School of Theatre, Television, and Film Receives Nominations
The 2016 musical, The Drowsy Chaperone, was recognized with nominations for acting and directing.
Nominations for acting and directing
SDSU’s 2016 production of “The Drowsy Chaperone” is nominated in both the acting and directing categories.Stephen Brotebeck, an assistant professor in theatre, is nominated for Outstanding Direction of a Musical. “The Drowsy Chaperone” was his directorial debut as an SDSU faculty member and he credits the show’s overall production value for its success.
“Being able to have such a cohesive show from top to bottom, from the actors down to the stage managers, really helps,” Brotebeck said. “I think when people see a show with that vision and quality, it’s hard not to enjoy it."
Recent MFA graduate Jacob Brent is nominated for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical, Male for his lead role as “The Man in Chair.” Brent earned his master’s degree in musical theatre in May 2016 and starred in the production during his final semester at SDSU.
“The role was one of the most rewarding I’ve ever done,” Brent said. “I was primarily a dancer so this role was challenging because the production had so much dialogue, but it left me feeling very accomplished.”
Unprecedented nominations
The nominations came as a surprise to both Brent and Brotebeck.“It feels good because it’s one of those things you’d never expect,” Brent said. “You don’t go into a show wanting to be recognized, you just want to do good work.”
“The Drowsy Chaperone” stands among a list of 56 recognized San Diego regional productions, including shows from renowned theatres such as The Old Globe, La Jolla Playhouse and Cygnet Theatre.
“I wasn’t even aware that university productions here were eligible to be nominatedfor nomination,” Brotebeck said. "It's just so amazing for a production at SDSU to be in the same league as the wonderful professional theatres in town.”
Recognition of SDSU’s musical theatre program
Brotebeck hopes the nominations help build support for the SDSU theatre program in San Diego.“I truly believe this is not a one-off, and that this is just the beginning of more recognition for the SDSU School of Theatre, Television and Film and the Musical Theatre MFA program,” Brotebeck said. “We’re going to continue to work hard to build on the quality and the legacy here.”
