By BTL Staff
2004 Wilde Awards: Let the balloting begin
Nominations reflect another season of theatrical excellence
Time sure flies when you're having fun – at least that's what two tuckered-out theater critics claim after reviewing 78 productions at 26 different venues from Greektown to Lansing and Chelsea to Roseville over the past 12 months.
It wasn't always easy, but neither rain nor sleet kept the duo from their appointed rounds – although the dark of night kept one critic, the one whose face generally appears at the top of this column, from fulfilling his duties for several weeks while recovering from eye surgeries in October and February.
Even five openings on a single weekend didn't stop BTL's crackerjack team from providing readers of Between The Lines with the most comprehensive theater coverage anywhere!
It was a promise made – and a promise kept – to Michigan's professional theaters at last year's Wilde Awards ceremony at Detroit's Gem Theatre.
"We announced that it was our objective to review every professional production that ran three weekends or more during the 2003/04 season," said Donald V. Calamia, BTL's theater and arts editor, "so we brought John Quinn on board last fall to help us meet that commitment. His hiring allowed us to not only review shows at the major houses such as the Fisher Theatre, Performance Network, Meadow Brook Theatre and the BoarsHead Theatre, it also gave us the opportunity to cover many of the smaller venues where some of the really innovative and original works are being staged."
In all, 26 theater companies were reviewed by BTL this past season, including nine that received coverage for the first time, including ZeitGeist Detroit, the Abreact Performance Space and StarBrite Theatrical Productions.
"With much of the local media cutting back on reviews, the local theater community has come to realize how important BTL is to their audience development. What's more, our surveys show that many people outside the LGBT community pick up our paper specifically for our theater coverage, so we play an even greater role than any of us ever envisioned," Calamia said.
It's a good fit, BTL co-publisher Susan Horowitz believes.
"There's always been a close relationship between the LGBT and theater communities," Horowitz said. "You really can't have one without the other. And that's why we sponsor the annual Wilde Awards: It's our way of getting together once a year and acknowledging that unique relationship. It truly makes for 'One Wilde Evening.'"
The Wilde Awards
The Wilde Awards – named after 19th century gay playwright Oscar Wilde – were established in 2002 to acknowledge excellence in local professional theater.
Unlike similar awards established by other media outlets throughout the state, Wilde Awards recipients are not chosen by any one or two individuals. Rather, nominations are determined by BTL's resident critics Calamia and Quinn based upon their reviews – and readers of BTL cast their votes for their favorite shows and performers throughout the month of June. Winners are then announced at a delightfully prestigious ceremony attended by the industry's movers and shakers, LGBT community leaders and readers of BTL.
"We felt from the start that it would mean more to the theater community if the winners were chosen by the people who buy their tickets and sit in their seats, rather than from a couple of cranky, old – albeit insightful – queers," Calamia laughed. "It's important to get feedback from your customers and fans, and this is a fun, yet meaningful, way to do just that."
Plus, it's one helluva party!
Only professional productions – both locally produced and national tours – reviewed by BTL between May 19, 2003 and May 12, 2004 were eligible for a nomination this year.
"We made a few category changes again this year," Calamia said. "Because all but one touring show this season were musicals, we decided to combine all touring productions into a single category. Then we split the 'Favorite Supporting Performer' categories so that actors in comedies and musicals wouldn't compete against those in dramas. As a result, eight additional slots were created for local performers to have their excellent work acknowledged with a nomination."
The most troublesome category, however, was once again the 'gay theater' category.
"The original concept for this category was to honor shows produced by companies that stage only LGBT-themed plays. There was really only one show that fit the original concept, "My Boyfriend the Stripper" at 1515 Broadway in Detroit, but we never considered it for a nomination. So once again we took three plays with LGBT themes or characters from our more mainstream theaters and placed them into this category. And we'll continue to do that until professional 'gay theater' becomes a reality here," Calamia said.
Which, he teased, might be on the horizon sooner than anyone thinks!
2004 Nominations
This year's ballot – found elsewhere this issue – contains 59 nominations in 15 categories. Voters will choose their favorites from among 34 productions at 15 different venues.
Performance Network's "The Home Team" by Kim Carney tops the list with five nominations; Hilberry Theatre's "Lovers and Executioners" is a close second with four.
Both theaters are also among the most honored: Performance Network boasts 12 nominations, while Hilberry Theatre has 10. Also heavily nominated are Purple Rose Theatre (8), Meadow Brook Theatre (7) and Plowshares Theatre Company (6).
Also under consideration are 35 performers, including double nominees Christi Marsico and Jennifer Tuttle, both of whom received Wilde Awards last year. Nominee Carmen Decker enjoys a special distinction this year: She is the only performer to receive a nomination in each of the last three years.
"This was an exceptional year," Calamia said of this year's theater season. "John and I struggled with several categories, and regretfully, many wonderful performances and shows didn't make the last cut. I wish we had slots available to include 'Philadelphia Here I Come' and 'Our Town' at the BoarsHead and "The Drawer Boy" at the Detroit Rep, but we didn't. And Council Cargle's performance in 'The Fantasticks' at Meadow Brook was an inspired piece of casting, but his nomination was the last we cut from the ballot. This process is not as easy as it looks!"
And the winners are…
Balloting is open now through the end of June. Entries can be submitted either via the website (www.pridesource.com) or by mailing the completed form to the BTL offices at the address indicated on the ballot.
BTL co-publisher Horowitz stressed that anyone can participate, not just theatergoers who attend every show in town.
"We're asking people to vote for their favorites, not 'the best,'" she said.
Winners will be announced September 1 at Detroit's Gem Theatre. Complete details about the "One Wilde Evening" will be announced shortly.
