Mobile’s community theater scene wrapped up another season of packed houses and honors, with two of the city’s longest-running playhouses handing out their top awards to actors, directors and volunteers who kept local stages busy over the past year.
Mobile Theatre Guild held its annual Zoghby Awards on June 24, recognizing standout performances and productions from its season. “Ain’t Misbehavin'” was named Best Show. Ravyn Otis took home Best Actress in a non-musical role, while Ebony Le’She Jarmon won Best Actress in a musical. Gayle Andrews was honored as Best New Actress.
On the men’s side, Gene Murrell was named Best Actor (Non-Musical) and Aron Meadows won Best Actor (Musical), with Robert Young recognized as Best New Actor. Meadows also picked up a directing honor for his work on “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” one of several directors saluted for guiding individual productions during the season. Cory Olson was recognized for directing “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Chris Hill for “Archie and Mehitabel,” Lesley Roberts for “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” and Kyle Myers and Chris Hill together for “Sordid Lives.”
Several of the guild’s namesake awards, which honor contributions beyond the stage, also changed hands this year. Joann Oliveria received the Leslie Leslie Award, Yvonne Matthews and Her Band won the Nibbles Award, Kyle Myers was given the Jerry Carre Award, and Susan Vinson took home the Danny Conway Award. Longtime volunteer Barney March received a special award recognizing his years of dedication to Mobile Theatre Guild.
Across town, Joe Jefferson Players is preparing for its own night of recognition. The troupe will host its 2016-2017 Joey Awards on July 15 at its playhouse at 11 S. Carlen St. in Mobile, marking the close of JJP’s 69th season of community theater. The ceremony is open to the public, with doors opening at 6 p.m. for a potluck-style, bring-your-own-beverage gathering ahead of the 7 p.m. awards program.
Timothy Guy, Cory Olson and Lesley Roberts will serve as hosts for the evening, and local media personality Gene Murrell is set to livestream the event for those who can’t attend in person.
The two ceremonies cap off what has become a familiar rhythm for Mobile’s theater community: individual playhouses close out their seasons each summer with awards shows honoring the actors, directors and behind-the-scenes volunteers who make their productions possible. Beyond Mobile Theatre Guild and Joe Jefferson Players, the region is home to several other community theater groups that stage productions throughout the year, giving local performers, directors and technical volunteers regular opportunities to hone their craft outside the professional stage.
The idea of expanding recognition for the arts in Mobile isn’t new. In 2013, a proposal for a Walk of Fame along the Saenger Theatre’s downtown block gained real traction, with a committee that included representatives from city government, business and the arts community, along with an architect’s preliminary plan and cost estimates from city engineers. The effort stalled after leadership changes at both the Saenger and in city administration, and the project never moved forward.
Some in the local arts community have floated the idea of a broader, area-wide theater awards event that would recognize standout performances across all of Mobile’s community playhouses rather than within a single organization, similar in spirit to how New York’s Tony Awards draw on a large nominating and voting body to evaluate productions across many venues each season. Any such effort locally would likely need a smaller, more streamlined structure, but supporters argue it could raise the profile of community theater across the region and drive more public attention to each troupe’s upcoming season.
Joe Jefferson Players’ new executive director, Jason McKenzie, has expressed enthusiasm for the concept as the organization looks ahead to its next season. Whether or not a combined, area-wide awards event ever materializes, this summer’s Zoghby and Joey Awards continue a decades-long local tradition of honoring the volunteers who keep Mobile’s stages lit.