Youngstown Area Community Theater Awards (YACTA)

Nominations for the Youngstown Area Community Theater Awards (YACTA) were made yesterday at the Rosetta Stone Restaurant in downtown Youngstown.

The Youngstown Playhouse received 29 nominations and Akron's Weathervane Community Playhouse received 25. Top Hat Productions received 21 and the New Castle Playhouse and the Oakland Theater tied for 14. The rest of the nominations were spread across a wide range of theater groups that included the Victorian Players,The Salem Community Theater, Carnation City Players, Boardman Community Theater and Move Over Broadway Productions. Sixty-five productions were eligible for this years Marquee Awards. Congratulations to all of the nominees. The Marquee Awards will be presented August 16 in a ceremony at the Saxon Club on Meridian Road in Youngstown.

The Youngstown Warren area is home to many venues for theatrical performance. Love of theater is embedded in the culture of the area. One of the most well known theater groups was the Kenley Players. To this day one of my favorite nights out is to attend the Carousel Dinner Theater

In Youngstown we are very lucky to be home to numerous venues such as The Youngstown Playhouse, the Oakland Center for the Arts, in downtown Youngstown, The Victorian Players off the spring commons on the West Side of Youngstown, and of course for those who love musicals, Easy Street Productions. For those of you who enjoy a trip down memory lane from time to time check out this video of Elizabeth Hartman who is known for her performance in A Patch of Blue. Take note of her mention of Youngstown throughout the video.



For those of you who are more forward looking, and a like life a little on the fringe,check this out! The local play "Lucusville" will be under the spotlight on the New York City Stage in August. "Lucusville" is an adaptation of the book "Lucusville: The Untold Story of a Prison Uprising" by Niles author Staughton Lynd. The play has been selected to be part of the 12th annual New York International Fringe Festival.

Ray Beiersdorfer is the producer of "Lucusville" and YSU student, Brandon Martin, is the director. Both are very excited about the opportunity to take the show to New York, but their greatest hope is that the attention could lead Govenor Ted Strickland to reopen an investigation into the Lucasville 5.
Break a leg y'all! and have a great time in the Big Apple.