For the 25th anniversary of the Artie Awards, held Monday night, June 1st, the event got a new venue. 710 Main. The former home of Studio Arena Theatre turned out to be a terrific location for Artvoice’s annual celebration of our theater community. The Artie crowd warmed up the house with an energy the room hasn’t felt for years!

As she has for all 25 years of the Artie Awards, jazz singer Peggy Farrell performed before the ceremonies, this time with legendary jazz pianist George Caldwell, who was a nominee as part of the ensemble for MusicalFare’s Ain’t Misbehavin’. Meanwhile, Shea’s caterer Bobbie Scott got the bar into full gear, serving the crowd as fast as a limited bar length could manage. Thanks to all.

My hosting team, Charmagne Chi, Amy Jakiel, and music director Michael Hake were total geniuses at keeping the event friendly and fun. Many thanks to all who participated! We’re still counting the incoming money from red ribbon sales, but we should have a generous donation for the Immunodeficiency Clinic at ECMC.

There were moving tributes to very popular Career Achievement honorees Javier Bustillos and Michael Hake who were visibly touched by the love of the crowd.

Thanks to Tom Dooney for hours of pre-Artie administration; to Doug Weyand for exhaustive production work; to Deb Ellis for emerging from Artie retirement for Artie advisement and rehearsal space; to the Artie committee for a hundred nights of theater going; to event coordinator Christi Allen for her invention and experience; to my Lady Bracknell dresser and hairdresser Long Nguyen and Allyssa Pellino for facilitating an astonishingly fast transformation; to stage managers Karen Nemeth and Mary Sheridan; to Sean, Shayne, and Betty and the other volunteers; to the Artvoice staff; and for the staff and crew at 710 Main who made us feel welcome and to smooth over potential problems before they ever occurred. Thank you to Tony Conte of Shea’s for facilitating the move to 710 Main—a return visit for year 26 is entirely likely—we like it there!

25th Annual Artie Award Winners

Production of a Play:

Death of a Salesman, Irish Classical Theatre Company

Production of a Musical:

The Drowsy Chaperone, MusicalFare Theatre

Direction of a Play:

Robert Waterhouse, All Quiet on the Western Front

Direction of a Musical:

Michael Walline, Ain’t Misbehavin’

Choreography:

Kristy E. Schupp, Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story

Ensemble of a Play:

Tom Sawyer, New Phoenix Theatre

Ensemble of a Musical:

Gee’s Bend, Paul Robeson Theatre

Actor in a Play:

John Fredo, Death of a Salesman

Actress in a Play: (tie)

Anne Gayley, Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks

Kristen Tripp Kelley, The Beauty Queen of Leenane

Supporting Actor in a Play:

Greg Natale, Orphans

Supporting Actress in a Play:

Anne Roaldi Boucher, After Miss Julie

Actor in a Musical:

Eric Rawski, The Drowsy Chaperone

Actress in a Musical:

Debbie Pappas, She Loves Me

Supporting Actor in a Musical:

Michael Seitz, Poseidon! An Upside Down Musical

Supporting Actress in a Musical:

Michele Marie Roberts, Assassins

Set Design:

David King, Journey’s End

Lighting Design:

Emma Schimminger, Songs for a New World

Costume Design:

Ann Emo, The Liar

Emanuel Fried Award for New Play:

Gary Earl Ross, Guns of Christmas

Career Achievement:

Javier Bustillos

Michael Hake

Katharine Cornell Award for Outstanding Contribution by a Visiting Artist:

Rebecca Elkin, Beau Jest, JRT

Kate LoConti, After Miss Julie, ICTC