The Second Annual William Daniels Awards
(The "Willies")
Named after one of Northwestern's finest alums - and nicknamed after NU's mascot - the "Willies" honor the best Northwestern musical theatre productions and performances of the season.
Following our debut show, a number of changes have been made to the Willies. The most significant change is limiting nominations to students. If a show stars students but is directed by a staff member, the performers can be nominated, but the show can not be.
The second change is an expansion of our selection committee. Every eligible show (12) can have one representative on the committee to decide the winners. The hosts of "Breakfast with Broadway" will also be on the committee. Members will rank their choices for each category. In the event of a tie, the hosts will break it. The nominees were chosen by the hosts, not the committee.
If you would like to comment on the Willies, please send us an e-mail at broadway@wnur.org.
The 2007 Nominees:
Best Musical:
Bat Boy (Deanna Hope)
Company (Kyle Warren)
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Emily Comisar & Zach Galin)
Into the Woods (David Leuchter & Evyn Williams)
The Rocky Horror Show (Ryan Grossheim)
Best Director:
Tyler Beattie (Company)
Keith Dworkin (Bat Boy)
Travis Greisler (Into the Woods)
Erik Kaiko (Forum)
Philip Markle (Rocky Horror)
Best Lead Actor:
Zach Bandler (Pippin)
Harry Einhorn (Bat Boy)
Tate Jorgensen (Rocky Horror)
Adam Kantor (Company)
Christian Libonati (Pippin)
Best Lead Actress:
Brittany Bookbinder (Songs for a New World)
Nancy Braun (Asphalt Beach)
Megan Greene (Into the Woods)
Emily Thompson (Bat Boy)
Morgan Weed (Into the Woods)
Best Supporting Actor:
Garrett Boileve (Bat Boy)
Adam Kantor (Asphalt Beach)
Craig Thompson (Forum)
Alex Weisman (The Sandman)
Eric Dean Wilson (Into the Woods)
Best Supporting Actress:
Megan Greene (Company)
Jessica McKenna (Company)
Lauren Rankin (Company)
Laura Scheinbaum (Into the Woods)
Meg Steedle (Asphalt Beach)
Best Choreography:
Nancy Braun & Rachel Frankenthal (Pippin)
Keith Dworkin (Bat Boy)
Tarah Ortiz (Forum)
Laura Scheinbaum (Rocky Horror)
Katie Spelman (Company)
Best Music Director:
Rebecca Davis & Elizabeth Doran (Songs for a New World)
Morgan Eiland (Company)
Keith Dworkin (Bat Boy)
Joel Esher (Into the Woods)
Eugenio Vargas (Rocky Horror)
Best Original Song:
"If You Want Me to Dance" from Waa-Mu Show 2007: The Club (Max Freedman)
"Nobody Knows" from The Club (Nate Tenenbaum & Peter Terry)
"One Night Stand" from The Club (Dan Green)
"Something is Different" from The Types (Alex Dorsey)
"Whirl Wooden Doll" from Sandman (Tyler Beattie)
Best Ensemble:
Asphalt Beach
Company
Pippin
The Club
The Sandman
Best Scenic Design:
Charlie Gaidica (Into the Woods)
Hannah Hodak (Rocky Horror)
Andrew Karas (Company)
Ali McKegney (Forum)
Brian Rady (Sandman)
Best Costume Design:
Joelle Contorno (Into the Woods)
Anna Heatwole (Forum)
David Hyman (Rocky Horror)
Tracy MacKenzie (Sandman)
Janet Oh (Bat Boy)
Best Lighting Design:
Brandon Chamberlin (Into the Woods)
Kyle Eck (Forum)
Alex Hartzler (Sandman)
Alec Thorne (Company)
Alec Thorne (Rocky Horror)
2007 NOMINATIONS BY SHOW:
Company (11)
Into the Woods (10)
The Rocky Horror Show (8)
Bat Boy (7)
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (7)
The Sandman (6)
The Waa-Mu Show 2007: The Club (5)
Asphalt Beach (4)
Pippin (3)
Songs for a New World (2)
The Types (1)
NOTE: Due to scheduling, Breakfast with Broadway was forced to set a cut-off date of May 1 for eligible campus musicals. "The Last Hurrah" will be eligible for the 2008 William Daniels Awards.
ALSO NOTE: These awards are designed to honor student performers and creators. While shows like "Asphalt Beach", "Pippin" and "Waa-Mu" do involve many students behind the scenes, it's impossible to single one student out, which is why only performers from those shows are nominated.
About William Daniels: A 1950 Northwestern graduate, Daniels is a long-time veteran of the stage, as well as both the large and small screens. He starred as John Adams in 1776. He won two Emmys for his portrayal of Dr. Mark Craig in St. Elsewhere, once making television history by winning on the same night as his wife, Bonnie (also an NU alum). His most recent role was as Mr. Feeny in Boy Meets World. He also recently served as Screen Actors Guild President. For a complete biography, go to http://industrycentral.net/content/actors/w_daniels.html.
The "Willies" Committee: Tyler Beattie (Company), Travis Greisler (Into the Woods), Deanna Hope (Bat Boy), Erik Kaiko (Forum), Adam Kantor (Asphalt Beach), Amanda Krieg (The Club), Catherine LeFrere (Pippin), Annie Levine ("Breakfast with Broadway"), Philip Markle (Rocky Horror), Jessica McKenna (The Sandman), Lila Miller (John & Jen), Ryan Morton ("Breakfast with Broadway"), Jim Rodman (The Types), and Andrew Tolbert (Songs for a New World)
NOTE: The nominations and selections of the Willies Committee do not necessarily represent the views of WNUR or its staff.