Players By The Sea Theatre 2017 Pelican Awards

The Pelican Awards, which is Players by the Sea Theatre’s version of the Tony Awards, is one of the most awaited local theatre events of the year. This year’s festivities, honoring the contributions of actors, musicians, technical staff, and volunteers during the 2016-17 season, were staged on August 27, 2017 and played to a packed house.

The Dual Critics have covered a number of past ceremonies and have found them always exciting. We noticed a couple of changes this year. While the awards remained a free event, the theatre did require e-mail RSVP confirmations from those who planned to attend. This was a wise move, which helped the organizers plan for the large crowd. And it’s something to keep in mind for next year, if you want to ensure a seat will be available.

The event always features food, glorious food, which in the past has usually been served after the trophies have been presented. This year, food was available as the audience gathered in the lobby and art gallery and enjoyed a buffet with treats that included fried chicken, great mac and cheese, and luscious fruits.

Peter Jackson and Linzy Lauren were Masters of Ceremony, who introduced each of presenters and provided original humor during the evening.

The show included great music. The cast of “Smokey Joe’s Café,” which opens in September and is the theatre’s first show of the upcoming season, performed a rousing number at the beginning. The band “De’Vue” with David Medina and Anthony Sardina played during the second half of the ceremony. To close out the evening, the cast from “American Idiot,” the summer musical, filled the stage with the same energy and enthusiasm they displayed during the well-received production.

During the evening, Kris Jackson, Special Events Coordinator and Dave Gowan, President of the Board of Directors, previewed coming events foremost of which is The Curtain Call Annual Gala in October.

BEST ACTOR IN A PLAY – Eugene Lindsey, Jr.- Fences
BEST ACTRESS IN A PLAY – Shauntel Robinson- Fences
BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL – Rodney Holmes- American Idiot
BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL – Isabella Martinez- American Idiot
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL – Jocelyn Geronimo- Into the Woods
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL – Brandon Hines- American Idiot
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A PLAY – Gregory P. Hughes- Fences
BEST  SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A PLAY – Leslie Richart- Madame Bonaparte
EMERGING YOUNG ADULT ACTOR/ACTRESS – Chandler Bryant- Fences
BEST PLAY – Fences
BEST MUSICAL – American Idiot
BEST COSTUME DESIGN – Amy Hancock- Into the Woods
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN – Daniel Dungan- American Idiot
BEST SET DESIGN – Jay Deen- Fences
TPAS VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR – Mitzi Ferguson Stephens
BEST STAGE MANAGER – Cynthia Riegler- City of Angels
OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY – Jocelyn Geronimo- American Idiot
OUTSTANDING MUSICAL DIRECTION – Anthony Felton- American Idiot
BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY – Jereme Raickett- Fences
BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL – Jocelyn Geronimo- American Idiot
OUTSTANDING SERVICE – Cathy Jones
OUTSTANDING BACKSTAGE VOLUNTEER – Claire Cimino
BEST SOUND DESIGN – Jereme Nix, Cory Hawkins, Kyle Piety, and Paige McMullen- Sentences
BEST BAND OF THE YEAR – American Idiot – Greg Hersey, Sean Tillis, David Ott, Chelsea Chacon, and Assata Davis.

We are looking forward to the 2017-2018 season. For information about upcoming productions, visit playersbythesea.org or the theatre’s Facebook page.