‘Oleanna,’ ‘Kate’ Two shows with radically different perspectives on male-female relationships became the route to victory for two pairs of performers as the Hawaii State Theatre Council presented the 18th Annual Po'okela Awards last night at the Ko'olau Country Club.
pair-ups win
Po‘okelas
Manoa Valley Theatre is the top
Winners' list
overall winner with 8 awardsBy John Berger
jberger@starbulletin.comEric Nemoto and Dorothy Stamp played bitter enemies in the Actors Group production of "Oleanna" and came out winners as "Leading Male in a Play" and "Leading Female in a Play" respectively.
The TAG show was also a winner in the "Overall Play" category.
Steve Wagenseller and Cathy Foy, stars in Hawaii Pacific University's revival of "Kiss Me, Kate," took equivalent honors in the musical performance categories.
It was a big night for Guy Merola, the other winner in the "Leading Male/Musical" category. Many felt Merola had deserved to win two years ago for his superb performance opposite Andrew Sakaguchi in Manoa Valley Theatre's "Kiss of the Spider Woman." Oh, well! Merola's portrayal of Anatoly in Diamond Head Theatre's staging of "Chess" this spring won him an award last night.
It was also a career moment for Julia Ogilvie. Her work in DHT's "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" made her sole winner as "Featured Female in a Play."
Her father, actor-director Bill Ogilvie, was pleased with the diversity of the awards. "I think it's nice that they're honoring the young people as well as the old," he said.
Multifaceted Stephanie Sanchez won her second straight "Featured Female in a Musical" award. Sanchez's award was one of four for the UH-Manoa Kennedy Theatre production of "No One Will Marry a Princess with a Tree Growing out of Her Head."
"I'm not nervous this year," said Sanchez before the award was announced. "I love everybody who's here. I'll be happy whoever wins."
Co-star Tara Malia Hunt had nothing but praise for the show. "It had a fabulous director and a fabulous cast," she said.
MVT's summer musical comedy, "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change," was the only other show to win four awards. TAG's "Oleanna" and MVT's "Grace & Glorie" tied for second with three each.
Lina Jeong Doo took "Musical Director" honors for the second straight year - and once again for her work on an Army Community Theatre show.
MVT was top winner overall with a total of eight. DHT and UH-Manoa Kennedy Theatre tied for second with four awards each, although Kennedy Theatre also received an Adjudicators' Special Award for its collective 2000-2001 Main Stage season of "Faust I/Faust II," "La Bete," "Unbuik Mudo and the Magic Flute" and "No One Will Marry a Princess with a Tree Growing out of Her Head."
Perennial favorites John Rampage and Jo Pruden each added another award to their collections. Rampage won this year for his choreography of DHT's "Victor/Victoria." Pruden was honored for her performance in MVT's "Grace & Glorie."
Po‘okela winners
Here are the winners of last night's Po'okela Awards ceremony honoring the best of local theater.
(ACT = Army Community Theatre / DHT = Diamond Head Theatre / HPU = Hawaii Pacific University / MVT = Manoa Valley Theatre / TAG = The Actors Group / UH = University of Hawaii at Manoa Kennedy Theatre Main Stage)>> Leading male in a play: Eric Nemoto, "Oleanna," TAG>> Leading female in a play: Jo Pruden, "Grace & Glorie," MVT; Dorothy Stamp, "Oleanna," TAG
>> Leading male in a musical: Guy Merola, "Chess," DHT; Steve Wagenseller, "Kiss Me, Kate," HPU
>> Leading female in a musical: Cathy Foy, "Kiss Me, Kate," HPU
>> Featured male in a play: Russell Motter, "The Last Night of Ballyhoo," MVT
>> Featured female in a play: Julia Ogilvie, "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever," DHT
>> Featured male in a musical: Brad Powell, "Kiss Me, Kate," HPU
>> Featured female in a musical: Stephanie Sanchez, "No One Will Marry a Princess with a Tree Growing out of Her Head," UH
>> Choreography: John Rampage, "Victor/Victoria," DHT
>> Director of a play: Phyllis S.K. Look, "Sisters Matsumoto," MVT
>> Director of a musical: Linda Johnson, "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change," MVT
>> Musical director: Lina Jeong Doo, "Evita," ACT
>> Set design: Kimo Moore, "No One Will Marry a Princess with a Tree Growing out of Her Head," UH
>> Costume design: Sandra Finney, "No One Will Marry a Princess with a Tree Growing out of Her Head," UH
>> Lighting design: Stephen Crowell, "No One Will Marry a Princess with a Tree Growing out of Her Head," UH
>> Sound design: Jason Taglianetti, "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change," MVT
>> Nonresident artist: Joseph Ricci, Billy Bigelow in "Carousel," DHT
>> Ensemble: "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change," MVT
>> Overall musical: "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change," MVT
>> Overall play: "Grace & Glorie," MVT; "Oleanna," TAG
>> Adjudicators' Special Awards: 1) University of Hawaii at Manoa Kennedy Theatre for the overall excellence in production and diversity of subject matter in its 2000-2001 "Main Stage" season ("Faust," "Umbuik Mudo and the Magic Flute," "La Bete" and "No One Will Marry a Princess with a Tree Growing out of Her Head"). 2) The Actors Group for successfully presenting a schedule that includes a little of everything from Shakespeare to contemporary on-the-edge shows and giving Honolulu an opportunity to see shows that don't fit the format of larger theater groups.
>> Pierre Bowman Award: George and Linda Hearn for lifetime contributions to local theater.
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