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Best actor

Tony Church, Denver Center Theatre Company

It's one thing to give a sentimental nod to an esteemed veteran who for nearly fifty years has earned his living as an actor while instructing generations of up-and-comers. More than a first-rate performer and teacher, however, Tony Church consistently tries to embrace each new role as an opportunity to further his command of the craft. And throughout his nine years with the Denver Center Theatre Company, he's triumphed in

that pursuit. This past season, the former Royal Shakespearean lent insight to the role of Camillo in The Winter's Tale and delightfully ambled through the part of Johnnypateenmike in The Cripple of Inishmaan. But it was his tour de force in Give 'em a Bit of Mystery: Shakespeare and the Old Tradition that epitomized his uncanny ability to forge new magic out of old. The one-man show reawakened the ghosts of Shakespearean acting while fixing Church's place in a proud tradition of consummate -- and always gracious -- skill.

Best actor

Tony Church, Denver Center Theatre Company

It's one thing to give a sentimental nod to an esteemed veteran who for nearly fifty years has earned his living as an actor while instructing generations of up-and-comers. More than a first-rate performer and teacher, however, Tony Church consistently tries to embrace each new role as an opportunity to further his command of the craft. And throughout his nine years with the Denver Center Theatre Company, he's triumphed in

that pursuit. This past season, the former Royal Shakespearean lent insight to the role of Camillo in The Winter's Tale and delightfully ambled through the part of Johnnypateenmike in The Cripple of Inishmaan. But it was his tour de force in Give 'em a Bit of Mystery: Shakespeare and the Old Tradition that epitomized his uncanny ability to forge new magic out of old. The one-man show reawakened the ghosts of Shakespearean acting while fixing Church's place in a proud tradition of consummate -- and always gracious -- skill.

Best actress

Sheila Ivy Traister

Although the character of Martha in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is typically portrayed as a menopausal beast, newcomer Sheila Ivy Traister took a different tack that, within the context of Shadow Theatre Company's contemporary setting, proved just as valid. Filled with verbal buoys signaling undercurrents of antipathy, Traister offered up a remarkable interpretation that colored the multiracial production with a thick tincture of '90s commentary. She also summoned the unspeakable bitterness of a self-centered loner out to destroy anything that eludes her grasp. And her stylish performance in the Theatre Group's The Blue Room bestowed similar virtuosity on playwright David Hare's study of modern-day sexual ruins. Playing everything from a slinky girl who just wants to have fun to a duplicitous matron with refined political instincts, Traister shed a few inhibitions (along with her clothes) while making each character's intimate musings seem as natural and unforced as breezy pillow talk.

Best actress

Sheila Ivy Traister

Although the character of Martha in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is typically portrayed as a menopausal beast, newcomer Sheila Ivy Traister took a different tack that, within the context of Shadow Theatre Company's contemporary setting, proved just as valid. Filled with verbal buoys signaling undercurrents of antipathy, Traister offered up a remarkable interpretation that colored the multiracial production with a thick tincture of '90s commentary. She also summoned the unspeakable bitterness of a self-centered loner out to destroy anything that eludes her grasp. And her stylish performance in the Theatre Group's The Blue Room bestowed similar virtuosity on playwright David Hare's study of modern-day sexual ruins. Playing everything from a slinky girl who just wants to have fun to a duplicitous matron with refined political instincts, Traister shed a few inhibitions (along with her clothes) while making each character's intimate musings seem as natural and unforced as breezy pillow talk.

Best local theater company season

Aurora Fox Theatre Company

Whether professional or amateur, mainstream-minded or avant-garde, a theater company rises or falls on its willingness to reconcile commercial interests with artistic demands. And while engaging a pail of local Equity actors would normally be considered a financial risk for smaller theater companies, that's exactly what the Aurora Fox Theatre Company did for its final show of the season. That calculated -- and laudable -- gamble capped a successful string of highly entertaining, modestly professional efforts. From the hauntingly poetical Wings to the zanily philosophical The Ice-Fishing Play to the bitingly satirical Nixon's Nixon, the publicly funded troupe discovered newfound potency by injecting itself, as well as its audiences, with a healthy dose of creative Viagra.

Readers' choice: Denver Center Theatre Company

Best local theater company season

Aurora Fox Theatre Company

Whether professional or amateur, mainstream-minded or avant-garde, a theater company rises or falls on its willingness to reconcile commercial interests with artistic demands. And while engaging a pail of local Equity actors would normally be considered a financial risk for smaller theater companies, that's exactly what the Aurora Fox Theatre Company did for its final show of the season. That calculated -- and laudable -- gamble capped a successful string of highly entertaining, modestly professional efforts. From the hauntingly poetical Wings to the zanily philosophical The Ice-Fishing Play to the bitingly satirical Nixon's Nixon, the publicly funded troupe discovered newfound potency by injecting itself, as well as its audiences, with a healthy dose of creative Viagra.

Readers' choice: Denver Center Theatre Company

Best place to tangle with tango dancers

Mercury Cafe

Marilyn Megenity's eclectic and artful restaurant and nightclub is an unofficial home to many of the city's social and professional dancers. Nearly every night of the week, you can catch a class and/or performance from someone who's more than willing to swivel her belly, hop the lindy or swing all over the Merc's wooden floor. But more than any of the club's other weekly offerings, the Friday-night Tango events have begun to make the café's mercury rise. The sultry Argentinian dance is gaining in popularity what it may lack in accessibility: Dancers say it takes years of careful practice to perfect even the most basic tricks of the tango trade. Which means the Mercury staff and curious observers can count on seeing the same saucy customers sauntering around the floor in their high heels week after week.

Best place to tangle with tango dancers

Mercury Cafe

Marilyn Megenity's eclectic and artful restaurant and nightclub is an unofficial home to many of the city's social and professional dancers. Nearly every night of the week, you can catch a class and/or performance from someone who's more than willing to swivel her belly, hop the lindy or swing all over the Merc's wooden floor. But more than any of the club's other weekly offerings, the Friday-night Tango events have begun to make the café's mercury rise. The sultry Argentinian dance is gaining in popularity what it may lack in accessibility: Dancers say it takes years of careful practice to perfect even the most basic tricks of the tango trade. Which means the Mercury staff and curious observers can count on seeing the same saucy customers sauntering around the floor in their high heels week after week.

Best salsa club

Sevilla

The heat may finally be rising off the Latin Explosion ushered in by folks like Ricky Martin, but the vida is still plenty loca at Sevilla. Folks on their way to LoDo discos or Rockies games might overlook the swanky spot near the Icehouse, but those inside aren't likely to care: They're too busy shaking their hips and rib cages in time to accelerated Latin-style percussion or checking out the hot couture of the bar's spicy clientele. Though Sevilla is beginning to incorporate techno and house music into its weekly schedule, live -- as well as deejayed -- Latin styles still dominate the club calendar. Which gives us all plenty of reason to say !olé!

Readers' choice: Sevilla

Best salsa club

Sevilla

The heat may finally be rising off the Latin Explosion ushered in by folks like Ricky Martin, but the vida is still plenty loca at Sevilla. Folks on their way to LoDo discos or Rockies games might overlook the swanky spot near the Icehouse, but those inside aren't likely to care: They're too busy shaking their hips and rib cages in time to accelerated Latin-style percussion or checking out the hot couture of the bar's spicy clientele. Though Sevilla is beginning to incorporate techno and house music into its weekly schedule, live -- as well as deejayed -- Latin styles still dominate the club calendar. Which gives us all plenty of reason to say !olé!

Readers' choice: Sevilla

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