It’s PAMTA time. The annual Portland Area Musical Theatre Awards celebration will be at 7 p.m. Monday, June 6, in the Dolores Winningstad Theatre, and the PAMTA committee has announced this season’s nominees, listed below.
The PAMTAs precede the annual Drammy Awards, which will be June 26 in the Newmark Theatre, and honor achievements across the theatrical spectrum. The PAMTAs recognize achievements in musical theater specifically, which on the greater Portland theater scene provides a lot of options. The awards were created by Corey Brunish, the longtime Portland singer/actor and Tony-winning Broadway producer.
Musical-theater people know how to put on a show, and past PAMTA ceremonies have been entertaining and well-produced. Here’s ArtsWatch’s report from last year’s event, which “pretty much packed the Dolores Winningstad Theatre to the rafters,” with cheering that at times “approached Timbers Army volume.” This year’s festivities begin at 7 p.m., and admission’s free.
Nominees for outstanding production are: Falsettos, Live On Stage; Thoroughly Modern Millie, Broadway Rose; Ain’t Misbehavin’, Portland Center Stage; Snow White, Northwest Children’s Theater; Man of La Mancha, Lakewood.
This year’s complete list of nominees:
Outstanding Male Actor in a Lead Role
ANDRES ALCALA — SHREK THE MUSICAL
ETHAN CRYSTAL — HEATHERS
LEIF NORBY — MAN OF LA MANCHA
GERMAN ALEXANDER — CUBA LIBRE
BRIAN DEMAR JONES — ANYTHING GOES
Outstanding Female Actor in a Lead Role
CAMILLE TRINKA — SHREK THE MUSICAL
MALIA TIPPETS — CARRIE THE MUSICAL
CLAIRE AVAKIAN — THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE
JANET DACAL — CUBA LIBRE
PAM MAHON — MAN OF LA MANCHA
Outstanding Male Actor in a Supporting Role
DARIUS PIERCE — ANYTHING GOES
SAM BURNS — SHREK THE MUSICAL
JOE THEISSEN — THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE
JOEY COTE — MAN OF LA MANCHA
JONATHAN QUESENBERRY — HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING
MATTHEW BROWN — SHREK THE MUSICAL
Outstanding Female Actor in a Supporting Role
ESSIE CANTY BERTAIN — IN THE HEIGHTS
SYDNEY WEBBER — IN THE HEIGHTS
ITHICA TELL — ALICE IN WONDERLAND
EMILY SAHLER — THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE
MEGAN CARVER — OKLAHOMA!
Outstanding Ensemble
THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE — BROADWAY ROSE
AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ — PORTLAND CENTER STAGE
OKLAHOMA! — BROADWAY ROSE
SHREK THE MUSICAL — NORTHWEST CHILDREN’S THEATER
IN THE HEIGHTS — STUMPTOWN STAGES
Outstanding Young Performer
MATTHEW SNYDER — IN THE HEIGHTS
KAI TOMIZAWA — JUNIE B. JONES THE MUSICAL
THEO CURL — JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH
SOPHIE MACKAY — SNOW WHITE
AIDA VALENTINE — ALICE IN WONDERLAND
Outstanding Director
ANNIE KAISER — THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE
PAUL ANGELO — DOGFIGHT
CHRIS COLEMAN — AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’
DIANE ENGLERT — HEATHERS
GREG TAMBLYN — MAN OF LA MANCHA
Outstanding Choreographer
MAIJA GARCIA — CUBA LIBR
ELYN CRAMER — THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE
JEHN BENSON — SMOKEY JOE’S CAFE
SARAH JANE HARDY & ZERO FEENEY — SNOW WHITE
KENT ZIMMERMAN — AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’
Outstanding Musical Director
JONATHAN QUESENBERRY — CARRIE THE MUSICAL
ALAN D. LYTLE — MAN OF LA MANCHA
DARCY WHITE — FALSETTOS
JORGE GOMEZ — CUBA LIBRE
RICK LEWIS — AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’
Outstanding Costume Design
GRACE O’MALLEY — CHURCH BASEMENT LADIES
JANET MOUSER — THE GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK CHRISTMAS MUSICAL
MARY ROCHON — SHREK THE MUSICAL
ALISON HERYER — AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’
MARGARET LOUISE CHAPMAN — MAN OF LA MANCHA
Outstanding Set Design
JOHN ELLINGSON — SHREK THE MUSICAL
TONY CISEK — AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’
CHRIS WHITTEN — CHURCH BASEMENT LADIES
GLENN GAUER — MAN OF LA MANCHA
LARRY LARSEN — ADRIFT IN MACAO
Outstanding Light Design
GENE DENT — THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE
PETER WEST — CUBA LIBRE
DIANE FERRY WILLIAMS — AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’
VANESSA JANSON — IN THE HEIGHTS
KRISTEEN WILLIS CROSSER — SNOW WHITE
Outstanding Sound Design
ELIZABETH WYATT — ADRIFT IN MACAO
TIM RICHEY — THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE
MARCUS STOREY AND TIMMOTHY GREENIDGE — MAN OF LA MANCHA
CASI PACILIO — AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’
SHARATH PATEL — CUBA LIBRE
Outstanding Production
FALSETTOS — LIVE ON STAGE
THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE — BROADWAY ROSE
AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ — PORTLAND CENTER STAGE
SNOW WHITE — NORTHWEST CHILDREN’S THEATER
MAN OF LA MANCHA — LAKEWOOD THEATRE COMPANY
Best Original Musical
THE ADVENTURES OF DEX DIXON PARANORMAL DICK — STUMPTOWN STAGES
BITE ME — ARLIE CONNER
CUBA LIBRE — ARTISTS REPERTORY THEATRE
Best Original Song
“YOU PULL MY STRINGS” — STEVE COKER & KJ MCELRATH
“AMERICAN DREAM” — JORGE GOMEZ
Best Original Score
CUBA LIBRE — JORGE GOMEZ
BITE ME — ARLIE CONNER & BILL LARIMER
DEX DIXON — STEVE COKER & KJ MCELRATH
The categories Outstanding Playbill design and Outstanding Orchestrations have been eliminated indefinitely.
There will be three Founder’s Awards presented. They include Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Outstanding Visual Design and Outstanding Diversity.