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DHT shines with 26 Po'okela Awards


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POSTED: Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Perennial powerhouse Diamond Head Theatre was the big winner last night when the Hawaii State Theatre Council announced the recipients of its 2009 Po'okela Awards during the annual “;Stars Night Out”; party at the Ko'olau Ballroom in Windward Oahu.

DHT received 26 awards in 13 of 20 adjudicated categories. Manoa Valley Theatre (MVT) placed second with 16 awards in 12 categories. The Hawaii Pacific University theater program (HPU) was a close third with 15 awards in nine categories. Army Community Theatre (ACT), the Hawaii Shakespeare Festival (HSF), Paliku Theatre and the Actors Group (TAG) also received awards.

Honolulu Theatre for Youth (HTY), Kumu Kahua and the UH-Manoa Department of Theatre and Dance chose not to participate in the awards program during the 2008-09 season, so their productions were ineligible for recognition. As a result, there was no category for “;Best Original Script”; this year.

Po'okela Award recipients are selected by three adjudicators, each of whom independently selects two winners in each category.

 

Leading Male, Play

» Bill Ogilvie, “;Frost/Nixon,”; MVT

» Greg Howell, “;Tuesdays with Morrie,”; MVT

» Jim Aina, “;Rabbit Hole,”; HPU

» Todd Coolidge, “;Othello,”; HSF

Leading Female, Play
» Eden-Lee Murray, “;The Glass Menagerie,”; HPU
» Madeline Ruhl, “;The Glass Menagerie,”; HPU
» Leslie Duval, “;Rabbit Hole,”; HPU
» Danielle Vivarttas-Ahrnsbrak, “;Merchant of Venice,”; HSF
» Jessica Ciufo, “;Othello,”; HSF

Featured Male, Play
» Derek Elder, “;Rabbit Hole,”; HPU
» Elitei Tatafu, “;Glass Menagerie,”; HPU
» Todd Aquino-Michaels, “;Merchant of Venice,”; HSF
» Jacin Harter, “;History Boys,”; TAG

Featured Female, Play
» Frankie Enos, “;The Clean House,”; TAG
» Virginia Jones, “;Rabbit Hole,”; HPU
» Brooke Jones, “;Merchant of Venice,”; HSF
» Jo Pruden, “;History Boys,”; TAG

Leading Male, Musical
» Matthew Pennaz, “;Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,”; DHT
» Tom Holowach, “;Curtains,”; ACT
» Laurence Paxton, “;Children of Eden,”; ACT
» Dennis Proulx, “;Gypsy,”; DHT

Leading Female, Musical
» Shari Lynn, “;Gypsy,”; DHT
» Katie Beth Hicks, “;The Wedding Singer,”; DHT
» Brittany Browning, “;Miss Saigon,”; Paliku Theatre
» Jamie Rolfsmeyer, “;Curtains,”; ACT
» Zenia Zambrano Moura, “;Always ... Patsy Cline,”; MVT

Featured Male, Musical
» Justin Hashimoto, “;The Wedding Singer,”; DHT
» Daniel Kunkel, “;Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,”; DHT
» Doug Scheer, “;Les Miserables,”; DHT

Featured Female, Musical
» Cathy Foy, “;Gypsy,”; DHT
» Lisa Konove, “;Gypsy,”; DHT
» Caroline Lawo, “;The Wedding Singer,”; DHT
» Victoria Morgan, “;The Wedding Singer,”; DHT

Ensemble, Play
» “;Inside Out,”; TAG
» “;The Wind in the Willows,”; Paliku Theatre

Ensemble, Musical
» “;The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,”; MVT

Director, Play
» Joyce Maltby, “;The Glass Menagerie,”; HPU
» Bree Bumatai, “;Frost/Nixon,”; MVT
» Eden-Lee Murray, “;Inside Out,”; TAG
» Joyce Maltby, “;Rabbit Hole,”; HPU

Director, Musical
» John Rampage, “;Gypsy,”; DHT
» Jim Hutchison, “;Always ... Patsy Cline,”; MVT
» Brett Harwood, “;Children of Eden,”; ACT
» Linda Johnson, “;The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,”; MVT

Musical Director
» Kenji Higashihama, “;Always ... Patsy Cline,”; MVT
» Emmett Yoshioka, “;Gypsy,”; DHT

Choreography
» Christine Yasunaga, “;Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,”; DHT
» Jade Anguay Bright, “;Miss Saigon,”; Paliku Theatre
» Scott White, “;The Wedding Singer,”; DHT

Overall Play
» “;The Glass Menagerie,”; HPU
» “;Tuesdays with Morrie,”; MVT
» “;Rabbit Hole,”; HPU

Overall Musical
» “;Miss Saigon,”; Paliku Theatre
» “;Les Miserables,”; DHT
» “;Gypsy,”; DHT

Costume Design
» Karen Wolfe, “;Les Miserables,”; DHT
» Morgen Lane-Tanner, “;Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,”; DHT
» Danielle Vivarttas-Ahrnsbrak, “;Merchant of Venice,”; HSF

Sound Design
» Kevin Craven, “;The Glass Menagerie,”; HPU
» Jason Taglianetti, “;Duck Hunter Shoots Angel,”; MVT
» Jason Taglianetti, “;Always ... Patsy Cline,”; MVT
» Mikel Humerickhouse, Gypsy,”; DHT

Set Design
» Benjamin Mackrell, “;Tuesdays With Morrie,”; MVT
» Karen Archibald, “;Rabbit Hole,”; HPU
» MJ Matsushita, “;The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,”; MVT

Light Design
» Janine Myers, “;Tuesdays with Morrie,”; MVT
» Janine Myers, “;The Glass Menagerie,”; HPU
» Dawn Oshima, “;Peter Pan,”; DHT
» Janine Myers, “;Rabbit Hole,”; HPU

Hair, Make-up and Wig
» Jess Aki, “;Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,”; DHT
» Greg Howell, “;Tuesdays with Morrie,”; MVT
» Greg Howell, “;Oliver!”; ACT
» Jess Aki and Doug Scheer, “;Les Miserables”; DHT

Guest Artist
(Non-Hawaii resident)
» Lolly Susi: Director of a Play, “;Tuesdays with Morrie,”; MVT
» Dennis Hassan: Set Designer, “;Oliver!”; ACT
» Peter and Melanie Lockyer: Director(s) of a Musical, “;Les Miserables,”; DHT
» Peter Lockyer: Leading Male in a Musical, “;Les Miserables,”; DHT
» Greg Zane: Choreographer, “;Peter Pan,”; DHT

Pierre Bowman Award
(Determined by HSTC)
» Glenn Cannon

Excellence in Service
(Determined by individual theater groups)
» Aloha Performing Arts Company: Paula Cornwell
» Army Community Theatre: Helen Oh
» Diamond Head Theatre: Nancy Koelper
» Hawaii Pacific University: Caitlin Tong and Norman Boroughs
» Hawaii Shakespeare festival: Hannah Stellemacher
» Manoa Valley Theatre: Greg Howell
» Mid-Pacific Institute School of the Arts: Cynthia Fujino
» Paliku Theatre: Mary, Lauren, Simone and Lloyd “;Sandy”; Riford
» The Actors Group: Jacin Harter and Keith Peterson
» Waimea Community Theatre: Barbara Kopra