Applause! Applause!
The 2003-2004 Austin Critics Table Awards
By Robert Faires, Fri., June 11, 2004
On Monday, June 7, the Austin Critics Table handed out its annual awards for outstanding achievements in the Austin arts in a ceremony at the Cap City Comedy Club. This year's set of honors – the 12th presented by this informal association of local arts writers – began with the third induction of artists and arts patrons into the Austin Arts Hall of Fame. Eight individuals were recognized, all of them having made pioneering contributions to the community in the areas of dance, classical music, theatre, or the visual arts.
In the awards ceremony, the big winner was Zilker Theatre Productions, which netted five awards for its Hillside Summer Musical production of Crazy for You, including its first-ever win for Production of a Musical. How Late It Was, How Late by the Rude Mechs took home four awards, while the State Theater Company's I'm Not Lying and the Zachary Scott Theatre Center's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? received three awards each.
Participating critics for this year's awards, which covered the period from May 1, 2003, to April 30, 2004, were Austin American-Statesman writers Michael Barnes (arts), Jeanne Claire van Ryzin (arts), Jamie Smith Cantara (theatre), Sondra Lomax (dance), David Mead (music), and Randy Harriman (music) and Austin Chronicle writers Robi Polgar (music, dance, theatre), Barry Pineo (theatre), Molly Beth Brenner (theatre, visual art), Jacqueline May (visual art), Rachel Koper (visual art), Madeline Irvine (visual art), and yours truly, Robert Faires (arts). Obligatory ethical note: Critics refrained from voting in any category in which the critic or a family member was nominated.
Production, Drama
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Zachary Scott Theatre Center
Production, Comedy
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), Austin Shakespeare Festival
Production, Musical
Crazy for You, Zilker Theatre Productions
Director, Drama
Ann Ciccolella, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Director, Comedy
Scott Kanoff, Be Aggressive/I'm Not Lying
Director, Musical
Scott Schroeder, Crazy for You
Actress, Drama
Franchelle Stewart Dorn, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Actress, Comedy
Yasmin Kittles, Don't Drown/Of Superheroes and Seductions
Actress, Musical (tie)
Jill Blackwood, Kiss Me Kate
Lauren Worsham, The Wizard of Oz
Actor, Drama
Dikran Utidjian, How Late It Was, How Late
Actor, Comedy
David Stahl, The Dead Presidents Club/ Travesties/The Winter's Tale/Private Lives
Actor, Musical
Kirk Addison, Crazy for You
Supporting Actress, Drama
Shannon Grounds, Titus Andronicus/Blue Surge
Supporting Actress, Comedy
Lee Eddy, Hedda
Supporting Actress, Musical
Latifah Taormina, Always ... Patsy Cline
Supporting Actor, Drama
Curtis Polk, Jitney
Supporting Actor, Comedy
Lowell Bartholomee, tempOdyssey
Supporting Actor, Musical
Timothy Curry I, It Ain't Nothin' but the Blues
Ensemble Performance
Pageant, Naughty Austin
David Mark Cohen New Play Award
I'm Not Lying, Jaston Williams
Original Script, Adaptation
How Late It Was, How Late, Kirk Lynn
Original Score
Pythia Dust, Chad Salvata
Musical Direction
Michael McKelvey, Crazy for You
Movement
Judy Thompson-Price, Crazy for You
Scenic Design
Christopher McCollum, The Woman in Black/ La Tentación de San Antonio/The Foreigner/I'm Not Lying
Costume Design
Jessica Jay Lonsdale, The Honorable Urashima Taro
Lighting Design
Richard Winkler, Be Aggressive/The Woman in Black
Sound Design
Robert S. Fisher, How Late It Was, How Late/ Perdita
Video Design
Colin Lowry, How Late It Was, How Late
Cabaret or Theatrical Concert
Cafe Manhattan: Karen Kuykendall and Sterling Price-McKinney, Zachary Scott Theatre Center
Touring Show (tie)
The Man in the Red Tie, Ballet Argentino, UT-PAC
Bill Shannon, "Crutchmaster," Dance Umbrella
Dance Concert, Large
Esprit 2003, Tapestry Dance Company
Dance Concert, Small to Medium
20th Anniversary Gala Event, Sharir + Bustamante Danceworks
Choreographer
Sharon Marroquin, "Tesoros"/"Endangered Species"
Dancer, Female
Margot Brown, A Midsummer Night's Dream/ The Nutcracker/Director's Choice: 3x3/Hamlet
Dancer, Male
Frank Shott, Director's Choice: 3x3
Ensemble Dance
where nothing falls, Sally Jacques Productions
Symphonic Performance
Mahler: Symphony No. 5, Austin Symphony
Chamber Performance
Crumb: Black Angels, Miró Quartet, UT School of Music
Choral Concert
Cool Blue, Conspirare
Opera
La Tentación de San Antonio, UT Opera Theatre
Singer, Female
Vanessa Beaumont, The Old Majestic
Singer, Male
David Small, Elijah
Instrumentalist
Laurie Young Stevens, Flash and Trash
Museum Exhibition
"Andy Warhol," Austin Museum of Art
Solo Gallery Exhibition
Faith Gay, testsite
Group Gallery Exhibition
"Summer Light," D Berman Gallery
Gallery, Body of Work
Camp Fig
Artist, Female
Sydney Yeager
Artist, Male
Aldo Valdes Bohm
SPECIAL CITATIONS
W.H. "Deacon" Crain Award for Outstanding Student Work
Gina Houston, St. Edward's University; Enrique Bravo, UT Department of Theatre & Dance
John Bustin Award for Conspicuous Versatility
Babs George
Separated at Birth Award
Adam Martinez and Omid Ghorashi in Eggheads
Most Welcome Addition
Arts on Real
Going to the Ends of the Earth Award
Ron Berry and collaborators, The North Project
Always Carrying a Torch for You Award
The Flaming Idiots
Glorious Perpetuation of Syncopation Award
Tapestry Dance Company, Soul to Sole Dance Festival
Guts and Glory Award
Lori Bade, Messiah
Unlocking the Vault Award
Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center
Visual Arts Leadership Award
Bolm Studios
Off and Running Award
Arthouse Presents
Fresh Air Guys
Dave Bryant and Peat Duggins, Fresh Up Club
Body of Work
Jenny Larson, tempOdyssey/Be Aggressive/ The House
Intercontinental Leadership Award
UT Performing Arts Center for ArtesAméricas
Robert S. Fisher, accepting the award for Outstanding Sound Design (Photo By Bret Brookshire)
The 2004 inductees into the Austin Arts Hall of Fame are:
Sarah and Earnest Butler, philanthropists
Barbara Carson, Ballet Austin founder, dancer, choreographer, educator
Felicity Coltman, Austin Chamber Music Center founder and director, pianist, educator
Chris Cowden, Women & Their Work director
Karen Kuykendall, actor, singer, patron, arts advocate
Jim Swift, KXAN-TV reporter
Boyd Vance, founder and director of Pro Arts Collective, actor, director, singer, educator, arts advocate
