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Acclaim Hall of Fame

Acclaimed Productions for 09-10 Theatre Season
	33 Variations Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati Dale Hodges Supporting Performance, Equity

	7 (X1) Samurai Cincinnati Fringe Festival David Gaines Solo Performance

	Angels in America: Millennium Approaches Know Theatre of Cincinnati Outstanding Alternative 2010 Brian Issac Phillips Direction Michael Bath Supporting Performance, Equity The Cast Ensemble, Non Equity

	Breaking Up is Hard to Do Covedale Center for the Performing Arts Joshua Steele Supporting Performance, Non Equity

	Bury the Dead Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center Bennett Bradley, Michael Carr, Brian Emond, Claron Hayden, Kevin Macku, Kevin Malarkey, Catherine Prevett, Hope Shangle, Jordan Shramka, Mikayla Stanley and John Ware Principal Ensemble, University Michael Burnham Direction

	Bye Bye Birdie NKU Theatre and Dance Jane Green and Sarah Peak Choreography, University Jeff Shearer Costume Design, University Ken Jones Direction Kieran Cronin Musical Supporting Performance, University Sara Kenny Musical Supporting Performance, University

	Daddy Long Legs Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park Megan McGinnis Musical Lead Performance, Equity

	Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center Charlie Clark Musical Lead Performance, Equity

	Equus New Edgecliff Theatre Alan Patrick Kenny Direction Cary Davenport Lead Performance, Non Equity Glen Goodwin Lighting Design, Non Equity Paul Lieber Sound Design, Non Equity The Cast Ensemble, Non Equity

	Falsettos UC College-Conservatory of Music Mia Gentile Musical Supporting Performance, University

	Gravesongs Cincinnati Fringe Festival Rachel Christianson, Emily Eaton, Lauren Shiveley, Rebecca Whatley & Elizabeth Worley Ensemble, Fringe Liz Maxwell Direction

	I Love a Piano Commonwealth Theatre Company Matt Bohnert, Sarah Drake, Roderick Justice, Edwin Large, Rachel Perin & Laura Wacksman Musical Ensemble, Non Equity

	Orpheus Descending UC College Conservatory of Music Ashton Byrum Direction Justin Barisonek Set Design, University

	Othello Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Kelly Mengelkoch Supporting Performance, Equity

	Picnic UC College Conservatory of Music Tammy Honesty Set Design, University

	Poe Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Giles Davies Theatrical Special Event

	Rhinoceros NKU Theatre and Dance Jeff Shearer Wig Design, University

	Sideways Stories From Wayside School Know Theatre of Cincinnati Darnell Benjamin, Breona Conrad, Annie Kalahurka Joshua Murphy, Kim Popa, Catherine Prevett, Dylan Shelton, Alison Vodnoy, Liz Vosmeier and Chris Wesselman Ensemble, Non Equity Jason Ballweber Direction Lindsey Jones and Kim Popa Choreography, Non Equity

	Sleuth Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park Paul Shortt, Manager Anna C. Goller, Ingrid Heithaus Scott Hubert and Thomas C. Nader, Jr. Set Design & D�cor, Equity

	The Edge Cincinnati Fringe Festival Karen Wissel Supporting Performance, Fringe

	The Fall of Heaven Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park David Gallo Set Design, Equity Donald Holder Lighting Design, Equity Esau Pritchett Lead Performance, Equity Jenifer Morrow Stage Management, Equity Marion McClinton Direction Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen Sound Design, Equity

	The Fantasticks Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park Ron Bohmer Lead Musical Performance, Equity Dale Hodges and Joneal Joplin Outstanding Duo

	The History of Invulnerability Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park David Deblinger Lead Performance, Equity David Gallo and Steve Channon Scenic Design, Equity Joseph Parks Supporting Performance, Equity Michael Haney Direction

	The Human Comedy UC College Conservatory of Music Aubrey Berg Direction in a Collegiate Production Anthony DeAngelis Music and Vocal Direction Carlyn Connolly Musical Supporting Performance, University The Cast Collegiate Vocal Performance

	The Lion in Winter Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Bruce Cromer Lead Performance Sherman Fracher Lead Performance

	The Marvelous Wonderettes Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati Brooke Rucidlo Musical Supporting Performance, Non Equity Mia Gentile Musical Supporting Performance, Non Equity

	The Musical of Musicals - The Musical Showboat Majestic Mark Femia, Lesley Hitch, Brooke Rucidlo, Michael Shawn Starks & Mike Sherman Musical Ensemble, Non Equity

	Three Sisters Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park Ann Hould-Ward Costume Design, Equity Corey Stoll Supporting Performance, Equity Dan Moses Schreier Sound Design.Composer, Equity Frank Wood Supporting Performance, Equity Jane Cox Lighting Design, Equity John Doyle Direction Laila Robins Supporting Performance, Equity Sarah Ruhl Adapted Script Scott Pask Set Design, Equity The Cast Ensemble, Equity

	Titanic The Musical NKU Theatre and Dance Jamey Strawn Vocal Direction, University The Cast Vocal Performance, University

	Victoria Musica Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park Stephen Caffery, Drew Cortese, Judith Hawking Mariann Mayberry, Thom Rivera, Tommy Schrider Ensemble, Equity

	You Can't Take It With You UC College Conservatory of Music Hope Shangle Supporting Performance, University Kayleigh Baird and Thomas Umfrid Properties, University Peter Van Wagner & Evan Zes Scenic Design, University

Most Valuable Players for 09-10 Theatre Season
	Brooke Rucidlo Brooke Rucidlo has had a very, very busy year lighting up Cincinnati�s musical stages and winning applause and acclaim everywhere she goes, including �Musical of Musicals� aboard Showboat Majestic, then to the Covedale for �Meet Me in St. Louis� and �Breaking Up Is Hard To Do,� then finally to ETC as the bubble-gum chewing sweetheart Suzie Simpson in extened and extended and extended �The Marvelous Wonderettes."

	Josh Steele As the Theatre and Facility Manager at the Carnegie Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, Josh Steele has been a determined, innovative and hard working leader who has not only kept the lights on at the renovated Carnegie but has also been successful in his co-production model. He�s made it possible to bring exciting productions like �Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,� �Oliver!� (collaborating with the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra) and �Bury The Dead� (co-produced with CCM Drama) to the stage, at the same time creating a financially sound theatre program.

	Liz Vosmeier There was no missing the onstage anchor to the 2009-2010 Know season. Liz Vosmeier demonstrated her comic gifts as an apocalyptic museum curator in Boom; and in Sideways Stories from WaysideSchool; she did heartbreak in Adding Machine: A Musical; and closed the season as the Angel in Angels in America. That range of roles deserves an MVP � but that�s just the beginning. She choreographed Know�s national tour of Calculus: The Musical!, performed in education productions The Brothers Grimm and Slapstick Sound. And then there�s the gruntier side of low-budget indie theater � Liz was wardrobe mistress for the entire season maintaining and repairing costumes and doing hundreds of loads of laundry.

	Mark Halpin Mark Halpin knocked Acclaim out of its shoes and socks for his work on CCM�s HAIR, adapting (and riffing) his scenic design from Paul Shortt�s original in 1989. He followed up with so much more terrific work this season � his gymnatorium for NKU�s BYE BYE BIRDIE, that morphed onto a quirky world of Fifties Americana; With BURY THE DEAD, his raked set completely reinvented the performing space at The Carnegie, lifting the graves - and the stories - of the dead soldiers into the lap of the audience.

	Patti James Among her stand-out work this year: putting some marvelous moves on Ensemble�s Wonderettes, teaching CCM Drama�s Picnic cast how to do some swoony swing and jitterbug, providing the ooomph to the CCM�s glam Transatlantic sailing of Anything Goes. Patti was also at The Carnegie, putting two Dirty Rotten Scoundrels through their paces then going back to the 19th century and Charles Dickens with Oliver Twist. Behind that fierce work ethic is a deep personal investment in the people around her, which more often than not creates a bond of friendship and loyalty that endures long after closing night curtain call or final exams.

	Steve Goers Music and Vocal Director, Composer and Arranger, Accompanist and Musician � it seems like Steve Goers� has been everywhere on the Cincinnati theater scene this season. In addition to his CCM work directing, supervising and writing the arrangements for the Freshman Musical Theatre students� annual showcase; he rocked audiences conducting, playing and music directing last fall�s �Hair� and this winter�s �Falsettos�. For Cincinnati Landmark Productions, Steve�s musical work appeared in all three of their venues (The Covedale, The Showboat Majestic and Cincinnati Young Peoples� Theatre) in productions of �Godspell�, �My Fair Lady� and �Singin� in the Rain.�

Rising Stars for 09-10 Theatre Season
	Lauren Sprague Lauren Sprague has been making an impression on Cincinnati audiences since, as a Lakota West High School student, she stole Cincinnati Music Theatre's "42nd Street" playing a gonna-be-a-star ing�nue. Equally adept at playing an ing�nue, a musical comedienne or a siren, as a junior at CCM Sprague was a show-stopper as Hedy LaRue in "How to Succeed in Business"; she won an Acclaim Award for her lead musical performance in "Two Gentlemen of Verona." "Lauren is a great all-around performer who sings, dances and acts with equal aplomb," applauds Roger Grodsky, associated professor of musical theater at CCM. "It has been a pleasure to have her in class and she is a delight to work with in a show. And she's from Cincinnati!"

	Matt Bohnert Matt Bohnert has been a stand-out in musicals (including "Cats") and dramas (George in "Of Mice and Men" at Northern Kentucky University. Ken Jones, chair of NKU's theater and dance department, says, "I first met Matt Bohnert when he was a child, and I cast him as Winthrop in the Downtown Theatre Classics version of "The Music Man," which starred, a then out-of-town actor, Mark Hardy. "Matt was a spunky, overly-energetic, hilarious 10-year-old kid, and, except for his age, that description has not changed in 11 years! "Matt's determination to succeed and his over-achiever work ethic will help him to make it in this crazy business of theater�Matt is definitely a rising star, but he might be better classified as a fireball meteor rocketing toward Broadway!"

	Stephanie Bratt Stephanie Brait has been a stand-out on the CCM Drama stage since her freshman year. CCM Music Drama chair Richard Hess calls her "a devoted, hard working, talented actress who always creates characters that are complex, well crafted, and entertaining. "She has had a distinguished four-year career at CCM and has embraced the artistic life in Cincinnati with relish." Brait has appeared in Cincinnati Fringe Festival, Know Theatre and Cincinnati Playwright's Initiative, as well as in many locally shot films and commercials. She also played Rosalind in "As You Like It" in Eden Park last summer. "She has played a huge range of roles in CCM Drama, from Wendla in "Spring Awakening" to Calista in "Anon(ymous)" to Carol Cutrere in "Orpheus Descending."

Theatre Educator Awards for 09-10 Theatre Season
	Michele Mascari St. Xavier High School "Michele Mascari," writes nominator Joe Markesbery, "is the heart and soul of Theatre Xavier." The St. X program is known for the challenging work it takes on, for cast crew and audiences, and, Joe tells us, "She has an incredible gift of being able to see how every facet of a show should look and feel." Michele is known just as much for "the welcoming and accepting community" she has built over almost three decades, even as she has built the theater program. "To be a community, Ms. Mascari teaches us, we must collaborate with the other students and with the adults who guide us. Her leadership makes sure that this happens every day, every rehearsal, every performance. ... She draws us together and brings us to excellence."

Trailblazer Awards for 09-10 Theatre Season
	Dee Anne Bryll and Ed Cohen Synonymous with Cincinnati theatre for a long time as play-makers, educators, volunteers and visionaries, what makes them Acclaim�s 2010 Trailblazers is their commitment to connecting theater with community, dreaming big dreams about a community embracing theater, and making a lot of those dreams reality. Dee Anne, who recently left her role as longtime head of College-Conservatory of Music�s Prep Department theater program also works with area high schools and universities including Northern Kentucky University, Xavier University and Thomas More College. Dee Anne has instilled passion and professionalism in literally thousands of kids throughout the region; most recently Ed Cohen has been a key player in helping establish Madisonville Community Arts Center. �In the 18 years I have worked with them,� says Diane Carr of Educational Theatre Association, �I have watched Dee Anne and Ed serve a models of vision, ethics, and positive role models for thousands in the Greater Cincinnati area. �They live each day "paying it forward." Whether putting their own money into creating an arts center in Madisonville, to volunteering at theatres and schools, to serving a role models to youths and young adults, Dee Anne and Ed have made the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area a better place to live, work, and play.�