NEW YORK CITY: The United Solo Theatre Festival held its fifth annual awards ceremony on Nov. 23 on Theatre Row at 42nd Street, concluding a 10-week season of solo theatre. This season was its longest season yet, with 130 productions presented from Sept. 18–Nov. 23, 2014.
“I couldn’t be happier to see how United Solo has grown, on many levels,” said Omar Sangare, the festival’s founder and artistic director, in a statement. “Our festival expanded from a two-week event to a season spanning over two months. We created an overseas showcase, and we have our own collection of published scripts. But most importantly, we created a community of artists around the festival, with whom we can be in constant conversation about new ways to fulfill our mission.”
Among the honorees was Billy Crystal, who received the United Solo Special Award for his autobiographical Broadway show 700 Sundays. On receiving the award, Crystal said that working solo “made me a better actor, it made my discipline stronger, it made every night more of a challenge, because it was just me.”
A fill list of winners is below:
SPECIAL AWARD
700 Sundays by Billy Crystal
Best Production
THE WONDER by Susan Ferrara, co-directed by Julie Ann Emery and Kevin Earley
Best Direction
Estelle Parsons for RHAPSODY IN BLACK
Best One-Man Show
Faggy at 50 by Joe Gulla, directed by Brian Rardin
Best One-Woman Show
Butoh Medea by Yokko, with associate director Brian Rhinehart
Best Encore
Spitting in the Face of the Devil by Bob Brader, directed by Suzanne Bachner
United Solo & Backstage Audience Award
My Insane Shakespeare by Arthur Elbakyan
Best Actor
Javier Rivera in Salve Regina: A Coming of GAY Story
Best Actress
Ali Harper in Bombshells
Best Comedian
Nancy Redman in The Doctor Is Not In
Best Storyteller
Leland Gantt in Rhapsody in Black
Best International Show
The Big Smoke by Amy Nostbakken, directed by Nir Paldi
Best Drama
Stealing Sam by Steven Gallagher
Best Comedy
Bio-Hazard: a relative comedy by Sarah Elizabeth Greer
Best Musical
Good Enough by Matthew LaBanca
Best Autobiographical Show
The Beauty, the Banshee & Me by Cathy Lind Hayes
Best Avant-Garde Show
Health Insurance by Daniel Piper Kublick
Best Variety Show
THAT’S ALL I GOT by Addie Walsh
Best Multimedia Show
Inside the Whale by Aurora Lagattuta
Best Cabaret
My Life Is a Woody Allen Film by Aja Nisenson
Best Satire
Lost in Lvov by Sandy Simona
Best Stand-Up
When I Could Feel by Vicky Kuperman
Best Spoken-Word Show
She Think She Grown by Shannon Matesky
Best Experimental Show
Nothing by Nic Balthazar by Jon Kovach
Best Concert
The Spirit of Vaudeville by Richard Stillman
Best Educational Show
The Magic of Rudyard Kipling: ‘Just So’ by Jackson Gillman
Best Dramatic Script
Women on the Verge by Kimba Henderson, performed by Faith Collins
Best Comedic Script
Tales from Geriassic Park – On the Verge of Extinction by Verna Gillis
Best Adaptation
The Tall Boy by Simon Bent, performed by Tandy Cronyn
Best Non-Fiction Script
Children Are Forever (All Sales Are Final!) by Julia Jackson
Best Documentary Script
Silent Witnesses by Stephanie Satie
Best Biographical Script
Einstein: A Stage Portrait by Willard Simms, performed by Tom Schuch
Best Storytelling Script
Random Acts by Renata Hinrichs
Best Autobiographical Script
What Will People Think? by Anthoula Katsimatides
Best Educational Script
L.A. Unified by David Newer
Best Premiere
Some of the Side Effects by Dave Shaw
Best Emerging Actor
Sentell Harper in Seek and Ye Shall Find
Best Emerging Actress
Melissa Ritz in Journey of a Bombshell: The Ina Ray Hutton Story
Best Festival Debut
In the Storm of Pleasure by Daniel Benhamu, directed by Zishan Ugurlu
First Sold-Out Show
Big Dummy by Mary Dimino
Best Musical Direction
Gary Schreiner, My Life Is a Woody Allen Film by Aja Nisenson
Best Projection Design
Richard A. Harris, Manchester Girl by Sue Turner-Cray
Best Lighting Design
Derek Van Heel, Butoh Medea
Best Costume Design
Deepsikah Chatterjee, Butoh Medea
Best Choreography
Yokko and Jordan Rosin, Butoh Medea
