STAR-BULLETIN / 2008
Manoa Valley Theatre's "Rocky Horror Picture Show" received several awards, including shared awards for Overall Musical, Costume Design and Set Design. Tony Young, left, shown with Mike Dupre as "Brad," and Sophia Nelson as "Janet," was named as one of the winners in the Leading Male in a Musical category for his role as "Dr. Frank n' furter."

2 theater groups share Po‘okela bounty

By John Berger
jberger@starbulletin.com

Perennial powerhouses Diamond Head Theatre and Manoa Valley Theatre took top honors last night as the Hawaii State Theatre Council presented the 2008 Po'okela Awards at the Ko'olau Ballrooms.

Although the two theater groups received 25 awards each, bragging rights went to MVT, who received awards in 16 of 21 categories. DHT received its awards in 14 categories. The Actors' Group was third with 15 awards in eight categories.

MVT's command of contemporary musical comedies was seen in its sweep of the Ensemble Cast category. TAG's commitment to challenging drama was reflected in its tally of 11 out of 23 awards for actors and directors of plays.

Army Community Theatre and three groups that present three or fewer shows per year also received some of the 83 awards presented.

Awards are given by three adjudicators, each of whom may select two winners per category, allowing a maximum of six honorees per category.

Several of Oahu's major community theater groups, including Kumu Kahua Theatre, Honolulu Theatre for Youth and the University of Hawaii at Manoa, have chosen not to participate.

PO‘OKELA WINNERS

Key: Army Community Theatre (ACT), Diamond Head Theatre (DHT), Hawaii Pacific University (HPU), Hawaii Shakespeare Festival (HSF), Manoa Valley Theatre (MVT), The Actors' Group (TAG), Paliku Theatre (Paliku)

Overall Musical: "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" (MVT); "Rocky Horror Show" (MVT); "Flower Drum Song" (DHT); "The Producers" (DHT).

Overall Play: "Fences" (TAG); "Merry Christmas Roberta" (TAG); "Doubt" (MVT); "Imaginary Invalid" (HPU).

Director of a Musical: Linda Johnson, "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" (MVT); Jim Hutchison, "Musical of Musicals: The Musical" (MVT); John Rampage, "The Producers" (DHT).

Director of a Play: Linda Johnson, "Taming of the Shrew" (HSF); Brad Powell, "Baltimore Waltz" (TAG); Brad Powell, "Mass Appeal" (TAG); Vanita Rae Smith, "Doubt" (MVT).

Leading Male in a Play: Mark Gilbert, "Taming of the Shrew" (HSF); Stephen Mead, "Titus Andronicus" (HSF); Jim K. Aina, "Shadowlands" (TAG); Gary E. Morris, "Mass Appeal" (TAG); Peter Clark, "Reunion" (TAG).

Leading Female in a Play: Jo Pruden, "Doubt" (MVT); Bree Bumatai, "The Constant Wife" (HPU); Elizabeth Wolfe, "Taming of the Shrew" (HSF); Wendy Pearson, "Fences" (TAG); Hoku Gilbert, "A Kind of Alaska" (TAG).

Featured Male in a Play: Curtis Duncan, "Fences" (TAG); Sam Polson, "Shadowlands" (TAG); Philip Andrew Mancillas, "Mass Appeal" (TAG); Rob Duval, "The Constant Wife" (HPU); David Starr, "And Then There Were None" (MVT).

Featured Female in a Play: Laurie Tanoura, "Merry Christmas Roberta" (TAG); Sylvia Hormann-Alper, "The Constant Wife" (HPU); Becky Maltby, "The Imaginary Invalid" (HPU); Lisa Konove, "Barefoot in the Park" (DHT).

Leading Male in a Musical: Don Nahaku, "The Producers" (DHT); Dennis Proulx, "The Producers" (DHT); Dennis Proulx, "Fiddler on the Roof" (ACT); Lance Wheeler, "Pajama Game" (Paliku); Tony Young, "Rocky Horror Show" (MVT).

Leading Female in a Musical: Shari Lynn, "Fiddler on the Roof" (ACT); Renee Garcia Hartenstein, "Once Upon A Mattress" (ACT); Autumn Ogawa, "Flower Drum Song" (DHT); Shannon Calvin, "Aida" (ACT).

Featured Male in a Musical: Justin Hashimoto, "The Wizard of Oz" (DHT), Paul Mitri, "The Wizard of Oz" (DHT); Wil Kahele, "Flower Drum Song" (DHT); Daniel Kunkel, "The Producers" (DHT).

Featured Female in a Musical: Pomai Lopez, "Rocky Horror Show" (MVT); Chelsea Lynn Michel, "Meet Me in St. Louis" (DHT); Tracy Yamamoto, "The Pajama Game" (Paliku); Cathy Foy Mahi, "Flower Drum Song" (DHT).

Ensemble: "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" (MVT); "Plaid Tidings" (MVT); "Musical of Musicals: The Musical" (MVT).

Choreographer: Katherine Jones, "Rocky Horror Show" (MVT); John Rampage, "The Producers" (DHT); John Rampage, "The Wizard of Oz" (DHT); Derrick Daniels, "The Pajama Game" (Paliku); Jim Hutchison, "Musical of Musicals: The Musical" (MVT).

Musical Director: Emmett Yoshioka, "The Producers" (DHT); Phil Hidalgo, "Musical of Musicals: The Musical" (MVT); Judy Yoshioka, "Flower Drum Song" (DHT).

Non-Resident Guest Artist: Dennis Hassan (set design), "Once Upon A Mattress" (ACT); Greg Zane (director), "Flower Drum Song" (DHT).

Costume Design: Karen G. Wolfe, "The Wizard of Oz" (DHT); Karen G. Wolfe, "Rocky Horror Show" (MVT); Karen G. Wolfe, "Flower Drum Song" (DHT).

Hair, Wig, Makeup Design: Jess Aki, "The Producers" (DHT); Jess Aki, "The Wizard of Oz" (DHT); Greg Howell, "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" (MVT); Greg Howell, "Rocky Horror Show" (MVT).

Lighting Design: Janine Myers, "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" (MVT); Janine Myers, "Doubt" (MVT); Dawn Oshima, "The Wizard of Oz" (DHT); Lloyd "Sandy" Riford, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" (Paliku).

Set Design: Willie Sabel, "The Wizard of Oz" (DHT); Willie Sabel, "Doubt" (MVT); Willie Sabel, "The Producers" (DHT); MJ Matsushita, "Rocky Horror Show" (MVT); Laurie Tanoura, "The Baltimore Waltz" (TAG).

Sound Design: Richard Valasek, "Mass Appeal" (TAG); Jason Taglianetti, "And Then There Were None" (MVT); Jason Taglianetti, "Musical of Musicals: The Musical" (MVT).

Pierre Bowman Award for Lifetime Achievement: Lisa Matsumoto.