Theatre Tulsa show wins TATE award
By KAREN SHADE, 06/22/2009
David Virili, Theatre Tulsa president, waves the winner envelope Sunday after the play "Up The Down Staircase," a joint production by Theatre Tulsa and the Clark Youth Theater, won first place during the first Tulsa Awards for Theatre Excellence at the Summit Club in Tulsa. MICHAEL WYKE / Tulsa World
When Theatre Tulsa goes to press later this month for its 2009-10 season posters, it can boldly add to them "winner of the first Tulsa Awards for Theatre Excellence for outstanding production."
As Theatre Tulsa board president David Virili said Sunday night when he accepted the TATE award for the production of "Up the Down Staircase" at the Summit Club, Theatre Tulsa is no longer known only for being the oldest community theater west of the Mississippi River.
Ken Busby, CEO of the Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa, and former television anchor Glenda Silvey served as masters of ceremony for an event that brought actors, directors, producers, designers and other theater people together on the 30th floor at 15 W. Sixth Street. Renowned jazz and ragtime pianist Donald Ryan provided the entertainment as speculation percolated all around the Summit.
Theater groups both old and new were represented at the awards including Theatre North, Odeum Theater and Heller Theatre. Oklahoma author Billie Letts announced the winners.
"Up the Down Staircase," which ran in March at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center, was entered into the play competition by Theatre Tulsa but was a collaboration with Clark Theatre's youth drama program.
The story won out against six other plays for the top honors and $10,000 funded by the George Kaiser Family Foundation.
Midwestern Theater Troupe's original play "One Man's As Good As Another" took second place ($5,000), while American Theatre Company's "A Picasso" placed third ($2,500).
Clark Theatre's "The Sound of Music" was named "outstanding youth production" and will receive $2,500.
Other theater groups entered were Theatre Club, Theatre Pops and Grace Ann Productions.
Kristin Chenoweth was presented with the first TATE Distinguished Artist Award earlier in the week at Bartlesville's OK Mozart Festival. She made her acceptance speech in a pre-recorded video that was played before the other winners were announced.
Virili said Theatre Tulsa's win opens a new door to the community and adds vital funds.
Sara Cruncleton, director of "One Man's As Good As Another" and co-owner of the Nightingale Theater — home to Midwestern Theatre Troupe — said their prize would be spent on theater maintenance.