Herald & Review (Decatur, IL)
December 27, 1991
Section: Life
Page: B1
And the winner is...
The Herald & Review salutes the best in Central Illinois theater with its annual award of The Heralds
It’s time for theater people to take one more bow before the curtain closes on 1991.
Up for the final round of applause is Millikin University, which won six of the 12 theater awards given annually by the Herald & Review. Among the prizes were best actress and best show for “And They Dance Real Slow in Jackson.”
In all, 19 shows were in the running for the sixth annual Herald Awards.
Besides “Jackson,” Millikin staged “The Mystery of Edwin Drood,” “Agnes of God,” “Orpheus Descending,” “Steel Magnolias,” “Do Black Patent
Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?” “Evita,” “The Dining Room,” and “Noises Off.”
Decatur’s Theatre 7 put on “Oliver!” “Harvey” and “Dracula.”
The Little Theatre-On The Square in Sullivan produced “I Do! I Do!” “Golden Broadway,” “Oklahoma!” “Camelot,” “Annie Get Your Gun,” “Me And My Girl” and “South Pacific.”
Winners may pick up their trophies between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays at the H&R office, 601 E. William St.
The winners and runners-up were selected by Herald & Review theater critic
Theresa Churchill.
Best show
AND THEY DANCE REAL SLOW IN JACKSON -The talented Millikin cast exposes a crippled girl’s true handicaps over a span of years through convincing shifts in manner and voice. Lighting focuses the action on an appropriately sparse
set without making the show look depressing.
Runners-up: “Oliver!” “Me And My Girl.”
Best actor
WINFIELD SCOTT -Elwood P. Dowd, “Harvey,” Theatre 7. The Argenta resident makes such a nice eccentric, he’s naturally funny as the constant companion of an invisible 6-foot rabbit.
Runners-up: Salvatore Ingurgio, “Evita.” Phil Johnson, “Me and My Girl.”
Best actress
JULIE STEMMLER -Elizabeth Willow, “And They Dance Real Slow in Jackson,” Millikin. Although her character loses her mind, the May graduate from St. Louis comes across as the sanest person as a crippled girl determined to overcome the obstacles placed in her path by others.
Runners-up: Sandie Levandoski, “Harvey.” Cara Scher, “South Pacific.”
Best supporting actor
KENNETH PAUL -Jud, “Oklahoma!” Little Theatre. A graduate of Northwestern University’s voice department, Paul uses his powerful voice and presence to make you fear the hired hand yet share his loneliness.
Runners-up: Jason Hesselton, “And They Dance Real Slow in Jackson.” Jim Kleckner, “Harvey.”
Best supporting actress
VICCI RAE CANTWELL -Agnes, “Agnes of God,” Millikin. The junior from Rockford sings with haunting beauty and acts with innocence as she gradually exposes the tortured life of a novice nun.
Runners-up: Molly Shade, “Oliver!” Bridgett Williams, “South Pacific.”
Best director
DENISE MYERS -”Noises Off,” Millikin. The theater instructor controls the chaos of this zany play-within-a-play about secondrate actors and creates a first-class comedy.
Runners-up: Bill Kincaid, “Oliver!” M. Seth Reines, “Me And My Girl.”
Best musical direction
STEPHEN FIOL and MARIA KLOTT -”Evita,” Millikin. Winning his fourth Herald, Fiol teams up with a fellow music professor to capture the excitement of music written about the life of Argentina’s Eva Peron. He won for “Grease” in 1986, “Chicago” in 1989 and “George M!” in 1990.
Runners-up: Bruce Gibson, “Oliver!” David Fehr, “Me And My Girl.”
Best choreography
MILLIE GARVEY -”Me And My Girl,” Little Theatre. Choreographing her 15th production in Sullivan, the St. Louis resident sets the cast tap-dancing in their tennis shoes and swinging up and down the aisles in this musical comedy about an accidental heir to a family fortune.
Runners-up: Bill Kincaid, “Oliver!” Lynne Snyder, “Evita.”
Best set design
BOB OLSON, JERRY JOHNSON, JOE STRAKA -”Dracula,” Theatre 7. Walls papered with spider webs, a special painting above the fireplace and a dungeon in the orchestra pit created some frightfully good special effects. Olson previously won a Herald for best makeup in “1776” in 1989, and Straka won for his direction of “Comedy of Errors” in 1986.
Runners-up: Eileen M. Smith, “Noises Off.” Robert C. Martin, “Me And My Girl.”
Best costumes
EILEEN M. SMITH -”Evita,” Millikin. The assistant professor of theater dresses the generals in authentic-looking uniforms, the high society group in jewels and furs and Eva Peron in glamorous backless gowns. A talented technician, she also comes close to winning this year for set and lighting design on two other productions.
Runners-up: Dina Fryman, “Oliver!” Beth Levine, “Oklahoma!”
Best lighting
ANNE THOMPSON -”Oliver!” Theatre 7. After winning twice before for makeup on “Mame” in 1988 and “1776” in 1989, this Decatur resident designs lighting for this musical about a poor orphan boy that elegantly shows the passing of the night in the thieves’ kitchen and puts different colored spotlights on the street sellers.
Runners-up: Eileen M. Smith, “Agnes of God.” Gerald Thamm, “South Pacific.”
Best makeup and hair
BIL LARRICK -”Dracula,” Theatre 7. The vampire’s victim pales as her life drains away but both her complexion and hair make a startling comeback once her transformation is complete. Dracula, meanwhile, is nicely pale without appearing ill.
Runners-up: Marin Venturi, “The Mystery of Edwin Drood.” “Camelot.”
December 27, 1991
Section: Life
Page: B1
And the winner is...
The Herald & Review salutes the best in Central Illinois theater with its annual award of The Heralds
It’s time for theater people to take one more bow before the curtain closes on 1991.
Up for the final round of applause is Millikin University, which won six of the 12 theater awards given annually by the Herald & Review. Among the prizes were best actress and best show for “And They Dance Real Slow in Jackson.”
In all, 19 shows were in the running for the sixth annual Herald Awards.
Besides “Jackson,” Millikin staged “The Mystery of Edwin Drood,” “Agnes of God,” “Orpheus Descending,” “Steel Magnolias,” “Do Black Patent
Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?” “Evita,” “The Dining Room,” and “Noises Off.”
Decatur’s Theatre 7 put on “Oliver!” “Harvey” and “Dracula.”
The Little Theatre-On The Square in Sullivan produced “I Do! I Do!” “Golden Broadway,” “Oklahoma!” “Camelot,” “Annie Get Your Gun,” “Me And My Girl” and “South Pacific.”
Winners may pick up their trophies between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays at the H&R office, 601 E. William St.
The winners and runners-up were selected by Herald & Review theater critic
Theresa Churchill.
Best show
AND THEY DANCE REAL SLOW IN JACKSON -The talented Millikin cast exposes a crippled girl’s true handicaps over a span of years through convincing shifts in manner and voice. Lighting focuses the action on an appropriately sparse
set without making the show look depressing.
Runners-up: “Oliver!” “Me And My Girl.”
Best actor
WINFIELD SCOTT -Elwood P. Dowd, “Harvey,” Theatre 7. The Argenta resident makes such a nice eccentric, he’s naturally funny as the constant companion of an invisible 6-foot rabbit.
Runners-up: Salvatore Ingurgio, “Evita.” Phil Johnson, “Me and My Girl.”
Best actress
JULIE STEMMLER -Elizabeth Willow, “And They Dance Real Slow in Jackson,” Millikin. Although her character loses her mind, the May graduate from St. Louis comes across as the sanest person as a crippled girl determined to overcome the obstacles placed in her path by others.
Runners-up: Sandie Levandoski, “Harvey.” Cara Scher, “South Pacific.”
Best supporting actor
KENNETH PAUL -Jud, “Oklahoma!” Little Theatre. A graduate of Northwestern University’s voice department, Paul uses his powerful voice and presence to make you fear the hired hand yet share his loneliness.
Runners-up: Jason Hesselton, “And They Dance Real Slow in Jackson.” Jim Kleckner, “Harvey.”
Best supporting actress
VICCI RAE CANTWELL -Agnes, “Agnes of God,” Millikin. The junior from Rockford sings with haunting beauty and acts with innocence as she gradually exposes the tortured life of a novice nun.
Runners-up: Molly Shade, “Oliver!” Bridgett Williams, “South Pacific.”
Best director
DENISE MYERS -”Noises Off,” Millikin. The theater instructor controls the chaos of this zany play-within-a-play about secondrate actors and creates a first-class comedy.
Runners-up: Bill Kincaid, “Oliver!” M. Seth Reines, “Me And My Girl.”
Best musical direction
STEPHEN FIOL and MARIA KLOTT -”Evita,” Millikin. Winning his fourth Herald, Fiol teams up with a fellow music professor to capture the excitement of music written about the life of Argentina’s Eva Peron. He won for “Grease” in 1986, “Chicago” in 1989 and “George M!” in 1990.
Runners-up: Bruce Gibson, “Oliver!” David Fehr, “Me And My Girl.”
Best choreography
MILLIE GARVEY -”Me And My Girl,” Little Theatre. Choreographing her 15th production in Sullivan, the St. Louis resident sets the cast tap-dancing in their tennis shoes and swinging up and down the aisles in this musical comedy about an accidental heir to a family fortune.
Runners-up: Bill Kincaid, “Oliver!” Lynne Snyder, “Evita.”
Best set design
BOB OLSON, JERRY JOHNSON, JOE STRAKA -”Dracula,” Theatre 7. Walls papered with spider webs, a special painting above the fireplace and a dungeon in the orchestra pit created some frightfully good special effects. Olson previously won a Herald for best makeup in “1776” in 1989, and Straka won for his direction of “Comedy of Errors” in 1986.
Runners-up: Eileen M. Smith, “Noises Off.” Robert C. Martin, “Me And My Girl.”
Best costumes
EILEEN M. SMITH -”Evita,” Millikin. The assistant professor of theater dresses the generals in authentic-looking uniforms, the high society group in jewels and furs and Eva Peron in glamorous backless gowns. A talented technician, she also comes close to winning this year for set and lighting design on two other productions.
Runners-up: Dina Fryman, “Oliver!” Beth Levine, “Oklahoma!”
Best lighting
ANNE THOMPSON -”Oliver!” Theatre 7. After winning twice before for makeup on “Mame” in 1988 and “1776” in 1989, this Decatur resident designs lighting for this musical about a poor orphan boy that elegantly shows the passing of the night in the thieves’ kitchen and puts different colored spotlights on the street sellers.
Runners-up: Eileen M. Smith, “Agnes of God.” Gerald Thamm, “South Pacific.”
Best makeup and hair
BIL LARRICK -”Dracula,” Theatre 7. The vampire’s victim pales as her life drains away but both her complexion and hair make a startling comeback once her transformation is complete. Dracula, meanwhile, is nicely pale without appearing ill.
Runners-up: Marin Venturi, “The Mystery of Edwin Drood.” “Camelot.”
Copyright, 1991, Herald & Review, Decatur, IL