The Ruby Griffith Awards

The Ruby Griffith Awards ceremony took place yesterday, in Germantown. The RGA’s are a big deal in these parts, giving out only three awards a year for Outstanding Achievement in a Play, Outstanding Achievement in a Musical, and All Around Production Excellence.

I wasn’t at the awards ceremony personally, I was attending Norm Seltzer’s All My Sons at the Writer’s Center in Bethesda, and it was an incredible show. It’s replaced The Crucible as my favorite Arthur Miller play. I hope you got a chance to see the production, because now it’s gone…

That didn’t stop me from hearing the outcome of the Awards ceremony, however. I want to congratulate the cast and crew of the Arlington Player's Ragtime for winning Outstanding Achievement in a Musical. Director Christopher Dykton must be very proud of his people; all the hard work really paid off.

The age of cell-phones ensured that Andrea Spitz found out ASAP that the Silver Spring Stage’s Proof had taken All Around Production Excellence. I gave her a hug and a high-five. We *rocked*. So much work went into making Proof as good as it could be. We had a tight ensemble cast, great direction from Norm, and Richard Ley took very good care of us as Producer. I was pleased as punch and proud as hell to have been a part of it.

About ten minutes later, my head just about exploded. I got *another* call, this one from Nano Gowland, informing me that the Elden Street Players had also won for The Mystery of Irma Vep, with Outstanding Achievement in a Play. A list of exuberant profanities left my lips in the span of about two minutes. I was ecstatic.

Not only for Nano, or Bruce, or Gina, but everyone that worked their tails off on Irma Vep --while managing to make it feel like a vacation half the time-- and I was very proud. I was also just happy. Incredibly happy.

In showbiz, a little praise goes a long way; and usually straight to one’s head. We don’t do the work for awards or prizes. We don’t even do it for the same reasons as one another, necessarily. With that said, of course, being part of a team that wins an award *does* feel great. Twice!

I don’t know who to be prouder of: Silver Spring Stage, or Elden Street Players. Two entirely different shows in format, feel, and substance managed to walk away with outstanding honors. Hell, I’ll just be proud of both of ‘em, call it a day, and wait to see what happens next…