Winners of the Linda Wise Awards for 2012:
Best Performance by a Leading Actor: Adam Sechelski as Tom Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie
Best Performance by a Supporting Actor: Jay Tryall as Duke in The Great American Trailer Park Musical
Best Performance by a Leading Actress: Patty Maguire as Betty in The Great American Trailer Park Musical
Best Performance by a Supporting Actress: Courtney Bozaich as Pippi in The Great American Trailer Park Musical
Best Performance by a Newcomer: Gina Hay Bryan as Jeannie Garstecki in The Great American Trailer Park Musical
Performance of the Year: Patty Maguire as Betty in The Great American Trailer Park Musical
Best Ensemble: The Great American Trailer Park Musical
Best Overall Prop/Dressing Design: Willa Kerr for The Great American Trailer Park Musical
Best Overall Sound Design: Kim Fratesi for Almost, Maine
Best Overall Costume Design: ay Tryall for The Great American Trailer Park Musical
Best Overall Lighting Design: yson White for The Glass Menagerie
Best Overall Scenic Design: James Maloof for The Great American Trailer Park Musical
The Nancy Florman Director’s Award: Jay Tryall for The Great American Trailer Park Musical
Best Show: The Great American Trailer Park Musical
Staff Awards: Patty Maguire stage manager for Almost, Maine; Vanessa Outlaw stage manager The Great American Trailer Park Musical
The Paula Vaughn Volunteer of the Year Award: Maria Morales-Johnson
The Judge Clarence R. Vaughn Award for Theatre Appreciation: Joseph Harrison
The Victor Smith Award for Achievement in Technical Theatre: James Maloof
The Cynthia M. Evans Award for Theatre in the Community: Bonnie Marshall
The Linda Wise Award for Excellence in Theatre Award: Amy LeCates
NDP Favorite Male Performer: Paul Casola in Almost, Maine & in ‘Til Beth Do Us Part
NDP Favorite Female Performer: Amy LeCates in ‘Til Beth Do Us Part & in The Great American Trailer Park Musical
NDP Favorite Director: Cyndi Evans for ‘Til Beth Do Us Part
NDP Favorite Show: The Great American Trailer Park Musical
Best Performance by a Guest Artist in a New Depot Players Event: Solita Johnson “Home”
The New Depot Players returned to their roots on by hosting the sixth annual Linda Wise Awards at the historic Depot on Feb. 9.
The theater group now stages most plays at Center Street Arts, but for many years they performed in the old train depot — hence their name — and would “freeze” dialogue and song when a train thundered past. The Wise Awards, named for their late patron, are Conyers’ answer to the “Tonys.”
Guests and casts mingle and reunite as they honor the talent and dedication required to stage four quality productions per year.
City Councilman and patron Vince Evans and his wife, Cyndi Evans, also named NDP’s Favorite Director, emceed the show, directed traffic and gave a good-natured heckling to presenters and winners via “wrap it up” and “nobody is listening” placards. Another treat of the evening were several live musical performances from past and future shows.
“The Great American Trailer Park Musical” was the night’s big victor. The revived popular comedy took home Best and NDP Favorite Show, Best Director and Supporting Actor for Jay Tyrall, Best Actress Patty Maguire, as well as awards for its costume, staging and lighting design. Amy LeCates was named NDP’s Favorite Female Performer for her work in both “GATPM” and “’Til Beth Do Us Part.”
After accepting the Favorite Male Performer award, the physical and fearless Paul Casola — he cross-dressed for “TBDUP” — said of his involvement with NDP over the years, “When real life stinks, you lose and find yourself at the same time in these roles.”
NDP’s next venture, “The Rabbit Hole,” written by David Lindsay-Abaire and directed by Jay Tryall opens March 7. For more information, visit thenewdepotplayers.com and for full listing of honorees go to rockdalenews.com.
