Gulfport Little Theatre

Awards

J. WARREN McDANIEL

COMMUNITY THEATRE AWARD
presented annually at the Mississippi Theater Assn
Festival

J. Warren McDaniel was a fixture in community theatre for more than 30 years. He graduated from the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. While at Ole Miss he saw a touring company of There Shall Be No Night, starring Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne and ''was totally hooked." Warren 's involvement in community theatre began in Gulfport in 1949-1950 and later in Washington , Miss. , where be organized the Washington Little Theatre and became involved in State Competition. He was also an active member of Natchez Little Theater. He continued his involvement in state and regional community theatre competition when he moved back to the Coast. During his association with Gulfport Little Theater he served twice as Chairman, was elected Chairman of the Southeastern Theatre Conference, and was a two-term representative to the American Community Theater Association. At GLT, McDaniel directed such plays as Rebecca, Dr. Cooks Garden, The Runner Stumbles, Twelve Angry Men, Twelve Angry Women, and Caine Mutiny Court Martial. In 1980 McDaniel was the first recipient of the "Cowboy Maloney Award. " This award is given "for his outstanding contributions to the Mississippi Theatre Association." In 1991 the Mississippi Theatre Association named its highest award in the Community Theatre Division the "J. Warren McDaniel Community Theatre Award." This honor is given to the group judged best community theater in the annual convention's play festival.

Godspell, Paspoint Players
Pfeiffer's People, Greenwood Little Theatre
Dunelawn, Greenwood Little Theatre
Sea Horse, Bay St. Louis Little Theatre
Echoes, Bay St. Louis Little Theatre
Pushcart Peddlers, Gulfport Little Theatre
Tintypes, Starkville Community Theatre
The Octette Bridge Club, Starkville Community Theatre
The Fantasticks
On The Verge, Northwest Miss Theatre Guild Kudzu Players
Laundry And Bourbon, Clinton Community Theatre
The Trial Of The Big Bad Wolf, Gulfport Little Theatre
I Hate Hamlet, Gulfport Little Theatre
Into The Woods, Corinth Little Theatre
Moon For The Misbegotten, Delta Center Stage
Haiku, Delta Center Stage
The Belle Of Amherst , Gulfport Little Theatre
Eleemosynary, Black Rose Theatre Company
Cotton Patch Gospel, Gulfport Little Theatre
Observatory Conditions, Delta Center Stage
The Beauty Queen Of Leenane, Tupelo Community Theatre
Bobby Gould In Hell, Actors Anonymous
The Harry and Sam Dialogues, Actors Anonymous
Bel Canto, Tupelo Community Theatre
The Glider, Delta Center Stage
A Woman Called Truth, Delta Center Stage
Smoke On The Mountain, Starkville Community Theater

During the Mississippi Theatre Arts competition held January 10th thru 13th, 2008, in Hattiesburg, Gulfport Little Theatre presented "Running Upstream" in the Community Theatre competition and earned standing ovations from the audience and judges. The three adjudicators, David Thompson, Jason Tromsness, and Tim Jebsen were impressed with the mature and talented performances of the cast. They complimented the simplicity and economy of the set and the choice of the play. Members of the cast were Bryce Russell, Jacob Fliegl, Hayley Barnes, Meaghan Moger, and Caesar Reese.

Awards involving Gulfport Little Theatre at the MTA banquet included the following:

Community Theatre
Bryce Russell - All Star Cast
Hayley Barnes - Best Supporting Actress

Secondary Individual Events (High School)
Bryce Russell - 1st place Male Vocalist
Zack Salter - 6th place Male Vocalist
Hayley Barnes & Jordan Randall - 3rd place Monologue/Duet Acting

Scholarships
Jordan Randall - MTA Scholarship