Announcement of Drammy Awards Finalists Creates Controversy, Again

The drama surrounding this year's 38th annual Drammy Awards has less to do with what's on stage and more to do with what local thespians posted online after the Drammy committee announced its nominees Wednesday.

The Drammy board—an all-volunteer panel of critics who attend around 100 shows each year—has been doling out awards since 1979. (Willamette Week founded the awards but no longer has any special role in selecting or producing them.) Nearly every year, complaints roll in—mostly from the parties who feel snubbed.

That includes John San Nicolas, an Artists Repertory Theatre mainstay.

"Don't get me wrong-I never expect to be nominated for Drammy Awards. But that doesn't stop me from BREATHING FIRE once a year when the nominees are announced. Whatever," San Nicolas posted on Facebook. "I'll just be over here, consistently doing work as good as anyone around."

It's true—he is.

There are up to 250 nominations to consider, says committee chairwoman Darr Durham.

"They just rant because they haven't been nominated," Durham says. "People from the outside looking in have misconceptions about the committee, and that's exactly what they are."

Age and gender activists are in this year.

For the first time, the Age and Gender Equity in the Arts organization will give an AGE award.

Also, surprisingly, is the Mock's Crest Productions show H.M.S. Pinafore. Mock's Crest is practically unknown in Portland's theater sphere and didn't get one nomination last year. This year, it has five.

Here's looking forward to the awards ceremony at the Newmark later this month, a notoriously showy spectacle that packs Portland's biggest theatrical personalities into tight seats for judgment.

Here are the nominees:

BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Max Artsis

Dogfight

Staged!

Brian Demar Jones

Under the Influence

Fuse Theatre Ensemble

Jared Miller

Oklahoma!

Broadway Rose Theatre Company

Joel Walker

Thoroughly Modern Millie

Broadway Rose Theatre Company

BEST ACTOR IN A PLAY

Bobby Bermea

The Set-Up

Cygnet Productions

Gavin Hoffman

The Understudy

Artists Repertory Theatre

Allen Nause

Chapatti

Corrib Theatre

Seth Rue

Blue Door

Profile Theatre

BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Claire Avakian

Thoroughly Modern Millie

Broadway Rose Theatre Company

Courtney Freed

Falsettos

Live On Stage

Kailey Rhodes

Chicago

Metropolitan Community Theatre Project

Malia Tippets

Heathers: The Musical

triangle productions! & Staged!

BEST ACTRESS IN A PLAY

JoAnn Johnson

Mothers And Sons

Artists Repertory Theatre

Val Landrum

The Miracle Worker

Artists Repertory Theatre

Kayla Lian

Davita's Harp

Jewish Theatre Collaborative

Beth Thompson

Orlando

Profile Theatre

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

Maija Garcia

Cuba Libre

Artists Repertory Theatre

Maria Tucker

Oklahoma!

Broadway Rose Theatre Company

Jessica Wallenfels

H.M.S. Pinafore

Mock's Crest Productions

Kent Zimmerman

Ain't Misbehavin'

Portland Center Stage

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Sarah Gahagan

In the Next Room, or the vibrator play

Profile Theatre

Alison Heryer

Ain't Misbehavin'

Portland Center Stage

Alison Heryer

Orlando

Profile Theatre

Ashton Hull

Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play

Portland Playhouse

BEST DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL

Chris Coleman

Ain't Misbehavin'

Portland Center Stage

Diane Englert

Heathers: The Musical

triangle productions! & Staged!

Bruce A. Hostetler

H.M.S. Pinafore

Mock's Crest Productions

Sharon Maroney

Oklahoma!

Broadway Rose Theatre Company

BEST DIRECTOR OF A PLAY

Michael Mendelson

The Understudy

Artists Repertory Theatre

Louanne Moldovan

The Set-Up

Cygnet Productions

Pat Patton

Waiting For Godot

Northwest Classical Theatre Collaborative

Matthew B. Zrebski

Orlando

Profile Theatre

BEST ENSEMBLE IN A MUSICAL

Ain't Misbehavin'

Portland Center Stage

Cuba Libre

Artists Repertory Theatre

In the Heights

Stumptown Stages

Thoroughly Modern Millie

Broadway Rose Theatre Company

BEST ENSEMBLE IN A PLAY

Cock

defunkt theatre

Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play

Portland Playhouse

Orlando

Profile Theatre

The Set-Up

Cygnet Productions

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN

Don Crossley

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Oregon Children's Theatre

Kristeen Willis Crosser

The Understudy

Artists Repertory Theatre

Carl Faber

Orlando

Profile Theatre

Diane Ferry Williams

Ain't Misbehavin'

Portland Center Stage

BEST MUSIC DIRECTION

Rick Lewis

Ain't Misbehavin'

Portland Center Stage

Tracey Edson

H.M.S. Pinafore

Mock's Crest Productions

Jonathan Quesenberry

Heathers: The Musical

triangle productions! & Staged!

Jeffrey Childs

Oklahoma!

Broadway Rose Theatre Company

BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC

Adrian Baxter

The Set-Up

Cygnet Productions

Ernie Lijoi, Kevin Laursen, and Lawrence Rush.

Under the Influence

Fuse Theatre Ensemble

Rory Stitt

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Oregon Children's Theatre

Matthew B. Zrebski

Chrysalis

Oregon Children's Theatre (Young Professionals)

BEST ORIGINAL SCRIPT

Noah Dunham

How to Stop Dying

Action/Adventure Theatre

Ernie Lijoi

Under the Influence

Fuse Theatre Ensemble

Sacha Reich + Jamie Rea

Davita's Harp

Jewish Theatre Collaborative

Claire Willett

Dear Galileo

Playwrights West

BEST PIT ENSEMBLE

Chicago

Metropolitan Community Theatre Project

Cuba Libre

Artists Repertory Theatre

Mame

Lakewood Theatre Company

Oklahoma!

Broadway Rose Theatre Company

BEST PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL

Ain't Misbehavin'

Portland Center Stage

H.M.S. Pinafore

Mock's Crest Productions

Heathers

triangle productions! & Staged!

Under the Influence

Fuse Theatre Ensemble

BEST PRODUCTION OF A PLAY

Cock

defunkt theatre

Orlando

Profile Theatre

The Set-Up

Cygnet Productions

The Understudy

Artists Repertory Theatre

BEST SCENIC DESIGN

Tony Cisek

Ain't Misbehavin'

Portland Center Stage

Stephen Dobay

In the Next Room, or the vibrator play

Profile Theatre

Tal Sanders

Orlando

Profile Theatre

Tim Stapleton

Waiting For Godot

Northwest Classical Theatre Collaborative

BEST SOUND DESIGN

Rodolfo Ortega

Blue Door

Profile Theatre

Richard E. Moore

The Drunken City

Theatre Vertigo

Seth Nehil

Time, A Fair Hustler

Hand2Mouth

Scott Thorson

Sex With Strangers

Portland Center Stage

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Troy Pennington

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Broadway Rose Theatre Company

James Sharinghousen

Oklahoma!

Broadway Rose Theatre Company

Blake Stone

Heathers: The Musical

triangle productions! & Staged!

Joe Theissen

Thoroughly Modern Millie

Broadway Rose Theatre Company

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A PLAY

David Bodin

Twelfth Night

Portland Shakespeare Project

Gavin Hoffman

Great Expectations

Portland Center Stage

Matthew Kerrigan

In the Next Room, or the vibrator play

Profile Theatre

Todd Van Voris

The New Electric Ballroom

Third Rail Repertory Theatre

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Cassi Q. Kohl

H.M.S. Pinafore

Mock's Crest Productions

Amanda Pred

Heathers: The Musical

triangle productions! & Staged!

Danielle Purdy

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Broadway Rose Theatre Company

Emily Sahler

Thoroughly Modern Millie

Broadway Rose Theatre Company

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Crystal Ann Muñoz

Twelfth Night

Portland Shakespeare Project

Jamie Rea

A Doll's House

Shaking the Tree

Anne Sorce

Time, A Fair Hustler

Hand2Mouth

Beth Thompson

In the Next Room, or the vibrator play

Profile Theatre

BEST YOUNG PERFORMER

Annabel Cantor

Ramona Quimby

Oregon Children's Theatre

Morgan Fay

The Wrestling Season

Oregon Children's Theatre (Young Professionals)

Agatha Olson

The Miracle Worker

Artists Repertory Theatre

Kai Tomizawa

Junie B. Jones: The Musical

Oregon Children's Theatre

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Beth Harper

Willamette Week