Courtesy Nashville Scene


Nashville Scene’s 2008 BEST OF NASHVILLE AWARDS are out and NAKED STAGES is feeling the love! Here are the awards and accompanying text from the good folks at the Scene:

Best Director

Mark Cabus

Fortuitous circumstances placed the multitalented Cabus in charge of Shakespeare in the Park’s recent production of Coriolanus. Outdoor surroundings can be less than ideal, but Cabus’ brawny staging made for robust, vibrant political drama that strongly showcased veteran and up-and-coming talent. Earlier in the season, in Belmont’s much more intimate Black Box Theater, Cabus commandeered an innovative, wonderfully taut production of The Merchant of Venice. He really should direct more often. —MARTIN BRADY

Best One-Man Show

Mark Cabus

Cabus directs—but he acts, too. Those who availed themselves of his limited-run performance in Doug Wright’s solo piece, I Am My Own Wife, witnessed one of Nashville’s most accomplished thespians successfully enacting literally dozens of roles. Utilizing sharply differentiated vocal styles and a keen sense of gesture, he kept the many dramatis personae remarkably discrete while sensitively relating the bizarre story of the German transvestite Charlotte von Mahlsdorf.  —MARTIN BRADY

Best Musical Performance

Ginger Newman

Younger local performers Ashley Bishop and Brooke Bryant did some fine singing onstage this past year, but for sheer chutzpah and mature mastery of craft, you couldn’t beat Newman in Naked Stages‘ production of Souvenir. Her portrayal of tone-deaf novelty act Florence Foster Jenkins, the Mrs. Miller of the Roaring ’20s, was a marvel of musical control and self-awareness, proving that “singing badly” can be more of a challenge than any of us will ever know. Fortunately, Newman got a chance to conclude the show with a showcase of what she can really deliver with her voice: poignance and beauty.  —MARTIN BRADY

Best Actress

Ruth Cordell

Cordell, a veteran TV and stage actress, recently returned to the Middle Tennessee area. She could’ve gained this honor solely for her appearance in The Goat at Tennessee Rep. As the aggrieved wife of a man who’s taken a goat for a lover, she masterfully navigated a thicket of pain and betrayal, offering a sharp-edged, precise performance that earned audience sympathy while effectively conveying her character’s combativeness and indignation. Cordell also turned in a lovely portrayal of a pliant and vulnerable Portia in Naked Stages‘ production of The Merchant of Venice. A total pro, with totally pro chops. —MARTIN BRADY

We should also note that our gracious hosts at Belmont University got some well-deserved recognition:

Best New Theater Space

Belmont’s Troutt Theater/Black Box Theater

Nashville Children’s Theatre’s $6.3 million renovation was a major (and historic) local development, but for high impact and versatility, the opening of Belmont University’s new facility gets the gold star. Not only is the Troutt a lovely multipurpose venue in a hip part of town, but it also houses a cool alternative space in its Black Box Theater. Maybe more importantly, the university has opened these theaters for use by Naked Stages, Nashville Shakespeare Festival, Actors Bridge Ensemble and other companies in need, thus helping to alleviate Music City’s long-standing crunch for theatrical space. —MARTIN BRADY