2007 B. Iden Payne Awards: Prize night

The Austin Circle of Theaters' 33rd annual B. Iden Payne Awards ceremony began in high style on Sunday, Oct. 21, with the ever-divine Karen Kuykendall accepting ACoT's Special Recognition Award for Outstanding Contribution to Austin Theatre. The beloved actress, singer, and arts patron, who's had a rocky year healthwise, was visibly frail but still spirited, wisecracking at the crowd and saying how proud she was of herself. The awards themselves, honoring achievements in theatre for the 2006-2007 season, favored three shows in particular: the Noël Coward comedy Present Laughter, mounted by Zach Scott, which was voted Outstanding Production of a Comedy and honored for Jamie Goodwin's lead performance, Helen Merino's supporting performance, and Cliff Simon's set; Zach's revival of The Rocky Horror Show, which took home the prize for Outstanding Production of Music Theatre and was honored for the performances of Leslie K. Hollingsworth as Janet and the late Joe York, in what turned out to be his final performance, as Dr. Frank N. Furter; and Different Stages' production of the provocative Edward Albee drama The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?, which was voted Outstanding Production of a Drama and honored for the lead performances of Tom Chamberlain and Rebecca Robinson.

The cast of Zach's High School Musical proved they could electrify a roomful of adults as much as a crowd of tweeners, and with their brief but hysterical excerpt from Parallel Lives: The Kathy and Mo Show, Kathleen Fletcher and Breanna Stogner showed why they deserved the Outstanding Ensemble Performance award. Other highlights: Dick Price performing his "In Retrospect" from At Home With Dick 2, Libby Dees singing "You Don't Know This Man" from Mary Moody Northen Theatre's production of Parade, and a reel of clips from shows produced this past year, wittily edited by Lowell Bartholomee. Dirk van Allen and M.J. Vandivier served as masters of ceremonies, introducing presenters who were all local members of the Actor's Equity union. For more information, visit www.acotonline.org.

PLAYS FOR YOUTH

Production of a Play for Youth

The Page and the Caterpillar, Second Youth Family Theatre

Director

Leslie K. Hollingsworth, The Page and the Caterpillar

Performer

Amy Downing, High School Musical

MUSIC THEATRE

Production of Music Theatre

The Rocky Horror Show, Zachary Scott Theatre Center

Director

Michael McKelvey, Assassins

Lead Actor

Joe York, The Rocky Horror Show

Lead Actress

Leslie K. Hollingsworth, The Rocky Horror Show

Featured Actor

Quincy Kuykendall, The Full Monty

Featured Actress

Emily Bem, My Favorite Year

COMEDY

Production of a Comedy

Present Laughter, Zachary Scott Theatre Center

Director

Ken Webster, The Pillowman

Lead Actor

Jamie Goodwin, Present Laughter

Lead Actress

Jill Blackwood, As You Like It

Featured Actor

Wray Crawford, The Boys Next Door

Featured Actress

Helen Merino, Present Laughter

DRAMA

Outstanding Production of a Drama

The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?, Different Stages

Director

Lowell Bartholomee, A Beautiful View

Lead Actor

Tom Chamberlain, The Goat

Lead Actress

Rebecca Robinson, The Goat

Featured Actor

Martin Burke, Take Me Out

Featured Actress

Michelle Flanagan, Hamlet

TECHNICAL

Set Design

Cliff Simon, Present Laughter

Lighting Design

Jason Amato, Trickster

Sound Design

Craig Brock, Take Me Out

Costume Design

Susan Branch, My Favorite Year

Music Director

Michael McKelvey, Assassins

Choreographer

Aaron Alexander, As You Like It

Original Script

Ron Berry, Rebecca Beegle, Sonnet Blanton, Jeffery Mills, Chase Staggs, and Cyndi Williams, The Assumption

Original Score

Chad Salvata, The Dragonfly Princess

SPECIAL

Ensemble Performance

Breanna Stogner and Kathleen Fletcher, Parallel Lives: The Kathy and Mo Show

Youth Performance

Sean Maddox, High School Musical

Special Theatrical Event

Bell(e): The Museum of Suicide Machinery, ethos

Improvisational Ensemble

Coldtowne