2020 HENRY AWARD NOMINATIONS ARE FEAST AND FAMINE

The 2019-20 nominees for Outstanding Musical, clockwise from top left: Fine Arts Center Theatre Company's "The Bridges of Madison County,” Arvada Center's "Bright Star,” Thingamajig Theatre Company's "Jekyll & Hyde,” Town Hall Arts Center's "Cabaret” and Vintage Theatre's "The Scottsboro Boys."

Arvada Center's 'Bright Star' honored while many other top local companies are shut out

By John Moore, Senior Arts Journalist

The Colorado Theatre Guild’s annual Henry Award nominations are often an exercise in feast or famine – and there’s plenty of both feasting and famishing on the list of 2019-20 honorees announced today.

This very odd year in America (on and off our theatre stages) will be capped in an appropriately weird way when this year’s 15th Henry Awards are presented online the evening of Sunday, July 26. (Details to come.)

Leading the feasting for the second year in a row is the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College with 21 nominations, followed by the DCPA Theatre Company with 16, Creede Repertory Theatre with 12, Thunder River Theatre Company of Carbondale with 10 and the Arvada Center with nine.

The most-honored musical of this abbreviated year is the Fine Arts Center’s “The Bridges of Madison County” with 10 nominations, followed by the Arvada Center’s “Bright Star” (7), Town Hall Arts Center’s “Cabaret” (5), Thunder River Theatre Company’s “The Doyle and Debbie Show” (5) and the upstart Mountain Repertory Theatre Company’s “The Great American Trailer Park Musical." Its five nominations are the first-ever received by the resident company of the Butte Theatre in Cripple Creek.

The most-honored play of the year is Creede Repertory Theatre’s world-premiere staging of Beth Kander’s "Hazardous Materials” with 12 (pictured above and right), followed by the Fine Arts Center’s " The Curious Incident of the Dog in The Night-Time” (9), Colorado Springs TheatreWorks’ “The Mountaintop” (8), the DCPA Theatre Company’s “Indecent” (6), Buntport Theater’s “Universe 92” (5) and the DCPA Theatre Company’s “A Doll’s House” (5).

And talk about feasting: Sean Jeffries (pictured right), a lighting, scenic and sound designer for Thunder River, accomplished the unthinkable back in 2017 when he became the first person ever to receive five individual nominations in a single year. Now he's done it twice, and it’s an even greater achievement this year because the number of nominees has been reduced from seven per category to five.

Those left among the famished include some of the biggest kids on the Colorado theatre block, including BDT Stage; the Aurora Fox; Su Teatro; Theatre Aspen; Colorado Shakespeare Festival; Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company; The Catamounts; and Fort Collins’ OpenStage and Bas Bleu. None of them received a nomination.

The zeitgeist play of 2019 was unquestionably Su Teatro’s gentrification comedy “Northside,” which sold out 23 straight performances but earned no nominations – not even for Outstanding New Work. Playwright Bobby Lefebre was named the True West Awards' 2019 Colorado Theatre Person of the Year – but Su Teatro has never received a single Henry Award nomination.  

The Arvada Center’s hot-shot Black Box Theatre Company earned no acting nods for critical favorites “Plaza Suite,” “Murder on the Orient Express” or “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Its only nomination for a play was the oft-honored Brian Mallgrave’s scenic design for “Plaza Suite.”

Read more: Kate Gleason wins True West Award for 'Plaza Suite'

In another surprise, Miners Alley Playhouse’s record-breaking Denver premiere of the Irish musical “once” received just one nomination, for musical direction (David Nehls).

(It should be noted that Curious Theatre Company and the Lake Dillon Theatre Company remove themselves from Henry Awards consideration for various stated reasons.)

The Henry Awards aren’t meant to be Field Day, where everyone gets a ribbon, but each year they seem to produce small clusters of preferred companies. While the Colorado Theatre Guild has 104 member companies, only 22 companies received a nomination this year, and the six most-honored companies account for 63 percent of all nominations.

And while the vast majority of Colorado theatre takes place in the Denver metro area, this year’s 120 nominations are evenly split between metro and non-metro companies.

The Henry Awards are determined through a judging process conducted by more than 100 statewide peer professionals, academics educators and everyday theatre lovers. (The Guild decided to eliminate local journalists as judges two years ago.) A show had to be seen by nine judges to be eligible.

The awards season, which was brought to a screeching halt in March by the COVID19 pandemic, includes shows by Guild member companies that opened between June 1, 2019, and March 30, 2020. Because of the shortened season, judges saw only 157 shows for 2019-20, down from 206 the year before. About 40 member shows were canceled or postponed by the shutdown.

Among several changes to the awards this year:

• Nominations have been returned to five per category after several years with seven.
• There will be no "special" awards this year, including Outstanding Season by a Company and Lifetime Achievement.
• The total number of nominations are down from 180 last year to 120 this year, which organizers hope will keep the virtual ceremony to no more than an hour.
• The Guild is continuing to split nominees in the four design categories into two tiers based on member companies’ annual overall operating budgets. In previous years, the $1 million dividing line has left only seven companies in Tier 1, and all the rest in Tier 2. In an attempt to create more balance between the tiers, the cutoff for this year was halved to $500,000, putting 17 companies in Tier I.
• After an embarrassment last year when it was later discovered that Missy Moore was the co-winner of the Outstanding Actress in a Play Award despite not having been named among the eight nominees, "the tabulation calculation system has been upgraded to include multiple levels of verification and authentication for greater accuracy," said Vice President T. David Rutherford. Three individuals oversaw the calculations."

 TIER 1 COMPANIES 2019-20:

• Arvada Center
• Aurora Fox
• BDT Stage
• Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company
• Candlelight Dinner Playhouse
• Colorado Shakespeare Festival
• Creede Repertory Theatre
• Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College
• DCPA Theatre Company
• Miners Alley Playhouse
• Phamaly Theatre Company
• Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre
• Theatre Aspen
• Colorado Springs TheatreWorks
• Thingamajig Theatre
• Town Hall Arts Center
• Vintage Theatre

This year’s list of multiple individual nominees is led, of course, by Jeffries, who now has a jaw-dropping 13 nominations in just the past four years (along with three wins). Nathan Halvorson, who made Henry Awards history last year by having jad a hand in a record six overall nominations, is nominated this year for  directing Outstanding Musical nominee "The Bridges of Madison County” for the Fine Arts Center, and for choreographing Mountain Rep’s “Great American Trailer Park Musical.”

Nick Sugar, the most-honored individual in Colorado Theatre Guild history, returned this past year to his signature role as the Emcee in the Town Hall Arts Center’s Outstanding Musical nominee “Cabaret.” Sugar also earned nominations for choreography and direction, bringing his 15-year total to 23 individual Henry Award nominations.

Other two-time nominees this year include:

• Kate Berry: Actress in a Play (Creede Rep’s “Hazardous Materials”) and Supporting Actress in a Play (Creede Rep’s “Pride & Prejudice”)
• Dieter Bierbrauer: Actor in a Musical (Fine Arts Center’s “The Bridges of Madison County”) and Supporting Actor in a Musical (Arvada Center’s “Bright Star”)
• Marisa D. Hébert: Actress in a Play (Colorado Springs TheatreWorks’ “The Mountaintop”) and Supporting Actress in a Play (Fine Arts Center’s “Tiny Beautiful Things”)
• Ben Newman: Actor in a Musical (Creede Rep’s “Peter and the Starcatcher”) and Supporting Actor in a Play (Creede Rep’s “Pride & Preudice”)

Among the fun finds among this year’s nominee list:

• Phamaly Theatre Company, which exists to provide performance opportunities for actors with disabilities, landed nominations for Erin Schneider (Velma in “Chicago”) and Robert Michael Sanders (Amos). Phamaly had not scored a Henry nomination since 2016.
• Sanders co-produced last year’s Henry Awards with actor and director Betty Hart, and both of them (pictured at right) are nominees this year. Hart directed Vintage Theatre’s Outstanding Musical nominee “The Scottsboro Boys.”
• And a fun switchblade battle is brewing between two Outstanding Actor in a Musical nominees who played the title roles in separate stagings of “Jekyll & Hyde”: Perry Davis Harper for Thingamajig Theatre Company in Pagosa Springs, and Scott Hurst Jr. for Candlelight Dinner Playhouse in Johnstown.

The Henry Awards, which historically have served as the Colorado Theatre Guild's annual fundraising event, are named for late longtime local theatre producer Henry Lowenstein.   

NOMINATIONS BY COMPANY

• Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College 21
• DCPA Theatre Company 16
• Creede Repertory Theatre 12
• Thunder River Theatre Company 10
• Arvada Center 9
• Colorado Springs TheatreWorks 8
• Vintage Theatre 6
• Buntport Theater 5
• Mountain Repertory Theatre 5
• Town Hall Arts Center 5
• Sasquatch Productions/Pace Center 4
• StageDoor Theatre 3
• Thingamajig Theatre Company 3
• Benchmark Theatre 2
• Local Theater Company 2
• Miners Alley Playhouse 2
• Phamaly Theatre Company 2
• Candlelight Dinner Playhouse 1
• Cherry Creek Theatre 1
• Divabee Productions 1
• Firehouse Theatre Company 1
• Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre 1

2019-20 HENRY AWARD NOMINATIONS

The 2019-20 nominees for Outstanding Play, clockwise from top left: DCPA Theatre Company's “Indecent,”  Colorado Springs TheatreWorks' "The Mountaintop,” Miners Alley Playhouse's "Fairfield,” Fine Arts Center Theatre Company's "The Curious Incident of the Dog in The Night-Time,” and Creede Repertory Theatre's "Hazardous Materials."

Outstanding Production of a Play

• "Hazardous Materials,” Creede Repertory Theatre, Directed by Kyle Haden
• “Indecent,” DCPA Theatre Company, Directed by Nancy Keystone
• "The Curious Incident of the Dog in The Night-Time,” Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College, Directed by Scott RC Levy
• "Fairfield,” Miners Alley Playhouse, Directed by Jada Suzanne Dixon
• "The Mountaintop,” Colorado Springs TheatreWorks, Directed by donnie l. betts (lower-case intentional)

Outstanding Production of a Musical

• "Bright Star,” Arvada Center, Directed by Rod A. Lansberry, Musical Direction by Eric Alsford
• "The Bridges of Madison County,” Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College, Directed by Nathan Halvorson, Musical Direction by Stephanie McGuffin
• "Jekyll & Hyde,” Thingamajig Theatre Company, Directed by Melissa Firlit, Musical Direction by Boni McIntyre
• "Cabaret,” Town Hall Arts Center, Directed by Nick Sugar, Musical Direction by Donna Kolpan Debreceni
• "The Scottsboro Boys,” Vintage Theatre, Directed by Betty Hart, Musical Direction by Lee Ann Scherlong

Outstanding Direction of a Play

• donnie l. betts, "The Mountaintop,” Colorado Springs TheatreWorks
• Chris Coleman, “A Doll’s House,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Kyle Haden, “Hazardous Materials,” Creede Repertory Theatre
• Nancy Keystone, “Indecent,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Scott RC Levy, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College

Outstanding Direction of a Musical

• Melissa Firlit, “Jekyll & Hyde,” Thingamajig Theatre Company
• Nathan Halvorson, “The Bridges of Madison County,” Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• Rod A. Lansberry, “Bright Star,” Arvada Center
• August Stoten, “Roald Dahl’s Matilda, The Musical,” Sasquatch Productions and Parker Arts
• Nick Sugar, “Cabaret,” Town Hall Arts Center

Outstanding Musical Direction

• Eric Alsford, “Bright Star,” Arvada Center
• Donna Kolpan Debrecini, “Cabaret,” Town Hall Arts Center
• Stephanie McGuffin, “The Bridges of Madison County,” Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• David Nehls, “Once,” Miners Alley Playhouse
• Lee Ann Scherlong, “The Scottsboro Boys,” Vintage Theatre

Outstanding Actor in a Play

• Denis Berkfeldt, “Frost/Nixon,” Vintage Theatre
• Logan Riley Bruner, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• Bob Moore, “A Walk in the Woods,” Thunder River Theatre Company
• John Plumpis, “Indecent,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Calvin M. Thompson, “The Mountaintop,” Colorado Springs TheatreWorks

Outstanding Actress in a Play

• Kate Berry, “Hazardous Materials,” Creede Repertory Theatre
• Marisa D. Hébert, “The Mountaintop,” Colorado Springs TheatreWorks
• Jeri Marshall, “Hazardous Materials,” Creede Repertory Theatre
• Marianna McClellan, “A Doll’s House,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Deborah Persoff, “Looped,” Vintage Theatre

Outstanding Actor in a Musical

• Dieter Bierbrauer, “The Bridges of Madison County,” Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• Perry Davis Harper, “Jekyll & Hyde,” Thingamajig Theatre Company
• Scott Hurst Jr., “Jekyll & Hyde,” Candlelight Dinner Playhouse
• Cooper Kaminsky, “Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical,” Sasquatch Productions and Parker Arts
• Ben Newman, “Peter and the Starcatcher,” Creede Repertory Theatre

Outstanding Actress in a Musical

• Merideth Kaye Clark, “Bright Star,” Arvada Center
• Jennifer DeDominici, “The Bridges of Madison County,” Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• Meredith Jones, “Always…Patsy Cline,” Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre
• Sonya Meyer, “The Doyle and Debbie Show,” Thunder River Theatre Company
• Erin Schneider, “Chicago,” Phamaly Theatre Company

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play

• Brian Colonna, “Universe 92,” Buntport Theater
• Steve Emily, “Tiny Beautiful Things,” Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• Cameron Folmar, “Twelfth Night,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Chris Kendall, “Tuesdays with Morrie,” Cherry Creek Theatre (pictured)
• Ben Newman, “Pride and Prejudice,” Creede Repertory Theatre

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play

• Kate Berry, “Pride and Prejudice,” Creede Repertory Theatre
• Anastasia Davidson, “A Doll’s House,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Marisa D. Hébert, “Tiny Beautiful Things,” Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• Elise Santora, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• Valerie Spencer, “Indecent,” DCPA Theatre Company

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical

• Dieter Bierbrauer, “Bright Star,” Arvada Center
• Dwayne Carrington, “The Scottsboro Boys,” Vintage Theatre
• Ben Hilzer, “Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical,” Sasquatch Productions and Parker Arts
• Jeffrey Roark, “The Bridges of Madison County,” Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• Robert Michael Sanders, “Chicago,” Phamaly Theatre Company

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical

• Susan Dawn Carson, “The Bridges of Madison County,” Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• Annie Dwyer, “Cabaret,” Town Hall Arts Center
• Melanie Hollenstein, “The Great American Trailer Park Musical,” Mountain Repertory Theatre Company at the Butte Theater
• Sarah Smith, “The Great American Trailer Park Musical,” Mountain Repertory Theatre Company at the Butte Theater
• Emma Thoeni, “The Great American Trailer Park Musical,” Mountain Repertory Theatre Company at the Butte Theater

Outstanding Ensemble Performance

• “Hazardous Materials,” Creede Repertory Theatre
• “Indecent,” DCPA Theatre Company
• “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• “The Mountaintop,” Colorado Springs TheatreWorks
• “A Walk in the Woods,” Thunder River Theatre Company

Outstanding Choreography

• Mary Ripper Baker, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• Nathan Halvorson, “The Great American Trailer Park Musical,” Mountain Repertory Theatre Company at the Butte Theater
• Kitty Skillman Hilsabeck, “A Christmas Carol – The Musical,” Arvada Center
• Christopher Page-Sanders, “The Scottsboro Boys,” Vintage Theatre
• Nick Sugar, “Cabaret,” Town Hall Arts Center

Outstanding New Play or Musical

• “Universe 92,” Written and Directed by Buntport Theater, Produced by Buntport Theater
• “Hazardous Materials,” by Beth Kander, Directed by Kyle Haden, Produced by Creede Repertory Theatre
• “twenty50,” by Tony Meneses, Directed by Henry Godinez, Produced by DCPA Theatre Company
• “You Lost Me,” by Bonnie Metzgar, Directed by Margot Bordelon, Produced by DCPA Theatre Company
• “Take to the Highway,” by Kenny Moten and John Seaberry, Directed by Kenny Moten, Produced by Divabee Productions

Outstanding Costume Design, Tier 1

• Jeff Cone, “Indecent,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Kevin Copenhaver, “Twelfth Night,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Meghan Anderson Doyle, “A Doll’s House,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Alethia Moore-Del Monico, “Hazardous Materials,” Creede Repertory Theatre
• Nicole Watts, “A Christmas Carol – The Musical,” Arvada Center

Outstanding Costume Design Tier 2

• Buntport Theater, “Universe 92,” Buntport Theater
• Suzanne Couch, “Noises Off,” StageDoor Theatre
• Rachel Herring Finley, “Calendar Girls,” Firehouse Theater Company
• Nancy Hankin, “The Great American Trailer Park Musical,” Mountain Repertory Theatre Company at the Butte Theater
• Jennifer Schiller, “A Walk in the Woods,” Thunder River Theatre Company

Outstanding Lighting Design, Tier 1

• Jiyoun Chang, “You Lost Me,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Jason Lynch, “A Doll’s House,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Kathy Perkins, “The Mountaintop,” Colorado Springs TheatreWorks
• Holly Rawls, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• Jonathan Spencer, “The Bridges of Madison County,” Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College

Outstanding Lighting Design, Tier 2

• Sean Jeffries, “A View from the Bridge,” Thunder River Theatre Company
• Sean Jeffries, “The Doyle and Debbie Show,” Thunder River Theatre Company
• Tom Junker, “Noises Off,” StageDoor Theatre
• Kevin Newton, “Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical,” Sasquatch Productions and Parker Arts
• Jacob Welch, “Flame Broiled. or the ugly play,” Local Theater Company

Outstanding Scenic Design, Tier 1

• Lindsay Fuori, “Hazardous Materials,” Creede Repertory Theatre
• Lex Liang, “The Bridges of Madison County,” Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• Brian Mallgrave, “Plaza Suite,” Arvada Center (pictured right)
• Charles Packard, “The Mountaintop,” Colorado Springs TheatreWorks
• Christopher L. Sheley, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time ,” Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College

Outstanding Scenic Design, Tier 2

• Dean Arniotes, “Noises Off,” StageDoor Theatre
• Buntport Theater, “Universe 92,” Buntport Theater
• Michael R. Duran, “Parfumerie,” Benchmark Theatre
• Sean Jeffries, “A View from the Bridge,” Thunder River Theatre Company
• Colin Tugwell, “The Doyle and Debbie Show,” Thunder River Theatre Company

Outstanding Sound Design, Tier 1

• El Armstrong, “The Mountaintop,” Colorado Springs TheatreWorks
• Jacob K. Harbour, “Hazardous Materials,” Creede Repertory Theatre
• Jacob Keough-Mishler, “The Bridges of Madison County,” Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• Stephen Light, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” Fine Arts Center Theatre Company at Colorado College
• David Thomas, "Bright Star,” Arvada Center

Outstanding Sound Design, Tier 2

• Buntport Theater, “Universe 92,” Buntport Theater
• Sean Jeffries, “A View from the Bridge,” Thunder River Theatre Company
• Sean Jeffries, “The Doyle and Debbie Show,” Thunder River Theatre Company
• Rachel Rogers, “Airness,” Benchmark Theatre
• CeCe Smith, “Flame Broiled. or the ugly play,” Local Theater Company