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Charles Nelson Reilly |
The American Prize wishes everyone safety and health during this difficult time.
The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David (Volosin) Katz, founder and chief judge, is honored to announce the winners, runners-up, and honorable mention recipient of The American Prize in Directing—The Charles Nelson Reilly Prize, 2019-20, in the theater/musical theater division. (Opera division winners will be posted separately.) Congratulations!
Complete listings of finalists and semi-finalists in The American Prize competitions may be found elsewhere on this blog. Please use the chronological tool in the right-hand column to find specific results.
QUICKNOTES: Although The American Prize does not usually provide written evaluations to semi-finalists, some semi-finalist composers will receive in their certificate packets short comments, suggestions or overall impressions made during the judging. We hope they will prove valuable. All finalists receive written evaluations from a member of The American Prize judging panel.
Charles Nelson Reilly was a Tony Award-winning actor and Broadway stage director, and an acclaimed opera director and teacher. Far more than the zany television personality by which he was most often identified, Reilly nurtured the creation of a whole series of unique one-person stage plays. Most famously, he directed Julie Harris in her Tony Award-winning star turn in "The Belle of Amherst", on the life and poetry of Emily Dickinson. Among Reilly's many Broadway directing credits were Ira Levinʼs "Break a Leg", Larry Shueʼs "The Nerd", and the revival of "The Gin Game", starring Julie Harris and Charles Durning, for which Mr. Reilly was the sole American director to be nominated for a Tony in 1997. Mr. Reillyʼs career as an opera director included productions for Chicago Opera Theater, Dallas Opera, San Diego Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Toledo Opera, Milwaukee Opera and Opera Pacific. Charles Nelson Reilly and The American Prize chief judge David Katz were friends for three decades, first meeting through their mutual Hartford voice teacher, Mrs. Friedrich Schorr. Mr. Reilly served as honorary chairperson of the Friedrich Schorr Memorial Performance Prize in Voice from the competition's founding in 1990, until his death. To read more about the career of Charles Nelson Reilly, please click here.
COVID EXTENSIONS: Because of the current national and international situation, many rules have been changed and requirements eased to make it easier to apply for The American Prize 2020-21. In addition, application deadlines have been extended. We will accept applications from COMPOSERS, CLASSICAL VOCALISTS, PIANISTS, CHAMBER ENSEMBLES and INSTRUMENTAL SOLOISTS postmarked or emailed by Wednesday, October 14, 2020. Applications from CONDUCTORS, STAGE DIRECTORS, CONDUCTED ENSEMBLES, ARTS ADMINISTRATORS (arts marketing, arts education) and in the performance of American Music (BACON AWARD) will be accepted until Wednesday, October 14, 2020. Further extensions may be granted pending the most current information about the virus.
Please make us aware of any misprints: theamericanprize@gmail.com
The American Prize in Directing—The Charles Nelson Reilly Prize, theater/music theater division, 2019-20
The American Prize winner:
Belinda Andrews-Smith
Denison University
Granville OH
Chicago
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Belinda Andrews-Smith |
2nd Place:
Geoffrey Arndt
Saint Patrick Summer Theatre
Chicago IL
Sweeney Todd
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Geoffrey Arndt |
3rd Place (there was a tie):
Dr Darren P. Lawson
Bob Jones University
Greenville SC
Titanic: The Musical
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Dr Darren P. Lawson |
3rd Place (there was a tie):
David Schwingle
Bob Jones University
Greenville SC
King Lear
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David Schwingle |
In 2015, David's short play, Separate, was produced at Tesseract Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri (April 17-25). In 2016, David’s 10-minute play, The Match, was produced in September (Roanoke, VA).
In April, 2017, David's 10-minute play Winning with Shakespeare! won the new works festival at the Atlantic Stage (Myrtle Beach, SC).
David is the founder of 11th Hour Theatre. He recently finished playing Hamlet. (Greenville, SC). He recently completed the Patsy Rodenburg voice and acting Certification program (RRT) housed at the Michael Howard Studios in NYC. He recently directed King Lear in Greenville, SC.
Finalist Honorable Mention:
Geoffrey Arndt
Saint Patrick High School
Chicago IL
We All Rise Above—an anti-bullying play devised and directed by Mr. Arndt with the students at Saint Patrick High School
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Geoffrey Arndt |
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Congratulations!
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