For immediate release, December 30, 1997
Media contact: Jim Lingerfelt or Roger Kershaw
cast@stage-door.org

www.stage-door.org, Southwestern Ontario..."Stage Door on the Net announced today the winners of the second annual Stage Door Awards. The twenty awards, also called the Stage Door Johnnies, are made to recognize excellence in live professional theatre on the stages of Southwestern Ontario for the 1996/97 season for winter theatres, and 1997 season for summer festivals. It appeared to be a Stratford sweep this season, with 15 of the 20 awards going to productions on that Festival's three stages (compared to nine, last year). The Shaw Festival took three awards (compared to five last year), while the Drayton Festival and Theatre Aquarius each took one.

"There were several extremely difficult choices this year," according to Roger Kershaw, who, along with Jim Lingerfelt, created the Stage Door Johnnies in 1995 in the absence of any other regional recognition. "However, some productions clearly stood head and shoulders above the competition, marking some of the most brilliant contributions in Ontario stage history."

"While excellence is not a direct result of budget," commented Lingerfelt, "it is clear from the winners that having the financial resources to cast the best talents on stage and in technical assignments does have an undeniable benefit. And there is no doubt that some of the finest talents on the continent are available to the stages of Southwestern Ontario."

Drama Awards

The Stratford Festival production of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman is selected Best Drama. This production also earned a Best Actress Award for Martha Henry, who played Linda Loman, and Best Supporting Actor for Geordie Johnson as Biff. The Best Actor Award is presented to Nicolas Van Burek for his Stratford Festival debut as Alan Strang in Equus, and the Best Supporting Actress Award goes to the accomplished young professional, Maggie Blake, who delivered an unforgettable Mary Tilford to audiences in the Shaw Festival production of The Children's Hour.

Comedy Awards

Selected as Best Comedy is the Stratford production of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, which also garnered a Best Actor Award for Peter Donaldson, as Petruchio. Also heading to Stratford are the comedy awards for Best Actress, to Lally Cadeau in the title role of Eduardo De Filippo's Filumena, and Best Supporting Actor, to Brian Tree as Joxer in Sean O'Casey's Juno and the Paycock. The Shaw Festival production of Vernon Sylvaine's Will Any Gentleman? earned a Best Supporting Actress Award for Mary Haney as Beryl.

Musical Awards

Selected for the Best Musical Award was the Stratford Festival production of Lerner and Loewe's Camelot, which also picked up awards for Best Actress for Cynthia Dale as Guenevere and Best Supporting Actor for Michael Therriault as Mordred. Camelot's two additional technical recognitions made it the most awarded production of the season. The Drayton Festival and the Shaw Festival shared the remaining two musical awards, with the former's production of Harman and Herrmann's Romance / Romance earning David Rogers the award for Best Actor, and the latter's production of Oscar Straus's The Chocolate Soldier hosting the Best Supporting Actress Award for Karen Wood.

Technical Awards

The final category included technical awards. Selected for the Best Director Award from among all qualifying productions in Southwestern Ontario was Diana Leblanc, for her direction of Death of a Salesman at Stratford. Desmond Heeley is this season's only two-time winner, and both awards, for Best Set and for Best Costumes, were for his design of Stratford's Camelot. Stratford's final award is given to John Munro for his lighting design in Shakespeare's Richard III. Selected from all new plays premiering in the region this season for the award of Best New Play, is Canadian playwright Norm Foster's Jupiter in July, which was directed by Christopher McHarge at Theatre Aquarius.

All new, 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. Nominations are made from among the fifty productions in the region that are reviewed by the staff of Stage Door, a non-profit Internet Website resource representing all theatres in Southwestern Ontario and selected Toronto theatres, located at http://www.stage-door.org.

List of Nominees for 1997 Stage Door Awards
(Winners indicated by )

Drama

Best Drama	Actor	Actress	Sup Actor	Sup Actress
The Children's Hour (Shaw)	Brian Bedford Equus (Stratford)	Sharon Bernbaum Quiet in the Land (Blyth)	Graham Abbey Death of a Salesman (Stratford Festival)	Maggie Blake The Children's Hour (Shaw)
Death of a Salesman (Stratford)	David Fox Quiet in the Land (Blyth)	Linda G. Bush Angel Street (Theatre & Co)	Geordie Johnson Romeo & Juliet (Stratford Festival)	Diane D'Aquila Romeo & Juliet (Stratford Festival)
Equus (Stratford)	Stephen Ouimette Richard III (Stratford)	Diane D'Aquila Richard III (Stratford)	Geordie Johnson Death of a Salesman (Stratford)	Martha Henry Coriolanus (Stratford)
Quiet in the Land (Blyth)	Nicolas Van Burek Equus (Stratford)	Patricia Hamilton Three Tall Women (The Grand)	David Keeley Richard III (Stratford)	Nancy Palk The Secret Life (Shaw)
Richard III (Stratford)	Al Waxman Death of a Salesman (Stratford)	Martha Henry Death of a Salesman (Stratford)	Barna Moricz Quiet in the Land (Blyth)	Lucy Peacock Richard III (Stratford)

 Comedy

Best Comedy	Actor	Actress	Sup Actor	Sup Actress
Filumena (Stratford)	Neil Barclay Will Any Gentleman? (Shaw)	Sharon Bernbaum The Melville Boys (Blyth)	Kirk Dunn A Flea in Her Ear (Drayton)	Barbara Bryne Filumena (Stratford)
Juno and the Paycock (Stratford)	James Blendick Juno and the Paycock (Stratford)	Lally Cadeau Filumena (Stratford)	Joel Kaiser Jupiter in July (Theatre Aquarius)	Fiona Byrne Little Women (Stratford)
The Melville Boys (Blyth)	Peter Donaldson The Taming of the Shrew (Stratford)	Lally Cadeau Juno and the Paycock (Stratford)	Brian Tree Juno and the Paycock (Stratford)	Cassie Fox Little Women (Stratford)
The Taming of the Shrew (Stratford)	Andrew Gillies In Good King Charles's Golden Days (Shaw)	Nora McLellan Mrs Warren's Profession (Shaw)	Roger Rowland Will Any Gentleman? (Shaw)	Mary Haney Will Any Gentleman? (Shaw)
Will Any Gentleman? (Shaw)	Richard Monette Filumena (Stratford)	Jan Alexandra Smith Mrs Warren's Profession (Shaw)	Richard Zeppieri Filumena (Stratford)	Brigitte Robinson In Good King Charles's Golden Days (Shaw)

Musical

Best Musical	Actor	Actress	Sup Actor	Sup Actress
Camelot (Stratford)	Tom McCamus Camelot (Stratford)	Cynthia Dale Camelot (Stratford)	Dan R. Chameroy Camelot (Stratford)	Jo-Anne Kirwan Clark The Chocolate Soldier (Shaw)
The Case of the Curious Cabaret (Theatre & Co)	David Rogers Romance / Romance (Drayton)	Stephanie McNamara The Chocolate Soldier (Shaw)	Michael Therriault Camelot (Stratford)	Catia Cyr The Case of the Curious Cabaret (Theatre & Co)
The Chocolate Soldier (Shaw)	Stephen Simms The Chocolate Soldier (Shaw)	Kathleen Sheehy The Case of the Curious Cabaret (Theatre & Co)	Sandy Winsby The Chocolate Soldier (Shaw)	Karen Wood The Chocolate Soldier (Shaw)
Romance/Romance (Drayton)		Leisa Way Romance/Romance (Drayton)

Technical

Best Director	Set	Lighting	Costumes	New Play
Brian Bedford Equus (Stratford)	John Ferguson Great Expectations (The Grand)	Elizabeth Asselstine The Children's Hour (Shaw)	Patrick Clark Richard III (Stratford)	Great Expectations adapted by Michael Shamata (Grand)
Diana Leblanc Death of a Salesman (Stratford)	Desmond Heeley Camelot (Stratford)	Kevin Fraser Coriolanus (Stratford)	Desmond Heeley Camelot (Stratford)	Jupiter in July by Norm Foster (Theare Aquarius)
Glynis Leyshon The Children's Hour (Shaw)	Christina Poddubiuk The Chocolate Soldier (Shaw)	John Munro Richard III (Stratford)	John Pennoyer Little Women (Stratford)
Richard Monette Camelot (Stratford)	William Schmuck Will Any Gentleman? (Shaw)	Robert Thomson The Secret Life (Shaw)	Christina Poddubiuk The Chocolate Soldier (Shaw)
Richard Rose The Taming of the Shrew (Stratford)	Guido Tondino Death of a Salesman (Stratford)	Lesley Wilkinson Quiet in the Land (Blyth)	Yvonne Sauriol Coriolanus (Stratford)
Janet Wright Juno and the Paycock (Stratford)	Guido Tondino Filumena (Stratford)	Michael J. Whitfield Camelot (Stratford)	Kelly Wolf A Flea in Her Ear (Drayton)

[1996 Stage Door Awards are archived here for you]

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.

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.

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