2019 is shaping up to be an award-winning year for the Players! Congratulations to the casts, crews, and creatives who worked on both shows!
Auburn Players Community Theatre Recognized by Theatre Association of New York State
2019-2020 Season Off to an Award-Winning Start
AUBURN, NY (Sept. 30, 2019) – The Theatre Association of New York State (TANYS) has honored Auburn Players Community Theatre with awards for two recent productions: Li’l Abner, which brought audiences to dusty ol’ Dogpatch, USA May 9-12, and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, where they were transported to 1960s corporate America, September 19-22. The official award presentation will take place at the annual TANYS Festival, to be held in Rome, NY November 22-24.
As part of their mission to engage as many community members as possible, the Players have been tackling more large-scale musicals in recent years. In addition to boasting casts of 30+ (and numerous production personnel) for each show, the Players have also expanded the geographic reach of their brand. Alongside talent from Auburn and its immediate neighbors, new faces from as far away as Syracuse trod the boards at the Bisgrove Theatre at Cayuga Community College. Though larger shows inherently come with more complications from a production standpoint, How to Succeed…Director Bill Daugherty says the payoff is worth it:
“We’re always looking for ways to enlarge our footprint and grow our audiences. By involving more individuals of all ages and experience levels, The Players can continue to evolve and provide family entertainment for the Auburn community.”
Bob Frame, Li’l Abner director, agrees:
“Musicals are fun because they have a way of bringing so many people together onto the stage to become a family, trusting each other as they create the world for the audience to escape into.”
TANYS adjudicator Paul Nelson is invited to respond to shows all over NY State, and when he sees fit, may acknowledge a piece with awards for “Meritorious Achievement” – given to work of advanced theatrical skill – and “Excellence” – for work not routinely noted in non-professional theatre. He awarded Li’l Abner with the following accolades: Excellence in Direction to Bob Frame, Excellence in Musical Direction to Kristan Sheppard, Excellence in Performance to Deanna Parker (Mammy Yokum), Excellence in Performance to Bill Daugherty (Marryin’ Sam), and Excellence in Ensemble Performance to the Cast. Nelson conferred How to Succeed…with the following: Excellence in Musical and Orchestral Direction to Kristan Sheppard, Excellence in Scenic Design to Virginia Fennessy, Excellence in Performance to Katja Williams (Rosemary Pilkington), Excellence in Performance to Jessica Alexander (Hedy LaRue), Meritorious Achievement in Choreography to Yvonne Villano-Hassett and Holly Maltese, Meritorious Achievement in Direction to Bill Daugherty, Meritorious Achievement in Performance to the Ensemble, Meritorious Achievement in Vocal Performance to Theodore Brill (J. Pierrepont Finch), and Meritorious Achievement in Acting to Carmen Liberatore (Bud Frump).
Each year, at least one Players show’s cast, crew and creatives are visited by a TANYS respondent. Says Frame on the value of an outside eye, “TANYS’ mission of inspiring excellence in theatre communities and education through adjudication is one of the association’s strongest offerings to its members.”
TANYS is an association of over 70 non-professional community theatres, university and college theatre departments, secondary school drama departments, and children’s theatres throughout New York State. The Auburn Players Community Theatre is a theater and arts organization in Auburn, NY that presents high-quality experiences in plays, musicals, and dance.
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