Awards Gala Shines Light on SLT Volunteers

All the stars will be shining bright at Slidell Little Theatre’s  46th Annual Ginny Awards Night, a free event honoring the incredible talents of the hundreds of volunteers who work on and off the stage to bring magic to life.

The Ginnys will be held at the community theatre on Saturday, June 6, beginning at 8 p.m. Admission is free and the event is open to the public.

Named after SLT founder Virginia Madison, the Ginny Awards recognize achievements during the community theatre’s six main stage productions. Award categories range from show poster artists to choreographers to costumers to set designers to actors and more, but the highlight of the evening truly is the celebration of volunteers – the people who dedicate untold hours and unbelievable talent for a single cause: to stage high quality theatrical productions for the community.

“The purpose of the Ginny Awards is much more than just identifying one performer or one production as most outstanding in a season,” said Don Redman, SLT’s vice president of Marketing. “The Ginnys also afford us an evening to celebrate our achievements as volunteers and recognize the tremendous amount of work involved in staging quality theatre the entire season. The number of volunteer hours we log every season is simply astounding – more than 25,000 hours. And perhaps more astounding is the incredible talent our volunteers share with our little community theatre. So, while maybe not everyone will walk away that night with a Ginny Award, we are nevertheless extremely proud of and grateful for their work and talents.”

The nominees for Ginny Awards were selected by a panel of judges who remain anonymous during the season. The top three finalists for each category will be announced at the Ginnys.

The finalists were drawn from all six of the main stage productions during the 2014-2015 Season. 

Potential Ginny Award winners are:

Best Poster

Sarah Boudreaux Smith - Fiddler on the Roof

Scott Sauber – Move Over, Mrs. Markham

Julia Lavigne – A Good Old Fashioned Redneck Country Christmas

Glenn Dieterich – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Naomi Schmidt – Doubt: A Parable

Lenny Unbehagen –The Full Monty

Best Costumes

Sally Ann Buras – Fiddler on the Roof, A Good Old Fashioned Redneck Country Christmas, and The Full Monty

Kathleen Kelly – Move Over, Mrs. Markham

Myra Duffour – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Mignon Charvet – Doubt

Best Sound Design

Daniel Toups – Fiddler on the Roof

Claudia Leger – Move Over, Mrs. Markham

Jonathan Himel – A Good Old Fashioned Redneck Country Christmas

Jack Faust – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Gary Mendoza – Doubt

Josh St. Cyr – The Full Monty

Best Lighting Design

Bryan Reilly – Fiddler on the Roof; Move Over, Mrs. Markham; and A Good Old Fashioned Redneck Country Christmas

Carlos Nine – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Jack Stubbs – Doubt

Scott Sauber – The Full Monty

Best Set Design

Fred Martinez and Mitch Stubbs – Fiddler on the Roof

Ryan Robichaux – Move Over, Mrs. Markham

Christine Barnhill-Tramel – A Good Old Fashioned Redneck Country Christmas

Larry Johnson – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Gary Mendoza – Doubt

Scott Sauber – The Full Monty

Best Choreography

Hannah Jennings and Martha Braud –  Fiddler on the Roof

Christine Barnhill-Tramel – A Good Old Fashioned Redneck Country Christmas

Larry Johnson and Josh Brewer – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Katie Peck – The Full Monty

Best Music Direction

Angel Carter and Chrissy Miller – Fiddler on the Roof

Pam Lisotta – A Good Old Fashioned Redneck Country Christmas

John Giraud – The Full Monty

Best Supporting Actor in a Play

Larry Johnson – Move Over, Mrs. Markham

Ladson Poole – Move Over, Mrs. Markham

Robert Jahncke – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Gary Mendoza – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Best Supporting Actress in a Play

Cristy Fletcher – Move Over, Mrs. Markham

Hannah King – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Maria Hefte – Doubt

Best Supporting Actor in a Musical

Richard Baseler – Fiddler on the Roof

Michael Williams – Fiddler on the Roof

Joel Sweetland – Fiddler on the Roof

Gary Gilmore – A Good Old Fashioned Redneck Country Christmas

Matthew Price – The Full Monty

Best Supporting Actress in a Musical

Martha Braud – Fiddler on the Roof

Alex Barron – Fiddler on the Roof

Hannah Jennings – Fiddler on the Roof

Jackie Clines – A Good Old Fashioned Redneck Country Christmas

Diana LaSalla – The Full Monty

Best Leading Actor in a Play

Derrick Stevens – Move Over, Mrs. Markham

Eric Generes – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Larry Johnson - Doubt

Best Leading Actress in a Play

Julie Generes – Move Over, Mrs. Markham

Ashleigh Krieger – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Anne Pourciao – Doubt

Best Leading Actor in a Musical

David Jacobs – Fiddler on the Roof

John Kirkpatrick – A Good Old Fashioned Redneck Country Christmas

Ken Starling – The Full Monty

Best Leading Actress in a Musical

Sara Pagones – Fiddler on the Roof

Tiffinie Lyon – A Good Old Fashioned Redneck Country Christmas

Carla Constanza – The Full Monty

Best Director

Paula Thompson – Fiddler on the Roof

Renee Saussaye – Move Over, Mrs. Markham

Scott Tramel – A Good Old Fashioned Redneck Country Christmas

Julie Generes and Larry Johnson – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Gary Mendoza – Doubt

Scott Sauber – The Full Monty

Show of the Year

Fiddler on the Roof – Paula Thompson, Jeremy Himel, Mitch Stubbs

Move Over, Mrs. Markham – Renee Saussaye, Martha Braud, Chrissy Miller

A Good Old Fashioned Redneck Country Christmas – Scott Tramel, Jeremy Himel, Lee Dukes

A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Julie Generes and Larry Johnson, Beth Bonnell, Mitch Stubbs

Doubt – Gary Mendoza, Beth Bonnell, Payton Core

The Full The Full Monty – Scott Sauber, Roberta Hazelbaker and Michelle Hayes, Laura Sharp

The Ginny Awards were first introduced during the 1968-1969 Season. That year, “Of Mice and Men” was named Best Show.

Since 1963, Slidell Little Theatre has been bringing together the entire community for unforgettable performances filled with music, drama and laughter. After years of performances on high school stages, the city auditorium and then in a remodeled church, SLT now has a state-of-the-art facility located at 2024 Nellie Drive, next to the Fremaux Town Center mall.

The Northshore’s premier community theatre for 50 years, Slidell Little Theatre is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit, all-volunteer organization dedicated to engaging, educating, and involving members of the community in high quality theatrical productions. SLT is supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council as administered by the St. Tammany Commission on Cultural Affairs.