BroadwayWorld SF/Bay Area 2023 Awards Nominations:
Favorite Local Theatre – Altarena Playhouse
Best Direction Of A Musical – Dana Anderson – RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL
Best Direction Of A Play
ShawnJ West – A SOLDIER’S PLAY
Kimberly Ridgeway – A NICE FAMILY GATHERING / THE BIRDS
Katina Psihos Letheule – SLOW FOOD
Best Ensemble
A NICE FAMILY GATHERING
SLOW FOOD
RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL
A SOLDIER’S PLAY
THE BIRDS
Best Musical – RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL
Best Play
A NICE FAMILY GATHERING
SLOW FOOD
A SOLDIER’S PLAY
THE BIRDS
Best Performer In A Musical
Sarah Elizabeth Williams – RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL
Ronnie Anderson – RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL
Ginger Dreicer – RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL
Best Supporting Performer In A Musical
McKenzie Lopezlira – RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL
Anna Joham – RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL
Lisa Appleyard – RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL
Caroline Schneider – RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL
Best Performer In A Play
Gwynnevere Cristobal – THE BIRDS
Dedrick Weathersby – A SOLDIER’S PLAY
Kimberly Ridgeway – SLOW FOOD
Damion Clark – SLOW FOOD
Kyle Smith – A NICE FAMILY GATHERING
Marsha Howard – A NICE FAMILY GATHERING
Best Supporting Performer In A Play
Fred Pitts – A SOLDIER’S PLAY
Tim Holt Jones – THE BIRDS
January 20 – February 19
SLOW FOOD
By Wendy MacLeod
Directed by Katina Psihos Letheule
An empty nester couple is celebrating their anniversary by traveling to Palm Springs for the first time. The rental car agency bungles their reservation, the hotel is less than ideal, and all of the nearby restaurants are closed except for a Greek restaurant called Dmitri’s. They’re starving, exhausted, and emotionally spent. Their very needy waiter proceeds to micromanage every part of their dining experience, except for actually serving the food.
March 24 – April 30
RUTHLESS!
Book and Lyrics by Joel Paley
Music by Marvin Laird
Directed by Dana Anderson
Musical Direction by Armando Fox
Ruthless! is the story of a naive 1950s housewife, Judy, and her adorable but sociopathic 8-year-old daughter Tina. Encouraged by her manager, Sylvia, Tina will do ANYTHING to get the lead role in her school play, “including murdering the leading lady!” Ruthless! spoofs Broadway musicals like Gypsy and Mame, and the movies All About Eve and The Bad Seed. Winner of the 1993 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical.
May 26 – June 25
A SOLDIER’S PLAY
By Charles Fuller
Directed by ShawnJ West
In a segregated Louisiana army camp in 1944, the murder of rancorous Black sergeant Vernon C. Waters, the sergeant of a Black company, stirs deep-seated animosity and corruption among the soldiers under his command. Captain Taylor, the white C.O., worries the murderer may be a white officer or the local Klan. Richard Davenport, a Black clean-cut Northern captain, is assigned to investigate. Taylor, fearing the assignment of a Black investigator means the case is to be swept under the rug, attempts to discourage Davenport. But Davenport perseveres, discovering deep-seated hatred and corruption among the men in the company. Despite each soldier’s motive for the killing, Davenport eventually solves the case, revealing a truth more shocking than the murder itself.
August 11 – September 10
THE BIRDS
By Conor McPherson
Directed by Kimberly Ridgeway
This gripping, unsettling, and moving look at human relationships during a time of societal collapse is from the Daphne du Maurier short story, and the basis for Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film. In an isolated house, two strangers take shelter from masses of relentless, attacking birds. With no electricity, little food and a nearby neighbor who may be watching them, there is little comfort or peace. Another refugee arrives with news of the outside world, but her presence brings added discord.
October 20 – November 19
MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY
By Lauren Gunderson & Margo Melcon
Directed by Jacquie Duckworth
Set two years after Pride and Prejudice, Jane and Elizabeth Bennet, along with their spouses, are gathered at the Darcy home for Christmas when the awkward, bookish middle sister Mary unexpectedly encounters shy Arthur de Bourgh. In him, she finds a kindred spirt and intellectual equal. However, since Arthur is a man in possession of a good fortune, she is not his only suitor. Mary must find the boost she needs to embrace her independence and find true love. This is a witty, romantic holiday comedy about family, awkward love, and personal transformation that will delight Jane Austen aficionados and newcomers alike.