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Harvie Awards

2023 Harvie Award recipients announced

By Joanne Beck

This weekend's 2024 Harvie Awards gala recognized many deserving recipients from the past year's Batavia Players shows, organizers said, including:

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A PLAY

Steven Coburn, 12 Angry Jurors

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Emily Crawford, Antony & Cleopatra

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A PLAY

Elijah Van Epps, Antony & Cleopatra

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Dorothy Gerhart, One Act Plays, The Verbatim

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY

Anthony Haitz, 12 Angry Jurors

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Mary Eckstein, 12 Angry Jurors

OUTSTANDING LEAD MALE PERFORMANCE IN A MUSICAL

Phil Berry, The Drowsy Chaperone

OUTSTANDING LEAD FEMALE PERFORMANCE IN A MUSICAL

Sarah Hill, Opposites Attract, I'll Be Here

OUTSTANDING LEAD FEMALE PERFORMANCE IN A MUSICAL

Kristin Gelia, The Drowsy Chaperone

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING MALE PERFORMANCE IN A MUSICAL

Qasim Huzair, The Drowsy Chaperone

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING FEMALE PERFORMANCE IN A MUSICAL

Sophie Houseman, The Drowsy Chaperone

OUTSTANDING FEATURED MALE PERFORMANCE IN A MUSICAL

Anthony Haitz, The Drowsy Chaperone

OUTSTANDING FEATURED FEMALE PERFORMANCE IN A MUSICAL

Samantha Jane Balbi, Cry Baby

OUTSTANDING YOUTH PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

Peyton Woeller, Cry Baby

OUTSTANDING CHILD PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

Adam Jursted, Cry Baby

OUTSTANDING MUSICAL PERFORMANCE ENSEMBLE

Watch Your Ass, Cry Baby

OUTSTANDING MUSICAL SOLO PERFORMANCE

Deacon Smith, Hallelujah, A Christmas Carol

PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

James Barcomb, 12 Angry Jurors

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

Mick Larson

BUSINESS SUPPORT OF THE YEAR

McCabe Enterprises

COMMUNITY SUPPORT OF THE YEAR

Batavia Downs Gaming

BOARD OF DIRECTORS – DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

Tom Clark

Starting here, starting now: Harvie nominations are plentiful from packed 2023 lineup

By Joanne Beck
Teressa Hirsch
One of the angriest of the "12 Angry Jurors," Teressa Hirsch earned a nomination for Lead Actress in a Play for her unflinching character.
File Photo by Howard Owens

As another year begins to fade away in the hopefulness of a new one, there’s still room for a look back at the best and brightest theatrical performances as the Batavia Players present the 2024 Gala: Starting Here, Starting Now!

The premise is simple enough. Pat Burk says: it’s a new year, the first time for the awards show in a brand new theater, and with all but three of a dozen new shows negotiated for the 2024 season.

“Starting Here, Starting Now is a song written for a musical, it’s not really well known, but it’s about, this is the beginning of our new year, it’s about things being new. It’s just a nice kind of event, and people can see the seating and the style in the theater and how things are presented there. And it’s just kind of a cool event,” Burk said during an interview with The Batavian. “We’re pretty close to being completed, and all of our shows will be presented in the same venue with all new equipment. It’s just going to be a great year for us.”

Set for 7 p.m. Saturday at the Main St. 56 Theater in downtown Batavia, the gala is a party celebration of the Players’ “very successful 2023 season” with hors d’oeuvres, refreshments, basket raffles, select performances and — drum roll, please — a presentation of the 2023 Harvie Awards to a slate of deserving performers in this past year’s lineup of shows.

There will be several recap performances and highlights of plays and musicals from the past season, along with a discussion about why people were nominated and ultimately chosen for each award. 

Directors from each of the shows submitted nominations, and four additional directors contributed reviews for the final selections, Burk said. Beyond a nod of recognition for the talent up on stage is a moment to pause and reflect and reminisce about the seven musicals and four play productions put forth in a span of 12 months, he said. 

This will be the first time since COVID — will it ever be forgotten? — for a full-blown awards show. The last one was for the 2019 awards, and it was right smack in the middle of a St. Patrick’s holiday that health department officials came in to shut down the event on those first bleak days of the pandemic, he said.

“And they came in nicely, and we said, ‘Can we at least finish, or can we get the food out of here?’ And they said we had to close up. I remember they allowed us to do takeout containers for the corned beef and cabbage,” he said. 

Does that feel like a million years ago now, or yesterday?

“A million years ago, because we were also in the process of just starting the demolition of the new theater. And that literally started that January 1, and we were just so looking forward to, within two years, we’d be out of Harvester and into our new theater. And obviously, none of that happened,” he said. “So, we’re in the new theater … it’s so deserved. It’s been a long time coming.”

And in that vein, the theater is starting here, starting now, with its 2024 season that kicks off with a concert, “Pushin’ Time,” with duo Eric Carlin and Deanna Spiotta Carlin on Jan. 19. Other confirmed shows include “The Little Mermaid Jr.," “Pygmalion,” and one that Burk is thrilled to have secured for May, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Evita.”

As for the remainder of the lineup, that will be revealed, except for those three shows still in negotiations, during this weekend's gala. Attendees may want to spiff up for the affair if they like and absorb a medley of productions while supporting the arts and artists who make it happen.

Admission is a $30 donation. Advance ticket purchases are encouraged at bataviaplayers.org

Award nominations went to the following:

Lead actor in a play

Stephen VanValkenburg - Almost Maine

Steven Coburn - Antony & Cleopatra

Steven Coburn - 12 Angry Jurors

Anthony Haitz - One Act Plays/The Bear

Seth Coburn - One Act Plays/Mr. Icky

Lead actress in a play

Jacqueline Morrison - Almost Maine

Emily Crawford - Antony & Cleopatra

Teressa Hirsch - 12 Angry Jurors

Teressa Hirsch - One act plays/Verbatim

Supporting actor in a play

Elijah Van Epps - Almost Maine

Shaun Coburn - Almost Maine

Elijah Van Epps - Antony & Cleopatra

James Barcomb - 12 Angry Jurors

James Barcomb - One act plays/The Bear

Supporting actress in a play

Kendra Morrison - Almost Maine

Cynthia Nelson - Almost Maine

Cynthia Nelson - Antony & Cleopatra

Dorothy Gerhart - 12 Angry Jurors

Dorothy Gerhart - One act plays/Verbatim

Featured actor in a play

Richard Ferris - Almost Maine

Lawrence Rowswell - Antony & Cleopatra

James Barcomb - Antony & Cleopatra

Anthony Haitz - 12 Angry Jurors

Shakeem Walcott - One act plays/Mr. Icky

Featured actress in a play

Sophie Houseman - Almost Maine

Maia Zerillo - Almost Maine

Erin Stamp - Antony & Cleopatra

Shellene Bailey - Antony & Cleopatra

Mary Eckstein - 12 Angry Jurors

Sophie Crandall - One act plays/Mr. Icky

Leading male performance in a musical

Marc Sapareto - Opposites Attract

Phil Berry - Drowsy Chaperone

Marc Sapareto - Do Not Sing List

Marc Sapareto - Cry Baby

Kevin Partridge - A Christmas Carol

Leading female performance in a musical

Sarah Hill - Opposites Attract

Kristin Gelia - Drowsy Chaperone

Maia Zerillo - Do Not Sing List

Maia Zerillo - Cry Baby

Jennifer Dunn - A Christmas Carol

Supporting male performance in a musical

Seth Coburn - Opposites Attract

Sam Bowman - Drowsy Chaperone

Qasim Huzair - Drowsy Chaperone

Deacon Smith - Do Not Sing List

Deacon Smith - Cry Baby

Andy Hamm - A Christmas Carol

Supporting female performance in a musical

Jocelyn Coburn - Opposites Attract

Sophie Houseman - Drowsy Chaperone

Kendra Morrison - Do Not Sing List

Paige Sikorski - Cry Baby

Rose Mosher - Cry Baby

Amanda Melissa Taylor - A Christmas Carol

Featured male performance in a musical

Cass Dzielski - Opposites Attract

Anthony Haitz - Drowsy Chaperone

Steven Coburn - Drowsy Chaperone

Elijah Van Epps - Do Not Sing List

Paul Daniszewski - Cry Baby

William Zerillo - A Christmas Carol

Featured female performance in a musical

Teressa Hirsch - Opposites Attract

Amy-Catherine - Cunningham Drowsy Chaperone

Beth Knopf - Drowsy Chaperone

Kristin Gelia - Do Not Sing List

Samantha Jane Balbi -Cry Baby

Kylea Wright - Cry Baby

Dorothy Gerhart - A Christmas Carol

Youth performance

Peyton Woeller -Do Not Sing List

Quinn Boardman - All Shook Up

Peyton Sikorski - All Shook Up

Peyton Woeller - Cry Baby

Sophie Crandall - A Christmas Carol

Lilah Mordell - A Christmas Carol

Child performance

Annalie Crandall - All Shook Up

Sylar Kuenzi - All Shook Up

Adam Jursted - Cry Baby

Xavier Deschamps - A Christmas Carol

Liam Taylor - A Christmas Carol

Charlotte Reddin - A Christmas Carol

Best musical performance ensemble

Move Towards the Darkness - Opposites Attract

I Do, I Do in the Sky - Drowsy Chaperone

Cell Block Tango -Do Not Sing List

You Bet Your Ass - Cry Baby

In December - A Christmas Carol

Best musical performance solo

Jacqueline Morrison - Three Days Without Breathing/Opposites Attract

Sophie Houseman - As We Stumble Along/Drowsy Chaperone

Cass Dzielski - Run Away With Me/Do Not Sing List

Paige Sikorski - Screwloose/Cry Baby

Deacon Smith - Hallelujah/A Christmas Carol

Deacon Smith Cry Baby
Deacon Smith has been nominated for Supporting Male Performance in a Musical for his role in "Cry Baby."
File Photo by Howard Owens
Cry Baby with Peyton Woeller
"Do Not Sing List " featured Peyton Woeller, front in plaid, who has been nominated for the Youth Performance category for his role. 
File Photo by Nick Serrata
12-angry-jurors-batavia-players-2023
Steven Coburn, nominated in 12 Angry Jurors.
Photo by Howard Owens.
The Bear Batavia Players
James Barcomb, nominated in One Act Plays/The Bear.
Photo by Howard Owens.

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