BROOKINGS Brookings Community Theatre and its members received seven of the 18 BroadwayWorld South Dakota Awards for 2024.
Broadway World is a publication in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Its everything having to do with theatre community theatre, Mike Thompson, 13-year community theatre veteran and recipient of this years award for Best Direction of a Musical, said. (The South Dakota awards) are based on the entire state. So Im pretty proud we won, because somebody has to nominate you and then the people go and vote.
Brookings Community Theatre won Best Play for their production of Boeing Boeing. Additional awards went to Jacob Womack for Best Performer, Carrie McClanahan for Best Play Director, Jay Bauman for Best Lighting Design, Jill Kruse for Best Scenic Design and Cole Harris for Best Sound Design. The Brookings troupe also placed second in the category of Favorite Local Theatre, getting edged out by Black Hills Playhouse.
Its not like out in Hollywood with the Academy Awards where theres just a select group that votes, Thompson said. Voting is open to the public once the nominations have been complete. The nominations usually happen in October or November, and then the voting opens up.
He said this was the largest number of Brookings winners yet.
I just want to tell everybody you did a great job, Thompson said. Every person that won an award won it for the job that they did. Whichever play they worked on was better because of them Everybody that won pleasecontinue to audition and be a part of community theatre. Its because of actors and crew members like them that our plays are as good as they are.
He said its gratifying to see people both attending plays and casting votes for BCT.
Its good for Brookings Community Theatre, Thompson said. We still get so many people who come to our plays and say, I didnt know that Brookings had a community theatre. Were going on our 24th year, and people still dont know we have plays? When plays are going on, people just assume that its Prairie Rep or that its State University Theatre thats doing it. Thats been our biggest struggle just to get BCTs name out there.
He said hes proud of the cast and crew of all their shows.
Ive been with BCT since 2012. The best part is when Ive directed a play, and at the end the cast runs out into the lobby to form a receiving line, Thompson said. I always stand off to the side because its them my cast that deserve the accolades. But Ill have people still come up to me and theyll be in tears and say its so fantastic. Then I tell them to go and thank the cast, because theyre the ones who brought it to life.
He encourages people to get involved in local theatre.
BCT notoriously has a difficulty in finding men to come audition. Weve always had that happen. Wed like to do Seven Brides for Seven Brothers or wed like to do Oklahoma, but we never get enough men, Thompson said. My suggestion to anybody who might be interested in participating in BCT would be contact me or contact any of our board members. Go to our website, click on the links, find out when were going to have auditions. Get involved. When I direct a musical, I never turn anybody away. Theres always room in the ensemble.
The troupe plans to present the drama Rabbit Hole in March and the musical Mary Poppins in August.
(Theatre) is just a great way to express yourself without having to be embarrassed, get judged or feel like youre being laughed at or anything, Thompson said. Theatre enriches everybodys life whether you go to it, participate in it or work behind the scenes as a costumer, makeup person or building sets. Just being part of the theatre group enriches everyones lives. In my opinion, youre just better for it.
Contact Jay Roe at [email protected].
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