Blog Stage - Acting in Film, TV, Theatre - Backstage

Lee's Last Finally Gets a 'Finishing'

I was floored to read today that filmmaker Justin Lin (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift) is making a sort of spoof/tribute to the late great Bruce Lee.  But the more I read about it, the more I liked the idea. 

In Lin's new film Finishing the Game, he depicts the oddball way that Hollywood attempted to finish Lee's final film, Game of Death.  Lee died having only completed one prolonged action sequence for the project.  Instead of dropping the film, the producers decided to complete it with a bunch of lookalikes and some strangely bad special effects (such as a hovering cutout of Lee's real face imposed over a lookalike's face, as I remember it). 

Shortly afterward, dozens of kung fu films started appearing with stars named Bruce Li, Bruce Le and so on.  They all mimicked Lee's style, or at least tried to.  That's what we saw in Brooklyn and Manhattan (specifically, Times Square) movie theaters, at least -- I can only imagine what happened in places like Hong Kong, where I suspect Lee was even more popular. 

A Wired story recently detailed Lin's project:

"Finishing the Game pokes fun at the entertainment industry's relentless efforts to hold onto something great that, in reality, is gone forever. In a closing scene, Lin shows a casting director presenting the final candidates. There's a white guy, a guy in a wheelchair and a guy over 6 feet tall -- it's all pretty absurd."

I can't wait to see this film.  As a child raised in the post-Lee late 1970's -- and proud owner of Lee's real films -- I think it's about time someone put a savage comic spotlight on this less-than-stellar chapter in cinema history.   (AP Photo)

-- Tom Penketh

'Smoke' Fills 14th Street

About two and a half years ago, I caught a workshop production of Clay McLeod Chapman's Volume of Smoke at the Kraine Theatre in NYC's East Village.  To be honest, I'm an unabashed fan of his work, ever since I caught him and regular collaborator Hanna Cheek perform in a tiny Tribeca venue as part of the Gawk Festival. 

But this then-new piece was different: Chapman was working on a commission from Richmond's Firehouse Theatre Project concerning a horrible fire that engulfed a local theatre in 1811.  The dark themes are right up his alley, but instead of his trademark long, darkly funny monologues about dental horrors and painfully awkward first lust, the monologues were short, and there was dialogue between characters. 

It sounds trite -- what's the big deal about a playwright having dialogue? -- but Chapman's monologue style is so well-established that it was a little startling to see him venture out.  But it was also thrilling. 

Another frequent collaborator, Isaac Butler, directed the piece.  Though it had a vitality to it, the play was missing something.  The direction was too hurried, and the piece was at times too firmly rooted in Richmond's specific history to be of interest to a New York audience.  But the production was designed to be just a warm-up for the play's ultimate destination: A run at, ironically, the Firehouse, where it reportedly received a warm reception. 

Flash ahead two years.  Butler's interest in the piece didn't wane, and his theatre company Elsewhere decided to have another crack at it.  With a partially new cast, the play is now running at the 14th Street Theatre (through April 7).  Though the script is mostly the same, the effect is much different.  Butler has had two years to contemplate the piece, keeping incisive bits of direction and opening it up with a nearly double-size theatre space and a cast one person smaller.   

Add Tim McMath's evocative set design, and the play is no longer an experiment -- it's grown into, in my opinion, a thrilling and theatrical re-creation of an emotional slice of that city's painful history. Moreover, the actors are somehow able to bring out hints of NYC's recent tragedy on 9/11 -- making a piece that was once overly specific to Richmond into something that's now surprisingly contemporary.    

-- Tom Penketh

'Grease' TV Show Finally Over

I should have known America would chose Max to play Danny in the upcoming Grease revival as soon as he revealed he had Bell's Palsy as a kid. His disease trumped Austin's being overweight when he was 10. I really can't complain about Laura playing Sandy since all the women seemed alike to me. The only surprise in last night's finale show was the introduction of the principal cast. They all looked about 35!

All of the finalists got plenty of exposure and they have a dandy credit for their resume.   (Photo by AP Photo/NBC, Chris Haston)

--David Sheward

Rest in Peace, Make God Laugh

I've known Richard Jeni for almost two decades. Already considered one of the major standup comics of his time, he was still in the prime of his life and his work. For this unhappy but real fact, the entire comedy family mourns his passing.

My father told me that making people laugh is a great mitzvah. My embrace of that moral drove me to get into comedy. I'm grateful that it wasn't until years later, after I had opened the Laugh Factory, that he shared another favorite moral of his with me, in the form of a joke:

"This man went to a psychiatrist feeling suicidal. The doctor told him that all he needed was a good belly laugh. He told the man to go across the street to a small amusement park to see a very funny comedian who performed there and filled the audience with joy and lots of belly laughs. The man stopped the doctor in midsentence and said, 'Doc, I am the comedian from the amusement park.'"

Unfortunately, I'm finding out, both of my father's morals are equally true. Three weeks ago Richard Jeni, who we now know was seriously challenged with depression, walked off my stage to a standing ovation after providing much joy and many belly laughs. It is that Richard Jeni we all should remember. Not the Richard who awkwardly  --  and uncharacteristically  --  hugged me and said goodbye a night later.

Despite whatever he was struggling with internally, he fought on, writing material, making people laugh. In hindsight, we see his dedication in a new light: His life itself depended on his bringing joy, making people laugh. For that accomplishment alone, he has my respect and admiration.

"Rest in peace. Make God laugh." That is what we put on the Laugh Factory marquee whenever a loved comic passes on. Richard Jeni's name has graced our marquee many times, but seeing it above those familiar words causes confusion, because I see his name and I still think he's going to perform this weekend. I know that Richard will make God laugh; I just wish that God would have allowed Richard to make us laugh down here a bit longer.

Richard Jeni died March 10 in an apparent suicide in West Hollywood, Calif. Jamie Masada is the owner of the Laugh Factory.

-- Jamie Masada

Expensive Tickets Exact a Price

That theatre tickets cost a lot of money is news to no one. Nor is it exactly a bulletin that the high price of admission thwarts the theatre establishment's long-stated goal of attracting younger audiences. Nevertheless, this contradiction needs to be pointed out from time to time, in the hope that someone can find a way to put cheap tickets in the hands of the people who need them most: young and struggling actors.

Few would disagree that the best way to learn the craft is to practice it on stage, but there's a lot to be gained from taking a seat in the audience. Watch and listen closely to enough theatre, and one can learn what gets a laugh and what doesn't, which burst of applause is well-earned and which is extorted.

It is essential for beginning actors to see quality theatre  --  and lots of it  --  and it's up to them to show the initiative if they're serious about their careers (whether or not they prefer film and TV). But producers make this more difficult than they need to, though it's in their interest to help educate younger actors. There are few indications, however, that the powers that be see the connection between nascent talent and ticket prices, particularly when Broadway routinely costs $100, Off-Broadway $85, and a seat at L.A.'s Ahmanson Theatre $75.

Yes, if you're a member of Actors' Equity and a general manager needs to paper the house for a critics' preview, you can see a major show for free. But those occasions are rare and available only to those with union cards, which many younger actors don't yet have.

And, yes, there are other ways for people to get into a theatre for relatively little (or no) cost. Half-price tickets to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows are available most days at the TKTS booths in New York. One can also join the Theatre Development Fund (www.tdf.org) or Play-by-Play.com and, for an annual fee, get access to deeply discounted tickets. Hollywood's Pantages Theatre holds a lottery for $25 orchestra tickets to Wicked each night, a promotion similar to those offering rush seats or student discounts for the occasional Broadway show. You can see a show for free Off-Broadway by ushering. And, of course, there are many fine Off-Off-Broadway or L.A. 99-Seat productions that can be seen for $20 a ticket or less.

These are good remedies  --  but they are not sufficient. And though the League of American Theatres and Producers has taken steps to reinvigorate its audience with promotions such as Kids' Night on Broadway and Singles' Night on Broadway, neither specifically targets the working-stiff actor.

One possible solution comes from a New York theatre-district establishment: For three nights last fall, the Paramount Hotel offered a three-course meal to actors for $5 (their friends could get the same meal for $10). Union or not, all actors had to do was proffer a headshot. Broadway and Off-Broadway producers should do something that cheap and that easy for actors a few times a year, particularly in the slow winter months, when many shows run at 50 to 70 percent capacity. After all, the seats can be filled with people who paid $5 and $10, or they can sit empty for $0.

Not only would this be an intriguing promotion that could generate free publicity, it would be a way for producers to give something to the folks who might one day grace their stages. Besides, if young actors aren't encouraged to see the best current plays and musicals, how can they be expected to take part in creating new ones?      

-- Back Stage Staff

For Artists, a Time to Strike

On May 1 last year, immigrants across the country did not go to work, stayed out of stores, or otherwise removed themselves from mainstream society for the day. According to anecdotal evidence, 1 million people participated in boycotts and human chains across the country on this Day Without Immigrants. For Los Angeles alone, some estimates put the loss in economic activity at $52 million (of the city's usual $1.2 billion a day). This de facto strike was organized to show the power that the 7.2 million undocumented immigrants working in the United States have -- not only on the U.S. economy but also on the whole of society. For one day, at least, America listened.

It got me to thinking: What if artists did the same thing?

Now, no one is saying the immigrant experience and the artist experience are identical; for example, artists are not ostracized from the educational and legal systems as immigrants have historically been, and many of us come from safe, middle-class backgrounds. However, artists and immigrants grapple with similar issues, such as employment, housing, and health care. And because artists have chosen their particular journey, we are constantly scolded like disobedient children to deal with the consequences of our choices. If we don't like it, we can leave -- just as immigrants are allegedly free to do.

But what if artists went on strike for one day? Would people feel our absence? Would they treasure us more? Pay us more? Respect us more? To see what impact such a move would have, let's look at New York:

As of 2005, according to Americans for the Arts, more than 200,000 New Yorkers worked in the so-called creative sector: non- and for-profit businesses that generate or distribute art. The New York City Economic Development Corporation says there are 61,000 artists working here. Whatever the figure, the arts-and-entertainment industry generated $3.3 billion in the city last year. And the food-and-hospitality industry -- of which many artists are a part -- generated another $5.5 billion.

If we look at other typical day jobs for artists -- teaching Pilates, massage therapy, data entry, IT work, teaching English, or serving as an administrative assistant -- then we can include another $56 billion. All told, by my very unscientific methods, artists help to generate about $65 billion of New York's economy. If we all went on strike for one day, New York could lose more than $175 million.

Statistics aside, no one would dispute that artists are a vital economic engine of not only New York but also Los Angeles (whose creative industry generated more than $125 billion in 2005) and every other city in the country. We generate a noticeable amount of capital across numerous areas of the economy. We drive the tourism industry and are active participants in the food service, financial, education, and health care sectors. Without our art, without our day jobs and our night jobs, without our ability to turn a wasteland like East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, into a burgeoning hotspot, cities such as New York would lose billions every day -- not to mention a significant portion of their character.

Wake up, artists, and lose your insecurity and passivity. Arm yourselves with the facts, and realize that you and your work are potent and necessary. Demand better pay. Fight for universal health care. Get to know your legislators at every level of government. Vote.

And if none of these things prove effective, we can always strike.

-- Jennifer Wright Cook

Jennifer Wright Cook, a dance theatre artist, is co-director of The Field, a national art service organization helping 1,000 artists in New York and thousands more nationwide (www.thefield.org). 

Try to Imagine I'm a Rodeo Clown...

Like most actors, I want as many auditions as I can get in order to be in the running for as many parts as possible. I don't like auditions or auditioning; it's only a means to an end. Still, whenever my cell phone buzzes with news of a new audition, my heart buzzes with it because it means another opportunity to act.

But lately it seems commercial casting directors increasingly want you to wear exactly what the character will wear in the spot. I mean exactly. In the last two years, I have needed a chef's jacket three times, a lab coat four times, full and partial NASCAR wear, stranded-on-a-desert-island attire, and pajamas with bunny slippers, not to mention every type of office attire.

I happen to own a chef's jacket -- received as a costume to wear for my rock band -- and I shredded old shorts for the "desert island" look, but for the others I just did the best I could and came close to what I thought they wanted. I have bought clothes I thought I might need, like a delivery-guy shirt -- predictably, since I bought it, I haven't had any auditions for which I've needed it. My parents drilled it into my head to save all old clothes in case I need them for costumes. I'm glad I listened: I have a decent array of costumes, though not nearly as extensive as auditions have required.

Don't actors have enough pressure with the actual acting part of the process? Should we have to worry about how deep our closets are or how our makeup skills measure up?

One casting notice I got right before Thanksgiving, for the role of a rodeo clown in an Arby's commercial, took the cake. It said: "Jeans and flannel shirt. We may be putting some clown makeup on [the actors] and giving them makeup remover as well." When I got to the audition, there was no one putting makeup on us. The actors were responsible for putting it on themselves. I took a makeup class in college, but that was almost 15 years ago.

What I found when I arrived was a plastic bag filled with makeup; other actors were wandering around wearing various degrees of makeup. One guy did a cool Cirque du Soleil thing with white dots and lines. Another actor, the one I went into the audition with, had two red dots on his cheeks. I felt like that was the cheap way out and figured I would jump in headfirst. So I covered my face in white, drew big blue circles on my cheeks, made my lips big and red, and -- because I didn't have a clear rodeo-clown picture in my head -- I added a big Three Musketeers-style mustache and goatee. I looked more like a drag-show Johnny Depp from Pirates of the Caribbean than a rodeo clown.

Nonetheless, I went in and gave a very good audition, but I didn't get called back. I wondered: Was it my acting ability or my lack of makeup skills that cost me this job? I realize there is more to the casting process than that, but as an actor, all I have when I leave an audition is my gut feeling and my analytical mind. My question to the universe is this: What's more important, my acting abilities or the depth of my wardrobe?

Here's a novel idea for casting directors: If everyone at an audition needs to wear a lab coat, why not provide one at the audition? Is it that hard to imagine me in a lab coat if I'm not wearing one? Do I need to own bunny slippers to have a shot at this part, and can't I wait until the callback to put on the clown makeup?

-- Andrew Sherman

Andrew Sherman was recently named music director for the newly formed Fanatic Salon Theater in Culver City, Calif. Information on his band, Andrew Sherman Vehicle, can be found online at myspace.com/astroamericans. He is represented commercially by ABA Talent but is seeking theatrical representation.

Thanks, Canada!

The six-week strike called by actors' union the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists may not have affected American actors much, but its outcome certainly will.

After months of tense negotiations and a contentious court battle with its North American producer-employers represented by the Canadian Film and Television Production Association and the Association des Producteurs de Films et de Télévision du Québec, ACTRA agreed Feb. 21 to a new Independent Production Agreement and ceased its strike.

The key issue ACTRA and the CFTPA fought tooth and nail over was a familiar one to actors, writers, directors, producers, and other artists around the world: How should talent be compensated for movies, TV shows, and other content broadcast on the Internet? Other than in a deal the Hollywood unions struck with Disney over a "mobisode" spinoff of Lost last year, producers do not have to pay artists residuals for content created for the Web or cell phones.

With the Screen Actors Guild, the Writers Guild of America, and the Directors Guild of America on the verge of renegotiating contracts that will perhaps ensure those residuals, union leaders and artists eagerly watched the drama unfold. The WGA is expected to begin talks in July on its film and TV contract, which expires Oct. 31. SAG is expected to negotiate its TV/Theatrical and Commercials contracts in October 2008.

ACTRA's deal may not have been a slam dunk -- though the union's representatives called it a "win-win" -- but it bodes well for union artists in the United States. If the contract is approved by ACTRA's membership, Canadian producers will begin paying performers 3.6 percent of revenue from productions that run on the Internet. The parties also agreed on how producers will compensate performers for appearing in productions specifically produced for the Web (exact dollar amounts were not released).

However, U.S.-based producers can opt out of the provision and negotiate terms on individual projects. Performers will also receive a 10 percent pay increase over the new Independent Production Agreement's three-year term. The revised pact also includes new terms regulating the production of reality shows.

So far, the Hollywood guilds are hesitant to comment on the IPA's terms. "We're not going to characterize whether it's a good deal right now, because we're still evaluating the ACTRA deal," said Pamm Fair, SAG's deputy national executive director for policy and strategic planning, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter Feb. 27. "We're not going to negotiate in the press what a good deal looks like or doesn't."

Karen Borell, SAG's national director of entertainment contracts, was more optimistic. "We're really happy that ACTRA made an agreement and that their members are going to be going back to work," she said. "We supported their journey to get to this agreement, and it was a hard-fought one that had to include a strike." An unnamed member of the labor community told The Hollywood Reporter that the IPA "doesn't suck, anyway."

As SAG -- with its new national executive director, Doug Allen -- gears up for the fall 2008 showdown, we think even the precedent of a new-media deal that "doesn't suck" is a good sign -- for now. And we applaud ACTRA's chief negotiator, Stephen Waddell, for sticking to his guns at the bargaining table with the CFTPA and in the Toronto Superior Court.

And thanks to the union's individual agreements with independent producers, the majority of its members didn't miss a day of work due to the strike. Canadian actors walked away with a groundbreaking residuals formula and a pay raise -- without disrupting their daily lives and careers. We hope SAG actors will be able to say the same thing in 19 months.

For more details on ACTRA's new Independent Production Agreement, visit www.actra.ca.

-- Back Stage Staff

The 22nd Annual Bistro Awards: And the Winner Is…

Last month I had the pleasure of presenting a panel of Broadway and cabaret performers for a group of out-of-town theatre critics. When the moderator asked the panel which medium they preferred, most admitted that though they love the Broadway stage, there’s nothing like an intimate room with an audience so close you can reach out and touch them, figuratively and literally.

The critics were witness to this unique genre later that evening when many of those same artists, plus others, performed for the writers at the Metropolitan Room. It gave me a lot of satisfaction to hear the words spoken in the afternoon demonstrated that night.

The 2007 Bistro Award winners have also demonstrated the uniqueness of their art. When it came time for Back Stage cabaret writers David Finkle and John Hoglund to choose this year’s recipients, they considered the guidelines set up by Bob Harrington in 1985, which can be summed up as follows:

The Back Stage Bistro Awards recognize achievement in a wide variety of categories—from outstanding performances to outstanding accomplishments and contributions by members of the cabaret community. New categories can be drawn up each year as they best describe the recipients, and categories may be dropped as well.

The object is not to choose “the best,” but to congratulate those who have done something special during the year.

The Bistro categories may recognize performers who are newly arrived on the scene (Debut) as well as those who have returned to the community after many years (Return to Cabaret). They honor performers who have shown enormous growth in their art during the past few years (the Ira Eaker Special Achievement Award) and also those who have spent their entire careers dedicated to the art (the Bob Harrington Lifetime Achievement Award).

What makes the Bistro Awards so unique is that they are a one-time honor in each category. If Bistro winners could be considered in the same slot each year, not only would the task of choosing the honorees be nearly impossible, but it would decrease the chances of others winning in that category. So when you’re looking over the following list, if you feel that a name has been omitted in a particular category, it’s very likely because that person is a previous winner. On the other hand, if you see a performer’s name and recognize him or her as a former Bistro recipient, it’s because that person was previously honored in a different category. 

So, without further ado, here are the winners of the 2007 Back Stage Bistro Awards for Outstanding Excellence in Cabaret:
 
  VOCALIST: Keith David at the Metropolitan Room; Douglas Ladnier at Danny’s Skylight Room. 
  DEBUT: Valarie Pettiford at the Metropolitan Room.
  MAJOR ENGAGEMENT: Jeff Harnar at Feinstein’s at the Regency; Rebecca Luker at Feinstein’s at the Regency.
  MAJOR JAZZ VOCALIST: Kurt Elling at Birdland.
  JAZZ VOCALIST: Andrew Suvalsky at the Metropolitan Room.
  MUSICAL DUO: Klea Blackhurst and Billy Stritch in Dreaming of a Song: The Music of Hoagy Carmichael at the Metropolitan Room; Faith Prince and Tom Wopat in Let’s Fall in Love at Feinstein’s at the Regency.
  MUSICAL GROUP PERFORMANCE: Tom Andersen, Scott Coulter, and Tim Di Pasqua in Southern Comfort: A Down-Home Country Music Jamboree at Laurie Beechman Theater at the West Bank Café.
  MUSICAL COMEDY PERFORMANCE: Jay Rogers in Eat, Drink, and Be Mary at the Metropolitan Room; Kristine Zbornik at the Metropolitan Room.
  UNIQUE ARTIST: Jose Luis Rodriguez at Danny’s Skylight Room.
  RETURN TO CABARET: Charles Cochran at Danny’s Skylight Room.
  TRIBUTE SHOW: Terese Genecco in Drunk With Love: A Tribute to Frances Faye at the Metropolitan Room.
  PIANO BAR ENTERTAINER: Ray Fellman for The After Party at the Laurie Beechman Theater at the West Bank Café; David Shenton at Helen’s Piano Lounge; Rick Unterberg at the Townhouse.
  COMEDIAN: Bob Smith at Gotham Comedy Club.
  SONG OF THE YEAR: “One Thing” by Tim Di Pasqua.
  SPECIAL MATERIAL: “Almost (99 I Love You’s)” by Joe Iconis and Robert Maddock.
  RECORDING: Mary Foster Conklin for Blues for Breakfast; Barbara Fasano for Written in the Stars.
  MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Shelly Markham for his performances with Andrea Marcovicci in By Request at the Oak Room at the Algonquin.
  INSTRUMENTALIST: Sean Smith.
  INSTRUMENTAL GROUP: The Ross Patterson Little Big Band at Danny’s Skylight Room.
  TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Tim Flannery at the Oak Room at the Algonquin.
  SPECIAL AWARD: Chris Mazzilli, Steve Mazzilli, and Lennie Watts for outstanding achievement at the Metropolitan Room; Donald Schaffer for outstanding cabaret achievement at Danny’s Skylight Room; Erv Raible with Wendy Lane Bailey for the Cabaret Conference at Yale University; and Mike Greensill for consistent excellence as musical conductor and arranger.
  IRA EAKER SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Named for my late dad, the co-founder of Back Stage and a nightclub enthusiast, the award goes to an outstanding performer on the rise, Sheera Ben-David.
  BOB HARRINGTON LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Our recipient will be revealed shortly, so watch for the announcement in an upcoming issue or on our website, www.backstage.com.

The Bistro Awards gala evening will be held on Mon., April 9, at Gotham Comedy Club. Details on purchasing tickets will be announced in next week’s issue and on the web. Congratulations to all!

-- Sherry Eaker, Editor at Large

Say Hello, Say Goodbye

Another Academy Awards, another year in which the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences failed to recognize one of the key contributors to the art of filmmaking: casting directors. Academy officials have issued statements in the past saying the reason this group of professionals is omitted from Oscar glory is that a) there is no room for additional categories, as the ceremony is already too long, and b) credit for the casting of a movie is often ambiguous, as the director and producers frequently have a hand in that process.

My response is this: Would Jennifer Hudson have stood at the Oscar podium if not for Dreamgirls casting director Debra Zane? Would Little Miss Sunshine's Abigail Breslin have come to voters' attention if it weren't for the casting team of Justine Baddeley and Kim Davis? Would The Departed have walked away with the best picture trophy without the input of Ellen Lewis, longtime casting director for Martin Scorsese?

Here's an idea: Cut out one, or better yet, two, of these torturous montage sequences that the Oscar producers insist on including, and give casting directors the respect and acclaim their profession deserves. While you're at it, Academy, give stunt coordinators their due respect, too.

Missing You

On a separate note, but related to the theme of absence, Back Stage will soon be missing its beloved publisher and leader, Steve Elish, who is leaving the company after 34 years of distinguished service. Of all his professional accomplishments -- and there are many -- his greatest legacy will be that he launched a West Coast offshoot of Back Stage 13 years ago. I'm speaking, of course, of Back Stage West.

Thanks to Steve's passion and business savvy, Los Angeles actors and those performers in neighboring cities had a new trade publication to call their own. It's been a pleasure and an honor to watch Back Stage West flourish in my dozen years with the company. I remember the days when we couldn't get publicists to call us back because they didn't know what Back Stage West was. Those days have passed, and we have since relished the participation of countless actors, directors, writers, casting directors, agents, managers, producers, and other talented professionals -- all of whom have proudly shared their insights with us.

Always looking for new ways to grow the paper, Steve launched an online version of Back Stage, BackStage.com, in 1997. Currently our website has nearly 20,000 subscribers across the country and gets more than 3 million hits per month. With the click of a button, actors can access online job postings daily and send their digital headshots, résumés, and demo reels to casting directors and producers via the Internet. Another milestone for which Steve deserves credit is the 1998 acquisition of our West Coast competitor, Drama-Logue, bringing Back Stage a larger, more concentrated audience.

Steve is also responsible for green-lighting Back Stage's annual Garland Awards, honoring excellence in Southern California theatre. He recognized the value of our local stage heroes, and my staff and I thank him for his support of the Garlands. This week we salute this year's roster of Garland winners and honorable mentions. I would also like to thank our theatre critics, who make these awards possible. Appreciation also goes to our executive editor, Dany Margolies, who organizes these awards and works with our critics throughout the year.

Thank you, Steve, for your belief in the editorial department and your deep commitment to doing what is best for actors. We miss you already.

-- Jamie Painter Young, National Editor-in-Chief