By George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
Eden-Lee Murray, left, and Diana Carter Anderson
together skip to the stage to receive their awards
as best Leading Females (play).

---

Emotions high
at Po‘okelas

By Burl Burlingame
Star-Bulletin

There were stiff upper lips a'plenty at last night's Po'okela "Awards Gala," as winners of the local theater awards wondered if these would be their last.

Sorry, not "winners." The Po'okelas have always been given to "honorees," which means that often several nominees in a category are selected by the judging panel. This is one of the bones of contention that has divided local theater professionals on the future of the awards. The Po'okela board -- the Hawaii State Theater Council -- will decide within a few weeks whether to keep the awards as is, modify them or scrap them entirely.

"We all complain, but if this is really the end, then I'm very sad," cried out director John Rampage, while accepting the final award of the evening. "Sometimes we only support the awards if we're nominees ... "

"That's right!" witnessed an audience member.

"... let's not ring the death knoll, let's not bury it yet ..."

"Hear hear, you say!"

"... there will be new life in the year to come. Before the Po'okelas, all we had to show for our work were old photos and memories ..."

ByGeorge F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
Don Pomes, left, and John Perry were honored
as Leading Males (Play)..

---

Soon, the audience was on its feet, singing "There's No Business Like Show Business." It was an emotional ending for an evening that had proceeded with a kind of bunker gaiety.

Vanita Rae Smith of Army Community Theater, one of the founders of the Po'okelas, believes it would destroy the awards to have one "winner." "It would then be irrefutably a competition, when it's supposed to be a celebration," she said. In a letter to the HSTC board, Smith urged disbanding the awards because of the divisiveness it created.

Past disagreements were forgotten, however, as The audience of approximately 200 ate a hotel-buffet of creamed mahimahi and teri chicken and indulged in intermural back-patting.

The evening's host was "Gecko" author and actor Bruce Hale. "Something that's trashy, something that's flashy, something political -- it's Po'okela night," he sang, to the tune of "Comedy Tonight," and warned the crowd that "the brain can only absorb what the buttocks can endure."

Then it was on to the honors. Big winner overall was Diamond Head Theatre with 15 awards, followed by Manoa Valley Theatre with seven.

Lighting Design winner Ed James' short speech: "I'm not a talker. Thank you," earned cheers

Don Pomes noted that it was his 39th year as an actor as he won for "Angels in America," and that "there are two voice in my head. One is Sally Field going, 'You like me! You really like me!' and the other is Roy Cohn saying, 'Shut the ---- up and sit down!'"

Jane Metcalf, one of the audience members, was there "because my sister-in-law was nominated, and because it's fun," and that was the bottom line. As it turned out, sister-in-law Karen Wolfe was honored for costume design.

Daughter Kaitlyn Metcalf, 12, appeared in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" last year. "I want to keep doing it, as a hobby I guess," she said.

Maybe one day she'll be honored with a Po'okela.

1997 Awardees

The Hawaii State Theatre Council honorees for 1997 are:

Leading Male (Play)
John Perry, Hawaii Pacific University, "A View From the Bridge"
Don Pomes, Manoa Valley Theatre, "Angels in America"

Leading Female (Play)
Diana Carter Anderson, All Singing All Talking All Dancing, "The Belle of Amherst"
Eden-lee Murray, ASATAD, "The Glass Menagerie"

Leading Male (Musical)
Ben Perry, Diamond Head Theatre, "Little Shop of Horrors"
Dennis Edward Proulx, Army Community Theatre, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum"
David Spangenthal, DHT, "Crazy For You"

Leading Female (Musical)
Cassandra Harrell, DHT, "Little Shop"

Featured Male (Play)
Richard Pellett, DHT, "Born Yesterday"

Featured Female (Play)
Cheryl Bartlett, ASATAD, "Menagerie"

Featured Male (Musical)
Randall L. Hubbard, DHT, "Crazy"
Douglas S. Scheer, DHT, "Crazy"

Featured Female (Musical)
Suzanne Boyd, DHT, "Annie Get Your Gun"

Choreography
Marcelo Pacleb, ACT, "Forum"

Director of a Play
Roger Long, MVT, "Angels in America"
Joyce Maltby, HPU, "Bridge"

Director (Musical)
Jim Hutchison, ACT, "Forum"
John Rampage/Lolly Totero, DHT, "Crazy"
James K. Seibel, DHT, "Little Shop"

Musical Director
Melina Lillios, MVT, "Tommy"

Set Design
Paul Guncheon, DHT, "Crazy"

Costume Design
Peggy Yolles Krock, HPU, "Midsummer Night's Dream"
Karen G. Wolfe, DHT, "Crazy"

Lighting Design
Darren Hochstedler, DHT, "Crazy"
Ed James, MVT, "Woman in Black"

Sound Design
Ronald Perry, MVT, "Woman in Black"

Original Script
James Brandon and students Ramon Arjona, Vi, Lisa Kramer, Carlos Thelin and Kathy Welch; University of Hawaii; Kabuki "Mikado" adaptation
James Still, Honolulu Theatre for Youth, "In the Suicide Mountains" adaptation

Overall Musical
"Crazy for You," DHT
"Little Shop of Horrors," DHT

Overall Play
"Angels in America," MVT

Adjudicators' Special Awards

Ensemble performance, Windward Community College, "Quilters"
Ensemble performance, HPU, "Midsummer Night's Dream"
Technical effects, MVT, "Woman in Black"
Technical effects, DHT, "Little Shop"

Pierre Bowman Lifetime Achievement Award
Valerie Stubblefield

Excellence in Service Awards
Gayle Harimoto, ACT
Haigh Roop, ASATAD
Helen Gillespie, DHT
Dottie Fitzgerald, HPU
Rayna Galati, HTY
Joan Souza, Leeward Community College
Kathy Kamakaiwi, MVT
Jill Cosh, Solange
Mathew J. Daly, UH
Evette Tanouye, WCC
Andy Reich, The Kauai International Theatre
Patti Lawrence, Aloha Performing Arts Center