The 3rd Annual “Vee-Cee” Awards for Top Performances in Ventura County Theater

BY CARY GINELL

As we close 2015, many theater critics not unexpectedly take stock of performances seen during the past twelve months. I am no different, and although many critics rank individual performances against one another, I can do no such thing. I’ve never been able to understand awards ceremonies as competition and find it unfair to compare and rank performances of completely different characters in completely different shows. How can one judge whether one performance is better than another? In addition to it being impossible to compare apples and oranges, I think this devalues outstanding performances that do not “win.” There should be no losers in the theater, only winners. Thus, I list what I consider the most effective and moving performances, but do not rank them, making all performances equal in stature. 

Emotion is what drives me when I visit the theater. Does the performer make me cry or laugh? Does the performer disappear into his or her character? Can I see this performance as being one that is worthy of Broadway itself? There were many outstanding performances in the more than 100 shows that I saw in 2015, both musicals as well as plays. Thus, I have listed below what I consider the most exceptional performances of the year, divided into three groups: Community/professional theater (musicals), Community/professional theater (plays), and high school/youth group/college theater. If you did not make any of these lists, I still applaud you for all your hard work this year and look forward to seeing you on the stage in 2016. Congratulations, Vee-Cee Award Winners!!

MEMORABLE HIGH SCHOOL/YOUTH GROUP/COLLEGE PERFORMANCES (PLAY OR MUSICAL)
(In alphabetical order)

Miranda Barraza – Emily Webb (Our Town – Newbury Park High School)

Ariela Behar – Terrible Tiff (Rock, Paper, Shoot! – Hillcrest Players)

Natalie Bevilacqua – Anne Frank (The Diary of Anne Frank – Calabasas High School)

Leah Dalrymple – Fran Kubelik (Promises, Promises – Moorpark College)

Gabi Ditto – The Cat in the Hat (Seussical: The Musical – Young Artists Ensemble)

Bailey Forman – Melchior (On the Razzle – Agoura High School)

Sara Gilbert – Princess Fiona (Shrek – Santa Susana High School)

Nick Glaab – Hap Hazard (High Noonish – Newbury Park High School)

Noah Godard – Archie (13 – Conejo Players Children’s Theatre)

Emily Goldstein – Sign Girl (High Noonish – Newbury Park High School)

Kyle Green – Donkey (Shrek – Santa Susana High School)

Sarah Hathaway – Puck (A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Young Artists Ensemble)

Zach Hessemer – Mr. Valentine (You Never Can Tell – Thousand Oaks High School)

Thomas Hollow – C. C. Baxter (Promises, Promises – Moorpark College)

Yael Karoly – Diana (A Chorus Line – Oak Park High School)

Brandon Lawrence – Horton (Seussical: The Musical – Young Artists Ensemble)

Julia Lester – Martha (The Secret Garden – Youth Musical Theatre)

Lily Lester – Fanny Brice (Funny Girl – Calabasas High School)

Marissa Margolis – Mary (The Secret Garden – Youth Musical Theatre)

Nathaniel Mark – Evan (13 – Conejo Players Children’s Theatre)

Alicia Marshall – Vi Moore (Footloose – Curtain Call Youth Theatre)

Kaitlin Maxwell – Betsy (High Noonish – Newbury Park High School)

Andrew Metzger – Sweeney Todd (Sweeney Todd – Ventura College)

Andrew Muccitelli – Zangler (On the Razzle – Agoura High School)

Chris Reilly – Pippin (Pippin – Agoura High School)

Hannah Saltman – Ariel (Footloose – Curtain Call Youth Theatre)

Erin Schafheitle – The Leading Player (Pippin – Agoura High School)

Douglas Shao – Willard (Footloose – Curtain Call Youth Theatre)

Landen Starkman – Eddie Ryan (Funny Girl – Calabasas High School), Otto Frank (The Diary of Anne Frank – Calabasas High School)

McKenna Tedrick – Elle (Legally Blonde – Young Artists Ensemble) 

Mariah Tobin – The Genie (Aladdin Jr. – Young Artists Ensemble)

Theresa Wegher-Thompson – Alice (The Addams Family – Thousand Oaks High School)

Antonia Vivino – Princess Winnifred (Once Upon a Mattress – Santa Susana High School)

Kristen Wisneski – Morticia (The Addams Family – Thousand Oaks High School), Margot (Legally Blonde – Young Artists Ensemble), Gloria Clandon (You Never Can Tell – Thousand Oaks High School)

 

MEMORABLE COMMUNITY THEATER/PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCES (MUSICALS)

(In alphabetical order)

Arryck Adams – Rooster (Annie – High Street Arts Center)

Wesley Alfvin – Bert (Mary Poppins – Cabrillo Music Theatre)

Angelo Babbaro – Frank Sinatra (Rat Pack Christmas – Theater League)

Kayla Bailey – Morticia Addams (The Addams Family – Actors’ Repertory Theatre of Simi)

Brent Barrett – Billy Flynn (Chicago – Theater League)

Jeff Berg – Ralph Rackstraw (HMS Pinafore – Ventura County Gilbert & Sullivan Repertoire Company)

Autumn Bodily – Sally (Follies – Conejo Players Theatre)

J. Bailey Burcham – Smokey (Damn Yankees – Cabrillo Music Theatre)

Michael Byrne – Tony (West Side Story – Rubicon Theatre Company)

Dan Callaway – Curly (Oklahoma! – Cabrillo Music Theatre)

Tim Campbell – Jud Fry (Oklahoma! – Cabrillo Music Theatre)

William Carmichael – Oliver Warbucks (Annie – High Street Arts Center)

George Chavez – Gomez Addams (The Addams Family – Actors’ Repertory Theatre of Simi)

Larry Craig – The Headwaiter (She Loves Me – Panic! Productions)

Dylis Croman – Roxie (Chicago – Theater League)

Hannah Davey – Effie (Dreamgirls – High Street Arts Center)

Patrick De Santis – Alfred Doolittle (My Fair Lady – Rubicon Theatre Company)

Ariel Downs – Phyllis (Iolanthe – Ventura County Gilbert & Sullivan Repertoire Company)

Ryan Driscoll – J. Pierrepont Finch (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying – Conejo Players Theatre)

Emma-Grace Dunbar – Josephine (HMS Pinafore – Ventura County Gilbert & Sullivan Repertoire Company)

Ezra Eels – Ito (Mame – Ojai Art Center)

Samantha Eve – Olive (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – Elite Theatre Company)

Erin Fagundes – Rona Lisa Peretti (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – Elite Theatre Company)

Mark Fagundes  – Vice Principal Panch (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – Elite Theatre Company)

Joseph Fuqua – Henry Higgins (My Fair Lady – Rubicon Theatre Company)

Sharon Gibson – Golde (Fiddler on the Roof – Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center)

David Gilchrist – Sir Joseph Porter (HMS Pinafore – Ventura County Gilbert & Sullivan Repertoire Company)

Bennie Glasner – Jesus (Godspell – Conejo Players Theatre)

Marc Goldstein – Captain Corcoran (HMS Pinafore – Ventura County Gilbert & Sullivan Repertoire Company)

Lori Lee Gordon – Alice (The Addams Family – Actor’s Repertory Theatre of Simi)

Adam Grabau – King Arthur (Camelot – Theater League)

Sandy Hackett – Joey Bishop (Rat Pack Christmas – Theater League)

Juliana Hansen – Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins – Cabrillo Music Theatre)

Parker Harris – Riff (West Side Story – Rubicon Theatre Company)

Fred Helsel – Edna Turnblad (Hairspray – Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center) & Tevye (Fiddler on the Roof – Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center)

Sam Herbert – Evan (13 – Panic! Productions)

Kimberly Hessler – Eliza Doolittle (My Fair Lady – Rubicon Theatre Company)

Tami Keaton – Stella (Follies – Conejo Players Theatre)

Brandon Lloyd – Georg Nowack (She Loves Me – Panic! Productions)

Tracy Lore – Joanne (Company – Cabrillo Music Theatre)

Terra C. MacLeod – Velma (Chicago – Theater League)

Brandon McCray – Jimmy Early (Dreamgirls – High Street Arts Center)

Renée Marino – Lola (Damn Yankees – Cabrillo Music Theatre)

Andy Mattick – Guido (Nine – Camarillo Skyway Playhouse)

Todd Meredith – Buddy Holly (Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story – Theater League)

Andrew Metzger – Uncle Fester (The Addams Family – Actors’ Repertory Theatre of Simi)

Melanie Mockobey – Ado Annie (Oklahoma! – Cabrillo Music Theatre)

Phil Nemy – Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside (Mame – Ojai Art Center)

Richard Osborn – Ben (Follies – Conejo Players Theatre)

Paul Panico – Mr. Maraczek (She Loves Me – Panic! Productions)

Becca Peyton – Amalia Balash (She Loves Me – Panic! Productions)

Randle Rankin – Carl Hanratty (Catch Me If You Can – Actors’ Repertory Theatre of Simi)

Tim Reese – Bud Frump (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying – Conejo Players Theatre)

Shelly Regner – Amy (Company – Cabrillo Music Theatre)

Jennifer Ridgway – Suzy (Winter Wonderettes – Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center)

Frankie Rodriguez – Arpad (She Loves Me – Panic! Productions)

Alison Rosenblum – Annie Oakley (Annie Get Your Gun – High Street Arts Center)

Raquel Sandler – Tracy Turnblad (Hairspray – Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center)

Daniel Patrick Smith – Buddy (Elf – Theater League)

Tania Storrs – The Bird Woman (Mary Poppins – Cabrillo Music Theatre)

Tracy Williams Sutton – Mame (Mame – Ojai Art Center)

Josh Switzer – Will Parker (Oklahoma! – Cabrillo Music Theatre)

Natalia Vivino – Wednesday (The Addams Family – Actors’ Repertory Theatre of Simi)

John David Wallis – Kodaly (She Loves Me  – Panic! Productions

 

MEMORABLE COMMUNITY THEATER/PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCES (PLAYS)

(In alphabetical order)

Michael Wayne Beck – Packie (Small Engine Repair – Flying H Group Theatre Company)

R. Shane Bingham – David Frost (Frost/Nixon – High Street Arts Center) & Charlie Gordon (Flowers for Algernon – Camarillo Skyway Playhouse)

Kimberly Demmary – Helen (A Pack of Lies – Panic! Productions)

Ezra Eels – Clown (The 39 Steps – The 3 Masketeers)

Bennie Glasner – Jerome (Brighton Beach Memoirs – Conejo Players Theatre)

Brian Robert Harris – Stewart (A Pack of Lies – Panic! Productions), Frank Romanowski (Small Engine Repair – Flying H Group Theatre Company)

Brandy Jones – Rose Gordon (Flowers for Algernon – Camarillo Skyway Playhouse)

Vivien Latham – Queen Eleanor (A Lion in Winter – Elite Theatre Company)

Chris Lemmon – Jack Lemmon (A Twist of Lemmon: A Tribute to My Father – Rubicon Theatre Company)

Ray Mastrovito – Richard Nixon (Frost/Nixon – High Street Arts Center) 

John Medeiros – Zero Mostel (Zero Hour – Elite Theatre Company)

Eric Mello – Swaino (Small Engine Repair – Flying H Group Theatre Company)

Austin Robert Miller – Ensemble (The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) – Elite Theatre Company)

Hanna Mitchell – Clown (The 39 Steps – The 3 Masketeers)

Robert Reeves – David O. Selznick (Moonlight & Magnolias – Camarillo Skyway Playhouse)

Brett Rickaby – Werner Heisenberg (Copenhagen – Rubicon Theatre Company)

Aileen-Marie Scott – Masha (Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike – Santa Paula Theater Center)

Evan Patrick Smith – Ensemble (The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) – Elite Theatre Company)

Peggy Steketee – Sonia (Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike – Santa Paula Theater Center)

Peter Van Norden – Niels Bohr (Copenhagen – Rubicon Theatre Company)

Alan Waserman – King Henry (The Lion in Winter – Elite Theatre Company)

Robert Weibezahl – Bob Jackson (A Pack of Lies – Panic! Productions)