Dan Alemshah was nominated for an LA Ovation Award, the biggest awards West of The Hudson River for Theatre, for best featured actor, Claudia Vestibule, in my play THE FAT OF THE LAND. We went. I had a feeling he would win in a tie. And he did. It was such a big fun deal!
The awards took place at The Orpheum in downtown LA on Broadway. An enormous theatre, filled with enormous energy---all the theatre people of Los Angeles. From The Mark Taper Forum to The Geffen to the Rubicon to our little production at The New Theatre. It was hosted by Neil Patrick Harris with great lightness and jaunty jibes about the Writers’ Guild strike. Annette Benning gave a speech, accepting the Special Career Achievment Award. Great voice and beautiful, as always. Funky dancers from The Hysterica Dance Company performed throughout as deliverers of the statues and removers of the banners, one banner for each category. It was easy to tell how much longer the show was going to be by how many banners were left.
When Dan’s category came up and he was announced as the winner, we all just kind of spontaneously cried and whooped. Dan gave a beautiful speech, starting immediately with, “Everything starts with the words and if it wasn’t for Don Cummings’ great play...” Then Dan continued to thank Mary McBride for producing and acting. And of course the other actors, his parents, his partner. He was poised and lovely.
It’s fun when you get nominated. It’s really fun when your actor wins. Completely enjoyable evening. I highly recommend these kind of experiences.
I would also like to thank Adam Waring, my Recognized-by-the-State-of-California-Domestic-Partner, for doing all the administrative work and for the wrangling of the Ovation crowd during the run of the show. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you West Coast Ensemble for the original workshop and for the great cast with Ross Kramer directing and thank you Billy Hopkins for the reading at E.S.T. in New York with that amazing cast and thank you Kelly Ford for directing the world premiere and the great, great, amazing cast at The New Theatre. And the unbelievable Crystal Jackson for holding it all together.
Click here and scroll down to see Dan’s gorgeous tranny face! The Fat of the Land on MySpace
Onward!
10 comments:
And a big fat congratulations to you. Maybe it was all that hair care! Love, Mother/Judith
Congratulations! That is fantastic.
That's sooo exciting Don, gives me goose bumps!
Congratulations!
xxoo,
Chrissy
Thanks Donnie! It really all does start with words -- I can't thank you enough for entrusting yours to little Armenian me.
And Claudia thanks you, too. She always knew she would win an award some day. She would have preferred best ActRESS in a featured role, but people still call her Claude!
All my love,
Dan & Claudia (the little Tranny who could)
Very nice, Don! Congratulations!
Congratulations Don and Dan!! That is so awesome!
Congrats!
I hope Neil Patrick Harris sang. I've been swooning ever since his Rent days.
Woo hoo!!! That's fantastic news. Congrats to Don AND Dan. You definitely both deserved it. A really fun play and a great performance.
David K ;)
Oh, congrats! This sounded like a wonderful time.
Congrats to All!
Post a Comment