Huge thanks to Melinda E. Pittman for sharing these photos of her wonderful Willy Award puppet from 1981. We have added them to our collection of award photographs. We would love to have a photo from each year if possible…and of every puppet and mask, no matter WHAT the year, as each one was different. Click on this link to see the other puppet and mask photos we have collected. The masks, we remind you, were designed and made by the remarkable Jane Clugston, whose inventions can still be seen in local theatres and elsewhere. Take a look at her Etsy page for a sample of her work. Just click here for her Belfry Masks page.
And the puppet creator was the amazing Joan Gratz, whose many other accomplishments can be seen here and other places on the Google machine.
Here is the list of winners from the year Melinda won the Best Director Award. And because of our hopeless numbering system, note that, although the heading is “Second Annual Drammy Awards,” that year really saw the THIRD celebration…and strictly speaking, the event was still known as The Willies!
The 1980-1981 season produced the:
2nd Annual Drammy Award Winners:
Actor
Richard Willis
Buried Child
Actress
Kerry Gabbert
Ashes
Supporting Actress
Beth Gilleland
The Learned Ladies
Supporting Actor
Peter Fornara
Buried Child
Director
Melinda Pittman
1934- Blood and Roses
Production
The Mikado
SRO at Portland Civic Theatre
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Speaking of photos, HUGE thanks to companies who have already sent us production photos of Drammy eligible shows to use in the preshow slide show this year! We are really grateful. Remember you can upload directly to our GROUP on Flickr, or send to us here at drammyawards@gmail.com
Thank you.