Tony Awards 2011

As is a tradition in the theatre, nominations for the American Theatre Wing’s 65th Annual Antoinette Perry “Tony” Awards were announced at the beginning of May. The nominees are selected by an independent committee of theatre professionals appointed by the Tony Awards Administration Committee.
Many great shows will be honored as well as great performers. This would be a tough year, in my opinion, to narrow it down and pick just one from the categories.

Legitimate theatrical productions opening in any of the 40 eligible Broadway theatres during the current season may be considered for Tony nominations. The 2010/2011 eligibility season runs from April 30, 2010 and goes to April 28, 2011. The Tony Awards will be voted in 26 competitive categories.

The “Tony” Awards are bestowed annually on theatre professionals for distinguished achievement. The Tony is one of the most coveted awards in the entertainment industry and the annual telecast is considered one of the most prestigious programs on television.
Special Tony Awards for Lifetime Achievement will also be presented as well as the Isabelle Stevenson Award. The Honors for Excellence in the Theatre will be presented, The Drama Book Shop and Sharon Jensen and Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts too.

Each year, the Tony Awards Administration Committee, presents a Tony Award to a regional theatre on the recommendation of the American Theatre Critics Association.
The ballot will be as follows (in case you want to follow along):

Best Play

 Good People
Author: David Lindsay-Abaire

 Jerusalem
Author: Jez Butterworth

 The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Author: Stephen Adly Guirgis

 War Horse
Author: Nick Stafford

Best Musical

 The Book of Mormon

 Catch Me If You Can

 The Scottsboro Boys

 Sister Act


Best Book of a Musical

 Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
Alex Timbers

 The Book of Mormon
Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone

 The Scottsboro Boys
David Thompson

 Sister Act
Cheri Steinkellner, Bill Steinkellner and Douglas Carter Beane


Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

 The Book of Mormon
Music & Lyrics: Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone

 The Scottsboro Boys
Music & Lyrics: John Kander & Fred Ebb

 Sister Act
Music: Alan Menken
Lyrics: Glenn Slater

 Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek


Best Revival of a Play

 Arcadia

 The Importance of Being Earnest

 The Merchant of Venice

 The Normal Heart


Best Revival of a Musical

 Anything Goes

 How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying


Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

 Brian Bedford
The Importance of Being Earnest

 Bobby Cannavale
The Motherf**ker with the Hat

 Joe Mantello
The Normal Heart

 Al Pacino
The Merchant of Venice

 Mark Rylance
Jerusalem


Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play

 Nina Arianda
Born Yesterday

 Frances McDormand
Good People

 Lily Rabe
The Merchant of Venice

 Vanessa Redgrave
Driving Miss Daisy

 Hannah Yelland
Brief Encounter


Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

 Norbert Leo Butz
Catch Me If You Can

 Josh Gad
The Book of Mormon

 Joshua Henry
The Scottsboro Boys

 Andrew Rannells
The Book of Mormon

 Tony Sheldon
Priscilla Queen of the Desert


Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical

 Sutton Foster
Anything Goes

 Beth Leavel
Baby It's You!

 Patina Miller
Sister Act

 Donna Murphy
The People in the Picture


Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play

 Mackenzie Crook
Jerusalem

 Billy Crudup
Arcadia

 John Benjamin Hickey
The Normal Heart

 Arian Moayed
Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo

 Yul Vázquez
The Motherf**ker with the Hat


Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

 Ellen Barkin
The Normal Heart

 Edie Falco
The House of Blue Leaves

 Judith Light
Lombardi

 Joanna Lumley
La Bête

 Elizabeth Rodriguez
The Motherf**ker with the Hat


Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

 Colman Domingo
The Scottsboro Boys

 Adam Godley
Anything Goes

 John Larroquette
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

 Forrest McClendon
The Scottsboro Boys

 Rory O'Malley
The Book of Mormon


Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

 Laura Benanti
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

 Tammy Blanchard
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

 Victoria Clark
Sister Act

 Nikki M. James
The Book of Mormon

 Patti LuPone
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown


Best Direction of a Play

 Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris
War Horse

 Joel Grey & George C. Wolfe
The Normal Heart

 Anna D. Shapiro
The Motherf**ker with the Hat

 Daniel Sullivan
The Merchant of Venice


Best Direction of a Musical

 Rob Ashford
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

 Kathleen Marshall
Anything Goes

 Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker
The Book of Mormon

 Susan Stroman
The Scottsboro Boys


Best Choreography

 Rob Ashford
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

 Kathleen Marshall
Anything Goes

 Casey Nicholaw
The Book of Mormon

 Susan Stroman
The Scottsboro Boys



Best Orchestrations

 Doug Besterman
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

 Larry Hochman
The Scottsboro Boys

 Larry Hochman & Stephen Oremus
The Book of Mormon

 Marc Shaiman & Larry Blank
Catch Me If You Can



Best Scenic Design of a Play

 Todd Rosenthal
The Motherf**ker with the Hat

 Rae Smith
War Horse

 Ultz
Jerusalem

 Mark Wendland
The Merchant of Venice



Best Scenic Design of a Musical

 Beowulf Boritt
The Scottsboro Boys

 Derek McLane
Anything Goes

 Scott Pask
The Book of Mormon

 Donyale Werle
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson



Best Costume Design of a Play

 Jess Goldstein
The Merchant of Venice

 Desmond Heeley
The Importance of Being Earnest

 Mark Thompson
La Bête

 Catherine Zuber
Born Yesterday



Best Costume Design of a Musical

 Tim Chappel & Lizzy Gardiner
Priscilla Queen of the Desert

 Martin Pakledinaz
Anything Goes

 Ann Roth
The Book of Mormon

 Catherine Zuber
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying


Best Lighting Design of a Play

 Paule Constable
War Horse

 David Lander
Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo

 Kenneth Posner
The Merchant of Venice

 Mimi Jordan Sherin
Jerusalem


Best Lighting Design of a Musical

 Ken Billington
The Scottsboro Boys

 Howell Binkley
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

 Peter Kaczorowski
Anything Goes

 Brian MacDevitt
The Book of Mormon


Best Sound Design of a Play

 Acme Sound Partners and Cricket S. Myers
Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo

 Simon Baker
Brief Encounter

 Ian Dickinson for Autograph
Jerusalem

 Christopher Shutt
War Horse


Best Sound Design of a Musical

 Peter Hylenski
The Scottsboro Boys

 Steve Canyon Kennedy
Catch Me If You Can

 Brian Ronan
Anything Goes

 Brian Ronan
The Book of Mormon



The Tony Awards will be broadcast live from the Beacon Theatre on CBS, Sunday, June 12th, 8:00 – 11:00 p.m.

Freedom of Speech

So, I read an article about a man in New Mexico who paid to have a billboard ad saying "This Would Have Been A Picture Of My 2-Month Old Baby If The Mother Had Decided To Not KILL Our Child!” It also had a picture of the man holding the outline of an infant. It stemmed because his ex-girlfriend had an abortion against his.
She has taken him to court for harassment and violation of privacy. The court official has suggested the billboard be removed.
Distasteful? Offensive? Maybe, but over 200 years in this country the First Amendment protects distasteful and offensive speech
The question that come from this is, are we looking at a violation of privacy of freedom of speech?
Now remember just earlier this year, U.S. Supreme Court made their decision concerning the Westboro Baptist Church. They were known for its anti-gay protests at military funerals and other high-profile events. As unpopular, distasteful and offensive as it may be, The Supreme Court, in an 8 to 1 decision, said that is protected speech.
So, the high court's decision to allow the protests, as hurtful as they are, is grounds for this man to put up the abortion billboard.
The ex-girlfriend claimed she had a miscarriage, not an abortion but regardless, her private life is not a matter of public interest.
Whether she had a miscarriage or not, the question remains about where do we draw the line. The Constitution is what this country was founded on. It is our living contract with one another, but expressing oneself in order to be hurtful to another gets to be a touchy situation.
I did check out the picture of the billboard and it never mentions her name or shows her picture so he could have, in theory, been talking about anyone. So, who's the dumb one here? Him for posting it or her for claiming it was directed to her?
I am curious to see the outcome of all this.

Yoga

So I have started taking Yoga.  If you ask 100 people what yoga is, I have a feeling you'd get 100 different answers.  I am surprised at how much there is to it.  Different styles, different theories.  Many people, I notice, like to define it in regards to how it has impacted their lives.  I tend to define it just as simply. For me it's about creating space, tuning in, honoring myself. 

I like to think that exercise and yoga separate. I know that this would surprise a lot of people, as most think that yoga is exercise. I don't agree with that thinking.  I believe one needs some high intensity interval training into their weekly routine.  I feel yoga is a great stretch and strengthening technique but I also feel there is more to exercise.  I also like to mix it up a bit.  I don’t feel there is only one way to stay fit and it is nice to work different muscles or just work them differently.  I find it to be a great balance.

The hard part for me, with yoga, is the meditation.  I stay moving and on the go so often. When I am in yoga class I am even working hard.  When it comes time to meditate, I have a hard time clearing my head.  When I do, I get so relaxed that I have fallen asleep (don’t tell my instructors that) and the meditation doesn’t happen.  I know as I continue, I will get better with it.  It is just a challenge I have with it now.

Even though I know that yoga is working my body, I kept going back because I know that it is also working on my mind. Some would say that the state of the body reflects the state of the mind. I've found in my life that as I've worked on releasing tension in my body, my mind has become more flexible. And while being able to put my hands on the ground in Standing Forward Bend would be nice and all, having a flexible mind is much more important and helpful in my daily life.

I am glad to include yoga as part of my weekly routine and work outs.  And I am ready to embrace the relaxation piece of the puzzle my life is in need of.

Cell Phones

So there was a report released this week about cell phones being a cause for cancer.  There are three main reasons why people are concerned that cell phones may cause certain types of cancer or other health problems.  Cell phones emit radiofrequency energy, which is a form of radiation that has been under study for many years for its effects on the human body Cell phone use began in Europe in the 1980s but did not come into widespread use in the United States until the 1990s. The technology is constantly evolving. The recent Interphone study is one of the few large studies of the effects of radio frequency energy from cell phones on the human body.

The number of cell phone users has increased rapidly. As of 2009, there were more than 285 million subscribers to cell phone service in the United States, according to the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association. They report this to be an increase from 110 million users in 2000 and 208 million users in 2005. Cell phones have also been categorized to be the same level of carcinogen as coffee and pickled vegetables.  So, what are the risks?  Do we stop with the latte, the olives and continue to use phones on the go?  Do we really need to be that connected to what’s going on, that you can’t leave your phone behind?  What happened to the days where you got home and listened to the answering machine?  Is that gone?  More and more people are getting rid of their land lines.  Should this be a concern?  How do we deal with the dangers of something that has become a mainstream part of everyday life?

I would guess either there are changes to the amount of cell phones used.  That less people will carry them or cell phone manufactures will start to head back to the drawing board and begin to design phone that might use safer waves.  I don’t see either option happening really soon but if people want to use phones, have convenience of information on the go and be safe, changes will need to be made.

British Television

OK, I will have to say, I grew up watching British television on PBS.  I remember watching Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Faulty Towers and Benny Hill.  In later years, Are You Being Served came along.  I didn’t follow it so much but I would catch it once in a while.  Last summer I ran across Monty Python shows on DVD at the library.  Feeling nostalgic, I checked one out.  I forgot how funny many of their sketches were.  Maybe because I was older and understood more but I enjoyed it more than I remembered.  I also enjoyed the facts that there were interviews with cast members included. They filled in more of the background on who they were at the time.  I found myself searching the library catalogue to see what other’s they had on DVD.  I was able to track down several episodes, found a copy of they live performance the “Pythons” did at the Hollywood Bowl and also found a few, “Are You Being Served?”  I also found the movies they did.  I was surprised at how late they were doing them as well.  I always just pictured that to be a ‘70s era.  I had always liked Monty Python and the Holy Grail.  I didn’t appreciate that humor at the time.  I didn’t enjoy “The Meaning of Life” when I was younger but now I just found it to be hysterical.  It has been great to enjoy these classics all over again.

I was recently introduced to anther British comedy, Little Brittan.  I enjoy the cleverness of it.  The cast is two men who play a variety of different characters.  The difference between this and Monty Python is the detail in make-up, wigs and costumes.  I did not realize at first they were the same two guys dressed differently.  They clearly did some character studies.  They play some people I swear I have met at the DMV, the administration office at a business or just people on the street.  I think that may be the base to what makes it funny to me.  They aren’t some crazy skit with weird things happening to people.  No one is randomly being attacked by a tiger or has a two ton weight dropped on them.  I found characters the walk into a shop and ask for but item and no matter what the shop keeper shows them it isn’t right.  They might change the description or make it really obscure and specific.  I am sure I have been behind this person at the paint department in Home Depot.  I also enjoyed the fact they moved the setting to the states and changed the gist, jokes and settings to fit American humor.  The show only ran a few seasons, and that is too bad.  It was a very clever creative team.  I keep my ear open in case they put something else together.

I guess my taste in comedy has changed over the years. It is nice to be open to enjoying wit from other cultures.

Cut Backs

As the budget cuts are looming over the schools across the country like a dark winter cloud ready to open up with a big down poor, there is one thing you hear more than anything else when it comes to putting together a financial plan. Getting rid of the arts programs. I never understood this. You never hear anyone suggest, "Let's eliminate the football team." Why is that? When it comes to the penny pinching that our education systems will do, year after year, there is a side that is taken and I do not understand it.  What makes the sports programs more important?  It would give a person the idea it is better to be a jock than a brainiac.  Are fine arts vulnerable to budget cuts partly because children are not tested in music or art under the No Child Left Behind law?  Wouldn’t we rather raise children who are well rounded, cultured and happy.  I would like to see kids supported in whatever extracurricular activity they choose.  In the way art imitates life, pop culture shows this example with the show “Glee”.  We see kids who love the arts and that’s what they want to do.  They don’t fit in to and of the popular groups and are even picked on.  When members of the football or cheerleading squad cross over, they get harassed.  It is played as more glamorous and the drama is elevated for the affect on TV but the bottom line is the cuts are an underlying sub plot.  How do we as a society fix this so all interest groups are viewed and equally important and we don’t find a few particular throng always facing the fear they might not be around while the others would thrive?