2023 Community Accolades
- Brianna Lau
- Jan 5, 2024
- 9 min read
This year we brought back our accolades to celebrate amateur theatre in our Northern Virginia/DC/Maryland area. We are so pumped to see what people were excited about. Without further ado, the 2023 Community Accolades!
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
November 2023
Clare Anderson: As Violet Hunter, Clare took on the tricky and often thankless role of 'The Damsel in Distress' and made her so real and compelling and likeable, keeping the audience rooting for her. Watching her recount the strange, suspenseful occurrences she experienced as a governess made chills go down my spine every time. And Clare's proper English accent was so polished that multiple audience members thought she was actually British!
Jeff Elmore: Jeff really brought the great detective and his many, many long monologues to life with high energy, engaging delivery, beautiful diction, and a special flair! He also kept up an impeccable English accent and faked playing the violin pretty well.
Jeff Elmore: The titular Sherlock Holmes was Jeff's biggest role yet, and he took it on with grace. Whether it came to the flippantness of stopping a lackluster criminal or the passion of taking on a major group, Jeff made his interpretation of Sherlock known and it showed. He even performed straight through four stories which don't necessarily go together, which is no easy feat.
Courtney Garofolo: This was a shimmering directorial debut for Courtney! Her clear vision, steady leadership, warm enthusiasm, creativity, and resourcefulness made it a great experience for cast and audience alike. I can't wait to see what she'll do next!
Chip Gertzog: Chip Gertzog's photography beautifully embodied the characters and the moody Victorian setting of the play. So much of the show's promotional efforts revolved around Chip's work-- it even appeared on the playbill and in the lobby-- that he was as essential to the success of the play as the cast and creative team!
Anthony Pohl: Anthony played two roles in this production, both deserving recognition, but I prefer his interpretation of Jephro Rucastle. From the first readthrough to the live performances, I would describe his portrayal as "creep", but in the best way.
Betsy Ryan: As a swing, Betsy had to learn the roles of at least 16 different characters in this play. Though she never had to perform any of these roles in performances, she did fill in for quite a few of them during rehearsals and showed great range and versatility. She worked so hard behind the scenes with hardly anyone getting to see the results of her hard work, and for that, she deserves an accolade!
Elizabeth "Liz" Shaher: The fact that Liz is not acknowledged in nearly as many reviews as she should be is basically a crime. Whether it was a subway chime fit to the beat of a song or an old sounding Christmas violin, she knew perfectly how to find sounds to suit each scene.
Lauren Sunday: Lauren embodied Watson, the loyal and helpful companion of Sherlock Holmes, onstage and off. Onstage, her primly cheerful characterization, no-nonsense attitude, and a crisp English accent fit the Victorian setting perfectly and made a female version of Watson utterly believable. Offstage, she showed great work ethic, professionalism, and team spirit, even organizing the cast gifts despite her large role in the show.
Avenue Q
October 2023
Elizabeth "Liz" Shaher: The fact that Liz is not acknowledged in nearly as many reviews as she should be is basically a crime. Whether it was a subway chime fit to the beat of a song or an old sounding Christmas violin, she knew perfectly how to find sounds to suit each scene.
Brittany Washington: Lucy might have been a cameo role, but you wouldn't know it from Brittany's performance! Her signature song “Special” had people hooting and hollering, and not just the people on stage. Even in Act 2 where her role is more minor, her character left a lasting impact.
Beauty and the Beast
June 2023
Bill Barnes: Immensely entertaining, selling many of the show's best lines with flair and delivering some very smooth dance moves!
Stephanie Blakely: Stephanie deserves an accolade for sheer "The Show Must Go On" spirit as well as her plainly apparent talents. As one of the "Filles de la Ville," her role requires a lot of enthusiasm, energy, spunk, and a fair bit of dancing. Unfortunately, she suffered a serious foot injury before the performance I attended. Not only was she able to creatively work around the physical demands of the role, she actually used her injured foot as a comic gag in one moment while still performing songs and scenes with gusto.
Josie Corrado: The choreography for this show was truly next-level for a community production. It worked on many levels: a great showcase of talent for the many skilled dancers in the cast while also keeping large group numbers doable for less experienced performers in a way that looked neat, precise, and visually pleasing to the audience. A mid-show standing ovation after "Be Our Guest" exemplified the effectiveness of the choreography.
Brianna Lau: Brianna's dancing really shone in this show and was a treat to watch, especially tapping. She was such an engaged and personable member of the ensemble and and absolutely delightful as one of "les Filles de la Ville." Cannot wait to see her in another musical in the future!
Spencer Pilcher: You will rarely experience the wonderful alchemy of right-performer-meets-right-role that this show provides in Spencer as Gaston. He chews up all the scenery and expectorates it and sound absolutely amazing doing it, and I grinned ear to ear every time he was onstage. His powerful vocals were especially impressive on "The Mob Song!"
Rebekah Raze: Embracing the material, Rebekah Raze gave one of the most vibrant, raw, and human portrayals of Belle I've been fortunate to witness in the approximately 85747494034 productions of this play I've seen. She approaches the role with the intelligence and emotional power that Belle truly deserves.
Blood Brothers
June 2023
Rob Milanich: Rob gave an impressively committed performance as Mickey in The British Player's Production of Blood Brothers. When his character was young, he turned somersaults on the stage like a real six-year-old would. When his character aged, his mannerisms became a little more subdued, but still full of the nervous energy of a street-smart young man growing into himself. And when his character fell into the grips of depression and addiction, the glint in his eyes disappeared and his movements became sluggish, as if his limbs were full of lead. I have rarely seen an actor dedicate himself so physically to a role. But in addition to this, his vocals were wonderful to listen to, and his line delivery was always on point. He truly brought Mickey to life in a magical way. I can't wait to see him perform in future shows!
The Entire Cast and Crew: The cast and crew came together to put on an incredible production, even with multiple behind the scenes challenges, including an entire week where we all thought the show was going to be cancelled. But we rallied together through all of it and, with the support of the BP board, everything came together in the end.
King Charles III
February 2023
Sarah Pfanz: William is a crucial part of this play, but his personality is less strong at first glance than some of the other major players. Playing him takes nuance and subtlety as well as a clear, well-developed sense of inner thought. Sarah Pfanz played William with great sensitivity, intelligence, and orientation to every detail, down to the cuffs of her shirts.
Kinky Boots
October 2023
The Angels (Brandrick JoS. Levy, Danny Seal, Kevin Donlan, & Wyatt Underwood): The Angels were a fabulous treat in an already-fantastic performance! They managed so many elaborate costume changes while performing some incredibly athletic choreo (in high heels no less!), and I was always hyped to see them each time they made their entrance.
The Laramie Project
June 2023
Michael Angeloni: Michael's performance in The Laramie Project was a real standout. I was incredibly impressed by his range, like going from a chilling dialogue as Aaron McKinney right into a heartfelt monologue as Aaron Kreifels so expertly. I can tell he put so much hard work and care into this performance. One of his monologues as Kreifels brought me to tears. A truly inspired (and inspiring) performance!
Macbeth
August 2023
Wendy Briggs: I don't know if Wendy incorporated music or sound effects into her productions before, but here she used a mix of mystery music, live sound, and war themes that worked perfectly for ITC's "Scottish Play."
Jeff Elmore: Brought great physicality to the role of Banquo, dying very convincingly and disturbingly in an ambush attack and later returning as an extremely uncanny ghost. Fun to watch in every scene!
Matthew Gaughan: Beautifully devastating.
Spencer Pilcher: Macbeth has to be one of the most challenging roles that Shakespeare ever wrote. He has to undergo a rapid but seamless journey from war hero to tyrannical villain while still retaining some of the audience's sympathy. His speeches are dense and filled with murky and confusing monologues. Spencer made Macbeth a compelling, real character with both nuanced and bold character choices, a haunting psychological portrait of a deeply troubled and flawed man who is all too human.
The Witches (Betsy Ryan, Eliza Souser, and Rachael Dickson): The witches were the most enjoyable part of the play and really brought a creepy, magical vibe into the whole space, even into the audience. The way they moved, spoke, and even dressed worked together perfectly even though each had her own distinct style.
Arielle Seidman-Joria: Arielle haunts my dreams as Lady Macbeth. I can't stop thinking about the small, calculated, chilling choices she made in this play. What a beautifully devastating character. The expression in her eyes alone while sleepwalking has stuck with me for months.
Thomas Udlock: While Ross doesn't seem like a huge character in the play in terms of plot or number of speeches, he's actually onstage a LOT, and Thomas really made him a memorable part of the play. His reactions to all of the shocking things going on around him (some humorous, some tragic) and his eventual conviction and resolve as he joined the rebellion made him a fantastic moral compass for the audience to look to.
The SpongeBob Musical
July-August 2023
Ellis Hamilton: SpongeBob was Ellis's musical directing debut, but you wouldn't know it from hearing the production's vocals! His passion for music is palpable, and it translates perfectly to the stage.
MJ Watkins: MJ evolved throughout the rehearsal and performance process, not just while playing the small but devious Plankton, but he grew in his own confidence too.
Trees
October 2023
Karen Harris: Ms. Harris captured her role immediately. The second her character came on stage, you knew she was in charge, and you knew, while portraying the antagonist, that her character cared deeply for her cause. Her voice carried the show and blended beautifully with her co-stars. Hers was a model performance and made you sit up and notice.
Neal Learner: Neal created a beautiful score with memorable songs about a topic near and dear to many, nature vs development. I am still humming the songs!
White Christmas
November-December 2023
Talya Conroy: Having not seen the show before, I didn't realize how the role of Martha Watson differed from the film version. Each scene was a revelation, and I was always looking forward to seeing what great shenanigans, zingers, and show-stopping number she was going to wow us with next!
Alan Pierce: Alan brought so much charm to a friendly, womanizing character that could have gone a little slimy without care. His performance as Phil Davis was so likable, and his dancing was spot on with his equally fantastic dance partner (the extremely talented Jessi Shull). I'm sure it wasn't easy to take on such an iconic role, but he did it with aplomb!
Rebekah Raze: Her Betty Haynes was all glamor, warmth, "acting natural," and fierce loyalty. Her “Love, You Didn't Do Right By Me” was gobsmacking!
Young Frankenstein
October-November 2023
Liz Colandene: With less stage time than some other characters, hers is still the performance I think about most from that show. She was a comedic tour de force who shone in every single scene she was in. She positively sparkled!
Kadira Coley: Kadira's hair and wig design stood out in this production. Frankenstein’s increasingly unkempt hair added to the wackiness. Inga's bouncy curls worked so well with her hoppy, little run. Elizabeth's glamorous up-do transformed into the somehow just as glamorous bride of Frankenstein wig. Sublime!
Young Frankenstein
October-November 2023
Kathie Rodgers: As the Shadow Tapper in "Puttin' on the Ritz," Kathie dealt out clean, beautiful tap combinations. In the performance I saw, I was stunned both by her abilities and the quietness from the audience while she performed complicated moves. (A little more applause, please!) Those wings were beautiful! Rock on!
Sam Weich: A great and endearing performance for such a weird character. His little, hoppy walk as he crept up on Frederick had me in stitches!
Leigh Wirth Dencker: Loved it. Flawless. No notes.
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