CalStage favorite Janet Motenko wins Elly Award for her role in ITALIAN OPERA.

Sunday night, Sacramento community theatre gathered for the 33rd annual Elly Awards–an opportunity sponsored by the Sacramento Area Regional Theatre Alliance (SARTA) to come together to encourage and celebrate the good work presented over the past year.

Actress Janet Motenko, who joined California Stage for two productions this year, earned the Elly award for Best Leading Female in A Musical for her “hilarious” (SN&R) turn as Zerbinetta in CalStage’s West Coast premiere of Italian Opera. Her performance was hailed as something “so wonderful it [had] to be seen to be believed” by Bev Sykes of the Davis Enterprise. She and the rest Calstage’s “dream cast” were summarily enjoyed by packed houses this spring. Continue reading →