The 2011 Theatre Museum Awards
By Julia Knobloch
The Countdown is on for the 2011 Theatre Museum Awards! On May 16, honorees, presenters and guests will get together for a gala evening at the National Arts Club, celebrating the wide range of performing arts from vaudeville and musical theatre classics to today’s top Broadway shows.
Sheldon Harnick, who will accept an award for his lifetime achievement, said he was “thrilled, surprised and delighted” when he heard about his nomination. In a recent phone interview, he called his career “extraordinarily gratifying”, for having had many people tell him how meaningful his work has been to them.
The legendary lyricist found his professional way through what he defined as a “life changing experience”. While a student at Northwestern, preparing to become a violinist, Sheldon Harnick was first introduced to the recording of Finian’s Rainbow by a classmate, the actress Charlotte Rae. She had seen the show during a visit to New York, and handed him the LP. “’Sheldon, you have to hear this’, recalled the honoree, and went on: “I loved the music, but the lyrics dazzled me, and for the first time I thought: ‘This is something I would like to pursue as a career.’“
And that’s what he did, embarking on a path that would allow him to combine his love for both music and words. On this same path, he was bound to meet Harold Prince, who will present the award to his colleague and friend. “I guess we go back a long time, so why shouldn’t it be me”, Mr. Prince said jovially, and added: “I first worked with him on the first musical I directed, called She Loves Me and then we had a number of years together.” Director and producer Harold Prince, a Broadway icon in his own right, described Harnick as “incredibly bright, incredibly informed, brilliant. It is an evening he deserves.” Prince also underscored that the evening should be an opportunity to honor the history of the theatre itself, something that he regards as very important: “The young generation does not pay enough attention to its history, and to the building blocks that support the entire artistic effort.”
Fortunately, there are people like vaudeville luminary and writer Frank Cullen, who will accept the prize for Theatre History Preservation and who wishes to share the recognition with Donald McNeilly and Florence Hackman. Both have contributed tremendously to Cullen’s pioneering anthology Vaudeville Old and New. “They have read and approved it so often for so many years, they have put in as much work as I did”, he said via phone from Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The two volumes of the book are a treasure trove and an academic benchmark for all things variety performance. Together with McNeilly, Cullen founded the American Vaudeville Museum in 1982. He remains active in keeping the memory of this performing tradition alive, and you may take it as a sign of high esteem when he labeled his presenter, the writer, performer and producer Travis Stewart (Trav S.D.), a “modern vaudevillian”.
“Vaudeville is a holy mission and more necessary than ever before”, stated Travis Stewart (Trav S.D.), who feels “honored” to present the award to Cullen. Just like the author, Stewart believes it is vital to find ways of making “vaudeville live and breathe in our contemporary culture. As a people we need to find ways to connect: to our forbears, to each other, to transcend ourselves and be anchored to something greater, because if we don't, we become isolated, unhappy and not very empathetic.“
Education is crucial when it comes to developing an understanding for the importance of preservation. The Frank Sinatra High School in Queens offers a specialized program in the arts as well as a full academic curriculum, and is committed to community service through the arts. Principal Donna Finn will accept the Theatre Arts Education Award from the hands of Peter Avery. Avery serves as Director of Theater with the New York City Department of Education.
Last but not least, Bonnie Comley will be honored for her distinguished service to theatre. A prolific producer and a mother of five, she is well aware of the need to educate younger generations: “The mission of The Theatre Museum is to preserve, protect and perpetuate the legacy of theatre. As a parent, I have taken this mission to heart because my husband, Stewart Lane, and I believe that nothing can replace live theater.“
Jim Dale, whose latest One Man Show Still Carrying On was running at the Triad Theatre until early May, will present the award to Bonnie and, in a true manner of British understatement, said he was looking forward to a “nice evening for everyone.” The last time he saw Bonnie Comley and her husband was when they came to see him at the Triad, and asked him to be part of the award ceremony. “Jim Dale has mastered every aspect of live performing from singing, dancing, acting, clowning, and stand up comedy. There is a reason he was called "The Toast of Broadway" by the NY Times when he arrived in New York over thirty years ago from England. To be near him is a thrill“, confessed Bonnie, who is looking forward to a „very special night. The entertainment is in an intimate setting with amazingly talent performers who are passionate about theater. The awardees and their presenters give heartfelt introductions and acceptances speeches that remind us all why we are in the theater“, she pointed out.
|
|
History of the Awards for Excellence
The Theatre Museum continues the legacy The Broadway Theatre Institute began in 1995 by presenting Awards for Excellence in both Theatre History Preservation and Theatre Arts Education.
From 1986 - 2003, the Broadway Theatre Institute developed programs that fostered the perpetuation and appreciation of theatre in New York and served more than 100,000 children and adults in New York City. It's evolution and merger into The Theatre Museum in 2003 was the next step in its development.
The following is a representative list of honorees awarded by the Broadway Theatre Institute and, beginning in 2003, The Theatre Museum:
1995
Theatre History Preservation
Jujamcyn Theaters ( Howard Rogut, General Manager)
Theater Arts Education
Dr. Mary C. Henderson
1997
Theatre History Preservation
The Empire State Development Corporation
Louis Botto
Theater Arts Education
The Theater Development Fund Education Program (Marianna Houston)
Eric Booth
1999
Theatre History Preservation
George Mason University
Robert Kimball
Theater Arts Education
The American Theater Wing
2000
Theater History Preservation
Harvard Theatre Collection (Frederic Woodbridge Wilson, Curator)
Theater Arts Education
New York University (L. Jay Oliva, President)
2002
Theater History Preservation
The Theatre Historical Society of America
Theater Arts Education
The Paper Bag Players
2003
Theater History Preservation
The Players (John Martello, Director)
Theater Arts Education
The BMI - Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop (Maury Yeston)
2004
Theatre History Preservation
Dodger Costumes (Kyra Svetlovsky, Manufacturing Manager)
Theatre Arts Education
F.H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
(Dr. Linda Masson Kingsley, Assistant Principal - Drama)
2005
Theatre History Preservation
Laurence Maslon and Michael Kantor for their PBS Broadway series
Ten Chimneys Foundation (Sean Malone, President)
Theatre Arts Education
Periwinkle Productions (Sunna Rausch)
Michael Presser - Inside Broadway
2006
Theatre History Preservation
Fred Papert
Manhattan Theatre Club (Barry Grove, Executive Producer)
Theatre Arts Education
The Drama League Directors Project (Roger Danforth, Artistic Director)
Lundeana Thomas, Ph.D.
2007
Ellen Burstyn
Carmen de Lavallade
Ben Brantley
Arts Horizons
|
|