TG
T.J. Green
  • theatre and English
  • Brandon, Mississippi

T.J. Green Receives Theatre Award at William Woods University

2013 Jun 4

At the end of the 2012-2013 theatre season, the talented, inspiring theatre students at William Woods University gathered for their annual achievement night, during which Theatre Guild Awards were presented. T.J. Green of Brandon, Miss., was one of the recipients.

Directors of each mainstage production may nominate any actor or actress from their cast who they feel best exemplifies Best Actor and Actress, as well as supporting roles. The nominations are compiled into a final ballot, which is then distributed to guild members with voting instructions. The Theatre Guild president collects the ballots and tabulates the results.

Paige Runge of St. Louis, Mo., was the recipient of the "Most Contribution to the Theatre Department Award." This award is the highest honor the department can give to any actor, student, technician, designer or manager. The recipient is the person who best exemplifies all aspects for the theatre department, including leadership, loyalty, talent and a high GPA.

"We as a faculty and staff felt as though Paige best exemplified the criteria for this award. Her positive presence and constancy of purpose has demonstrated the highest levels of professionalism in all areas of WWU Theatre and best exemplifies the true theatre we all strive to be," said Joe Potter, assistant professor and artistic director of theatre at William Woods.

Runge and Stephen Chamineak of Hazelwood, Mo., received awards for "Best Actress" and "Best Actor." Runge was selected for her performance in "The Cherry Sisters" as Effie. Other nominees were Kassi Davidson of Roseau, Minn.; Suzi Johnston of Fulton, Mo.; and Kayla Pulliam of Bloomington, Ill. Chamineak won for his performance in "BOB" as Bob. Other nominees were T.J. Green of Brandon, Miss.; Drew Arnett of of Columbia, Mo.; and Calvin Hawkins Wentzville, Mo.

Davidson earned "Best Supporting Actress" as Addie in "The Cherry Sisters." Other nominees were Maggie Hunter of Columbia, Mo., and Paige Runge of St. Louis, Mo. Michael Dodson of St. Louis, Mo., won "Best Supporting Actor" as Joe in "9 to 5." Other nominees were Chamineak and Green.

"Because we are equally proud of all our students' progress and accomplishments, it is very difficult to single out any one given performance as being better than another," said Potter.

"Each of these students, including the other students on the ballot, was selected because of their ability to masterfully create a character."

The "Tribute to Don Weiss Award" was presented to Doris Weiss. This is a special tribute to recognize the contributions and honor the memory of community player, Don Weiss. Weiss was a member of the Partners in Arts organization, designed to connect the campus with the community. Weiss passed away in December after suffering from a long illness, but his contributions to the community are still very much extant.

During the night, newly initiated members of Alpha Psi Omega, the WWU theatre honor society, were recognized. They are Katharine Carney of St. Peters, Mo.; Molly Feldt of O'Fallon, Mo.; Joe Merlotti of St. Louis, Mo.; Davidson, Green and Hawkins.

Mainstage Design/Management/Technical Awards Certificates were awarded to:

• Carney – stage management on "9 to 5" and "The Cherry Sisters Revisited"

• Hunter - stage management on "Bob: A Life Revisited"

• Jennifer Steindorf of San Diego, Calif.– stage management on "Medea"

In addition, Melissa Alpers-Springer, faculty sponsor of Jesters, announced the Jesters Awards, all given for "Recent Tragic Events":

• Tech Crew Award: Chamineak for puppet design

• Management/Design Award: Merlotti for stage management

• Best Actor: Green for Ron

• Best Actress: Pulliam for Nancy/Joyce

Productions planned for the 2013-14 theatre season were also announced. They are "The Glorious Ones," a musical; "The Dead Guy," "All My Sons" and "Perfect Wedding."

"As always, we are excited to work with new, incoming students who will join us in the fall, as well as our returning students. We want the community to know that good theatre is alive and well at William Woods University," said Potter.

He added, "We believe that theatre matters and makes a difference in the education and well-being of society and our community. As a community, we are truly blessed by all the artistic opportunities that are available. We want to encourage the community to be involved and invite them to participate in auditions and help us backstage."

For more information about upcoming productions and/or how to get involved, contact Potter at (573) 592-4281 or jpotter@williamwoods.edu.