Chris L. McKenna Reacts to Ovation Award Nomination

Chris L. McKenna (right) is nominated for best Lead Actor in a Play for his work in "Taste."

Nominees for the 2014 LA STAGE Alliance Ovation Awards were announced earlier at Native Voices at the Autry National Center in Los Angeles. They include director Tim Robbins ("A Midsummer Night's Dream") and actors Carole Weyers ("Henry V"), Eric Lange ("The Country House") and Chris L. McKenna ("Taste").

Best Lead Actor nominee Chris L. McKenna (Det. Mark Harding, The Young and the Restless) explained his role in "Taste" during our recent interview.

"I get killed and eaten on stage, and this really happened. My character is supposed to be a suicidal gay guy who wants to die and wants to die this way. It seemed like a challenge that it wouldn’t be a guy my size. But I really believed I could do this role and I thought the writing by Benjamin Brand was amazing."

"If I don't win I'm gonna kill you all," McKenna joked on Twitter after the nominations were revealed. "And eat all your dicks..."

Below is a complete list of nominees:

Ovation Awards Nominees Include Kirsten Vangsness, Blythe Danner, Leon Russom & Chris L. McKenna

Chris L. McKenna (right) is nominated for best Lead Actor in a Play for his work in "Taste."

Nominees for the 2014 LA STAGE Alliance Ovation Awards were announced earlier this week at Native Voices at the Autry National Center in Los Angeles. The nominations were revealed by past Ovation Award recipients Gigi Bermingham, Brighid Fleming, Parmer Fuller, Jennifer Haley, Brian Kite, Glynn Turman, and John Zalewski, along with LA STAGE Alliance Chief Executive Officer Terence McFarland.

Theatre @ Boston Court received the most nominations (19), followed by the Geffen Playhouse and La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts with 17 each, Center Theatre Group and 3-D Theatricals with 13 each, and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (12).

Said CEO Terence McFarland, “We’re always excited to see the breadth and diversity of the Ovation Awards nominee list. This year’s crop is reflective of the tremendous work happening on stages throughout the region. We’re thrilled to shine a light on some stalwarts of the community and bring broader attention to those burgeoning artists at the beginning of their careers. I look forward to celebrating all achievements in excellence in Los Angeles theatre on November 2.”

Below is a complete list of nominees:

BEST SEASON
3-D THEATRICALS
ACTORS CO-OP
FOUNTAIN THEATRE
LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
THE THEATRE @ BOSTON COURT