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Over the decades, MPI and its members have received
many awards and honors as a result of our constant pursuit of theater excellence.
At the June 2011 Southwest Region OCTAfest, sponsored by ACT Cincinnati, two Mariemont Players' Members were honored
with significant awards.
Norma Niinemets was awarded the prestigious Roger Grooms Award for 2011, awarded
for outstanding contributions to community theatre by directors, choreographers, music directors and actors. Since 1981, Norma Niinemets has been the
cornerstone of Mariemont Players. Norma’s talent, love and commitment as a director, administrator, technician,
and artist enhances the level of professionalism of every production in which she is involved. Norma also contributes her time, energy, and talent
backstage including stage management, props, costumes, sound and lights. Norma has served for many years on MPI’s board, including as president for
12 years. She has also served on MPI’s season selection committee, been editor of the Mariemont newsletter for 18 years, and served as membership
coordinator. In 1989 she established and administered MPI’s Elston Hurst Youth Scholarship Award. Norma has hosted the Fine Arts fund Sampler Weekend
at MPI and started the Christmas Giving Program at MPI to aid the less fortunate. Although Mariemont is Norma’s home base, she has lent her talents to
many theater groups in the Cincinnati area. Norma has won more than 100 ACT orchid awards that includes acting, directing, set décor and choreography.
Norma’s contributions to MPI and community theater are significant and her achievements outstanding.
Fran Uecker was awarded the prestigious Mario Pitacco Award for 2011, awarded for outstanding contributions to theater's
technical side. Fran has stage managed for thirty years with 74+ shows to her credit. She has stage managed at Loveland Stage Company, Mariemont Players,
Footlighters, CMT and Stagecrafters. Fran says that the importance of a stage manager is multifaceted: he/she is in charge of all aspects of a show
from opening night through the striking of the set; he/she is the one who makes sure that actors make their entrances on time, that lighting cues are
executed at the right moment, that sound cues are one time, that props are in the right place, that costume changes are done in a timely manner, and
that sets are changed quickly, quietly and efficiently. Making sure that the pace of the show is the same at every performance is a very important part
of being a good stage manager. Fran believes that the stage manager is like the captain of a ship; without the stage manager, the show would lack continuity
and flow. But, in Fran’s book, the stage manager is only as good as his/her crew. They are the unsung heroes of a show. She believes that it takes trust
between the stage manager and the crew to bring a show to fruition, and for the audience to reward all with a standing ovation.
Congratulations to both these very deserving awardees.
As a member of the Association of Community Theaters (ACT) Cincinnati, MPI submits an excerpt
from the current season's shows for the local ACT competition held each June. The 2010-11 excerpt was taken from the show Once More, With
Feeling! and award winners at the June 2011 competition were:
OCTA Awards
Excellence in Acting, Arny Stoller as Maxwell Archer
Merit in Acting, Terry Gosdin as Victor Fabian
Merit in Costumes, Dee Dunn
For the 2010-11 season, as a
member of the Association of Community Theaters (ACT) Cincinnati, MPI was awarded ACT Orchid Awards for the following shows and artists:
SHOUT!
Excellence in Set Decor, Chris Hurayt
Excellence in Stage Management/Scene Change, Danielle
Marie
Excellence in Preshow, Julie Diamond
Excellence in Vocal Performance, Taryn Bryant
Once More, With
Feeling!
Excellence in Acting in a Play, Steve Link as Luigi Bardini
Excellence in Producing, Ginny Weil
Excellence in Set Decor, Chris Hurayt
Great Expectations
Excellence in Direction, Jef Brown
Excellence in Acting in a Play, Faye Crawford as Miss Havisham
Excellence in Acting in a Play, Merritt Beischel as Mrs. Joe/Biddy/Wemmick
Excellence in Acting in a Play, Wayne Kirsch as Joe Gargery/Mr. Jaggers
Excellence in Acting in a Play, Colette Thomas as Pip
Excellence in Acting in a Play, Rebecca Krausser as Estella
Excellence in Ensembl, Jef Brown & the Cast
Excellence in Overall Performance Quality, Mariemont Players
Excellence in Producing, Amy Stier
Excellence in Set Design, Jef Brown
Excellence in Set Construction, Mike Venturini & Crew
Excellence in Lighting Design, Trent Kotch
Excellence in Lighting Execution, Tom Storey & David Bogenshutz
Excellence in Sound Design, Garry Davidson
Excellence in Sound Execution, Brian Batuik & Bill Hartnett
Excellence in Stage Management/Scene Change,
Jenny Mielbrecht & Amy Stier
Excellence in Costumes, Mary Russell
Excellence in Make-up, Mariemont Players
Excellence in Special Effects, Mariemont Players
Excellence in Program, Amy Sullivan
Excellence in Original Program Art, Amy Sullivan
Excellence in Overall Technical Quality, Mariemont Players
Excellence as Dialect Coach, Ann Nixon
The Fantasticks
Excellence in Musical Theatre Performance,
Peter Merten as The Girl's Father
Excellence in Musical Theatre Performance,
Justin Thompson as The Man Who Dies
Excellence in Musical Theatre Performance, Rick Kramer as The Narrator
Excellence in Musical Direction, John Nixon
Excellence in Orchestral Performance, John Nixon and The Orchestra
Excellence in House, Tom Storey
Leading Ladies
Excellence in Acting in a Play, Skip Badonsky as Leo/Max
Excellence in Acting in a Play, Clayton Barth as Jack/Steve
Excellence in Acting in a Play, Bonnie Emmer as Audrey
Excellence in Producing, Charles Sampson
Excellence in Stage Management/Scene Change, Fran Uecker
Excellence in Costumes, Cindy Emmer, Skip Badonsky & The Cast
Excellence in Original Program Art, Amy Sullivan
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