2009 TRF Performance Company Awards

[Sir Martin]

Could one of our fine members who performs with the TRF cast let us know what happened at the 2009 Performance Company Award Ceremony?

Who won:  Best New Character, Best Returning Character, Character of the Year, and the Philip Hafer Memorial (MVP) Award?  Were there any other awards presented, and who won them?

The Performance Company was exemplary (as usual) this year!  The atmosphere at New Market Village was wonderful and we all appreciate the blood, sweat and tears that our grand performance company puts into making the magic come to life.   Huzzah to you all!

[Tudor-Diva]

Hi there!  I think I can help you out here.

Best New Character, Best Returning Character, and Character of the Year are all voted on by members of the performance company and any other TRF performing act who wishes to have a voice.

The Philip Hafer Memorial Award (AKA:  MVP) is decided by Jeff Baldwin and goes to the individual who went above and beyond anything that was ever required of them and was invaluable to the production of the season and show.  This person can be a member of production committee, a stage performer, a member of the performance company, or anyone who was just there and contributed selflessly.  I myself have won twice and it is an honor.

Group of the year is decided by Jeff Baldwin and is awarded to the most outstanding performance company group based on many factors.

Best New Character went to Mark Mendell as Henry Fitzroy.  Mark is 13 years old and a student at one of the Houston area magnet schools.  He and several classmates auditioned together this year and I am so very glad to say that we have a fantastic group of extremely talented young people with us, who I sincerely hope stay with us for quite some time.

Thanks to Paul Stout, aka Photography on the Run, for the fantastic shot of Mark.

Best Returning Character was a bittersweet award this year.  A performance company wide word of mouth campaign was organized and an overwhelming majority of the votes went to Rosella Gonzales, better known as Queen Katherine of Aragon.  This was Rosella's 10th and final year as Queen as we will be shifting our royal focus next year to Anne Boleyn.  But this year was all Rosella's and she was just as beautiful this year as her first in 2000.   But fret ye not, she is still with us, just in a different, yet no less important role.  If you see her, give her a big thanks and congratulations.

This gorgeous photo of Lela (my favorite of the entire season) courtesy of Valt.

Character of the Year:  I don't know what else can be said except BACON!!!!  Liz Quiroga as Minion was very well deserved.  One of the wackiest characters we've ever had.  If you encountered her on the lanes, had the chance to take her for walkies, gave her bacon....  you know exactly what I mean.  Liz is fearless and has never shied away from a performance opportunity.

Again, thank you to Paul Stout for the use of his photo!

Group of the year:  It was a VERY difficult decision this year, and we had a first; a tie.  Without either of these groups, our show would not have been nearly as successful.  A huge congrats and thanks goes out to our Masters of the Revels:  Melissa McClung and Daniel Hanson-Brown.  These two ran the show each and every day and made sure all the contests went of without a hitch.   The Peasants (affectionately called the Peasnats).  The Peasants consist of Linda McDonald, Richard Allen, Emily Brown, Amanda Grey, Roxanna Taylor, and Yonne McHenry.  If you encountered then in the lanes, you know they jumped on anything thrown their way, and they may have even given you a shoe shine, finished off with a butt polish from Linda.  Hysterically funny and valuable behind the scenes as well.  Very well deserved by both groups.

Our MOTR's photos supplied by the illustrious Valt:

Our Peasants on Parade and in the Opening Gate Show, thanks to Preston Nichols:

The Philip Hafer Memorial (MVP) Award:  DJ Cooley is our assistant production stage manager.  She is also in charge of all issues relating to our underage performers as dictated by the State of Texas.  She is extremely detail oriented, wrangles all of our minors from around the park several times a day for required breaks, and is in charge of minor camp.  If you need to know anything that is going on at anytime, she knows.  Her assistance to Bill Grant and the performance company as a whole was invaluable and her recognition could not have been more deserved.  Huzzah to DJ and huzzah to all our winners!

Thank you again to Preston Nichols for his beautiful images:

What a privilege is was for me personally to have worked with all these fantastic performers this past season.  My hat is off to them all.

[LadyShadow]

Oh Huzzah!!  Congrats to all.

[FaeHollow]

Yay! Congrats to the Mistress and Master of the revels! Their win could not have been more deserved. They do an absolutely tiring and thankless job. They sit at the front all day, forgoing breaks and lunch most times ( The germans were often found running the master of the revels hamburgers!) they have to talk to patrons all day to try to get them to enter contests.. and let me tell you... having a theme weekend was HARD. People aren't as open to polka-ing, yodeling or eating bratwurst as you would think.... especially when the prize is season tickets! Not only do the M&M of the revels have one theme weekend.. they have 8! So next year when you see them up at the front please tell them how much you like them because without them, scenarios would fall, contests wouldn't happen and  the theme wouldn't be supported as well as it is!!! I love them and pray I never have to do their jobs!

[Sir Martin]

Stacy - thanks for the awesome report on the TRF Performance Company awards!  The entire cast and crew deserve a standing ovation for their tireless efforts, and I know we all look forward to seeing you again next season.