Kentwood Players Announces Marcom Masque Awards for 2018-2019 Season

Kentwood Players, the community theater group based at the Westchester Playhouse, was founded in December 1949 by Jan and Arky Marcom, for whom the group's annual Marcom Masque Awards are named. The first Marcom Masque Awards were presented for the 1957-1958 season with Cat on a Hot Tin Roof winning the award for Best Play. The 2018-2019 season included the following six productions: Match, Daddy's Dyin', Who's Got the Will?, Dangerous Obsession, Disney's The Little Mermaid, Our Town, and Sunday in the Park with George.

Awards are determined by all Kentwood Players members who voted by secret ballot in several artistic categories after seeing each show. Season Subscribers vote by secret ballot on each show's production quality as a whole after seeing it, with a Subscriber Favorite award given during the ceremony. At the close of each production, cast and production team members gave written feedback on each show's Stage Manager and Producer, with those two new Marcom Masque Award categories added this year. All votes and feedback were tallied by a committee of Kentwood Players members not nominated in any category.

Kentwood Players presented their annual Marcom Masque Awards during this year's ceremony held on Saturday, June 29, 2019 at the lovely Ayres Hotel, located at 14400 Hindry Avenue in Hawthorne, CA. The evening was hosted by Jon Sparks and Samantha Barrios, with the evening's entertainment spoofing all six productions directed by Catherine Rahm and presented to much laughter and applause by Samantha Barrios, Alison Boole, Harold Dershimer, Jeremy Palmer, Lyndsay Palmer, Kim Peterson, and Catherine Rahm. The event was chaired by Kathy Dershimer, with Jenny Boone handling reservations. Andrew Dershimer created the music for the awards ceremony entertainment and after-ceremony dancing. It was a wonderful evening of entertainment, filled with the community theater spirit which has led Kentwood Players during its 70 years of presenting great live theatre in Westchester.

2018-2019 Kentwood Players Marcom Masque Award Winners

(Front row, from left): Andrew Dershimer, Kathy Dershimer, Jenny Boone, Kelsey Weinstein, Sadie Fisher, Catherine Rahm, Alison Boole, Roy Okida

(Back row, from left): Eddie Ed O'Brien (holding awards for Our Town), Michele Selin, Samantha Barrios, Stanley Brown (holding awards for Our Town), Harold Dershimer, Kirk Larson, Erika Brauer, Rocky Miller, Kim Peterson, Bruce Starrett, Tom Brophey

Photo credit: Patrick O'Heffernan

The winners of the Kentwood Players 2018-2019 Marcom Masque Awards:

Production of a Play - Dangerous Obsession

Production of a Musical - Disney's The Little Mermaid

Subscriber Favorite - Daddy's Dyin', Who's Got the Will?

Director - Play - Kathy Dershimer for Dangerous Obsession

Director - Musical - Catherine Rahm for Disney's The Little Mermaid

Musical Director - Catherine Rahm for Disney's The Little Mermaid

Choreographer - Alison Boole for Disney's The Little Mermaid

Producer - Alison Boole and Elizabeth Summerer for Daddy's Dyin', Who's Got the Will?

Stage Manager - Roy Okida for Match

Special Board Award for Recognition of Outstanding Merit - Tom Brophey

Lead Actor - Musical - Roy Okida as Sebastian in Disney's The Little Mermaid

Lead Actress - Musical - Kim Peterson as Ursula in Disney's The Little Mermaid

Lead Actor - Play - Dan Adams as Stage Manager in Our Town

Lead Actress - Play - Gabrielle Sigrist as Emily Webb in Our Town

Supporting Actor - Musical - Harold Dershimer as King Triton in Disney's The Little Mermaid Supporting Actress - Musical - Kelsey Weinstein as Scuttle in Disney's The Little Mermaid

Supporting Actor - Play - Harold Dershimer as Doc Gibbs in Our Town

Supporting Actress - Play (tie) - Jenny Boone as Mrs. Gibbs in Our Town and Michelle Selin as Mrs. Webb in Our Town

Featured Actor - Musical - Rocky Miller as Chef Louis in Disney's The Little Mermaid

Featured Actress - Musical - Erika Brauer as Jetsam in Disney's The Little Mermaid

Featured Actor - Play - Dave Parke as Buford Turnover in Daddy's Dyin', Who's Got the Will?

Featured Actress - Play - Sadie Fisher as Joe & Si Cromwell / Wally Webb in Our Town

Original Graphic Design - Andrew Dershimer for Our Town

Costume Design - Kim Peterson for Disney's The Little Mermaid

Sound Design - Susan Stangl for Our Town

Lighting Design - Michael Thorpe for Our Town

Set Design - Kathy Dershimer / Bruce Starrett for Dangerous Obsession

Set Decoration Design - T. Samantha Barrios, Jenny Boone, Kathy Dershimer and Melodie S. Rivers for Dangerous Obsession

During the awards ceremony, Certificates of Recognition were presented by Jenny Boone, Kentwood Players' President, to all members who worked behind-the-scenes on two or more productions during the season. Kentwood Players members who have reached their 25th and 50th membership anniversary were announced and presented jewel-encrusted pins by Kathy Dershimer, Kentwood Players' Vice President of Membership.

Please visit the websit www.kentwoodplayers.org for more information about Kentwood Players including their current production of Noel Coward's hit comedy Blithe Spirit opening July 19 and upcoming auditions for the murder mystery thriller Dial M for Murder on July 20 and 21. You can also find Kentwood Players information on Facebook and Twitter.

To meet the production teams and learn more about Kentwood Players and what goes on at the Westchester Playhouse, the public is invited to attend our general membership meetings, which are free and held on the third Wednesday of each month at 7:30pm at the Westchester Playhouse, located two blocks west of the San Diego Freeway and two blocks north of Manchester at 8301 Hindry Avenue in Westchester, CA 90045. Due to final dress rehearsals for Blithe Spirit, please note the next meeting is being held on Wednesday, July 24.

Test and expand your Broadway knowledge with our new game - The Broadway Match-Up! How well do you know your Broadway casting trivia?	Play the Daily Game, explore current shows, and delve into past decades like the 2000s, 80s, and the Golden Age. Challenge your friends and see where you rank!
How well do you know your Tony Awards history? Take our never-ending quiz of nominations and winner history and challenge your friends.	Can you beat your friends? Play today’s daily Broadway word game, featuring a new theatrically inspired word or phrase every day!