wilson, actor Ilasiea L. Gray thanked him for casting her as a black Sleeping Beauty. “DCT always played for a diverse group of children, and that was an invaluable inspiration for kids of color and all backgrounds as to what is possible,” she said. “And for me as an actor, Steve broke down a barrier in my mind about what was possible to me.” Wilson used the occasion to encourage all producers to serve youth audiences. “Consider this work as core to your missions,” he said.

Lifetime Achievement Award winner Beki Pineda. RDG Photography

The annual Lifetime Achievement Award went to Beki Pineda, who over the past 35 years has served in a variety of capacities, primarily as Props Designer. Pineda has worked on the making of 10 theatrical productions in the past year alone. She started as a volunteer at the Bonfils Theatre on East Colfax Avenue before building her trade in properties for countless theater companies. She turns 80 on August 19.

Seven companies are nominated each year for Outstanding Season at the sole discretion of the Colorado Theatre Guild’s Board of Directors. This year’s winner was a foregone conclusion when the Fine Arts Center landed 26 nominations, including a Henrys first: Four productions nominated either for Outstanding Musical or Play. The company’s strong season (its 30th) included Anna in the Tropics (8 nominations), Church & State (7), Matilda The Musical (6), Hands on a Hardbody (3), Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind, Shakespeare in Love, Bad Dates and Barnum.

Henry Awards by company:

• DCPA Theatre Company: 8
• Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College: 5
• Thunder River Theatre Company (Carbondale): 4
• Theatre Aspen: 3
• Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities: 2
• Aurora Fox Arts Center: 1
• Bas Bleu Theatre (Fort Collins): 1
• Breckenridge Backstage Theatre: 1
• Colorado Shakespeare Festival (Boulder): 1
• Local Theater Company (Boulder): 1
• OpenStage Theatre & Company (Fort Collins): 1

The Colorado Theatre Guild splits scenic, lighting, sound and costume nominees into two tiers determined by member companies’ annual overall operating budgets. Seven member companies reported budgets above this year’s $1 million threshold (down from $1.2 million the past several years) and therefore made up Tier I: The Arvada Center, Creede Repertory Theatre, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Colorado Springs TheatreWorks, DCPA Theatre Company, Fine Arts Center Theatre Company and Theatre Aspen. The rest were placed into Tier II. In an effort to make the tiers more balanced going forward, the Guild has further lowered the budgetary dividing line to $500,000 for the new judging season that began June 1.

Our complete report on the 2018-19 Henry Award nominations

Monday’s program was directed for the second straight year by busy area actor/directors Betty Hart and Robert Michael Sanders. Hart is directing Vintage’s Crowns and he’s about to open as Amos in Phamaly’s Chicago, opening August 1 at the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Sanders, choreographer Jessica Hindsley and Musical Director Eric Weinstein created an original song to open the show called “All the World’s a Stage.” As part of the number, two dozen actors honored Colorado’s recent theatre past by cleverly re-creating poses from production photos of notable shows as the pictures were projected above them on the stage.

Notable among this year’s individual design winners was Brian Miller, who earned one of the two scenic design awards for Bas Bleu Theatre’s The Waverly Gallery. Miller won last year for lighting. Thunder River’s Sean Jeffries, who earned a record five individual nominations in 2017, was back at the winner’s podium Monday for lighting Equus.

Among those sure to be disappointed by Monday’s results are Vintage Theatre, which had 10 nominations, and Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company (seven), both of which left empty-handed. Other prominent companies that were not recognized this year include Phamaly Theatre Company, Miners Alley Playhouse, BDT Stage, Creede Repertory Theatre, Buntport Theater, Candlelight Dinner Playhouse, the soon-to-close Midtown Arts Center, Benchmark Theatre and The Catamounts. Curious Theatre Company and the Lake Dillon Theatre Company have withdrawn from awards consideration.

Sam Gregory has now been nominated for acting nine times without a win, this time for his role as Grandpa Vanderhof in the Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s You Can’t Take it With You. He joked that he should get a special Susan Lucci Award, a reference to the soap-opera queen who was nominated for 19 Daytime Emmys before she finally broke through in 1999.

The Henry Awards’ nominees and winners are determined through a judging process involving more than 100 judges statewide. This year, local theatre journalists and bloggers were eliminated from the pool in favor of a peer judging process made up primarily of fellow theatre artists, academics and educators, as well as general theatre-lovers who apply to become judges. For the just-completed season, the Colorado Theatre Guild increased the number of judges scoring each show from five to nine, and board member T. David Rutherford said the Guild succeeded in getting 206 member productions qualified.

The Colorado Theatre Guild has announced the addition of two new categories for next year: Youth awards for both leading and supporting actors.

John Moore was named one of the 12 most influential theater critics in the U.S. by American Theatre Magazine in 2011. He has since taken a groundbreaking position as the Denver Center’s Senior Arts Journalist. He was a Henry Award judge from 2005-18.

Photo gallery: 2019 Colorado Theatre Guild Henry Awards

Scott RC Levy accepts the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center’s Henry Award for Outstanding Season by a Company. Photo by John Moore.

Click on any photo to see a larger version. Photos by RDG Photography and John Moore. More photos will be added at the link below.

Go to our growing gallery of photos from Monday’s Henry Awards

2019 COLORADO THEATRE GUILD HENRY AWARD WINNERS:

Outstanding Season for a Theatre Company

• Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College

Also nominated: 

• Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities
• Aurora Fox Arts Center
• Colorado Shakespeare Festival
• DCPA Theatre Company
• Thunder River Theatre Company
• Vintage Theatre

Photo by Jeff Kearney

Outstanding Production of a Play

• Church & State, Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College, Directed by Nathan Halvorson

Also nominated: 

• The Diary of Anne Frank, Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, Directed by Christy Montour-Larson
• Miss Holmes, Creede Repertory Theatre, Directed by Jessica Jackson
• Anna Karenina, DCPA Theatre Company, Directed by Chris Coleman
• Anna in the Tropics, Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College, Directed by Rebecca Martinez
• Paper Cut, Local Theater Company, Directed by Pesha Rudnick
• Equus, Thunder River Theatre Company, Directed by Corey Simpson

Sheryl McCallum in DCPA Theatre Company’s ‘Oklahoma.’ Photo by Adams VisCom

Outstanding Production of a Musical

• Oklahoma!, DCPA Theatre Company, Directed by Chris Coleman, Musical Direction by Darius Frowner

Also nominated:

• ELF – The Musical, Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, Directed by Gavin Mayer, Musical Direction by Christopher Babbage
• Songs for a New World, Aurora Fox Arts Center, Directed by Helen R. Murray, Musical Direction by David Nehls
• Caroline, or Change, Aurora Fox Arts Center, Directed by Kenny Moten, Musical Direction by Trent Hines
• Xanadu, DCPA Cabaret, Directed by Joel Ferrell, Musical Direction by David Nehls
• Hands on a Hardbody, Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College, Directed by Nathan Halvorson, Musical Direction by Stephanie McGuffin
• Roald Dahl’s Matilda, The Musical, Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College, Directed by Mêlisa Annis, Musical Direction by Jay Hahn and Sharon Skidgel
• Disney’s NEWSIES: The Musical, Parker Arts and Inspire Theater Company, Directed by Liane Adamo, Musical Direction by Tanner Kelly
• A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Vintage Theatre, Directed by Bernie Cardell, Musical Direction by Lee Ann Scherlong

The Diary of Anne Frank. Matthew Gale Photography.

Outstanding Direction of a Play (tie)

• Christy Montour-Larson, The Diary of Anne Frank, Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities
• Rebecca Martinez, Anna in the Tropics, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College

Also nominated:

• Pam Clifton, Lend Me a Tenor, Breckenridge Backstage Theatre
• Nathan Halvorson, Church & State, Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• Carolyn Howarth, You Can’t Take It With You, Colorado Shakespeare Festival
• Rebecca Martinez, Anna in the Tropics, Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• Rose Riordan, Sweat, DCPA Theatre Company
• Corey Simpson, Equus, Thunder River Theatre Company

Photo by John Moore.

Outstanding Direction of a Musical

• Chris Coleman, Oklahoma!, DCPA Theatre Company

Also nominated:

• Bernie Cardell, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Vintage Theatre
• Joel Ferrell, Xanadu, DCPA Cabaret
• Nathan Halvorson, Hands on a Hardbody, Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• Mark Martino, Ragtime, Theatre Aspen
• Kenny Moten, Caroline, or Change, Aurora Fox Arts Center
• Kelly Van Oosbree, A Little Night Music, Cherry Creek Theatre

Photo by Austin Colbert.

Outstanding Musical Direction

• Eric Alsford, Ragtime, Theatre Aspen

Also nominated:

• Annie Durham, Forever Plaid, The Butte Theater
• Darius Frowner, Oklahoma!, DCPA Theatre Company
• Trent Hines, Caroline, or Change, Aurora Fox Arts Center
• Tanner Kelly, Disney’s NEWSIES: The Musical, Parker Arts and Inspire Theater Company
• David Nehls, Songs for a New World, Aurora Fox Arts Center
• Lee Ann Scherlong, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Vintage Theatre

DCPA Teaching Artist Brian Landis Folkins in “Church & State.” Photo by Jeff Kearney.

Outstanding Actor in a Play (tie)

• Brian Landis Folkins, Church & State, Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• Owen O’Farrell, Of Mice and Men, Thunder River Theatre Company

Also nominated:

• Dustin Bronson, Barefoot in the Park, Creede Repertory Theatre
• Felipe Gorostiza, Anna in the Tropics, Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• Sam Gregory, You Can’t Take It With You, Colorado Shakespeare Festival
• Geoffrey Kent, Sin Street Social Club, Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities
• Isaac Stackonis, Equus, Thunder River Theatre Company

Photo by Jeff Kearney.

Outstanding Actress in a Play

• Elise Santora, Anna in the Tropics, Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College

Also nominated:

• Gretchen Egolf, The Constant Wife, DCPA Theatre Company
• Sally Hybl, Church & State, Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• Wendy Ishii, The Waverly Gallery, Bas Bleu Theatre
• Darrow Klein, The Diary of Anne Frank, Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities
• Kate MacCluggage, Anna Karenina, DCPA Theatre Company
• Leslie O’Carroll, You Can’t Take It With You, Colorado Shakespeare Festival
• Maria Peyramaure, Anna in the Tropics, Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College

Ta’Nika Gibson and Antoine L. Smith. Photo by AdamsVisCom.

Outstanding Actor in a Musical

• Antoine L. Smith, Oklahoma!, DCPA Theatre Company

Also nominated:

• Leonard E. Barrett Jr., Songs for a New World, Aurora Fox Arts Center
• Brandon Bill, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Vintage Theatre
• Brandon Bill, Murder for Two, Stagedoor Theatre
• Nathan Halvorson, Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical, Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• Wayne Kennedy, A Christmas Story, BDT Stage
• Scott RC Levy, Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical, Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College

Denver First Lady Mary Louise Lee in ‘Caroline or Change.’

Outstanding Actress in a Musical

• Mary Louise Lee, Caroline, or Change, Aurora Fox Arts Center

Also nominated:

• Iris Beaumier, Ragtime, Theatre Aspen
• Kathleen Macari, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Thingamajig Theatre Company
• Sheryl Renee, Sister Act, Town Hall Arts Center
• Leiney Rigg, Songs for a New World, Aurora Fox Arts Center
• Carmen Shedd, Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical, Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• Emily Van Fleet, 9 to 5: The Musical, Creede Repertory Theatre

Kevin Hart as Saunders in ‘Lend Me a Tenor.’

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play

• Kevin Hart, Lend Me a Tenor, Breckenridge Backstage Theatre

Also nominated:

• Casey Andree, Pride and Prejudice, Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company
• Jordan Bellow, Sweat, DCPA Theatre Company
• Bobby Bennett, The Boys in the Band, Vintage Theatre
• Dustin Bronson, Miss Holmes, Creede Repertory Theatre
• Kyle Cameron, Anna Karenina, DCPA Theatre Company
• Rodney Lizcano, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company
• Alex Perez, Anna in the Tropics, Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College

Brittany Dye in Thunder River’s ‘Equus.’

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play

• Brittany Dye, Equus, Thunder River Theatre Company

Also nominated:

• Eva Balistrieri, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company
• Christy Brandt, Barefoot in the Park, Creede Repertory Theatre
• Tara Kelso, The Wolves, Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company
• Chloe McLeod, You Can’t Take It With You, Colorado Shakespeare Festival
• Deborah Persoff, Lost in Yonkers, Miners Alley Playhouse
• Al-nisa Petty, A Raisin in the Sun, Colorado Springs TheatreWorks
• Karen Slack, Men on Boats, The Catamounts

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical

• Rennie Anthony Magee, Oklahoma!, DCPA Theatre Company

Also nominated:

• Chase Conlin, A Chorus Line, Parker Arts and Inspire Theater Company
• Ian Coulter-Buford, Trav’lin – The 1930s Harlem Musical, Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities
• Brian Maurice Kinnard, The Full Monty, Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre
• Chris Mauro, The Full Monty, Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre
• Jeremy Rill, A Little Night Music, Cherry Creek Theatre
• Aaron Vega, Xanadu, DCPA Cabaret

Bre Jackson and Renee Anthony Magee. Photo by AdamsVisCom.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical

• Bre Jackson, Oklahoma!, DCPA Theatre Company

Also nominated:

• Katie Jackson, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Vintage Theatre
• Anne Jenness, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Vintage Theatre
• Maggie Lamb, Sister Act, Town Hall Arts Center
• Alicia King Meyers, A Christmas Story, BDT Stage
• Rebecca Myers, Always … Patsy Cline, The Butte Theater
• Megan Van De Hey, A Little Night Music, Cherry Creek Theatre

The company of Oklahoma! Photo by AdamsVisCom.

Outstanding Ensemble Performance

• Oklahoma!, DCPA Theatre Company

Also nominated:

• Anna in the Tropics, Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• Church & State, Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• Equus, Thunder River Theatre Company
• The Diary of Anne Frank, Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities
• The Wolves, Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company
• Pride and Prejudice, Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company

Outstanding Choreography

• Dominique Kelley, Oklahoma!, DCPA Theatre Company

Also nominated:

• Nathan Halvorson, Hands on a Hardbody, Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• Kitty Skillman Hilsabeck, Mamma Mia, Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities
• Kitty Skillman Hilsabeck, ELF – The Musical, Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities
• Tobi Johnson Compton, Disney’s NEWSIES: The Musical, Parker Arts and Inspire Theater Company
• Mark Martino, Ragtime, Theatre Aspen
• Melissa Zaremba, Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical, Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College

Zachary Andrews and Sommer Carbuccia in Local Theatre’s ‘Paper Cut.’ Photo by Michael Ensminger.

Outstanding New Play or Musical

• Paper Cut, by Andrew Rosendorf, Directed by Pesha Rudnick, Produced by Local Theater Company

Also nominated:

• 1 Night, 6 Plays, Written and Directed by Kristen Adele Calhoun, Kenya Fashaw, Gabriela Goldstein, Bobby Lefebre and Suzi Q Smith, Produced by 5280 Artist Co-op
• Sin Street Social Club, by Jessica Austgen, Directed by Lynne Collins, Produced by Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities
• What You Will, by Jeffrey Neuman, Directed by Warren Sherrill, Produced by Benchmark Theatre
• Rausch, Created and Directed by Amanda Berg Wilson and Patrick Mueller, Produced by The Catamounts and Control Group Productions
• Last Night and the Night Before, by Donnetta Lavinia Grays, Directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton, Produced by DCPA Theatre Company
• The Whistleblower, by Itamar Moses, Directed by Oliver Butler, Produced by DCPA Theatre Company

Double-nominee Jeff Cone won the Henry Award for costuming ‘Anna Karenina.’ Pictured: Kate MacCluggage, Patrick Zeller and the Company of ‘Anna Karenina.’ Photo by AdamsVisCom.

Outstanding Costume Design, larger budget (tie)

• Kevin Brainerd, Ragtime, Theatre Aspen
• Jeff Cone, Anna Karenina, DCPA Theatre Company

Also nominated:

• Sara Ryung Clement, The Constant Wife, DCPA Theatre Company
• Jeff Cone, Oklahoma!, DCPA Theatre Company
• Meghan Anderson Doyle, You Can’t Take It With You, Colorado Shakespeare Festival
• Courtney Flores, Anna in the Tropics, Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• Clare Henkel, The Diary of Anne Frank, Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities

Outstanding Costume Design, smaller budget

• Madeline Miles and Colin Tugwell, Equus, Thunder River Theatre Company

Also nominated:

• Erika Duan, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company
• Kelly Gregson, A Little Night Music, Cherry Creek Theatre
• Julie LeBlanc, Lend Me a Tenor, Breckenridge Backstage Theatre
• Linda Morken, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, BDT Stage
• Jesus Perez, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre
• Susan Rahmsdorff-Terry, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Vintage Theatre

Photo by Austin Colbert.

Outstanding Lighting Design, larger budget

• Paul Black, Ragtime, Theatre Aspen

Also nominated:

• Katie Gruenhagen, You Can’t Take It With You, Colorado Shakespeare Festival
• Shannon McKinney, Diary of Anne Frank, Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities
• Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew, Vietgone, DCPA Theatre Company
• Jon Olson, Educating Rita, Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities
• Diane Ferry Williams, Anna Karenina, DCPA Theatre Company
• Diane Ferry Williams, Oklahoma!, DCPA Theatre Company

Outstanding Lighting Design, smaller budget

• Sean Jeffries, Equus, Thunder River Theatre Company

Also nominated:

• Kristof Janezic, Men on Boats, The Catamounts
• Sean Mallery, Songs for a New World, Aurora Fox Arts Center
• Brett Maughan, Caroline, or Change, Aurora Fox Arts Center
• Brian Miller, Frankenstein, OpenStage Theatre & Company
• Jacob Welch, Disney’s NEWSIES: The Musical, Parker Arts and Inspire Theatre Company
• Jacob Welch, Paper Cut, Local Theater Company

Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s ‘You Can’t Take It With You.’ Photo by Jennifer M. Koskinen.

Outstanding Scenic Design, larger budget

• Caitlin Ayer, You Can’t Take It With You, Colorado Shakespeare Festival

Also nominated:

• Brian Mallgrave, The Diary of Anne Frank, Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities
• Matthew Schlief, Miss Holmes, Creede Repertory Theatre
• Christopher L. Sheley, Shakespeare in Love, Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• Christopher L. Sheley, Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical, Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• Christopher L. Sheley, Church & State, Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• Matthew Smucker, Last Night and the Night Before, DCPA Theatre Company

he Waverly Gallery. Photo by William Cotton.

Outstanding Scenic Design, smaller budget

• Brian Miller, The Waverly Gallery, Bas Bleu Theatre

Also nominated:

• Brandon Case, Caroline, or Change, Aurora Fox Arts Center
• Brandon Case, Songs for a New World, Aurora Fox Arts Center
• Michael R. Duran, Disney’s NEWSIES: The Musical, Parker Arts & Inspire Theater Company
• Michael R. Duran, Lend Me a Tenor, Breckenridge Backstage Theatre
• Michael Grittner, The Boys in the Band, Vintage Theatre
• Tom Ward, Yankee Tavern, Thunder River Theatre Company

Matthew Gale Photography.

Outstanding Sound Design, larger budget

• Jason Ducat, The Diary of Anne Frank, Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities

Also nominated:

• Philip G. Allen, Oklahoma!, DCPA Theatre Company
• Jason Ducat, You Can’t Take It With You, Colorado Shakespeare Festival
• Robert Jackson, Church & State, Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• Becca Pearce, Educating Rita, Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities
• André Pluess, Vietgone, DCPA Theatre Company
• David Thomas, Ragtime, Theatre Aspen

Kate Austin-Groen Photography

Outstanding Sound Design, smaller budget

• Peter Anthony, Frankenstein, OpenStage Theatre & Company

Also nominated:

• Curt Behm, Caroline, or Change, Aurora Fox Arts Center
• Curt Behm, Songs for a New World, Aurora Fox Arts Center
• Brian Freeland, Men on Boats, The Catamounts
• Chris Gavin, Lend Me a Tenor, Breckenridge Backstage Theatre
• Sean Jeffries, Equus, Thunder River Theatre Company
• Allen Noftall, Beehive: The ‘60s Musical, Lone Tree Arts Center

More Colorado theatre coverage on the DCPA NewsCenter

Video: In Memoriam 2018-19

Again the ceremony include a video tribute produced by the Denver Center honoring those from the theatre community who have died in the past year:

• Dave Bova, hair and makeup artist
• Jeff Carey, playwright and actor
• Kirsten Brant , actor
• Deb Countryman, Phamly Theatre Company actor
• Le Donahue, Longmont Theatre Company actor and set builder
• Mark Duran, Stage Vice President, IATSE Local 7
• Deb Note-Farwell, Fort Collins actor
• Ross Haley, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre founder
• Hack Hyland, actor
• Winston ‘Winnie’ Laszlo, actor
• Nicholas Lee, Longmont Theatre Company actor
• Daniel Lindsay, DCPA Ticketing Agent and Bobby G Awards adjudicator
• Tina Logsdon, Phamaly Theatre Company actor
• Marianne Morrison, Fort Collins actor
• Earl Trussell, Creede Repertory Theatre founding member
• Charles Weldon, DCPA Theatre Company actor

Video by DCPA Senior Arts Journalist John Moore