The 2011 COLUMN Awards will have blinding star wattage appearing on their stage for this year's gala. Yesterday on a live tele/webcast the 2011 COLUMN Award nominations were announced. The COLUMN AWARDS Gala will be held Monday March 14, 2011 at the exquisite Carpenter Hall Theater at the Irving Arts Center. Cocktail reception begins at 7pm with the awards ceremony at 8pm. More info can be found at www.thecolumnawards.org
Due to the line up of great stars and the vast landscape of this year's nominees the Board of Directors anticipate the gala will sell out fast. Tickets will go on sale on midnight of February 14th. Ticket prices are as follows:
$25 - general admission (+$1.00 handling fee, so $26.00)
$50 - VIP admission (Gives you access to VIP lounge where you get to meet our special guest stars. Food and alcohol is served in this private reception and this year VIP ticket holds will have reserve seating in the VIP center section-+$1.00 handling fee, so $51.00)
To purchase tickets online:
http://www.irvingartscenter.com/Performances/EventsCalendar.aspx
Serving as Co-hosts for the evening will be Broadway stars Max Von Essen and Tyler Maynard!
Mr. von Essen is currently starring in Michael John LaChiusa's HELLO AGAIN,
which is having its first major New York revival. Max was most recently seen roller skating across the country as Sonny Malone in the national tour of XANADU. On Broadway, Max played Enjolras in the recent revival of Les Misérables. His other Broadway credits include Alfred in Dance of the Vampires starring alongside Michael Crawford, Jean Prouvaire in the closing company of the original Les Misérables, and his debut as a disciple in the 2000 revival of Jesus Christ Superstar. In that production, Max understudied the role of Jesus and performed it many times. Other New York credits include Tremont in Jerry Springer: The Opera at Carnegie Hall, and Matt in The Fantasticks at the Sullivan Street Playhouse.
Mr. Maynard is best known for originating the role of "Mark" in the mega hit off-Broadway musical, ALTAR BOYZ. He earned a Theater World award for
Outstanding Breakthrough Actor and a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding
Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance. Theater critic Charles
Isherwood of The New York Times wrote, "None grabs [the spotlight] quite as
ferociously as Tyler Maynard... Mr. Maynard's deliciously overwrought
performance is both an affectionate tribute to and a parody of American
Idol-style vocal histrionics." On Broadway he originated the role of
"Flotsam" in THE LITTLE MERMAID & was in the original casts of MARY POPPINS and MAMMA MIA! Off Broadway he portrayed "Chad" in the musical THE KID. Film credits include Palindromes, Parents Wanted and Red Doors.
Making a very special guest appearance will be one of Broadway's biggest
legends, Tony Award winner Donna McKechnie!
Ms. McKechnie originated the role of "Cassie" in the history making Broadway musical A CHORUS LINE, which won her the Tony Award & Drama Desk Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
Cassie is a character based in great part on herself. She & Bennett created one of Broadway's legendary 11:00 O'clock numbers, "The Music and the Mirror", in which the vocal sections were tailored to her unusually large range.
She earned a second Tony nomination in 1996 for STATE FAIR. She became the muse for the great Michael Bennett (whom she later married). Her Broadway debut was in the original cast of HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING. Her next original Broadway musical was PROMISES, PROMISES (which she made the "Turkey Lurkey Time" time a showstopper); and she also was in Stephen Sondheim's masterpiece, COMPANY as "Kay". Once again Bennett created a show stopping number for her with "Tick Tock". She also toured in CALL ME MADAM with the great Ethel Merman and was in the 1971 Broadway revival of ON THE TOWN. She also portrayed to great acclaim the role of "Sally" in Papermill's production of FOLLIES.
