SALT Awards

The Professional Theater contest, for example, is not Syracuse Stage’s exclusive domain. The nominees for Best Professional Director include Timothy Bond, Patrick Amster and David Catlin of Syracuse Stage, all right, but also former Syracusan Wendy Dann of Ithaca’s Hangar Theatre. Previously confined to summer theater competition, the Hangar earned a key nomination for Dann’s guidance of The 39 Steps. It was last fall’s Syracuse Stage production of The 39 Steps that earned Patrick Amster his nod. The SALT Academy strives to remain anonymous, but there’s no missing that members love that show. The Syracuse Stage version is also up for Best Production honors.
In a similar vein, competition for choreography used to be confined to community theater companies. This year presents two nationally known dance talents in the running: Lori Leshner, employed with Auburn’s Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in the summer, for Man of La Mancha, and Cynthia Halpin, responsible for the choreography for Cortland Repertory Theatre’s Brigadoon. They will be pitted against community theater greats like Jodi Bova in the Wit’s End Players’ Cabaret, Michael Groesbeck for the Talent Company’s All Shook Up, Jimmy Wachter for Rarely Done Productions’ Scream Queens and Shannon Tompkins for the Talent Company’s The Rocky Horror Show.

Meghan Pearson had a splendid year as her Parade: The Musical for Appleseed Productions snagged nominations in several categories: Bridget Moriarty for best female lead in a musical, Ryan Benz for best male lead, Nick Ziobro for best male support, and the show itself for best musical. All four of these names would have been unfamiliar to local audiences a year ago, and conventional wisdom once held that Parade was box-office poison.
The other production reaping abundant nominations is Salt City Center’s Master Class, which boasted two familiar names. They are Frank Fiumano, the SALT equivalent of Katherine Hepburn or Meryl Streep for attracting nominators, who never before has been cited as a director. Lead Cathleen O’Brien is a much-admired, versatile soprano, just right for the role of diva Maria Callas, who paradoxically never sings in the show. Also cited is newcomer Crystal Sikora, the impudent student who challenges the operatic dominatrix, plus actors Josh Smith and Richard Koons. The catch with all this attention is that Master Class played to the empty Carrier Theater at the Mulroy Civic Center over two weeks in November. SALT voters must have been a big part of that audience.
2010 was a year of recognition for singer Peter Irwin in two contrasting roles: the heartfelt, conflicted lead in William

Finn’s Falsettos for Rarely Done the hilarious C3PO in Star Wars: The Musical, a co-production between Wit’s End and Rarely Done. Similarly, Binaifer Dabu, one of our busiest performers, is almost unrecognizable in two supporting roles, despite her distinctive presence. Her Fury was hair-raising in The Insanity of Mary Girard for Appleseed, while her non-speaking (but squeaking) R2D2 for Star Wars: The Musical means she has now played women, men, boys, girls and machines. Other SALT favorites have likewise doubled their chances of winning, including two acting noms each for Bill Molesky, Dana Sovocool, Aubry Panek, Josh Mele and Rob Fonda.
The Syracuse New Times SALT Awards will be presented on Sunday, May 1, 7 p.m., at Eastwood’s Palace Theatre, 2384 James St. The theater’s lobby will hold a reception from 6 to 6:45 p.m., as well as an after-party at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 at the door or $20 by mail using check or credit card to: New Times SALT Tickets, 1415 W. Genesee St., Syracuse 13204. For information, call 422-7011, Ext. 125.