By Michael J. Toscano
Special to the Washington Post
Thursday, January 25, 2007; VA28
Herndon's Elden Street Players have been nominated for outstanding musical and play in this year's Washington Area Theatre Community Honors.
Each year the troupe stages six main stage productions, five plays and one musical, plus shows for children.
"Blood Brothers," an unusual and stirring musical about twins separated at birth and later reunited, was recognized with seven nominations, including outstanding musical.
Elden Street's drama "Three Tall Women," an unsentimental character study that won a Pulitzer Prize for playwright Edward Albee in 1994, received 10 nominations, including play. "The Invention of Love," an intellectually dense drama from Tom Stoppard, picked up two nominations, giving Elden Street Players a total of 19.
The Vienna Theatre Company's production of "Enchanted April," a light comedy-drama about a group of English women on an Italian vacation, was nominated in the play category. Two other Fairfax County theater companies, Providence Players of Falls Church and Reston Community Players, received several nominations.
In all, 96 productions from 26 community theater companies in Virginia, Maryland and the District were judged in 2006. The winners will be announced March 4 at the Birchmere in Alexandria.
The Elden Street Players are facing stiff competition from the Arlington Players, which, with 21 nominations for three shows, is the only other troupe in the running for both outstanding musical and play, for "The Pirates of Penzance" and "Noises Off."
Kensington Arts Theatre has two edgy productions up for outstanding musical. Its productions of "Assassins" and "Urinetown" share 20 nominations.
The Port Tobacco Players of LaPlata received the most nominations, 24 for four productions, including musical for "Seussical."
Five nominees were selected in each category. For a complete list of nominations, visit http://www.washingtontheater.org. Here are the Fairfax County nominees.
Elden Street Players· Musical: "Blood Brothers"
· Direction of a musical: Gloria DuGan, "Blood Brothers"
· Featured actor in a musical: Nano Gowland as Narrator/Bogeyman, "Blood Brothers"
· Lead actor in a musical: Andy Izquierdo as Mickey, "Blood Brothers"
· Lead actor in a musical: Josh Doyle as Eddie, "Blood Brothers"
· Lead actress in a musical: Anita Miller as Mrs. Johnstone, "Blood Brothers"
· Music direction: David Rohde, "Blood Brothers"
· Cameo in a play: Sally Cusenza as Charon, "The Invention of Love"
· Direction of a play: Michael Kharfen, "The Invention of Love"
· Play: "Three Tall Women
· Cameo in a play: Josh Doyle as The Boy, "Three Tall Women"
· Direction of a play: Rosemary Hartman, "Three Tall Women"
· Featured actress in a play: Karen Havener Handley as B, "Three Tall Women"
· Lead actress in a play: Carla Scopeletis as A, "Three Tall Women"
· Properties: Hilary Huse, Al Fetske and Jeff Boatright, "Three Tall Women"
· Set construction: Michael Schlabach, "Three Tall Women"
· Set decoration: Hilary Huse, "Three Tall Women"
· Set design: Marty Sullivan, "Three Tall Women"
· Set painting: Cathy Rieder, "Three Tall Women"
Providence Players· Featured actress in a play: Nancy Thompson as Margaret the Mother, "I Never Sang for My Father"
· Featured actor in a play: John Coscia as Kit Carson, "The Time of Your Life"
· Set construction: John Coscia, "The Time of Your Life"
· Set decoration: Chip Gertzog and John Coscia, "The Time of Your Life"
· Set design: John Coscia and Chip Gertzog, "The Time of Your Life"
Reston Community Players· Lead actress in a musical: Jennifer Lambert as Narrator, " Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat"
· Light design: Ken and Patti Crowley, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat"
Vienna Theatre Company· Play: "Enchanted April"
· Cameo in a musical: Johnny Goshen as Courier, "1776"
· Choreography: Lorraine Magee, "1776"
· Costume design: Suzanne Maloney and Barbara Chaudet, "1776"
· Hair design: Lorraine Magee, "1776"
· Cameo in a play: Rose DeClerq as Costanza, "Enchanted April"
· Direction of a play: Suzanne Maloney, "Enchanted April"
· Lead Actress in a play: Lorraine Magee as Lotty Wilton, "Enchanted April"
· Light design: Frank Coleman, "Enchanted April"
· Set painting: Grant Kevin Lane, "Enchanted April"
