Anna Ziegler’s emotionally-charged two-hander Actually, which tackles the subject of sexual consent on a college campus, earned top honors at the 28th annual L.A. Stage Alliance Ovation Awards, which were presented January 29 at the Ace Hotel in Los Angeles.
A co-world-premiere between the Geffen Playhouse and the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Actually earned Ziegler the Ovation Award for Playwriting for an Original Play. A separate production arrived Off-Broadway at Manhattan Theatre Club last fall.
The Geffen was the most-honored theatre company of the evening, taking four awards in total, including three for Matthew Lopez’s The Legend of Georgia McBride: Choreography (Paul McGill), Costume Design (E.B. Brooks), and Lighting Design (Josh Epstein).
Also among the most-honored companies were East West Players (Next to Normal), Actors Co-op (33 Variations), The Echo Theater Company (Dry Land, shared with Center Theatre Group, The Cake, Blueberry Toast), Center Theatre Group (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Archduke, Dry Land), and Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (The Encounter, For the Record: Scorsese – American Crime Requiem).
The season’s most-nominated production, the cinematic revue For the Record: Scorsese – American Crime Requiem (which went into the awards with 10 nominations), won in two of its categories: Lead Actor in a Musical (B. Slade) and Music Direction (Jesse Vargas).
Rogue Machine received the Best Season Award (Dutch Masters, Les Blancs, Still Life, The Super Variety Match Bonus Round!). Center Theatre Group presented the 2017 Sherwood Award to set and projection designer Hana Kim. The $10,000 prize supports the work of emerging Los Angeles theatre artists.
Tony winner Harry Groener picked up an Ovation for Lead Actor in a Play for his performance as Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at the Anteus Theatre Company, while Debra Jo Rupp won for Lead Actress in a Play in The Cake at the Echo Theatre Company.
