To borrow some lines from former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, there “are known knowns. … We also know there are known unknowns. … But there are also unknown unknowns — the ones we don’t know we don’t know.”
And so it is with the 28th annual Ostrander Awards. The known knowns are these: The astonishing Mark Chambers will host the ceremony at the Memphis Botanic Garden on Sunday, August 28th, from 6 to 10 p.m. We know that Ron Gephart is being honored with the Eugart Yerian Award for lifetime achievement in Memphis theater. We don’t know who the other winners are yet, but now we have the nominees. And who can ever predict what will happen when Memphis’ theater community gets together under one roof?
This year, Ostrander judges for the college and university division liked several University of Memphis productions, including Stuff Happened, a docudrama about events leading up to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Tennessee Williams’ classic A Streetcar Named Desire, and Bat Boy, a musical ripped from the pages of Weekly World News. They also liked Rhodes College’s perverse musical adaptation of Eudora Welty’s The Robber Bridegroom and its straightforward take on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.
In the community division, we have a pair of Chaperones (Playhouse on the Square and Harrell) battling it out to see who’s the drowsiest. They’re competing for play prizes against Crazy for You (Theatre Memphis), [title of show] (Theatre Memphis’ Next Stage), Grey Gardens (Circuit Playhouse), The Wiz at Hattiloo, and Playhouse on the Square’s remount of Ragtime.
Footloose (Playhouse on the Square) and Shakespeare’s Richard III (Next Stage) both make surprisingly strong showings. Other popular plays include August: Osage County (Playhouse on the Square), Black Pearl Sings (Circuit), From Up Here (Circuit), and Amadeus (Theatre Memphis) with some notable shout-outs to Picnic (Theatre Memphis), Dividing the Estate (Circuit), Dixie Swim Club (Germantown Community Theatre), and A Delicate Balance (Theatre Memphis).
Here’s a partial list of nominations. Visit the Flyer‘s performing-arts blog, Intermission Impossible, at memphisflyer.com for inside dope, picks, pans, and additional Ostrander coverage.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS — MUSICAL
Angela Fredriksson, Crazy for You — Theatre Memphis
Laura Stracko, Footloose — Playhouse on the Square
Bates Brooks, Grey Gardens — Circuit Playhouse
Claire Kolheim, Ragtime — Playhouse on the Square
Stephanie Bolton, The Wiz — Hattiloo Theatre
SUPPORTING ACTOR — MUSICAL
Charlton Johnson, The Wiz — Hattiloo Theatre
Josh Bernaski, Footloose — Playhouse on the Square
Robert Hanford, The Drowsy Chaperone — Harrell Theatre
David Foster, Ragtime — Playhouse on the Square
A.J. Bernard, The Wiz — Hattiloo Theatre
LEADING ACTRESS — MUSICAL
Kirie Walz, Annie Get Your Gun — Theatre Memphis
Noelia Warnett-Jones, The Wiz — Hattiloo Theatre
Carla McDonald, The Drowsy Chaperone — Playhouse on the Square
Kristina Hanford, The Drowsy Chaperone — Harrell Theatre
Emily Chateau, The Drowsy Chaperone — Harrell Theatre
LEADING ACTOR — MUSICAL
Bentley Black, Footloose — Playhouse on the Square
Jarrad Baker, Ragtime — Playhouse on the Square
Jordan Nichols, Crazy for You — Theatre Memphis
Michael Detroit, Ragtime — Playhouse on the Square
Justin Willingham, The Drowsy Chaperone — Harrell Theatre
DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Dave Landis, The Drowsy Chaperone — Playhouse on the Square
Robert Hetherington, Crazy for You — Theatre Memphis
Amy Hanford, The Drowsy Chaperone — Harrell Theatre
Tony Horne, The Wiz — Hattiloo Theatre
Dave Landis, Ragtime — Playhouse on the Square
MUSICAL
The Drowsy Chaperone — Harrell Theatre
[title of show] — Next Stage at Theatre Memphis
Crazy for You — Theatre Memphis
Footloose — Playhouse on the Square
Ragtime — Playhouse on the Square
SUPPORTING ACTRESS — DRAMA
Christina Wellford Scott, Picnic — Theatre Memphis
Ann Marie Hall, August: Osage County — Playhouse on the Square
Liz Sharpe, From Up Here — Circuit Playhouse
Leah Bray Nichols, August: Osage County — Playhouse on the Square
Meghan Lisi, Richard III — Next Stage at Theatre Memphis
Lorraine Cotton, Dividing the Estate — Circuit Playhouse
SUPPORTING ACTOR — DRAMA
John Moore, From Up Here — Circuit Playhouse
Barclay Roberts, Picnic — Theatre Memphis
Nick Echols, From Up Here — Circuit Playhouse
Chuck Hodges, Richard III — Next Stage at Theatre Memphis
Ed Porter, August: Osage County — Playhouse on the Square
Dave Landis, August: Osage County — Playhouse on the Square
LEADING ACTRESS — DRAMA
Irene Crist, August: Osage County — Playhouse on the Square
Kim Justis, August: Osage County — Playhouse on the Square
Crystin Gilmore, Black Pearl Sings — Circuit Playhouse
Tamara Wright, The Dixie Swim Club — Germantown Community Theatre
Olivia Wingate, Eleemosynary — Circuit Playhouse
Laura Stracko, Black Pearl Sings — Circuit Playhouse
LEADING ACTOR — DRAMA
David Foster, Dividing the Estate — Circuit Playhouse
Gregory Boller, Richard III — Next Stage at Theatre Memphis
Bennett Wood, A Delicate Balance — Next Stage at Theatre Memphis
Tony Isbell, Amadeus — Theatre Memphis
Marques Brown, Amadeus — Theatre Memphis
ENSEMBLE ACTING
[title of show] — Next Stage at Theatre Memphis
The Dixie Swim Club — Germantown Community Theatre
Wild Legacy — Voices of the South
The Wiz — Hattiloo Theatre
Black Pearl Sings — Circuit Playhouse
FEATURED ROLE
Jim Palmer, August: Osage County — Playhouse on the Square
Jo Lynn Palmer, Superior Donuts — Circuit Playhouse
Justin Asher, Little Shop of Horrors — Harrell Theatre
Stephen Tate, Little Shop of Horrors — Harrell Theatre
Bennett Wood, Richard III — Next Stage at Theatre Memphis
DIRECTION — DRAMA
Bo List, Richard III — Next Stage at Theatre Memphis
Robert Satterlee, August: Osage County — Playhouse on the Square
Irene Crist, From Up Here — Circuit Playhouse
Emily Wells, Black Pearl Sings — Circuit Playhouse
Jason Spitzer, A Christmas Carol — Theatre Memphis
DRAMATIC PRODUCTION
Richard III — Next Stage at Theatre Memphis
From Up Here — Circuit Playhouse
August: Osage County — Playhouse on the Square
Black Pearl Sings — Circuit Playhouse
SET DESIGN
Bill Short, A Delicate Balance — Next Stage at Theatre Memphis
Daniel Mueller, The Drowsy Chaperone — Harrell Theatre
Christopher McCollum, Crazy for You — Theatre Memphis
Mark Guirguis, August: Osage County — Playhouse on the Square
Christopher McCollum, A Christmas Carol — Theatre Memphis
COSTUMES
Andre Bruce Ward, Amadeus — Theatre Memphis
Andre Bruce Ward, Crazy for You — Theatre Memphis
Rebecca Powell, Ragtime — Playhouse on the Square
Guy Lee Bailey, Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure — Theatre Memphis
Andre Bruce Ward, Annie Get Your Gun — Theatre Memphis
LIGHTING
John Horan, August: Osage County — Playhouse on the Square
Terrance Holloway, Richard III — Next Stage at Theatre Memphis
John Horan, Ragtime — Playhouse on the Square
Matthew Strampe, Little Shop of Horrors — Harrell Theatre
John Horan, Footloose — Playhouse on the Square
PROPS
Grace Anne Harnish, August: Osage County — Playhouse on the Square
Christopher McCollum, Crazy For You — Theatre Memphis
Betty Dilley, Dixie Swim Club — Germantown Community Theatre
Grace Anne Harnish, A Christmas Story — Circuit Playhouse
WIGS & MAKEUP DESIGN
Barbara Sanders, Amadeus — Theatre Memphis
Barbara Sander, Crazy For You — Theatre Memphis
Liz Sharpe and Nicole Hale A Midsummer Night’s Dream — Playhouse on the Square
MUSIC DIRECTION
Steve Danielson, The Drowsy Chaperone — Harrell Theatre
Stephen Carey, A Midsummer Night’s Dream — Playhouse on the Square
Chris Nemec, Crazy For You — Theatre Memphis
Renee Kemper, Ragtime — Playhouse on the Square
Gary Beard, Annie Get Your Gun — Theatre Memphis
SOUND DESIGN
Tom Link, Eleemosynary — Playhouse on the Square at Theatre Works
Eric Sefton, Richard III — Next Stage at Theatre Memphis
Noah Glenn, Arsenic and Old Lace — Playhouse on the Square
Virginia Ralph, Wild Legacy — Voices of the South
Noah Glenn, Black Pearl Sings — Circuit Playhouse
CHOREOGRAPHY
Jordan Nichols, The Drowsy Chaperone — Playhouse on the Square
Shorey Walker, Footloose — Playhouse on the Square
Kathy Caradine, Crazy For You — Theatre Memphis
Pam Hurley, Crazy For You — Theatre Memphis
Cody Hanford, The Drowsy Chaperone — Harrell Theatre
Jordan Nichols, The Drowsy Chaperone — Harrell Theatre
Emma Crystal, The Wiz — Hattiloo Theatre
BEHIND THE SCENE AWARD
Amy Salerno Hale — Theatre Memphis
Dot Jenner — Germantown Community Theatre
David Taylor — Germantown Community Theatre
Jack Page — Harrell Theatre
Tina Fockler — Playhouse on the Square, Circuit Playhouse
EUGART YERIAN AWARD FOR LIFETIME SERVICE TO MEMPHIS THEATRE
Ron Gephart