And the Winner is....

The awards season down here in the NOLA has official begun.
The Ambie Awards kicked everything off this past Monday night.
And what a kick off it was....

More people crammed into Le Chat than I have ever seen.
Unfortunately, a bunch of us didn't make reservations, but we had no idea we wouldn't be allowed in....especially those of us who were presenting and performing.
C'est la vie.

I sat out around the bar with Yeargain, Suzannah, Alex and Kristin.
Then, Trina texted me that I could squeeze into her section of the room...which happened to be the same section that we were sitting in last year when we became best friends with Mr.Cerveris! (Who I texted with back and forth all night...updating him on the goings on of the evening, finally ending with "we are going to play a drinking game...everytime someone name drops you at this damn thing we're doing shots!" "I hope you get hammered." was his response. And hammered, I got!)

So, sitting in the back corner with Trina, Angela, Frannie, Charles, Lucas and Megan. This woman was sitting a little further away...and you think I talk and comment a lot during these things?...well this woman was in rare form.
She was making all sorts of animal noises and cheering for people...it was hilarious.

I realized this was going to be a very long evening once it started so I went back to the bar to sit with the outsiders.
They had left me!
But they were just next door eating...so I went next door, ate dinner with them, and then ran back over to the theatre when Trina texted me it was almost time for me to present.
I helped with some Glammie awards, handing them out to a bunch of people I didn't know with two other people I didn't know.
I get very uncomfortable around that...so yeah.
But then while I was waiting backstage, a rather tipsy Jason Kirkpatrick was awaiting his presenting turn.
He sees me and is all, "Help me present this award! It'll be hilarious! I'll introduce you as the speaker and I'll act as the signer."
Why not. I was tipsy, he was tipsy, we had all been there for close to four hours.
It was time for a little mischief!
So, we go out there and I realize that I was presenting Best Actress in a Play.
The one category I could have been nominated in, and wasn't!
So I announce this category, "Best actress in a play....hmmm....this is awkward...I was in a play this year....Mr. Marmalade....we all thought it was pretty good.....anyway the nominees are...."
I personally enjoyed Jason's interpretation of The Glass Menagerie the best because he just limped around stage for way too long.
Comic Gold.
Hope we didn't offend the Ambies with our unnecessary ridiculousness.
Mr. Marmalade didn't win anything...but last year's Taste won Best Ensemble, so hurray!
And Frannie won Best Director of a Musical...which she should get because anyone who can wrangle 83 children on stage in a pretty picture deserves an award!

Head back out to the bar, where Jason insists on doing shots with me.
Yikes.
Too much bourbon.
Then Jamie Wax insists that we all go to Delachaise to eat, drink and be merry.
Jamie was already quite merry by that time though, and as we were walking to my car he was screaming, literally screaming at people.
Happy screaming...just very loud happy screaming.
Quite, quite funny.
AJ, Casie, Andrew, Becca, Gabby, Kristin, Alex, Jamie and myself all arrive at Delachaise....we drink waaay too much good wine and share way too many appetizers.
But it was delightful. And such a fun way to end the evening.

Ugh.
I got tired just typing that.

Yesterday the Marquee Award nominations came out.
Mr. Marmalade was nominated for Best Comedy...and Musical....we think it is a typo....or confusion because yes, while I did sing for about 10 seconds and James did do a very stirring version of "I've Had the Time of My Life", definitely not a musical.
Andrew was nominated for Best Director, AJ for Actor in a Comedy, and I got Actress in a Comedy.
And all of our names were spelled correctly!
Small victories.
I'm sure all of that will make for another very interesting night of awards.


I think that's all the theatre news....

I can't really concentrate on anything this week because I feel like everyone in the city should just be sending good vibes to Miami.
I love how he city has just taken to looking at this weekend and Monday as a holiday.
My morning classes have been canceled on Monday, so...win or lose....I will be celebrating heavily.

And I hope everyone has read the "Dear, Miami..." letter that was in the Times-Pic...brilliant.

I've got Black and Gold on the brain...so I really can't say anything else except...

GO THE SAINTS!