2003 Topper Awards

The primary purpose of the Tournament of Plays is to encourage individual and group excellence in US Forces community theatre programs throughout Europe. The goal is to promote, instruct, and recognize outstanding achievements in areas of performance and technical theatre. A team of professional judges is travelling Europe from tip to tail, watching performances of every plays and musical entered in the competition.

Following each show, the cast, crew, and staff will be given a thirty-minute verbal critique, conducted in the theatre facility. The judges will share their impressions of the productions, and will offer praise together with constructive recommendations for enhancing future efforts. Awards will be decided upon in a variety of technical and performance categories, including Best Drama, Comedy, and Musical; Best Actress and Actor; Set, Sound and Lighting Designs, etc. The official judging period for this Tournament of Plays is from the end of February to the beginning of April.

Here is the complete list of nominations and winners!

Judges

Brid McBride (Professional Irish Arts Critic, Irish National Radio), Dan LaMorte (NYC-based teacher/director, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre), and Carole Gutierrez (LA-based acting teacher, professional actress, “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Providence”). Jim Sohre, Entertainment Director, IMA-E, joins them for musical entries.

Entries & Workshops

Here is the schedule for the judges' visits, and the various workshops:

Wed, 26 Feb: Blues for an Alabama Sky, SHAPE, Belgium, 7:00 pm
Thu, 27 Feb: Wait Until Dark, Wiesbaden, Germany, 7:30 pm
Fri, 28 Feb: Art, Giessen, Germany, 7:30 pm
Sat, 1 Mar: Same Time, Next Year, Mannheim, Germany, 8:00 pm
Sun, 2 Mar: Gamma Rays, Ansbach, Germany, 7:30 pm
Thu, 6 Mar: All My Sons, Hanau, Germany, 7:30 pm
Fri, 7 Mar: As Bees in Honey Drown, Stuttgart, Germany, 7:30 pm
Sat, 8 Mar: Twelfth Night, Heidelberg, Germany, 7:30 pm
Sun, 9 Mar: Beauty & the Beast, Ramstein, Germany, 5:00 pm
Mon- Tue, 10-11 Mar: Dan LaMorte Directing Workshop, Kitzingen, Germany, 7:00 pm
Mon-Tue, 10-11 Mar: Carole Gutierrez Acting Workshop, Stuttgart, Germany, 7:00 pm
Thu, 13 Mar: The Goodbye Girl, Giessen, Germany, 7:30 pm
Fri, 14 Mar: Diary of Anne Frank, Spangdahlem, Germany, 7:00 pm
Sat, 15 Mar: Hello, Dolly!, Vilseck, Germany, 7:30 pm
Sun, 16 Mar: Love Letters, Kitzingen, Germany, 2:00 pm
Mon-Tue, 17-18 Mar: Dan LaMorte Directing Workshop, Ansbach, Germany, 7:00 pm
Mon-Tue, 17-18 Mar: Carole Gutierrez Acting Workshop, Kitzingen, Germany, 7:00 pm
Mon, 17 Mar, 7:00 pm: Brid McBride Irish Dance Workshop, Heidelberg, Germany, 7:00 pm
Thu, 20 Mar: Steel Magnolias, Darmstadt, Germany, 8:00 pm
Fri, 21 Mar: The Nerd, Garmisch, Germany, 7:30 pm
Sat, 22 Mar: I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Vicenza, Italy, 8:00 pm
Sun, 23 Mar: Brid McBride Irish Dance Workshop, Vicenza, Italy, 2:00 pm
Mon-Tue, 24-25 Mar: Dan LaMorte Directing Workshop, Bamberg, Germany
Mon-Tue, 24-25 Mar: Carole Gutierrez Acting Workshop, Heidelberg, Germany
Wed, 26 Mar: Harvey, Alconbury, 7:00 pm
Thu, 27 Mar: Evita, Ansbach, Germany, 7:30 pm
Fri, 28 Mar: Over the Tavern, Kaiserslautern, Germany, 7:30 pm
Sat, 29 Mar: Twilight of the Golds, Mannheim, Germany, 8:00 pm
Sun, 30 Mar: Into the Woods, BambergGermany, (Mat), 2:00 pm
Wed, 2 Apr: Home, Hohenfels, Germany, 7:00 pm
Thu, 3 Apr: The Primary English Class, Wiesbaden, Germany, 7:30 pm
Fri, 4 Apr: My Fair Lady, SHAPE, Belgium, 7:30 pm
Sat, 5 Apr: Shirley Valentine, Giessen, Germany, 7:30 pm