By JAMES D. WATTS JR. Scene Writer on Jun 26, 2011, at 11:06 PM Updated on 6/26 at 11:06 PM
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In this case, two out of three is pretty darn amazing.
Playhouse Tulsa won the top two prizes at the 2011 Tulsa Awards for Theatre Excellence, taking home three quarters of the $20,000 in prize money provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation.
The company won first place and $10,000 for its production of Shakespeare's "Macbeth," updated with modern costumes, firearms rather than swords, some truly blood-curdling special effects, and an ending that implied the horror and madness just played out before us was simply part of a never-ending cycle of violence.
Playhouse also took the second place award of $5,000 for "Shining City," a modern-day story of fear and faith, ghosts and Gods and the uniquely Irish ability to tell a story.
Heller Theatre won third prize for the second consecutive year for its production of "Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde," which was anchored by a bravura performance in the title role by T. J. Bowlin.
Clark Theatre continued its domination of the Outstanding Youth Production, winning $2,500 for "Annie."
What makes Playhouse's double victory so impressive is the entrants in this year's TATE awards were particularly varied and strong.
Odeum Theatre, for example, created a masterful production of "Bug," Tracy Letts' drama about how paranoia can almost literally creep under one's skin, while the American Theatre Company's "Speech and Debate" dug into some very dark territory with an uncommon mix of wicked humor and sensitivity.
Theatre North's one woman show "No Child..." showcased the fine talents of actress Whitney Davis, while Theatre Tulsa's "Life with Father" showed how an antique can be buffed and polished and made to shine as good as new.
Even the shows that -- in our estimation, at least -- were outside chances at best contained elements that were very good, even first-rate.
It just underscores what this year's TATE Distinguished Artist Joe Sears said in the question-and-answer session prior to the awards ceremony. "You never know," he said, "where you are going to see great theater."
All you have to do, is go looking for it. And there is plenty of theater to be found right here in Tulsa.
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