On Theater: Community theaters thrived in 2019

(This is the second in a series of three columns reviewing local theater in 2019)

Community theater, where financial rewards are nil but emotional rewards are bountiful, enjoyed a thriving year around Orange County during 2019.

Local playhouses pushed the envelope repeatedly and often with great success. Here’s a look at several of these significant productions and performances:

Costa Mesa Playhouse

Best production: “Crimes of the Heart,” directed by Madison Wackerman

Runner-up: “Avenue Q,” directed by Scott Silson

Best actors: Stephanie Noel Garrison, “Crimes of the Heart,” and Aaron Alford, “The 39 Steps”

Runners-up: Cindy Cisneros, “Crimes of the Heart,” and Melissa Musial, “Avenue Q”

Newport Theatre Arts Center

Best production: “Laughter on the 23rd Floor,” directed by Brian Page

Runner-up: “The Gin Game,” directed by Kathy Paladino

Best actors: Bill Peters, “Laughter on the 23rd Floor,” and Harriet Whitmyer, “The Gin Game”

Runners-up: Rick Kopps, “The Gin Game,” and Stephen Hulsey, “Floyd Collins”

Attic Community Theater

Best Production: “Titanic,” directed by Kathy Paladino

Runner-up: “The Lion in Winter,” directed by Bob Fetes

Best actors: Noah Wagner, “The Lion in Winter,” and Susan Lopez, “Matilda”

Runners-up: Jill Cary Martin, “The Lion in Winter,” and the cast of “A Piece of My Heart”

Westminster Community Playhouse

Best Production: “The Bad Seed,” directed by Lenore Stjerne

Runner-up: “The Long Weekend,” directed by Chris Coleman

Best Actors: Veronique Merill Warner, “The Bad Seed,” and Susan Levenstein, “The Long Weekend”

Runners-up: Bill Paxson, “The Long Weekend,” and Maya Somers,”The Bad Seed”

On the collegiate front, I viewed fewer productions but the standouts were “The Beat Goes On,” created and directed by Vanda Eggington, at Vanguard University, and “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” directed by Martie Ramm, at Golden West College.

Top performances at Vanguard came from Robert Ball, “The Pirates of Penzance,” and Ethan Boyle, “Around the World in 80 Days.” Golden West’s standout was Megan Cherry for “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.”

Next weekend’s column will bring two outstanding theater practitioners back for a well-deserved curtain call, as we honor the man and woman of the year in local theater for 2019.

Support our coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.