Region 10 American Association of Community Theatre

Complete list of winners
Press Release by James Sohre

A cheering standing ovation capped the US Army Europe One Act Play Festival Sunday, October 8th, as Heidelberg Roadside Theater's drama "W;t" was announced as Best Play in the Millennium edition of the annual competition. "W;t," a moving story about a woman dying of cancer, held additional resonance for leading lady, and Best Actress winner Sylvia Rausch, herself a cancer survivor. The highly charged atmosphere prompted tears and hugs among the cast and crew, as they were selected out of 20 plays to represent Army Overseas Community Theatres in next June's National Theatre Festival in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, sponsored by the American Association of Community Theatre (AACT). All Army Community Theatres are AACT members, as arranged and funded by the Community and Family Support Center, Department of the Army.

Another big winner was the high-energy choral drama production of "The Legend of Stackalee," produced by Vicenza's Soldiers Theatre. Taking second place as Best Play, it was also honored for Best Direction (Bonnie Daniels), Ensemble, and Stage Manager (Lauren O'Gara). Mannheim's Rhein Neckar Theatre Company was the third place winner for the drama "Hotline," with First Lieutenant James Bozer named as Best Actor. The three best shows will also receive program grants for their efforts: $1,000, $750, and $500 for first, second, and third.

The twenty productions, ranging in running time from ten to sixty minutes, were performed in an intense schedule between Friday at 6:30 pm and Saturday at 10:30 pm. Dramas, comedies, and original scripts were played in rapid succession. Following each show, there was a verbal critique by three adjudicators: Mary Britt, Executive Director of the Ocala (FL) Civic Theatre; Ron Ziegler, Associate Director of the Des Moines Playhouse; and Marc Durso, a leading national acting teacher and professional director in south Florida. Their instructional evaluations formed the heart of the Festival, which focuses on training volunteer and staff, directors and actors.

The trio also honored Jeanne Ragonese for Best Monologue performance. Her piece, "The Very First Dating Video of Rose Ritz" was excerpted from the Roadside musical hit, "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change." A special judges award went to Specialist Travis Sorenson of the Stuttgart Theatre Center for his debut directing success with the tender comedy, "Postcards." This year's Festival also marked the first time a group from Korea was entered, and Yongson Army Community Theatre didn't go home empty-handed. Specialist Jill Patton nabbed an award for Best Minor Role for her turn in the satire "The Bug." The Best Supporting Actor and Actress, WO3 John Engeman and Terry Crites were both clear audience favorites for their spot-on comic performances in "The Whole Shebang," brought by the Vilseck Bavarian Arts Guild.

The weekend's pace never let up, as Sunday was chock-full of workshops in readers theatre, musical accompaniment, stage management, and acting. As a grand finale, the SRO crowd of participants was entertained by a guest performance of Alfred Uhry's "The Last Night of Ballyhoo" presented in a readers theatre version by Army Community Theatre, Fort Shafter Hawaii. For two hours, the four professional-caliber actors had the audience in the palm of their hand, and were rewarded with a response that was probably audible in their home theatre in Oahu. The group will also tour to four other USAREUR installations. Major General Patricia P. Hickerson, the USAREUR Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel, presented the awards at the closing ceremony, to include the surprise presentation of the prestigious Irving Berlin Award for Program Excellence to the Entertainment program of the 235th Base Support Battalion Ansbach.

BEST SHOW: W;T, Heidelberg Roadside Theatre (WIT web page)
Second Place: STACKALEE, Vicenza Soldiers Theatre
Third Place: HOTLINE, Mannheim Rhein Neckar Theatre Company

BEST DIRECTOR: Bonnie Daniels, STACKALEE, Vicenza
Second Place: Scott Fults, W;T, Heidelberg
Third Place: Becky Connolly, THE WHOLE SHEBANG, Vilseck

BEST ACTOR: First Lieutenant James Bozer, HOTLINE, Mannhein
Second Place: Specialist Aaron Talley, STACKALEE, Vicenza
Third Place: Specialist Richard Redding, A BLIND DATE WITH MARY, Hanau

BEST ACTRESS: Sylvia Rausch, W;T, Heidelberg
Second Place: Catherine Wrighter, HOTLINE, Mannheim
Third Place: Rosemary Bock, A BED AMONG THE LENTILS, Giessen Keller Theatre

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Warrant Officer John Engeman, THE WHOLE SHEBANG, Vilseck
Second Place: Terence Powell, W;T, Heidelberg
Third Place: Billy Ray Thomas, THE PHILADELPHIA, Wiesbaden

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Terry Crites, THE WHOLE SHEBANG, Vilseck
Second Place: Mary Fournier, VISITOR FROM FOREST HILLS, Wiesbaden
Third Place: Victoria Lutz, W;T, Heidelberg

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A MINOR ROLE: Specialist Jill Patton, THE BUG, Yongsan Army Community Theatre
Second Place: First Lieutenant Brian Witcher, REVUE SKETCHES, Bad Kreuznach
Third Place: Captain Charles Fallang, SLOP CULTURE, Ansbach Terrace Playhouse

BEST MONOLOGUE: Jeanne Ragonese, Heidelberg Roadside Theater
Second Place: Frank Shirar, Vilseck Bavarian Arts Guild
Third Place: Specialist Bruce Moore, Kaiserslautern Entertainment

BEST ENSEMBLE: Cast of STACKALEE, Vicenza Soldiers Theatre
Second Place: Cast of THE WHOLE SHEBANG, Vilseck
Third Place: John Doyle & Rose Marie Knauer, POSTCARDS, Stuttgart Theatre Center

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS First Place for Debut as Director: Specialist Travis Sorenson, POSTCARDS, Stuttgart
Second Place for Scenic Design, STACKALEE, Private First Class Wade Hinson
Third Place for Cameo Role: Marika Bartlett, LAST CALL FOR BREAKFAST, Ansbach

BEST STAGE MANAGER: Lauren O'Gara, STACKALEE, Vicenza Soldiers Theatre
Second Place: Robyn Rocklein, THE WHOLE SHEBANG, Vilseck
Third Place: Jennifer Spohn, W;T, Heidelberg

IRVING BERLIN AWARD FOR PROGRAM EXCELLENCE: Ansbach Entertainment