[ Click here to check out the Part 2 ]

Well, you won’t get a giant heap of my usual Pollyanna prose from me this year. The first three months of ZERO-eight started out just swell, making my third spring journey to the incredible New Orleans to again perform at the 22nd annual Tennessee Williams Literary Festival there, where Karen Kondazian and I had the honor to reprise our roles in our 2007 award-winning Fountain Theatre prod uction of Tennessee’s 1963 flop The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore, a highly successful revival which won director Simon Levy a Garland Award in March.

Returning home in early April, however, a mysterious illness called sarcoidosis derailed me and has left me watching Law and Order reruns for the rest of the year. Now I’m getting better, but the weight gain from my heavy-duty steroid treatment has made me look like Jerry Lewis on the telethon. Still, I’m more than ready to move on to 2009, even if I do resemble Humpty Dumpty right before he took his great fall. If you run into all the King’s horses and all the King’s men, tell them to be sure to look me up.

So here’s Part One of my 18th annual TicketHolder Awards, honoring the best of the best offered by the hardworking and ill-rewarded Los Angeles theatre artists this monumentally troubled year of Two Thousand Eight Us All. Hats off to all of you—I can’t wait to be well enough to join in the futility, the struggle, and inimitable exhilaration of creating art in an indifferent environment again soon.

1.  Secrets of the Trade, Black Dahlia Theatre

2.  Shipwrecked!, South Coast Repertory / Geffen Playhouse

3.  The Night of the Iguana, A Noise Within

4.  Red Dog Howls, El Portal Theatre

5.  Spider Bites, Theatre of NOTE

6.  Asleep on a Bicycle, Elephant Theatre Company at the Lillian

7.  My Antonia, Rubicon Theatre Company / Pacific Resident Theatre

8.  Rabbit Hole, Camelot Artists at the Skylight Theatre

9.  Sea Change, Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center

10. Beverly Winwood Presents the 2nd Annual Actors Showcase, Groundlings Theatre

RUNNERS-UP: American Dead, Rogue Machine at Theatre/Theater; The Busy World is Hushed, Meta Theatre; A Company of Wayward Saints, Write Act Repertory; End of the Tour, Road Theatre Company; The Four of Us, Firefly Theatre at the Elephant Lab; The Friendly Hour, Road Theatre Company; Hillary Agonistes, Playwrights Arena at Studio/Stage; The House of Blue Leaves, Center Theatre Group, Mark Taper Forum; In On It, The Production Company; Marat/Sade, Knightsbridge Theatre; Othello, Theatre @ Boston Court / LA Women’s Shakespeare Company; Safe, Circus Theatricals at the Hayworth; Savage World, Met Theatre; The School of Night, CTG, Mark Taper Forum; Some Kind of Love Story, Hayworth Theatre; Victory, Fountain Theatre; Wit, The Production Company

1.  Spring Awakening, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre

2.  Gulls, Theatre @ Boston Court

3.  James Joyce’s The Dead, Open Fist Theatre Company

4.  Sweeney Todd, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre

5.  A Chorus Line, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre

6.  Joe’s Garage, Open Fist Theatre Company

7.  Tommy, Ricardo Montalban Theatre

8.  Aspects of Love, Musical Theatre Guild at the Alex

9.  9 to 5, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre

10.  deLEARious, Open Fist Theatre Company

RUNNERS-UP: Lovelace: A Rock Opera, Hayworth Theatre; The Next Big Thing, art/works Theatre; R.R.R.E.D., the Redhead Musical Manifesto, Grove Theatre Center Burbank

Steven Klein, The Four of Us, Firefly Theatre at the Elephant Lab

RUNNERS-UP: Josh Gordon, In On It, Production Company; Morlan Higgins, Victory, Fountain; Aaron Himelstein, Dickie & Babe, Blank; Gregory Itzin, Shipwrecked!, SCR / Geffen; Ryan Johnston, The Four of Us, Elephant Lab; Jack Kehler, Some Kind of Love Story, Hayworth; Kevin Kilner, My Antonia, Rubicon/PRT; Dan O’Brien, The Blowin of Baile Gall, Lyric Theatre; Erik Passoja, Savage World, Met Theatre; Michael Redfield, My Antonia, Rubicon/PRT; Bill Robens, This Contract Limits Our Liability—Read It!, Theatre of NOTE; Mark St. Amant, American Dead, Theatre/Theater; Ryan Yu, Sea Change, LA Gay & Lesbian Center; Gregory Wooddell, School of Night, Taper

Kathleen Chalfant, Red Dog Howls, El Portal Theatre

RUNNERS-UP: Priscilla Barnes, Hillary Agonistes, Playwrights Arena at Studio/Stage; Fran Bennett, Othello, Theatre @ Boston Court / LAWSC; Judy Jean Berns, The Busy World is Hushed, Meta Theatre; Kate Burton, The House of Blue Leaves, Taper; Marcia deRousse, The Sugar Bean Sisters, Sierra Madre Playhouse; Tinashe Kajese, Victory, Fountain; Karesa McElheny, Wit, Production Company; Lisa Tharps, Sea Change, LA Gay & Lesbian Center; Lisa Wolpe, Othello, Theatre @ Boston Court / LAWSC

Aleks Pevec, Tommy, Ricardo Montalban Theatre

RUNNERS-UP: David Hess, Sweeney Todd, Ahmanson; Mark Kudisch, 9 to 5, Ahmanson; Patrick Livingston, R.R.R.E.D., the Redhead Musical Manifesto, GTC; Jason Paige, Joe’s Garage, Open Fist; Kyle Riabko, Spring Awakening, Ahmanson; Brandon Ruckdashel, The Next Big Thing, art/works Theatre

Judy Kaye, Sweeney Todd, Ahmanson Theatre

RUNNERS-UP: Christy Altomare, Spring Awakening, Ahmanson; Stephanie J. Block, 9 to 5, Ahmanson; Megan Hilty, 9 to 5, Ahmanson; Kim Huber, Aspects of Love, Musical Theatre Guild; Allison Janney, 9 to 5, Ahmanson; Katrina Lenk, Lovelace: A Rock Opera, Hayworth; Alice Ripley, Tommy, Ricardo Montalban; Katie Thompson, R.R.R.E.D., the Redhead Musical Manifesto, GTC

Michael Daniel Cassady, Shipwrecked!, SCR / Geffen Playhouse

RUNNERS-UP: Tom Beyer, My Antonia, Rubicon/PRT; Josh Breeding, Asleep on a Bicycle, Lillian; Steve Coombs, Safe, Circus Theatricals; James Immekus, House of Blue Leaves, Taper; Adam Kulbersh, Joan Rivers: A Work in Progress…, Geffen; William Lithgow, My Antonia, Rubicon/PRT; Kevin Meoak, Marat/Sade, Knightsbridge; Rob Nagle, School of Night, Taper; David Nett, Puttin’ On the Fritz, Sacred Fools; David Paluck, American Dead, Theatre/Theater; Guy Perry, Metamorphoses, Athena Theatre Co; Matthew Rauch, Red Dog Howls, El Portal; Darin Singleton, American Dead, Theatre/Theater; Michael Urie, Dickie & Babe, Blank

Kirsten Vangsness, Spider Bites, Theatre of NOTE

RUNNERS-UP: Melody Butiu, Shipwrecked!, SCR/Geffen, Mary Cobb, Othello, Theatre @ Boston Court / LAWSC; Jade Dornfeld, Asleep on a Bicycle, Lillian; Cheryl Huggins, Asleep on a Bicycle, Lillian; Karen Landry, My Antonia, Rubicon/PRT; Julia Motyka, My Antonia, Rubicon/PRT; Ann Noble, American Dead, Theatre/Theater; Darcie Siciliano, Red Dog Howls, El Portal; Samantha Sloyan, Rabbit Hole, Camelot Artists; Brynn Thayer, Rabbit Hole, Camelot Artists; Gwen Van Dam, End of the Tour, Road

Rob Nagle, James Joyce’s The Dead, Open Fist Theatre

RUNNERS-UP: Blake Bashoff, Spring Awakening, Ahmanson; Lorenzo Doryon, Tommy, Ricardo Montalban; Benjamin Eakeley, Sweeney Todd, Ahmanson; PJ Griffith, Tommy, Ricardo Montalban; Van Hughes, 9 to 5, Ahmanson; Adam Jackman, R.R.R.E.D., GTC; Ben Thomas, Joe’s Garage, Open Fist; Kevin Santos, A Chorus Line, Ahmanson

Jacque Lynn Colton, James Joyce’s The Dead, Open Fist Theatre

RUNNERS-UP: Christina Saffran Ashford, Aspects of Love, Musical Theatre Guild; Diana DiMarzio, Sweeney Todd, Ahmanson; Kathy Fitzgerald, 9 to 5, Ahmanson; Jenna Leigh Green, Tommy, Ricardo Montalban; Emily Fletcher, A Chorus Line, Ahmanson; Natalie Hall, A Chorus Line, Ahmanson; Angela Reed, Spring Awakening, Ahmanson; Gabrielle Ruiz, A Chorus Line, Ahmanson

Secrets of the Trade, Black Dahlia Theatre

RUNNERS-UP: Asleep on a Bicycle, Lillian; Beverly Winwood Presents the 2^nd Annual Actors Showcase, Groundlings; A Company of Wayward Saints, Write Act Rep; End of the Tour, Road; The Friendly Hour, Road; The House of Blue Leaves, Taper; My Antonia, Rubicon/PRT; The Night of the Iguana, A Noise Within; Othello, Theatre @ Boston Court / LAWSC; Rabbit Hole, Camelot Artists; Safe, Circus Theatricals; Savage World, Met; The School of Night, Taper; Sea Change, LA Gay & Lesbian Center; Spider Bites, Theatre of NOTE; Stupid Kids, Celebration; The World’s Largest Rodent, Victory

Gulls, Theatre @ Boston Court

RUNNERS-UP: 9 to 5, Ahmanson; A Chorus Line, Ahmanson; deLEARious, Open Fist; Joe’s Garage, Open Fist; Lovelace: A Rock Opera, Hayworth; Spring Awakening, Ahmanson; Sweeney Todd, CTG, Ahmanson

Andy Gobienko, The World’s Largest Rodent, Victory Theatre Center

Jason Parsons, A Company of Wayward Saints, Write Act Repertory

RUNNERS-UP: Orestes Arcuni, My Antonia, Rubicon/PRT; LJ Benet, Tommy, Ricardo Montalban; Chadbourne Hamblin, Rabbit Hole, Camelot Artists; Jay Armstrong Johnson, A Chorus Line, Ahmanson; Jamie Joseph, Tommy, Ricardo Montalban; Lester Keefe, Trailerville, Moving Arts; Jake Wesley Stewart, James Joyce’s The Dead, Open Fist