The 2013-14 theater season may be over but the rounds of applause are just getting started.
On Monday, July 28, the nominees for the 2013-14 AriZoni Theatre Awards of Excellence were announced at Phoenix Theatre with numerous categories ranging from the overall production of contracted and non-contracted plays to original music composition in an adult and youth play or musical.
See also: The 10 Best Plays I Saw in Metro Phoenix in 2013
A large portion of the nominations for overall production of a contracted musical belong to Phoenix Theatre (Les Miserable, Rent, Ruthless!, White Christmas) However overall production nominations for contracted performances are also being given to Childsplay's production of Schoolhouse Rock Live! and The Miraculous Journey Of Edward Tulane as well as Southwest Shakespeare Company's The Taming of the Shrew and Equivocation.
Understandably, the nominees for non-contracted theatrical productions are more diverse with nods to the ASU School of Film, Dance, and Theatre (Fall of the House of Escher, Nation), Black Theatre Troupe (Wedding Band), Fountain Hills Theater (I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change), Mesa Encore Theatre (August: Osage County, Big River, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Oklahoma), Nearly Naked Theatre (Take Me Out), Stray Cat Theatre (The Flick, The Whale), and Theater Works (Dark of the Moon, Ragtime Musical).
In addition to the productions as a whole, nominations were handed out in categories of choreography, scenic design, costume design, hair and makeup design, musical direction, direction, acting, plus artistic specialization and original script (both of which feature nominations for Brelby Theatre's Shelby Maticic).
The 2014 AriZoni Awards ceremony will be held on Monday, September 15, at 8 p.m. (kids ceremony is at 5:30 p.m.) at the Tempe Center for the Arts. Tickets are available for $21 at tca.ticketforce.com. For a complete look at all the award nominees, visit www.arizoniawards.com.
