BLACK & WHITE AWARDS

Sunday, the Theatre Festival in Black & White threw itself a party and handed out awards voted by a panel of local critics and other judges.

Winning best play and the most other awards was "The Other Side" by Bob Gorczycz, about an ex-boxer driven by bigotry to root for Billy Conn against Joe Louis. Joseph Martinez and Mark Thompson won best actor and supporting actor, respectively, and Wali Jamal won best director.

Best actress was Gwen Morton, playing an intake specialist in Limbo in Rob Gorman's "Twenty Questions." Best supporting actress was shared between Taylor Whitley and Nadia Cook-Loshilov as the squabbling children in Jamal's "Detention." "Mixed Messages" by Lyn Jackson won both for best written monologue and best delivered, that by Art Terry.

THE CALL BOARD

"Katrina," a political docudrama by Jeffrey Bruner, will be read Monday at 8 p.m. at James Simon's Sculpture Studio, 305 Gist Street, Uptown (info 412-352-3417). The $5 donation benefits hurricane relief. Rick Schweikert directs.

Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks, something new, offers "As You Like It" in Frick Park at 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (and the same next weekend). I'm not sure just where in Frick Park, but it's free, so it should be worth searching for. Jennifer Tober directs.

Friday, Pittsburgh CLO's "Forever Plaid" celebrated its first anniversary with its 342nd show. Van Kaplan dedicated the show to Barbara Shaw, 80, of Squirrel Hill, who was there for her 19th time.

Comic/mime Dan Kamin is at Washington & Jefferson College. Tonight at 7 he does his "Funny Bones" program on Charlie Chaplin's movement and comedy, and Friday night at 7:30 he performs his own show, "Comedy in Motion."

Bingo O'Malley, Karla Boos and other Pittsburghers went to Louisville for Marc Masterson's 50th birthday party and while there saw his production of "The Crucible," with Larry Meyers and Martin Giles in the cast.

The ubiquitous Tere Johns noted the following celebrities at the opening of "Jersey Boys," the Four Seasons musical on Broadway: Robert De Niro, Frankie Valli, Frankie Avalon, Danny Aiello, Edie Falco, others from "The Sopranos," Joe Pesci (is there an ethnic theme here?), Dick Cavett, Neil Sedaka, John Lithgow, Tommy Tune and BeBe Neuwirth, along with "many DJ's and composers."

Pittsburgh Musical Theater is seeking Asian or Asian American performers for "Miss Saigon," rehearsing in January. Call 412-539-0900, ext. 232, to schedule an audition.

A totally unbiased CMU staffer tells me the Music School's "A Chorus Line" was great and also that its composer, Pittsburgh Pops director Marvin Hamlisch, seemed to have a good time at the Saturday matinee.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Paid admissions at city's pro theaters for the week ending Nov. 6:

Yellowman/Public (57%) ................... 1,724

XmasCatechism/City (84%)....................... 849

    
Forever Plaid/CLO (41%) ....................... 518

Frozen/barebones (104%) .................... 312