Metro Pulse/Gamut/The Jojos

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We pick our own favorite Knoxville theater moments

by Paige M. Travis

Editor's note: Each year, the Knoxville Area Theatre Coalition in conjunction with the News-Sentinel hands out its annual populari—ahem—achievement awards to local productions. And, each year, after the ballot is released, a few MP writers scratch their heads (scratching being one of the few things MP staffers do well). The shows we love never even seem to get nominated by the KATC committee, and the Sentinel readers who bother to vote never seem to choose the stuff we think deserves a nod. This year, we decided to create our own award—the Jojo—and use it to give shout outs to the folks we think should win. Sure, it'll be heavily biased—but, at least, we admit it.

Theater critic Paige M. Travis was given several cups of coffee and the task of putting this together. Here's her take.

Choosing the best plays, actors, and technical aspects of theater produced in Knoxville in the 2002 season is an unenviable task. Picking favorite actors is like picking favorite songs—it all depends on your mood and the context of the album and whether you've liked that record for four months or four years. It's all relative. Plus, how do you go about comparing comedy to drama, or classics to the avant garde? Out of indecision and hesitation, my ballot remains unmarked and, now, hopelessly late for consideration by KATC.

According to movie critic Roger Ebert, the reason that so many great films are completely overlooked for the Oscars is that many members of the Academy don't even bother watching all, or most of, the films. Before I go naming names and picking favorites, I'm admitting up front that I didn't see all the plays KATC put on its ballot. I wish I'd seen them all. I particularly regret missing Oklahoma at the Clarence Brown Theatre. I heard that it was quite an enjoyable event, featuring several, if not all, sold-out shows. The musical, which was due a local revival, featured two outstanding local actors, Josh Eleazer and Ryder Davis. Eleazer is up for Best Actor in a Musical. The KATC awards separate the category of musicals from regular plays, which I can understand. Why try to compare apples and oranges, singing actors to non-singing actors?

Since the only musical I saw in 2002 was Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, I'll weigh in on that one. Tony Cedeño made the Bible parable worth the trip to the Bijou. He's nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical, and I hope he takes home the award. Cede�o is one of those actors who is so consistently good, he'd be in great demand (and better paid) in some other city. I trust voters will agree—to give him the award, not his walking papers.

Even with all my doubts about picking favorites, there is one thing I'm sure of: Art was my favorite play of 2002. KATC nominated it for Best Play. I saw it twice, cried the second time, and think of it frequently when I'm having a particularly cynical day or start to ponder the meaning of art and friendship. Art was simply the best written play produced by any theater company last year; Knoxville is downright lucky to have hosted a production of this play, which, at less than 10 years old, makes it one of the youngest plays in town.

As the character of Marc, John Forrest Ferguson made me look at myself differently, caused me to see my cynical friends and intolerant generation in a new light that was at once harsh and forgiving. I loved this play and have been forever moved by it. Perhaps because Art was an ensemble piece, none of the three actors could be considered leads. Ferguson, Guiesseppe Jones and David Brian Alley could all have been nominated for Best Actor or Supporting Actor, but KATC ultimately chose Alley to represent the play in the category. His portrayal of the high-strung, emotional Yvan— "Objects, I can't tell you how much they infuriate me"—was exemplary. I think I would've chosen Ferguson for Best Supporting, but to have anyone from Art represented is a sign of good taste.

All the roles that I can speak for in the Best Actress category are intricate, complex characters, not just emotionally challenging parts that the Oscars love. In fact, Jenny Ballard (Arms and the Man, Actors Co-op), Susanna Devereux (Much Ado About Nothing, Tennessee Stage Company) and Sara Pat Schwabe (Lysistrata, Actors Co-op) all play strong, independent women who refuse to be jammed into the typical gender mold. It's great to see that these roles are being performed in Knoxville, and that their work is being acknowledged and hopefully awarded. [Editor's Note: I'm pulling for Schwabe. Her Lysistrata was captivating and sassy. Also, in the "Category I'd Like To See" Category—Best Prop, which would have to go to Lysistrata's gravity-defying penises. A Jojo to the mechanically inclined soul who constructed them.]

Since KATC has seen fit to separate musicals from the other plays, I don't think it's a stretch to nominate Best Comedy as a new category. Which brings up a big oversight: Why are no plays by either Theatre Central or All Campus Theatre represented on the ballot? Sure, their productions can be less technically advanced than the other companies, but they both represent a niche in local theatre. The Ritz tackled some serious physical comedy and on-the-run choreography that wins a Jojo. And last fall's Dinner with Durang featured some of the most hilarious writing and antics on any local stage. ACT's take on Durang's Betty's Summer Vacation was disturbing social commentary wrapped in the guise of a black comedy, which earns it a Jojo as well.

If KATC's goal is to "recognize area theater companies, to celebrate theater arts, and to recognize and celebrate the high quality of the theater arts carried out in the Knoxville and surrounding communities," as the organization states on its web site, then these companies should be represented on the ballot. Surely a few folks on the KATC committee saw some of these plays, or maybe there's another reason these companies aren't nominated in any of the 18 categories.

One omission made by KATC was set designer Brian Prather for his imaginative and hulking stage creation for The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), produced by the Smoky Mountain Shakespeare Festival. As it is nominated three times in the category (for The Crucible, Oliver and Oklahoma!), the University of Tennessee will probably get this award. [Editor's Note: Sometimes the CBT sets outshine the plays they support...]

Unfortunately, it's here that Travis' manuscript gets all runny and coffee-stained. It's impossible to tell if she was done with her musings or if the caffeine finally took its toll. All that's left that's legible are the words "Doug Mason" and "Odd Couple." Good luck to everyone on Sunday night!