2022 Virtual Accolades
- Brianna Lau
- Jan 2, 2023
- 8 min read
A few months ago, we opened admissions for accolades and shout-outs for virtual and streamed shows from the past year. We received dozens of accolades, some of which were celebrating Zoom shows from 2020, well before what we were expecting, but the joy and celebration couldn't be contained. We are so pleased to share these accolades from and for our community of virtual artists.
(Did you want to offer a shout-out for a virtual show prior to October 2021 but held back because the submission page said differently? Send it our way by January 6, 2023, and we will honor it.)
YAM Productions
November 2021
Annie Brunk: Annie choreographed the show and was instrumental in bringing the entire production about, all the while being in another fully staged musical. This production wouldn't have happened without her!
District Merchants
October 2021
Nessa Amherst: She’s my best friend, and she is finally living her dreams and doing damn good at it!
Arielle Katz: Arielle is a passionate, fearless, humorous, and kind person to work with! She not only guided our production with grace and patience, but she helped us mold District Merchants into a fantastic production that we all enjoyed being a part of!
A Doll's House
April 2022
Amber Champ; Jonathan Udl
ock; Megha Shetty; Jaymes Aaron; Spencer N. Pilcher: Incredible ensemble performances
The Godfather Buck
December 2022
Jacqueline Elisabeth: Brought the film version to life in this live Zoom world premiere theatrical event.
Jacqueline Elisabeth (credited "Jacqueline Youm"): The direction of this almost 3hr presentation was immaculate. -Jerome Brooks, Jr.
Mark Gallagher: Genuinely authentic and powerful performance.
Mark Gallagher: Mark was the main character who was a part of long rehearsals and a long presentation of almost 3 hours with a talk back. -Jerome Brooks, Jr.
Frederick Keeve: Writer of the original screenplay upon which this production was adapted.
June Rachelson Ospa: Superb adaptation of screenplay.
Julia Caesar
February 2022
Regina Renee: Regina is AWESOME!!!!!!! I was immediately drawn to her during the auditions, and was especially excited to work with her during the rehearsal process of Julia Caesar. She allowed me to craft Decius Brutus in a way that wasn't a 2D stock character, and still remain truthful to the text. And she also allowed all of us women/femme/non-binary actors the chance to be human during this whole process, even to the point when after each rehearsal and performance, we are led through a meditation exercise to thank our characters for teaching us something about who we are and how they contributed to the story we got to portray. Regina is amazing at what she does as a director, actor, and human being. She will always fight for you, and she knows that we are capable of doing so much more than we realize without pushing ourselves too far. That's why I love working with Regina so much and I hope to work with her again!
The Importance of Being Earnest
February 2022
Sarah Kezman: Making unexpected choices which are clever and satisfying and move the plot along, all while being charming, funny, and adorable!! -Jane M
Ed Zaynutdinov (credited "Ed Myers"): Ed's witty Algernon was gleeful and fun. His performance worked so well with his castmates.
Connie Ramsey: Ramsey's Miss Prism was absolutely delightful and charming.
I Want to Know You All My Life
April - May 2022
Arielle Seidman-Joria: Arielle, through writing and directing, crafted a particularly engaging evening of theatre that made her audiences feel (safely) vulnerable and seen even through their Zoom screens. So rare is this that I still reflect on it regularly. For a beautiful evening of theatre, brava!
(YAMMER ON Blog previously published a review of this production here.)
Medea
January - February 2022
Sarah Kezman; Paul Uhler, Briony Sparrow; Taressa Renee; Megha Shetty; Heba Toulan; Henry Graham Murray; Danielle Farrow; Alexandra Kataigida; Harry Boyd; Taylor Flanagan: Incredible performances -Jacqueline Elisabeth~
Monologues of the Black Experience
June 2020
Jacqueline Elisabeth: Jacqueline is a force to be reckoned with! She is committed to high-quality storytelling, caring to her fellow artists and creative individuals, and is just a delight to work with on any project she does. Whether she's acting or directing, you can always count on Jacqueline to bring out the best in you, and she can always see the best in you, even when you can't see it for yourself. Monologues of the Black Experience is the best example of this as she allowed us black artists to share our pain, frustration, and fears of being black in America, and has consistently shown us that we do have a voice and a place in the American theatre.
Plan 9 From Outer Space
October 2021
Dave Seidman-Joria: Dave created many incredible little model sets for the virtual show and used them to enhance the vintage B-movie (or Z-movie?) vibe of Plan 9. Between his creative horror host character, the original song he performed at intermission, the black and white footage, the imaginative effects, and.... everything else, this was a virtual show like I've never seen before. Dave is a diabolical genius, in the best way. Definitely peak creativity.
Pygmalion
April 2021
Ariana Colligan: Not only did Ariana adapt Shaw's script for a Zoom setting, she adapted it for a new era and a new Eliza. Under her direction, the production was lively, timely, and thoroughly enjoyable. Her hosting skills, script-working, and direction created a memorable night of theatre.
Runtime Error
May 2021
Sam Given: Sam is an incredible performer to play my best friend in Runtime Error. His humor, vulnerability, creativity, and love make him such an amazing human being. And each time I got to work with him on our scenes together, his connection with me was that special and treasured. It was an honor to work with a wonderful NYC-based actor virtually, and I hope he knows how special his work meant to me and what a joy it was to work with him!
The Sleepover
November - December 2021
Makeima Freeland & Ann Turiano: Ingenious and collaborative directing.
Stuck in Limbo
September 2022
Helen Cheng Mao: Helen is wonderful playwright! Her plays are so funny, thought-provoking, and a joy to perform in. Helen's writing is witty, relevant, and always brings out so much joy whenever I get to perform her work with my fellow actors. Stuck in Limbo is a perfect example of this. The way Helen weaves in the surprises and humor is pure genius! Please pay attention to this woman's work; she is a star as far as I'm concerned!
YAM Productions
October 2021
Kathryn Bailey: Kat's contributions to this show cannot be overstated and went above and beyond the typical demands of a music director. Not only did she teach the music to the cast, she actually transformed separate recordings submitted by individual actors into cohesive ensemble musical numbers. Through technical wizardry, she made it possible for us to do a virtual, asynchronous musical. The music sounded amazing. She even recorded individual guide tracks of her own voice for EVERY role in the musical!
Taegan Chirinos: Taegan gave an absolutely winsome performance as the Son (Optimus Prime). She was so convincing as a small child who was full of curiosity about the world around him. Her monologue about putting things in her mouth was absolutely hysterical, she sold the scene of having to shoot a baby buffalo with surprising pathos, nailed a small cameo role as a saloon girl, and led the cast in a rousing finale with "Naked in a Lake." She brought smiles to everyone's faces throughout the show!
Daniel LaMond: What an energetic, infectiously upbeat performance! He really carried the show with his personable portrayal of the lovably goofy dad. He had to learn a demanding number of songs, many of which required some intense rock vocals, and he delivered big time. It's tempting to play the Father as purely over-the-top and zany-- which, of course, he was, wonderfully so-- but he also gave him an appealing earnestness that made it easy to root for his character. Daniel really gave it all with big production numbers like "Dysentery World" and "Speedrun," but my favorite part was when he held up the general store to save his family. What a character arc!
Brianna Lau: Took on the incredibly daunting task of editing 70+ short videos into a full-length musical, which was basically like editing a movie. She kept the footage dynamic and eye catching, using editing to add visual interest to a medium that can sometimes be a little dull to watch. Bri also produced the show and had so many creative ideas throughout the entire process of production. The amount of work she did on this piece is honestly shocking, and it turned out beautifully. (And very funny!)
Hannah Neville: You could say Hannah's character was the heart of this show. Despite her character's tough, severe exterior, she conveyed a depth of feeling that seemed real despite the incredibly wacky, outlandish storyline. She delivered snappy one-liners like nobody's business, took part in a hilarious scene involving a snakebite, and belted out a gorgeous rendition of a tear-jerking ballad. (And in the performance I saw, had another show-stopping song at the end!) Her powerful yet delicate singing voice elevated the show's material to a different level, and her wide range as both a singer and actor is impressive. She put an enormous amount of heart and soul into this role despite the fact that she was playing a character named Hoho Surprise in a silly comedy.
Spencer Pilcher: His character in this show was probably the silliest, most bizarre as written in the script. While he beautifully embodied an eccentric and quirky grandpa, he also gave him a sense of gravitas. His singing voice is rich and powerful (especially in his death scene), and his commitment to little comedy bits like eating chili out of his hat or ad-libbing comments was hilarious. He was especially great at delivering surreal dialogue involving a love triangle between himself, his wife, and a lobster, making it a compelling part of the narrative. His portrayal of Grandpa was sure to be a favorite for audience members!
Jonathan Udlock: Jonathan embraced his multiple characters with gusto. His grinning villain, McDoon, was clearly having such a good time that it was hard to root against him. He presented a range of character voices and dynamic rock vocals. One of his funniest moments was as a dying baby buffalo, a sentence that is almost impossible to imagine out of context of this show. Jonathan carried numerous musical numbers with mischievous delight and high energy. He played particularly well off of his counterpart "Cletus Jones," and the creative photos they took for a montage sequence are truly above and beyond.
Thomas Udlock: Out of all of the characters in this play, Thomas may have presented the most range and versatility, playing numerous different roles. Thomas was consistently fun to watch onscreen. Even in his smallest parts, like several frontier citizens, he gave each one a distinctive voice and body language. Some of his memorable small roles included a general store owner who hijacks a musical number, a mystic lobster (yes, really!) named Cornwallis, and an extremely ill and miserable ox. But his most notable character was the villain's cheerful henchman, Cletus Jones, and the dynamic he formed with Jonathan made for some of the most entertaining scenes in the show. Their travel montage was an especially strong moment.
Elizabeth Weiss: Elizabeth really grounded a lot of the show as the Daughter and made us care about the stakes of the play, which could get really silly. Her facial expressions were always amusing, and she convincingly pulled off the attitude of a snarky teenage girl who was always lovable enough to avoid being bratty. Her flirty interactions with McDoon and her emotional scenes with her mom felt believable in a show with such outrageous content as a million dollar bill and people having affairs with lobsters. She also worked as costumer for the show!
The Trojan Women
January 2022
Joseph G. Krygier: Excellent direction of The Trojan Women.
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