Media Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 15, 1997
CONTACT: Jim Lingerfelt or Roger Kershaw

Stage Door on the Net announced today the winners of the first annual Stage Door Awards. The twenty awards, also called the Stage Door Johnnies, were made to recognize excellence in live professional theatre on the stages of Southwestern Ontario for the 1995/96 season for winter theatres, and 1996 season for summer festivals. While the Shaw and Stratford festivals presented the highest number of award-winning productions, with nine and five, respectively, productions at the Blyth Festival won three awards, Huron Country Playhouse garnered two, and The Grand took one award.

Drama Awards

The Shaw Festival production of Agatha Christie's The Hollow was selected Best Drama. Also in the category of Drama, Douglas Rain was selected Best Actor for his performance as Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, at the Stratford Festival. The Best Actress award was won by Wanda Graham, who played Mrs Alexander Graham Bell in the Blyth Festival production of Ma Belle Mabel. Selected Best Supporting Actor in a Drama was another Blyth Festival actor, Rustey Davenport, for his role in Fireworks. Diana Leblanc's performance as Birdie in The Stratford Festival production of The Little Foxes earned her the Best Supporting Actress award.

Musical Awards

Selected as Best Musical was the Grand Theatre / Canadian Stage co-production of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music. Dirk Lumbard, as Professor Harold Hill in the Stratford production of Meredith Willson's The Music Man, took the Best Actor in a Musical award. Nora McLellan's role as Lady Lancaster in the Shaw Festival production of Mr Cinders resulted in her receiving the Best Actress Award in this category. Huron Country Playhouse productions gained two awards: David Talbot took the Best Supporting Actor award for his role in Me & My Girl; and Annie's Mary Pitt won for Best Supporting Actress.

Comedy Awards

Selected for the Best Comedy Award was the Shaw Festival production of Harold Brighouse's Hobson's Choice. This production also provided both the Best Actor and Best Actress, in Simon Bradbury's portrayal of Willie Mossop, and Corrine Koslo, as Willies wife, Maggie. The Best Supporting Actor award is presented to Gordon Rand for his role in the Shaw production of The Playboy of the Western World, and Barbara Bryne won Best Supporting Actress for her part in Stratfords A Fitting Confusion.

Technical Awards

The final category included technical awards. Selected for the Best Director Award from among all qualifying productions in Southwestern Ontario was Marti Maraden, for her direction of The Merchant of Venice at Stratford. William Schmuck's design for the Shaw Festival production of Hobson's Choice took the award for Best Set Design. Also from the Shaw was The Hollow, which won Best Lighting Award for Scott Henderson, and the lunchtime one-act play, Shall We Join the Ladies, which garnered the Best Costumes award for Kelly Wolf. Stage Doors first Best New Play award is presented to Gordon Portman for his Fireworks, which had its world premiere at the Blyth Festival Theatre.

All live professional stage presentations running at least two weeks on any of the stages of Southwestern Ontario outside of Toronto are eligible for the Stage Door Awards.

List of Nominees for 1996 Stage Door Awards

(Winners indicated by )

Disclaimer: Nothing here is "official." Everything is a composite of media releases, information supplied by or procured from the theatres, and personal opinion. Stage Door assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of this information, or for subsequent use or inconvenience experienced as a consequence of this information. Use of this Website constitutes your understanding of this Disclaimer.