<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Since my name was used, and given Mr. Spellos' caveat that there were no brilliant performances, I'll just chime in that I thought Liz Conway was BRILLIANT in "Proof" and Andrew Rothman was BRILLIANT in "The Berlioz Project." Sadly, I was too busy to be able to see David Hansen in "The Velocity of Autumn" by the BRILLIANT Eric Coble, and I looked at the BroadwayWorld site a few days ago so no longer remember who else is nominated for what.<div><br></div><div>Respectfully submitted,</div><div>Deborah Magid<br><div><br><div><div>On Nov 9, 2012, at 4:14 PM, Peter Spellos wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div>I completely agree with Ms. Magid, Mr. Hawkes, and Mr. Corris about<br>how questionable and suspect these awards are. I know for a fact that<br>one of last year's winners canvassed the entire theatre community for<br>votes, and this individual received, across the boards, absolutely<br>terrible reviews for their "winning" performance. Another nominee, a<br>teacher, solicited votes by passing out slips of paper to her entire<br>class with the Award 's Website address. What's up with that? God<br>help a performer who doesn't receive a Berko Award, or doesn’t end up<br>on Ableman's End of the Year Awards!! Does anyone out there remember<br>when Marlon Brando or George C. Scott refused to accept their Academy<br>Awards for Best Actor? Their reasoning behind their decision was that<br>acting should not be a competition, like the Olympics...their belief:<br>just do the work.<br><br>Okay, here is my love letter, because I am a big fan of both these<br>performers, and rightly so. I’m sure many of you will agree. I’m<br>very sure that many will not. I’ve looked at all of the nominee<br>lists, especially Best Actor/Actress/Equity. We should stop voting<br>right now, and just give these awards to Brian Zoldessy, who wasn’t<br>even nominated, and Deidru Ring, who was not nominated for The Normal<br>Heart, but another show, for their truly memorable performances in The<br>Normal Heart. Mr. Zoldessy’s passion, rage, sensitivity, range, and<br>vulnerability as Ned Weeks was remarkable. And Ms. Ring, as Dr. Emma<br>Brookner, was fierce, fiery, and very powerful. Read the reviews,<br>talk to theatre patrons. No doubt about it! Just give it up and<br>accept it. Be big, and give these actors some props.<br><br>Now, all of the performers nominated provided us, for the most part,<br>with decent performances. Some were good, or very good, some were<br>just adequate. None of them ever approached brilliant. As one critic<br>stated, “Zoldessy didn’t play Ned Weeks, he was Ned Weeks!” And<br>“Ring’s performance was electric!”<br><br>Two of the best performances I’ve seen on the Cleveland stage….ever.<br>The question remains: why were they not nominated for The Normal<br>heart, and who nominated all the rest for their respective<br>performances? Did they nominate themselves, or did they ask their<br>entire family, or every one of their friends?<br><br>So neo-pals, on with those responses!!<br><br><br><br><br>On 11/8/12, Skip Corris <<a href="mailto:ccorris@gmail.com">ccorris@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br><blockquote type="cite">I've always been uncomfortable with awards for the performing arts. I've<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">never watched an Oscar, Emmy, or even a Tony Award show, the only redeeming<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">factor of which is Neil Patrick Harris. Thank goodness for youtube clips.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote></div></blockquote></div><br><div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; 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margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 10px/normal 'Comic Sans MS'; "><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Verdana; min-height: 11px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Verdana; color: rgb(19, 80, 174); min-height: 13px; "><span style="text-decoration: underline; "></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Verdana; color: rgb(19, 80, 174); "><span style="text-decoration: underline; "><a href="http://miseentheatre.wordpress.com/">http://miseentheatre.wordpress.com/<span style="font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Verdana; text-decoration: underline; "></span></a></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Verdana; ">***********************************</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Verdana; ">March 6, 2013: playwright THE SECRET LIFE OF BIRDS, reading,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.dramatistsguild.com/eventseducation/">Dramatists Guild Friday Night Footlights</a></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Verdana; ">February 7-16, 2013: playwright VALIDATION,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.convergence-continuum.org/">Convergence Continuum Theatre</a></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Verdana; ">October 13 & 20, 2012: actor ANGELIC VOICES IN RITARDANDO by Vickie Williams,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.cptonline.org/theater-show.php?id=189"><span style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(19, 80, 174); ">Cleveland Public Theatre Springboard 2012</span></a></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Verdana; ">October 6, 2012: writer/performer<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://vimeo.com/28264265">This Improvised Life at Big Dog Theater</a></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Verdana; ">August 9-18 2012: playwright <a href="http://deborahmagid.com/DeborahMagid/Magid_Shift%21.html"><span style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(19, 80, 174); ">SHIFT!</span></a> production, <a href="http://mildredsumbrella.com/"><span style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(19, 80, 174); ">Mildred's Umbrella Theater Co</span></a> <i>Museum of Dysfunction V</i>, Houston TX</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Verdana; color: rgb(19, 80, 174); "><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">August: interview<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://31plays31days.com/blog/2012/08/04/31-plus-interviews-%7C-deborah-magid/"><i>31 Plays in 31 Days</i></a></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Verdana; ">***********************************</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Verdana; color: rgb(19, 80, 174); "><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><a href="http://womenplaywrights.org/"><span style="text-decoration: underline; ">International Centre for Women Playwrights</span></a>, <a href="http://www.clevelandplayhouse.com/about/playwrights-unit"><span style="text-decoration: underline; ">Cleveland Play House Playwrights' Unit</span></a>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://theatrewomen.org/"><span style="text-decoration: underline; ">League of Professional Theatre Women</span></a>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://dobama.org/playwrights-gym/"><span style="text-decoration: underline; ">Dobama Theatre Playwrights' GYM</span></a>, <a href="http://www.dramatistsguild.com/"><span style="text-decoration: underline; ">Dramatists Guild</span></a>, <a href="http://www.composersforum.org/"><span style="text-decoration: underline; ">American Composers' Forum</span></a></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Verdana; color: rgb(19, 80, 174); "><span style="text-decoration: underline; "><a href="http://deborahmagid.com/">http://deborahmagid.com/<span style="font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Verdana; text-decoration: underline; "></span></a></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Verdana; min-height: 11px; 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