The Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre was honored with a Ruby Griffith Award at the annual awards ceremony on Sunday, July 15 in Germantown, Maryland. The theatre was named First Runner-Up for Outstanding Achievement in a Musical for its 2011 production of “Hairspray”.
The Ruby Griffith Awards honor all-around production excellence by amateur theatre groups in the greater Washington, DC metropolitan area. This is the third award for ASGT. In 2011 the theatre was named First Runner-Up for Outstanding Achievement in a Musical for 2010’s “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”. And in 2007, ASGT won the coveted award for All Round Production Excellence for 2006’s “Urinetown”.
Ruby Griffith was a founding member of the British Embassy Players, and as Artistic Director she produced and/or directed seven of the Players’ first fourteen productions. When she passed away in 1968, the Players honored her with an annual award competition for All-Round Production Excellence through the Washington Theatre Alliance. There were ten entrants the first year. Later, the competition was extended beyond the Alliance to organizations throughout the greater DC area. In 1991 two additional awards were added for outstanding achievement in a musical and a non-musical.
ASGT is currently presenting “Avenue Q” Thursday-Sunday nights at 8:30pm through July 29. Running August 9-September 2 is “Xanadu”, a loving spoof of the 1980 film of the same name. Tickets are $20 each. To learn more about ASGT’s 2012 season or to order tickets, please visit www.summergarden.com or call 410-268-9212.
ASGT is a non-profit, all-volunteer, outdoor summer theatre in the heart of downtown historic Annapolis. You can connect with ASGT throughout the year at www.facebook.com/AnnapolisSummerGardenTheatre or www.twitter.com/ASGTAnnapolis.