Horatio’s Purgatory selected for State Community Theatre Festival

TCR - Theatre Cedar Rapids held its first-ever TCR Underground Festival November 5th through 7th in the Grandon Studio at Theatre Cedar Rapids. The festival included nine entries directed, acted and crewed by volunteers. The one-acts included original works by local playwrights Joe Jennison, Rachel Korach Howell, Sarah Jarmon, Duane Larson and Erica Hoye, as well as established works by Aaron Sorkin, John-Paul Sarte and L.B. Hamilton.

The festival culminated in an awards ceremony where one play was selected as the official TCR entry to the Iowa State Community Theatre Festival April 1-3, 2011. The official festival selection was Horatio’s Purgatory, an original work by Rachel Korach Howell, directed by Angie Toomsen and featuring performances by Matthew James and Kehry Anson Lane. Horatio's Purgatory also won for Best Direction and Best Lighting and Technical Elements.

The festival selection runner-up was a production of Sartre's No Exit, directed by Ryan Foizey, featuring performances by Matthew James, Amanda Forman, Lincoln Ginsberg and Stephanie Larios. No Exit also won Best Ensemble and Best Costumes.

Additional awards were give to Bryant Duffy (Best Actor, A Midnight Clear) and Ottavia DeLuca (Best Actress, Big Bad Wolf).

People's Choice awards were voted on each night and awards were given to Kory Bassett (Best Actor, Big Bad Wolf), Bryant Duffy (Best Actor Runner-Up, A Midnight Clear), Carole Martin (Best Actress, A New Normal), Amanda Forman (Best Actress Runner-Up, No Exit), Big Bad Wolf (Best Play, directed by Sarah Jarmon) and No Exit (Best Play Runner-Up, Best Ensemble).

Theatre Cedar Rapids' 2005 festival entry won both state and regional competitions and went all the way to the national festival in Kalamazoo, MI.