Stage West Presents HAMI Awards in Gala Event

On Saturday, August 3rd, Stage West put on the “Glitz” for its annual HAMI Awards−the theatre’s version of the Tony Awards. Prior to the ceremony the participants enjoyed, a delicious buffet catered by Mason’s Catering. Many of the ladies and the men wore glitzy evening dresses and natty suits. One humorous exception was Dan Hagen who wore a top hat fashioned from a Ritz Cracker box. He quipped that he misunderstood when Stage West said they were putting on “the Ritz.” Jacob Hunt founder of Hunt Talent, LLC. hosted the show. His company books live entertainment and many of his clients have performed at Stage West.

The awards for Rising Star Actor & Actress went to Journey Weeks for his role of Mr. Krabb in “Sponge Bob Square Pants” and Evee Provo for portraying the child in “Dracula, the Musical.”

Mathew Root won the Featured Actor Award as Father Chenille in the hilarious farce “Drinking Habits.” Mathew has proven himself to be a standout comedic actor in several other plays at Stage West.

Mia Knapp took home the Hami for Featured Actress in a Play for her portrayal of Sister Mary Catherine in “Drinking Habits”

In her acceptance speech Mia stated, “When I was in college and studying theatre, I always felt like I was two steps behind. Everyone seemed to shine the moment they walked on stage; then there was little old me. They were all rising stars, while I was just a mere flashlight. And my light got dimmer and dimmer after I graduated. I was scared to do theatre again and I felt that I wasn’t really good enough. It wasn’t until I started doing shows here at Stage West that I felt like I maybe had some spark.”

Best supporting Actress in a play went to Maggi Phillipi for her role of Sister Philomena in “Drinking Habits.” Keith Surplus took home the award for Best Supporting Actor for playing George, the gardener, in “Drinking Habits.”

Lead Actress in a play went to Aliya Weaver as Sally, the reporter, in “Drinking Habits.”
In her acceptance speech, Aliya remarked that “I stopped acting after high school because I thought that there was no place on the stage for someone who looked like me.” Her acting and her award proved otherwise.

Cameron Gotay won for Lead Actor in a play for his role as Prince Sirki (AKA Death) in “Death Takes a Holiday.” In playing this part, Cameron had to show multiple facets of Prince Sirki’s personality−from malicious and arrogant to tender and naïve. Cameron described it as “the most challenging character I’ve played.”

A special category was designed this year entitled Favorite Animal Actor and the award went to Capt. Jack Friel who played the part of Toto in “The Wizard of Oz.” Pam Dugle and her puppet squirrel, Peanuts, presented the award. For those of you who saw “The Miss Magnolia Senior Citizen Beauty Pageant” you’ll remember Peanuts.

Darren Griffis and Ashley Provo presented the awards for Featured Actress and Actor in a musical. Darren elicited laughs when he read his introductory speech which contained numerous puns related to trees.

For example, Griffis stated, “We gather under this canopy of talent to celebrate the nominees…It takes great skill to know when to go out on a limb to try something new…”

This speech was referring to the three actresses who played the trees in the Haunted Forest in “The Wizard of Oz.” These actresses were Jessica Haberland, Kristen Nelson and Victoria Zisi.

Robert Grogan as Renfield, in “Dracula, the Musical” received the award for Featured Actor in a musical.

The Supporting Actress Hami went to Becci Porter who played the dual roles of the Wicked Witch of the West and Miss Gulch in “The Wizard of Oz.”

Zachary Smith received Best Supporting Actor in a musical for his role as Jonathan Harker in “Dracula, the Musical.” Zachary stated that he enjoys playing the fiery romantic lead and hopes one day to play Raul in “Phantom of the Opera.”

Dalton Benson and Sandy Penwarden presented the award for Lead Actress and Actor in a Musical. Dalton has been with Stage West for thirty years and has won numerous Hamis in the past. Sandy is also a Stage West veteran. Sandy has worked as Publicity Director and has been a part of many plays.
Shawna Hopper took home the Hami for Lead Actress in a musical for the part of Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz.”

In accepting her award, Shawna stated, “This was one of the most welcoming and hardworking casts of all time.”

The Lead Actor Hami went to Kristoff Stens as the Scarecrow in “The Wizard of Oz.” This was Kristoff’s first role in fifteen years. “I want to thank everyone for believing in me and for bringing so much light into my life,” remarked Kristoff.

The 2024 Founder’s Award, one of the most prestigious honors bestowed on a Stage West member, went to W. Paul Wade who has been with the theatre since 1999. The award is based on character, love of all things theatre, service, and respect for others. During his years with Stage West, Paul has worn a number of hats, sometimes stepping in at the last moment to fill a position. He has directed, acted, handled lights and sound and even written a play−”Blackwood”−performed at this venue.

Paul was visibly moved when he accepted the award saying, “In my wildest dreams, I never thought I’d win the Founders Award. I want to thank everyone for giving me a home away from home and believing in me.”

The Set Designer Hami for a Play went to Jay Ingle and Lynda Dilts-Benson for “Death Takes a Holiday.” The pair, along with their crew, created an opulent 1930s Italian villa.

Ed Francis, wearing an apropos pair of ruby slippers, took home the Hami for Best Set Design for a musical for “The Wizard of Oz.” Ed and his crew transformed the stage to a farm in Kansas, an enchanted forest, the Emerald City and other settings.

The Best Costume Designer for a Play went to Jennifer Scalf for “Death Takes a Holiday.” Anytime a play takes place in a time period other than the present it requires research on the part of the costume designing crew. They also need to either find clothing and accessories to fit that period or make the costumes.

Jennifer Scalf, again, along with Michelle Root, took home Hamis for Best Costume Designers for a Musical. The pair and their crew created the colorful and imaginative costumes for ““The Wizard of Oz.”

The Hami for Choreography went to Toni Dwyer for “The Wizard of Oz.” Toni has choreographed many shows at Stage West, including “Les Miserables,” “Sweeney Todd” and “My Fair Lady.” “Some of the most fulfilling aspects of being a choreographer are creating original work and helping people discover a love of dance,” said Toni.

The Best Musical Director Hami went to Charlene (Char) Adams for “The Wizard of Oz.” In her acceptance speech, Char stated that she “loves the creative process and enjoys watching the transformation in the actors when they work hard to create a character.” together.”

The Hami for Best Director/Stage Manager for a Play went to Michelle Root (Director) and Ophelia DeBarge (Stage Manager) for “Drinking Habits.”

The Hami winners for Best Director/Stage Manager for a Musical were Brady Lay (Director) and Michelle Root (Stage Manager) for “Dracula, the Musical.” Brady has directed such favorites as “Beauty and the Beast” and “Fiddler on the Roof.” With just six weeks to practice, there were some challenges with this show.

“For example, in the stage directions, it says, ‘Dracula turns into a bat and hangs from the ceiling.’ We couldn’t do that because we didn’t have fly equipment. We’ve had to look at the play in different ways to get the same feel,” Brady stated.

The Hami for the Favorite Special of the season went to “The Miss Magnolia Senior Citizens Beauty Pageant,” directed by Mathew Root and featuring Sheryl Depp, Pam Dugle, Elly Hall, Michelle Root, Mia Knapp, Dalton Benson, and Paul Wade.

“Death Takes a Holiday” captured the Favorite Play Hami. Directed by W. Paul Wade, it featured a cast of thirteen actors. Its theme was the age-old questions of immortality, along with the meaning of life, love and self-sacrifice. Paul stated, “This was as close to a perfect show as I’ve ever experienced, thanks to the amazing cast and crew.”

The Favorite Musical award went to “The Wizard of Oz.” It was the most ambitious show of the season and rivaled anything seen On or Off Broadway.

The 2023/2024 season saw a varied lineup of shows−from the serious and thought provoking “The Laramie Project” to the classic “The Wizard of Oz.” But as Al Jolson said, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet. The upcoming season will feature familiar plays as well as those not so familiar. For a complete list of this coming season’s shows, for season tickets and tickets to individual plays go to www.stagewestplayhouse.org. You can also purchase tickets by calling the box office at 352-683-5113.