STAR-BULLETIN / 2003 Diamond Head Theatre's "Wizard of Oz" received 9 Po'okela nominations. From right to left are Julia Ogilvie as the Scarecrow, Jimi Wheeler as Tinman, Kim Anderson as Dorothy, and Agaton Pasion Jr. as the Cowardly Lion.

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Diamond Head Theatre
captures 38 Po‘okela
nominations

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By John Berger
jberger@starbulletin.com

Diamond Head Theatre has 38 nominations, with at least one for every show of its 2003-04 theater season, as the countdown begins for the 21st annual Po'okela Awards Banquet. The biggest event of the year in local theater takes place tomorrow at the Koolau Golf Club. The pre-banquet cocktail reception begins at 6 p.m.

21st annual Po'okela Awards Banquet Where: Ko'olau Golf Club, 45-550 Kionaole Road When: 6 p.m. July 19 Tickets: $50 includes dinner ($40 presale) Call: (808) 244-8760

DHT's pace-setting tally includes 10 nominations for its expansive production of "Ragtime the Musical," nine for "The Wizard of Oz," including a Leading Female in a Musical nomination for Kim Anderson, and eight for the season finale -- "Hello, Dolly!" -- including nominations for stars Shari Lynn and Dennis Proulx.

Manoa Valley Theatre has 17 nominations, including five each for "Bat Boy: The Musical" and "The Laramie Project." Army Community Theatre's fall production of "Man of La Mancha," starring Mary Chesnut Hicks, accounted for seven of ACT's 16 nominations, while the Actors Group's recent staging of "The Trip to Bountiful" received six of TAG's 15 nominations.

Four other local theater groups received nominations in at least one category.

The Po'okela Awards are presented each year by the Hawaii State Theatre Council, and were created to recognize and acknowledge excellence in local theater. The founders of the awards decreed that as many as three examples of excellence can be recognized in each category -- a policy that has been a subject of controversy within the theater community over the years.

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STAR-BULLETIN / 2004 Linda McCarthy received a Po'okela award nomination for costume design for her work in Diamond Head Theatre's production of "Hello Dolly." Shari Lynn, as Dolly, is shown at center, surrounded by the supporting cast. Lynn is also up for an award in the Leading Female in a Musical category.

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Two of Hawaii's major local theater groups, Honolulu Theatre for Youth and Kumu Kahua, again chose to opt of the Po'okela adjudication, and the adjudicators were therefore unable to consider the world premiere productions of critically lauded new works by Hawaii resident playwrights Dennis Carroll ("Massie/Kahahawai"), Lee A. Tonouchi ("Gone Feeshing"), Yokanaan Kearns ("Dis/Troy") and Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl ("Fanny and Belle") for excellence in the Original Script category, or to consider the work of Kumu Kahua and HTY actors and tech crew in any category. As a result, there are no nominees in the Original Script category.

In addition to honoring excellence in 22 categories, the adjudicators may also present up to two awards for achievements that fall outside the standard categories.

The HSTC board of directors also chooses a recipient for its Pierre Bowman Award for lifetime achievement. This year's recipient is the late Jo Diotalevi.

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Theater group abbreviations:
ACT: Army Community Theatre
DHT: Diamond Head Theatre
HPU: Hawaii Pacific University
HSF: Hawaii Shakespeare Festival
MVT: Manoa Valley Theatre
PAL: Paliku Theatre (Windward Community College)
TAG: The Actors Group
UH: University of Manoa

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Here are the nominations for the 21st annual Po'okela Awards:

Leading Male in a Play
Eric Field, "All My Sons," HPU
Jared Jeffries, "Apartment 3A," MVT
Eric Nemoto, "The Guys," TAG
Paul D. Palmore, "Amadeus," DHT
Jim Tharp, "On Golden Pond," TAG

Leading Female in a Play
Jan McGrath, "On Golden Pond," TAG
Jo Pruden, "The Trip to Bountiful," TAG
Carla Rzeszewski, "All My Sons," HPU
Fan Xing, "Nozaki Village," UH
Tara Ziegler, "Gunfighter," MVT

Leading Male in a Musical
Randl Ask, "Peter Pan," DHT
Bryan Bender, "Camelot," ACT
Shannon Kaleo Loo, "Bat Boy: The Musical," MVT
Dennis Proulx, "Hello, Dolly!" DHT
Eletei Tatafu Jr., "CopaCabana," MVT

Leading Female in a Musical
Kim Anderson, "The Wizard of Oz," DHT
Mary Chesnut Hicks, "Man of La Mancha," ACT
Shari Lynn, "Hello, Dolly!" DHT
Nicole Marie Sullivan, "CopaCabana," MVT
Karen J. Valasek, "Bat Boy: The Musical," MVT

Featured Male in a Play
Moses Goods III, "Two Trains Running," TAG
Matthew Johnson, "The Laramie Project," MVT
Jeremy Pippin, "Henry IV, Part 1," HSF
Jerry Tracy, "The Laramie Project," MVT
Brent Yoshikami, "Noises Off," PAL

Featured Female in a Play
Clara Ann Chorley, "Noises Off," PAL
Rasa Radha Fournier, "The Trip to Bountiful," TAG
Holly Holowach, "The Trip to Bountiful," TAG
Alexandra Horn, "The Laramie Project," MVT
Dorothy Stamp, "Ten Million Reawakenings," TAG

Featured Male in a Musical
John Hunt, "Camelot," ACT
Scott Moura, "Man of La Mancha," ACT
Christopher Obenchain, "Hello, Dolly!" DHT
Dennis Proulx, "Jacques Brel Is Alive & Well ..." HPU
Douglas S. Scheer, "Ragtime The Musical," DHT

Featured Female in a Musical
Elizabeth Harrison, "Swing," DHT
Tricia Marciel, "Kiss Me, Kate," ACT
Jakara Mato, "Gypsy," ACT
Julia Ogilvie, "The Wizard of Oz," DHT
Kathleen Sulieman, "The Wizard of Oz," DHT

Choreography
Grace Bell Humerickhouse, "Gypsy," ACT
Katherine L. Jones, "Man of La Mancha," ACT
John Rampage, "CopaCabana," MVT
John Rampage, "Hello, Dolly!" DHT
John Rampage, "Ragtime the Musical," DHT

Director of a Play
Sharon Adair, "The Trip to Bountiful," TAG
Joyce Maltby, "All My Sons," HPU
Joyce Maltby, "Gunfighter," MVT
Bill Ogilvie, "Amadeus," DHT
Leonard Piggee, "Two Trains Running," TAG

Director of a Musical
Glenn Cannon, "Gypsy," ACT
John Mount, "Man of La Mancha," ACT
Eden Lee Murray, "Camelot," ACT
John Rampage, "Hello, Dolly!" DHT
Scott Rogers, "Bay Boy: The Musical," MVT

Musical Director
Roslyn Catracchia, "The Wizard of Oz," DHT
Lina Jeong Doo, "Man of La Mancha," ACT
Melina Lillios, "Ragtime the Musical," DHT
Alethea Train, "Swing," DHT
Donald Yap, "Hello, Dolly!" DHT

Set Design
Sharon Adair, "The Trip to Bountiful," TAG
Tom Giza, "Man of La Mancha," ACT
Patrick M. Kelly, "Amadeus," DHT
Patrick M. Kelly, "The Wizard of Oz," DHT
Lloyd S. Riford III, "Noises Off," PAL

Costume Design
Sukey Dickinson, "Ragtime the Musical," DHT
Athena Espania, "Bat Boy: The Musical," MVT
Linda McCarthy, "Hello, Dolly!" DHT
Roxanne Vogelgesang, "All My Sons," HPU
Karen G. Wolfe, "The Wizard of Oz," DHT

Lighting Design
Cathie Anderson, "The Laramie Project," MVT
Stephen Clear, "Ragtime the Musical," DHT
Dawn Oshima, "The Wizard of Oz," DHT
John Parkinson, "Camelot," ACT
Lloyd S. Riford III, "Bat Boy: The Musical," MVT

Sound Design
Mikel Humerickhouse, "Amadeus," DHT
Mikel Humerickhouse, "Hello, Dolly!" DHT
Mikel Humerickhouse, "Ragtime the Musical," DHT
Rick Jackson, "Camelot," ACT
Jason Taglianetti, "CopaCabana," MVT

Nonresident Guest Artist
Mary Gutzi (Director/Actor), "Ragtime the Musical," DHT
Adealani Malia (Director/Choreographer), "Swing," DHT
Jerold E. Solomon (Actor), "Ragtime the Musical," DHT
Jennifer Waldman (Director), "The Wizard of Oz," DHT
Crystal Williams (Actor), "Ragtime the Musical," DHT

Ensemble
"Jacques Brel Is Alive & Well ..." HPU
"The Laramie Project," MVT
"Noises Off," PAL
"Swing," DHT
"Two Trains Running," TAG

Original Script
No nominees

Original Music Score
No nominees

Overall Musical
"Hello, Dolly!" DHT
"Man of La Mancha," ACT
"Ragtime the Musical," DHT
"Swing," DHT
"The Wizard of Oz," DHT

Overall Play
"All My Sons," HPU
"Nozaki Village," UH
"On Golden Pond," TAG
"The Trip to Bountiful," TAG
"Two Trains Running," TAG

The Adjudicators' Special Excellence Awards will be announced at the event.

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