GINNY AWARDS

As a not-for-profit theatre organization, CUTC relies on community volunteers for a wide-range of services from acting to set design to costuming to sound to lighting. Each year we recognize our volunteers for their onstage and backstage contributions through the Annual Ginny Awards.

The Ginny Awards - named in honor of Ginny Stoolman, the daughter of the original Virginia Theater builder - have been hosted by CUTC since 1996. The location has sometimes changed and the awards have changed over the years, but what we're really doing here every year is coming togther for a few hours to celebrate the power of community theater.

This year the annual Ginny Awards Gala will be held on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, at the Laborers Union Hall, 108 E Anthony Dr. Urbana, IL. The event is open to the public.

The evening will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will include a buffet dinner, a musical review of the 2011 season as well as a musical preview of the 2012 season, and the awards ceremony. There will also be recognition of community members who have volunteered their time and talents above and beyond the norm.

Awards will be given for best male and female actors, best supporting male and female actors, and best up-and-coming actor, as well as for best musical moment, best dance moment, best dramatic moment and best comedic moment.

The nominees for this year's Ginny Awards are below.

Tickets are $25 per person and will be on sale online or by sending a check to CUTC, 608 N. Cunningham Ave. Urbana, IL 61802. Reservations must be made by January 16, 2012. Tickets will not be sold at the door.

Male Actor
Jason Morgan as the Baker (Into the Woods)
David Kessler as Tony (West Side Story)
Jeff Dare as Harold Hill (The Music Man)

Female Actor
April Blacker as the Witch (Into the Woods)
Kate Myers as Maria (West Side Story)
Jenny Gleason as Marian Paroo (The Music Man)

Supporting Male Actor
C. Jefferson Grider as Cinderella's Prince/Wolf (Into the Woods)
Zach Benner as Bernardo (West Side Story)
Jim Dieker as Mayor Shinn (The Music Man)

Supporting Female Actor
Kari Croop as Cinderella (Into the Woods)
Arianne Cohen as Anita (West Side Story)
Chris Taber as Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn (The Music Man)
Diane Pritchard as Mrs. Paroo (The Music Man)

Up-and-Coming Actor
Craig Kurjanski as Rapunzel's Prince (Into the Woods)
Kieran Miller as Lt. Shrank (West Side Story)
Ryan Gossett as Winthrop Paroo (The Music Man)

Up-and-Coming Actress
Wendy Walter as Cinderella's Bird (Into the Woods)
Lillie Sokolski as Gladhands (West Side Story)
Taylor Knowles as Anybodys (West Side Story)
Sydney Reilly-Treat as Amaryllis (The Music Man)

Musical Moment
C. Jefferson Grider and Craig Kurjanski for "Agony" (Into the Woods)
Dave Kessler, Kate Myers, Arianne Cohen, Cullyn Murphy and Zach Benner for Tonight (West Side Story)
Jeff Dare as Harold Hill and Townspeople for Seventy-Six Trombones (The Music Man)

Dance Moment
The Company for Ever After (Into the Woods)
Zach Benner, Arianne Cohan and the Sharks for America (West Side Story)
Jeff Dare and students for Marian the Librarian (The Music Man)

Dramatic Moment
April Blacker as the Witch in Children will Listen (Into the Woods)
Dave Kessler, Kate Myers in Final scene (The Street) (West Side Story)
Jenny Gleason and Jeff Dare for Till there was you (The Music Man)

Comedic Moment
Catlin Caruso-Dobbs & C. Jefferson Grider as Little Red & Wolf in "Hello Little Girl" (Into the Woods)
"Gee Officer Krupke" Tommie Howie as Action and the Jets (West Side Story)
Abby Bohall, Kathleen Carroll, Liz Martin, Nancy Nichols, Sara Coffey, Jaclyn Loewenstein, and Cara Day for Pick a little; talk a Little (The Music Man)