Laguna Moulton Playhouse Takes First Place in U.S. Theater Festival

The Laguna Moulton Playhouse, with its staging of the frontier musical “Quilters,” took first place in the 1987 national community theater awards announced Saturday night in Norman, Okla.

The victory was the first time the Laguna Beach-based company won top honors in the prestigious biennial event, held this year by the American Assn. of Community Theatres at the University of Oklahoma’s Jones Theatre in Norman.

“We’re absolutely elated. We’re especially gratified because ours was truly an ensemble effort,” Douglas Rowe, artistic director of the Laguna Moulton, said from Norman.

The Laguna Moulton Playhouse is the first group from California to take top honors in the festival nationals, Rowe said. Laguna Moulton’s entry was a 60-minute abbreviated version of the “Quilters” production that ran 3 1/2 weeks last winter at the local playhouse.

In winning the Most Outstanding Production Award, Laguna Moulton bested groups from nine other regions in the three-day competition. The national festival is held every other year by the American Assn. of Community Theatres.

Second place went to the Black Liberated Arts Center of Oklahoma City, which staged “Blood Knot.” The Wichita Community Theatre in Kansas took third place with “Philadelphia, Here I Come.”

International Festival

Leslie Radford, a festival organizer, said the Laguna Moulton will represent the United States in an international theater festival July 11 in Montreal.

Festival jurors Saturday also gave Laguna Moulton’s 10-member technical crew a special award for best technical effort, Radford said.

In the finals, Laguna Moulton was representing Region VIII, which covers California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii and Guam. The troupe’s “Quilters” production had won first place in the regional competition held April 27-28 in Phoenix.

Laguna Moulton’s version of the frontier musical by Barbara Damashek and Molly Newman was directed by Teri Ralston. The music director was Mark Turnbull.

The cast members were Karen McBride, Karen Angela, Lisa Picotte, Tricia Griffin, Colleen Dunn, Laura Pryzgoda and Carolyn Miller.

Since 1981, when the Laguna Moulton first competed in the festival, the local playhouse has been one of the most successful representatives from California.

Laguna Moulton won the regionals and went to the nationals in 1981 (with “Match Play” by Mary Jane Roberts) and 1983 (with “Lou Gehrig Did Not Die of Cancer” by Jason Miller).