Acting Company nets 15 Elly Award nominations

The Acting Company received 15 Elly Award nominations from the Sacramento Area Regional Theatre Alliance. SARTA announced the 2011-12 season nominations Sunday; winners will be named during the 30th Annual Elly Awards ceremony on Sept. 16 and 23.

"This is the second straight year The Acting Company has received such a large number of award nominations for its Main Stage and Magic Theatre productions," said Bob Harlan, president of The Acting Company. "This is a tribute to the continued high quality of our productions."

Jessica Arguijo is nominated for best lead actress; Amelia Marchetti and Olivia Wright are nominated for best lead child actress; and Emily Trnka and Joanna Jarvis are nominated for best supporting child actress for their roles in "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever."

Trnka and Jarvis are also nominated for their roles in "The Princess and the Porcupine" (Trnka) and "Rumplestilzkin" (Jarvis). Foster McManus is nominated for best lead actress in young people's theater for "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of the Black Forest."

Other nominations include:

Best supporting actress: Betsy Johnson ("Grease"); Carolyn Johnson ("The Best Christmas Pageant Ever"); and Stephanie Balmer ("Lend Me A Tenor").

Best supporting actor: Shawn Measles ("Lend Me A Tenor"); and Keith Gagnon ("The Princess and the Porcupine").

Best original works, adaptation: Brandon Graham ("Cindy Rella").

Best lighting design: Joseph Moye ("Stones in His Pockets").

The Elly Awards are named after the late Eleanor McClatchy, a patron of the local arts. The awards recognize outstanding community theater work within a 70-mile radius of Sacramento, according to SARTA.

"We are so pleased that the more than 150 actors and support crew who put on these marvelous plays for The Acting Company have been acknowledged for their accomplishments," Harlan said.

For more information on The Acting Company, go online to actingcompany.org.