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player ready...Congo Square Theatre Company, which began its first season last year, swept all six top categories in the seventh annual Black Theatre Alliance Awards. The troupe’s “Before It Hits Home,” Cheryl L. West’s drama of an African-American man living with AIDS, received awards for outstanding production, leading actor in a play (Javon Johnson), featured actor (Willie B. Goodson), featured actress (Ira Carol McGill) and director (Anthony Amiri Edwards). Libya Pugh was voted best leading actress for her work in the company’s “The Piano Lesson,” by August Wilson.
Other winners honored in ceremonies last week at the DuSable Museum of African American History were Sarita Smith Childs, best performance in a music/dance program, in “Shanequa’s World” at Dance Chicago 2000; Savion Glover of “Foot Notes,” performance in a touring production; Van Collins, choreography, in “3/5” at Dance Chicago 2000; Rennie Harris, choreography (non-resident), in “Rome and Jewels” at the Museum of Contemporary Art; Ron Walters, musical direction, in “Could It Be Magic? The Barry Manilow Songbook” at Mercury Theatre; Karen L. Wells, costume design, in “Ev’ry Time I Feel the Spirit” at Pegasus Players; and Gwenne Godwin, technical design, at Dance Chicago 2000.