23 UArts Theater Artists Nominated for 2019 Barrymore Awards

August 26, 2019

Congratulations to the almost two dozen UArts alumni, faculty and staff who are nominated for the 2019 Barrymore Awards, a nationally recognized symbol of excellence for professional theater in the greater Philadelphia region. The Barrymores are given annually by Theatre Philadelphia, an organization which nurtures local theater artists, fosters the creation of extraordinary work and forges stronger connections between Philadelphia’s art and audiences.

Awards will be announced at the 25th Annual Barrymore Awards Ceremony and Celebration on Oct. 14 at the Bok Building. The UArts nominees are:

Outstanding Direction of a Play

  • Rebecca Wright (Indecent, Arden Theatre Company) - Adjunct Assistant Professor

Outstanding Leading Performance in a Play

  • Brandi Burgess (Cry It Out, Simpatico Theatre) - BFA ’12 (Acting)

  • Justin Jain (The Great Leap, InterAct Theatre Company) - BFA ’04 (Acting), Senior Lecturer

  • Brandon Pierce (Kill Move Paradise, The Wilma Theater) - BFA ’12 (Acting)

  • Leah Walton (Indecent, Arden Theatre Company) - Senior Lecturer

Outstanding Leading Performance in a Musical

  • Sav Souza (Basic Witches, Hager Productions) - BFA ’18 (Musical Theater)

Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Play

  • Anthony Martinez-Briggs (Kill Move Paradise, The Wilma Theater) - BFA ’13 (Acting)

  • Jahzeer Terrell (Three Sisters, Two, EgoPo Classic Theater) - BFA ’15 (Acting)

  • Rob Tucker (This is the Week That Is, 1812 Productions) - BFA ’04 (Musical Theater), Program Head (Musical Theater Minor), Visiting Assistant Professor

Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Musical

  • Brett Ashley Robinson (The Appointment, Lightning Rod Special) - Pig Iron Graduate, Senior Lecturer

  • Terran Scott (Minors, Lantern Theater Company) - BFA ’19 (Musical Theater)

Outstanding Scenic Design

  • Colin Mcllvaine (Among the Dead, Theatre Exile) - Senior Lecturer

Outstanding Costume Design

  • Jillian Keys (Treasure Island, Arden Theatre Company) - BFA ’11 (Theater Design and Technology)

  • LeVonne Lindsay (Gem of the Ocean, Arden Theatre Company) - Costume Shop Manager, Adjunct Assistant Professor

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Costume Shop Manager and Adjunct Assistant Professor, LeVonne Lindsay, was nominated for Outstanding Costume Design for  ‘Gem of the Ocean’ at Arden Theatre Company.

Outstanding Original Music

  • Alex Bechtel (The Appointment, Lightning Rod Special) - BFA ’08 (Musical Theater), Pig Iron Graduate, Senior Lecturer

  • Larry Fowler (Hype Man: A Break Beat Play, InterAct Theatre Company) - Senior Lecturer

  • Jamison Foreman (The Monster in the Hall, Inis Nua Theatre Company) - BFA ’10 (Musical Theater)

Outstanding Music Direction

  • Jamison Foreman (The Monster in the Hall, Inis Nua Theatre Company) - BFA ’10 (Musical Theater)

  • Amanda Morton (The Bridges of Madison County, Philadelphia Theatre Company) - Senior Lecturer

  • Amanda Morton (The Color Purple, Theatre Horizon) - Senior Lecturer

  • Ryan Touhey (Once, Arden Theatre Company) - BFA ’09 (Musical Theater)

Independence Foundation Award for Outstanding New Play/Musical

  • Erlina Ortiz (Morir Sonyando, Passage Theatre Company) - Senior Lecturer

  • Alice Yorke with Eva Steinmetz, Alex Bechtel, Scott R Sheppard, and the ensemble / Music and Lyrics - Alex Bechtel (The Appointment, Lightning Rod Special) - Pig Iron Graduates, Senior Lecturers

F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Philadelphia Theatre Artist

  • Dan O’Neil - BFA ’10 (Musical Theater)

The Ira Brind School of Theater Arts includes 60 instructors, the majority of which are employed as theater professionals. Alumni often return to UArts as educators and hold central roles in Philadelphia’s theater culture. 

“Brind School faculty and alumni always feature heavily in the Barrymore Award nominations, but this year is an exceptional crop," David Howey, dean of the Brind School, says. “We are present in depth and breadth, with actors, singers, directors, writers, composers, musical directors and designers. A special congratulations goes to Dan O’Neil for his nomination for the prestigious F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Philadelphia Artist.”

Above: Alum and Barrymore Nominee Terran Scott BFA '19 (Musical Theater) in the Brind School's 2018 Polyphone Festival production of 'Ancient Future' 

Photo: Paola Nogueras