Final Nominees Announced for 2018 Footlights People’s Choice Awards
Congrats to all our nominees!
Footlights, the playbill-of-choice for countless performing arts organizations around Milwaukee, announced the top three final nominees in each of the 15 Footlights People’s Choice Awards categories Friday, May 4 at the Broadway Theatre Center.
Over 20,000 votes were recorded throughout the month of April when voting was open to the public on Footlights.com. Awards Host John McGivern did the honors of naming the finalists, while Awards Chair Ryan Albrechtson and United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF) President and CEO Deanna Tillisch said a few words on behalf of each organization. The winners will be announced at the Footlights People’s Choice Awards, sponsored by UPAF, Monday, June 25 at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater. To purchase tickets to the event: https://www.milwaukeerep.com/reserve/index.aspx?performanceNumber=41646
The final nominees in each category are:
Outstanding Sound Design
Non-Professional:
- Derek Buckles, Next to Normal, All in Productions
- Tom Matasek, Spamalot, Falls Patio Players
- Heather Pulkowski, Into the Woods, Sunset Playhouse
Professional:
- Zack Berinstein, Annie, Skylight Music Theatre
- David Cecsarini, Silent Sky, Next Act Theatre
- Charles Coes and Nathan Robers, Animal Farm, Milwaukee Repertory Theater
Outstanding Lighting Design
Non-Professional:
- Chris Meissner, Romeo and Juliet, SummerStage of Delafield
- Becca Rodenkirch, The Little Mermaid, Hartford Players
- James Sevens, Into the Woods, Sunset Playhouse
Professional:
- Jason Fassl, Sweeney Todd, Skylight Music Theatre
- Alan Piotrowicz, Metamorphosis, Theater Gigante
- Alex Ridgers, Deathtrap, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre
Outstanding Costume Design
Non-Professional:
- Joanne Cunningham, Hello, Dolly!, Sunset Playhouse
- Darcy Devins, Barefoot in the Park, Waukesha Civic Theatre
- Jazmin Aurora Medina, Eurydice, UW-Waukesha
Professional:
- Sonya Berlovitz, The Tales of Hoffmann, Skylight Music Theatre and Milwaukee Opera Theatre
- Theresa Ham, The Wiz, First Stage Children’s Theater
- Kathy Smith, Carnival, In Tandem Theatre
Outstanding Set Design
Non-Professional:
- Nick Korneski, Into the Woods, Sunset Playhouse
- Scott Prox, 37 Postcards, Lake Country Playhouse
- Michael Talaska, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Waukesha Civic Theatre
Professional:
- Kevin Depinet, One House Over, Milwaukee Repertory Theater
- Aaron Dyszelski, Zombies from the Beyond, Skylight Music Theatre
- Lisa Schlenker, The Tales of Hoffmann, Skylight Music Theatre and Milwaukee Opera Theatre
Outstanding Youth Performer
Non-Professional:
- Ella Rose Kleefisch, Little Red Riding Hood, Into the Woods, Sunset Playhouse
- Jake Koch, Courier, 1776, Lake Country Playhouse
- Alyssa Proell, Anne Frank, The Diary of Anne Frank, Falls Patio Players
Professional:
- Ivy Broder, Lucy, A Charlie Brown Christmas, First Stage Children’s Theatre
- Eloise Field, Annie, Annie, Skylight Music Theatre
- Reese Parish, Dorothy, The Wiz, First Stage Children’s Theatre
Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Play
Non-Professional:
- Rebecca Janny, Mrs. Van Daan, The Diary of Anne Frank, Falls Patio Players
- Cathy Marschall, Vernadette, The Dixie Swim Club, Sunset Playhouse
- Donna Lobacz, Mrs. Banks, Barefoot in the Park, Waukesha Civic Theatre
Professional:
- Brittany Boeche, Toby Belch, Twelfth Night (Drunk), Bard & Bourbon
- Jordan Gwiazdowski, Sideshow Bob, Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play, Luminous Theatre
- Rana Roman, Mrs. Cratchit, A Christmas Carol, Milwaukee Repertory Theater
Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Musical
Non-Professional:
- Adam Iverson, Scuttle, The Little Mermaid, Hartford Players
- Gwen Ter Haar, Claire, bare: A Pop Opera, Outskirts Theatre
- Eric Welch, Lumiere, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Sunset Playhouse
Professional:
- Marcee Doherty-Elst, Val Clarke, A Chorus Line, Milwaukee Opera Theatre and Theater RED
- Elyse Edelman, Baroness, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, First Stage Children’s Theatre
- Ben Tajnai, Beadle Bamford, Sweeney Todd, Skylight Music Theatre
Outstanding Lead Performer in a Play
Non-Professional:
- Joan End, Aida, Over the River and Through the Woods, Sunset Playhouse
- Nicholas Callan Haubner, Lennie, Of Mice and Men, Seventh Row Center
- Ben Johnson, Paul Bratter, Barefoot in the Park, Waukesha Civic Theatre
Professional:
- Marques Causey, Elegba, The Brothers Size, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre
- Deborah Staples, Henrietta Leavitt, Silent Sky, Next Act Theatre
- Bill Watson, Sidney Bruhl, Deathtrap, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre
Outstanding Lead Performer in a Musical
Non-Professional:
- Kat Geertsen, Jo March, Little Women, Lake Country Players
- Michael Haubner, Jesus, Jesus Christ Superstar, West Allis Players
- Melanie Helvick, Ariel, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Hartford Players
Professional:
- Carrie Hitchcock, Miss Hannigan, Annie, Skylight Music Theatre
- Nathan Marinan, Lottie, Scrooge in Rouge, In Tandem Theatre
- Andrew Varela, Sweeney Todd, Sweeney Todd, Skylight Music Theatre
Outstanding Choreography
Non-Professional:
- Melissa Bloch-Meier, Spamalot, Falls Patio Players
- Megan & Tricia Hohnl, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Hartford Players
- Karl Miller, Hello, Dolly!, Sunset Playhouse
Professional:
- Ryan Cappleman, Sweeney Todd, Skylight Music Theatre
- Stephen Mear, Guys and Dolls, Milwaukee Repertory Theater
- James Zager, A Chorus Line, Milwaukee Opera Theatre and Theater RED
Outstanding Music Direction
Non-Professional:
- Mark Mrozek, Into the Woods, Sunset Playhouse
- Yeng Thao, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Waukesha Civic Theatre
- Patrick Thompson, If/Then, Greendale Community Theatre
Professional:
- Kerry Bieneman, The Tales of Hoffmann, Skylight Music Theatre and Milwaukee Opera Theatre
- Ben Makino, Sweeney Todd, Skylight Music Theatre
- Jack Forbes Wilson, Souvenir, Milwaukee Repertory Theater
Outstanding Direction
Non-Professional:
- Nate C. Adams, Into the Woods, Sunset Playhouse
- Tim Backes, Next to Normal, All In Productions
- Graham Killeen, Spring Awakening, Rogue Stage Theater
Professional:
- Marti Gobel, The Brothers Size, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre
- Matthew Ozawa, Sweeney Todd, Skylight Music Theatre
- Molly Rhode, Annie, Skylight Music Theatre
Outstanding Special Performance
Non-Professional:
- Comicality 2018, Hartford Players
- Divas and Dolls: A Rising Star Cabaret, Sunset Playhouse
- Requiem for the Living, Chant Claire Chamber Choir
Professional:
- Head out on the Highway, Kids From Wisconsin
- Our Favorite Things: Julie Andrews, SideNote Cabaret Series at Sunset Playhouse
- The Depths, Quasimondo Physical Theatre
Outstanding Play
Non-Professional:
- Dancing with Hamlet, Windfall Theatre
- Over the River and Through the Woods, Sunset Playhouse
- The Diary of Anne Frank, Falls Patio Players
Professional:
- Silent Sky, Next Act Theatre
- The Brothers Size, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre
- The Outgoing Tide, In Tandem Theatre
Outstanding Musical
Non-Professional:
- Next to Normal, All in Productions
- Ordinary Days, Hartford Players
- Spring Awakening, Rogue Stage Theater
Professional:
- A Chorus Line, Milwaukee Opera Theatre and Theater RED
- Guys and Dolls, Milwaukee Repertory Theater
- Sweeney Todd, Skylight Music Theatre
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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