MONTI Nominees Set For Community Theater Awards Show in August

Seven years ago community theater veteran Carlton Jones stepped up to the stage and said he wanted to present an annual awards ceremony to recognize a year's worth of top talent and productions.

His vision for the MONTI Awards met with lukewarm response, as questions arose as to who would vote and how and which shows would receive special treatment, if any. A small audience showed up for the first-year awards.

But now it appears that the MONTI's have gained traction, and for the very reasons that inspired Jones to promote a night of recognition for local community theater in the first place, regardless of who took home the awards and how many.

"It started as an outgrowth of going to the shows and wanting to recognize outstanding acting, shows and technical talent, but also as a way to bring us all together on one night to celebrate what we do as a family of community theater interests," Jones said.

• The 7th Annual MONTI Awards are scheduled for Friday, Aug. 17, at 7:15 p.m. at the Center Place Fine Arts & Civic Association in Brandon, at 619 Vonderburg Drive. Hosted by Greg Summerall, the night of celebration for a season of community theater shows is free to the public.

MONTI is an acronym, it stands for: Monumental, Outstanding, Notable Talent with Integrity.

As the effort now stands, it involves members of the MONTI community (and anybody can join) coming together to first nominate a slate of potential winners and then to cast ballots selecting the top choices in each of those categories. The catch is that to be a part of the nominating and voting MONTI community, a person is required to attend a certain number of shows, which in turn helps to boost attendance at all shows.

"I had a feeling that it would work," Jones said, "even if some of my friends didn't think it would work."

Joining him in the effort is his long-time partner Todd Barber and a fellow community theater thespian, Pedro Amaral, who is in his third year as a co-producer of the show.

"We're about showing support to community theater," Amaral said.

For those who nominate and vote, "it's difficult to go to every show," Amaral said. "But we do ask that people make their best effort to go and that if you can't go, to send someone in your place."

That helps ticket sales — and helps to raise support and awareness for community theater, which in the end makes all the participants and community theater troupes winners in the end.

"That's what we hear from people, that because of the MONTI's, they go to more shows," Jones said.

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AND THE 2012 MONTI NOMINEES ARE . . .

NAME ROLE SHOW COMMUNITY THEATER TROUPE BEST ACTRESS - MUSICAL Kat Coates Kate Monster Avenue Q Village Players Jennifer Morgan Sally Bowles Cabaret Frenzie Kimberlee "Kim" Sivret Sara Jane Moore Assassins Village Players Taylyn Olney and Virginia Stacy Annie Annie Village Players BEST ACTOR - MUSICAL Justin Batten Clifford Bradshaw Cabaret Frenzie Patrick Brown John Wilkes Booth Assassins Village Players Lucas Coura Princeton Avenue Q Village Players Andrew Fernandez Balladeer / Lee Harvey Oswald Assassins Village Players Thom Miller Oliver Warbucks Annie Village Players Domin Pazo Pseudolus A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Plant City Entertainment Oliver Sprague The Emcee Cabaret Frenzie BEST ACTRESS - PLAY Rachel Comstock Martha Dobie The Children's Hour Frenzie Nadine Guerre-Grimm Jimmie Wyvette Verdeen The Red Velvet Cake War Plant City Entertainment Jennifer Jackson Gaynelle Verdeen Bodeen The Red Velvet Cake War Plant City Entertainment Megan Manno Mary Tilford The Children's Hour Frenzie Melissa Szumlic Karen Wright The Children's Hour Frenzie Krysteena Wakefield Cinnamon Schmidt Don't Tell Mother Plant City Entertainment BEST ACTOR - PLAY Tom Bronson Sherlock Holmes The Penultimate Problem of Sherlock Holmes Village Players Jeremy Davis Detective Joe Shimko Don't Tell Mother Plant City Entertainment Omar Montes Dr. Joseph Cardin The Children's Hour Frenzie Clint Shepherd Robert Don't Dress for Dinner MDHF Greg Summerall Bernard Don't Dress for Dinner MDHF BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS  - MUSICAL April Golombek Herself The Coffee Shop Plant City Entertainment Laura Gonzales Lynette 'Squeaky' Fromme Assassins   Village Players Amber McCollum Fraulein Kost/Fritzie Cabaret Frenzie Lisa Sanches-Westcott Miss Hannigan Annie Village Players Sam Schneider Christmas Eve Avenue Q Frenzie Sheila Stacy Fraulein Schneider Cabaret Frenzie BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - MUSICAL Pedro Amaral Herr Schultx Cabaret Frenzie Aaron Castle John Hinckley Assassins Village Players Ryne Faurote Rooster Annie Village Players Randy Magruder Samuel Byck Assassins Village Players Coy Permenter Hysterium A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Plant City Entertainment Oliver Sprague Charles Guiteau Assassins Village Players BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - PLAY Mollie Anderson CeeCee Windham The Red Velvet Cake War Plant City Entertainment Judy Barta Martha Berelzheimer Don't Tell Mother Plant City Entertainment Cosi Belloso Miss Irene Adler The Penultimate Problem of Sherlock Holmes Village Players Amber McCollum Mrs. Lily Mortar The Children's Hour Frenzie Cindy Miller-Ray Mrs. Amelia Tilford The Children's Hour Frenzie Kennda Varnum Mrs. Lenora Piper The Penultimate Problem of Sherlock Holmes Village Players BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - PLAY Maurice Cecchini Inspector Lastrade The Penultimate Problem of Sherlock Holmes Village Players Hal Granholm Dr. John Watson The Penultimate Problem of Sherlock Holmes Village Players John Harrer Newt Blaylock The Red Velvet Cake War Plant City Entertainment Tyler Hollis Orville Maddox Don't Tell Mother Plant City Entertainment Webb Pierce Professor James Moriarty The Penultimate Problem of Sherlock Holmes Village Players BEST FEATURED/ENSEMBLE  ACTRESS - PLAY OR MUSICAL   Kaitlyn Alfano Peggy Rogers The Children's Hour Frenzie Lou Baird Mama Doll Hargis The Red Velvet Cake War Plant City Entertainment Kim Davis Lulu Cabaret Frenzie Elisabeth Feist Bad Idea Bear Avenue Q Village Players Teala Longoria Frenchie Cabaret Frenzie Tracey Magruder Housewife/Ensemble Assassins Village Players Olivia Mitchell Herself The Coffee Shop Plant City Entertainment BEST FEATURED/ENSEMBLE  ACTOR - PLAY OR MUSICAL   Maurice Cecchini Erronious A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Village Players Tyler Dowdy Hans/Sailor/Gorilla Cabaret Frenzie Julian Kazenas Rod/Bad Idea Bear Avenue Q Village Players Michael Green Bobby Cabaret Frenzie Tom Mitchell Sheriff Grover Lout The Red Velvet Cake War Plant City Entertainment Clay Webb Punjab Annie Village Players BEST STAGE MANAGEMENT Pedro Amaral The Children's Hour Frenzie Allison Miller Assassins Village Players Kyle Yerdon Avenue Q Village Players Corey Wade Cabaret Frenzie BEST DIRECTOR - PLAY Kelley Gustafson The Red Velvet Cake War Plant City Entertainment Michael M. Mercer The Children's Hour Frenzie Gail Pierce The Penultimate Problem of Sherlock Holmes Village Players Clint Shepherd Don't Dress for Dinner MDHF Dodie White Don't Tell Mother Plant City Entertainment BEST DIRECTOR - MUSICAL Brian Carpenter Avenue Q Village Players Jonathan Douglas The Big Bad Musical Village Players
April Golombek and Courtney Kyle The Coffee Shop Plant City Entertainment Michael M. Mercer Cabaret Frenzie Domin Pazo Annie Village Players Kristen Permenter A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Plant City Entertainment Greg Summerall Assassins Village Players BEST MUSICAL DIRECTOR Lucas Coura Avenue Q Village Players Nicholas Folkes A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Plant City Entertainment Tracey Magruder The Big Bad Musical Village Players Michael M. Mercer Cabaret Frenzie Liz Stewart Assassins Village Players BEST CHOREOGRAPHY Pedro Amaral The Frenzie's First Fairly Fishy Faux Show Frenzie Justin Batten and Amber McCollum Cabaret Frenzie Laura Beard The Big Bad Musical Village Players
Heather Cazzola Annie Village Players Jennifer Pena Assassins Village Players BEST SET DESIGN Paul Hetrick The Red Velvet Cake War Plant City Entertainment Paul Hetrick and Kristen Permenter A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Plant City Entertainment Keith Holmes, Brian Carpenter and Frank Goyco Avenue Q Village Players Katrina Ross Cabaret Frenzie Greg Summerall, Katie Miller and Allison Miller Assassins Village Players BEST SOUND DESIGN Nicholas Folkes and Jeff Moranville A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Plant City Entertainment Adam Murray Avenue Q Village Players Chris Poppenhagen Cabaret Frenzie Greg Summerall Assassins Village Players BEST LIGHTING DESIGN Chris Benoit Cabaret Frenzie Chris Benoit The Frenzie's First Fairly Fishy Faux Show Frenzie Katie Miller Assassins Village Players Jeff Moranville The Red Velvet Cake War Plant City Entertainment Adam Murray The Penultimate Problem of Sherlock Holmes Village Players BEST COSTUME DESIGN Deborah Carpenter Avenue Q Village Players Beverly Mercer Cabaret Frenzie Katie Miller Assassins Village Players Kristen Permenter and Maurice Cecchini A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Plant City Entertainment Jennifer Poppenhagen The Frenzie's First Fairly Fishy Faux Show Frenzie BEST MUSICAL ACCOMPANIMENT Shanna Holland Conductor Assasins Frenzie Avenue Q Village Players Shanna Holland Conductor Cabaret Frenzie The Coffee Shop Plant City Entertainment A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Plant City Entertainment PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR - MUSICAL Annie Village Players Assassins Village Players Avenue Q Village Players The Big Bad Musical

Village Players

Cabaret Frenzie The Coffee Shop Plant City Entertainment A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Plant City Entertainment PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR - PLAY Don't Dress for Dinner MDHF Don't Tell Mother Plant City Entertainment The Children's Hour Frenzie The Penultimate Problem of Sherlock Holmes Village Players The Red Velvet Cake War Plant City Entertainment Source: The MONTI's