Conway Community Arts hosts party, awards presentation

Amy Brock of Greenbrier and Johnny Passmore of Conway received awards as Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor, respectively, for their roles in Smoke on the Mountain, during the Conway Community Arts Association and Lantern Theatre’s launch party and awards celebration. They played twins Denise and Dennis Sanders in the musical.
Amy Brock of Greenbrier and Johnny Passmore of Conway received awards as Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor, respectively, for their roles in Smoke on the Mountain, during the Conway Community Arts Association and Lantern Theatre’s launch party and awards celebration. They played twins Denise and Dennis Sanders in the musical.

CONWAY — Patrons and participants of live theater in downtown Conway gathered Friday to celebrate the past season and to welcome next year’s season as the Conway Community Arts Association hosted its annual launch party and awards ceremony at the Lantern Theatre.

Trent Reese of Conway, president of the CCAA Board of Directors, welcomed the standing-room-only crowd and presided over the evening’s lineup of entertainment and award presentations. He introduced his fellow board members, who include Jeff Ward of Conway, vice president; Shua Miller of Conway, treasurer; Elizabeth Williams of Conway, secretary; and Wendy Shirar, Lisa Ray, Don Walizer and John Schenck, all of Conway, and Shane Atkinson of Morrilton, members-at-large.

Reese said more than 400 people took the online People’s Choice Awards Survey that determined winners in several categories, which were announced at intervals throughout the evening.

Reese garnered several of the top awards, including Best Director and Best Lighting Design for 110 Stories, by Sarah Tuft, and Best Leading Actor for his role as Ned Weeks in The Normal Heart, by Larry Kramer, which was directed locally by Ward.

Other People’s Choice Awards include the following:

• Best Leading Actress, presented to Heather Hooten of Conway for her role as Dr. Emma Brookner in The Normal Heart;

• Best Supporting Actor, presented to Johnny Passmore of Conway for his role as Dennis Sanders in Smoke on the Mountain, by Alan Bailey and Connie Ray, which was directed locally by Cindy Romero;

• Best Supporting Actress, presented to Amy Brock of Greenbrier for her role as Denise Sanders in Smoke on the Mountain;

• Best Costume Design, presented to Kate Belew of Conway for A Tuna Christmas, by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard, which was also directed by Romeo;

• Best Scenic Design, presented to Justin A. Pike of North Little Rock for Other Desert

Cities, by Joe Robin Baitz, which was directed by Reese;

• Best Ensemble for 110

Stories; and

• Best Production, Smoke on the Mountain.

The directors of the 2016 shows presented Davis Awards to cast and crew members for excellence in such categories as acting, stage management and technical theater. The Davis Awards are named for Milton and Claudia Davis of Conway, longtime supporters of community theater.

Those receiving Davis Awards include Paul Bowling of North Little Rock, and Jake Whisenant and Kate Belew, both of Conway, for A Tuna Christmas; Henry Smiley of Conway, Miller and Elizabeth Williams, for Freud’s Last Session, by Mark St. Germain, directed locally by Eric Binnie of Conway; Dana Kordsmeier, Chad Fulmer and Josh Anderson, all of Conway, for Almost, Maine, directed by Liz Parker of Conway; and Ashli Brown, Don Walizer and Jeannie Denniston, all of Conway, for Other Desert Cities.

Also receiving Davis Awards were Passmore, Brock and Parker for Smoke on the Mountain; Reese, Hooten and Miller for The Normal Heart; Penny Hatfield and Madison Wilson, both of Conway, for Love, Loss and What I Wore, by Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron, and directed locally by Parker; Atkinson, and Samantha Porter and Christina

Williams, both of Conway, for The Housekeeper, by James Prideaux, directed locally by Elizabeth Williams; Ward and Jessica Thompson and Darby Burdine, both of Conway, for 110 Stories; and Scarlet Smith and Charles Bane, both of Conway, and Atkinson, for Bug.

Reese said the 2017 season would feature “nine amazing eclectic shows.”

“We pride ourselves on presenting a variety of performances,” he said. “We believe we are ready to move to one season [rather than Main Stage shows and Late Night at the Lantern

shows]. We are keeping a Second Season for community events, such as staged readings and other events presented by members of the community.”

The Lantern Theatre 2017 Season will include the following productions:

• The season will debut with a production of [title of show], a musical comedy with music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen and book by Hunter Bell, directed by Ward and presented Jan. 20-22 and 26-29.

• Hate Mail, a comedy by Bill Corbett and Kira Obolensky, will be directed by Whisenant and presented Feb. 17-19 and 23-26.

• How I Learned to Drive, a dark comedy by Paula Vogel, will be directed by Geneva

Galloway of Conway and presented March 17-19 and 23-26.

• Stop Kiss, a drama by Diana Son, and Mothers and Sons, a drama by Terrence Monally, will be presented in repertory and in conjunction with Conway Pride, May 12-14, 19-20 and 26-28 and June 1-4. Kane Anderson of Conway will direct Stop Kiss, and Reese will direct Mothers and Sons.

• The Importance of Being Ernest, a comedy by Oscar Wilde, will be directed by Bane and presented July 20-23 and 27-30.

• The world premiere of Craigslisted, an original comedy by Sharai Bohannon, will be directed by Reese and presented Sept. 10-13 and 16-20.

• Electra, a classic by Sophocles adapted by Frank McGuiness, will be directed by Miller and presented Oct. 20-22 and 26-29.

• Clybourne Park, a comedy by Bruce Norris, will be directed by Kane Anderson and presented Dec. 1-3 and 7-10.

Reese said one of the Second Season or community productions planned at The Lantern will be a performance from the The Vagina Monologues, which will be presented by Greer Williams of Conway, who has appeared in several productions at the local community theater.

“I am so proud of the community we have built here at the Lantern,” Reese said. “We are a safe place to express yourself. Our mission is to make theater accessible to the central-Arkansas community in order to cultivate growth and connections within the diverse human population.”

Wrong Turn at Lungfish, the final production of the 2016 Lantern Theatre season, will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 2, 3, 8, 9 and 10 and at 2:30 pm.

Dec. 4 and 11 at 1021 Van Ronkle St. in Conway. The show is under the direction of Carla Grant of Conway. Tickets are $15 and may be purchased online at conwayarts.org or thelanterntheatre.com.

For more information on CCAA and The Lantern Theatre, email info@thelanterntheatre.com.

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