AURORA | Aurora-based actors, technicians and theater companies came away largely empty-handed from the Eighth Annual Henry Awards held July 22 at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities.
Though local shows and actors nabbed plenty of nominations for the annual awards ceremony honoring local theater, only one Aurora actor beat out competitors for the prize named after local theater guru Henry Lowenstein. That win was among the most unlikely of the evening: Aurora singer and actress SuCh won the Henry Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical for her performance in the Aurora Fox’s April production of the musical “The Color Purple.”
The musical based on the novel by Alice Walker was the stage debut for SuCh, who beat out past winner Megan Van De Hey as well as competitors Brianna Firestone, Selah Grace, Norrell Moore and Kathi Wood for the prize. During the ceremony, SuCh joined fellow cast member and multiple Henry Award nominee Ashlie-Amber Harris onstage for a performance of the song “What About Love.” The duo drew a standing ovation from the sold-out crowd.
“The Color Purple” earned nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical for Ashlie-Amber Harris as well as Outstanding Musical Direction for Donnie L. Betts. The Vintage Theatre company’s production of the one-man show “RFK: A Portrait of Robert Kennedy” also garnered multiple nominations: Luke Allen Terry was up for Outstanding Sound Design, David LaFont and Terry Dodd were up for Outstanding Scenic Design, James O’Hagan-Murphy was up for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play, Terry Dodd was up for Outstanding Direction of a Play and the show was up for Outstanding Production of a Play.
Aurora Fox Executive Producer Charles Packard also earned a nomination for his work outside of the city. Packard picked up an Outstanding Scenic Design nomination for his work on the Curious Theatre company’s drama “The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity.”
The Arvada Center’s production of “Man of La Mancha” starring William Michals was a big winner at the ceremony. The show won awards for Outstanding Lighting Design, Costume Design, Scenic Design, Choreography, Musical Direction and Production of a Musical. The Curious Theatre picked up the award for Outstanding Season for a Theater Company, as well as the award for Outstanding Production of a Play for the drama “The Brothers Size.”
The ceremony also included a Lifetime Achievement Award presented to local actor Jim Hunt. A slideshow prepared by former Denver Post theater critic John Moore paid tribute to those in the local theater community who died in the past year; the retrospective included a nod to Adam Perkes, a local actor who died from an apparent drug overdose shortly after kicking off his leading role in the Equinox Theatre’s production of “Batboy: The Musical” in February.
The show also included an update on the effort to restore the historic Elitch Gardens theater in northwest Denver. While efforts have launched to rebuild the theater that first opened in 1890, the Historic Elitch Gardens Theatre Foundation is still looking for funding to update the building and open the facility as a viable performing arts venue.
For a full list of nominees and winners, check out Adam Goldstein’s blog at aurorasentinel.com
Reach reporter Adam Goldstein at 720-449-9707 or agoldstein@aurorasentinel.com