The first ever Sarasota and Manatee Counties Theatre Critics Awards were announced in mid-September, with 10 area critics honoring the best of area theatre. The Sammie awards cover FL's West Coast theatres as opposed to the recent Carbonell awards which cover the South East of Florida.

Nominees for "The Sammies" were chosen from shows mounted Sept. 1996-Aug. 1997 and made at least three critics' recommended lists. According to South Florida critic Irene Herman, voting critics were: Ken Blount (The Venice Gondolier), Eva Curtis (North Port Sun Herald), Irene Herman (The Chronicle, This Month ON STAGE), Cari Johnson (Sarasota Arts Review), Marie Kilker (West Coast Woman, This Month ON STAGE), Kay Kipling (Sarasota Magazine), Jean Reed (The Pelican Press), Milton Rubin (The voice of Manatee), Jeffrey Smart (The Longboat Observer) and Kim Smith (Eclipse Magazine).

Here are the winning Sammies:
BEST PRODUCTION OF A PLAY - Beast on the Moon (Asolo Theatre Co.)

BEST PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL - Ruthless (TheatreWorks)

BEST CABARET PRODUCTION - License to Bash (Florida Studio Theatre Cabaret Club) BEST DIRECTOR OF A PLAY - Eberle Thomas & Barbara Redmond, Nicholas Nickleby, Parts I and II (Asolo Theatre Company)

BEST DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL - Hugh M. Murphy - Ruthless (TheatreWorks)

BEST ACTOR IN A PLAY - Daniel Jacobs - Beast on the Moon (Asolo)

BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL - Stephan deGhelder - Ruthless (TheatreWorks)

BEST ACTRESS IN A PLAY - Darla Max - Beast on the Moon (Asolo)

BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL - Ina Jo Donovan - Chicago- Manatee Players

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A PLAY - Brett Basset - The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Parts I and II (Asolo)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL - Steve Dawson - Grand Hotel (Players of Sarasota)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A PLAY - Carolyn Zaput - Shmulnik's Waltz (TheatreWorks)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL - Helon Blount - Greenwillow (Golden Apple Dinner Theatre)

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN - Victor En Yu Tan - The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Parts I and II (Asolo)

BEST SCENIC DESIGN - Bob Barnet - Nicholas Nickleby (Asolo)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN - Vicki S. Holden - Nicholas Nickleby (Asolo)

BEST MUSICAL DIRECTOR - Michael Sebastian - Greenwillow (Golden Apple Dinner Theatre)

BEST CHOREOGRAPHER - Cheryl Carty - Chicago - (Manatee Players)

--By David Lefkowitz