Jake Broder in performance.

2016 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards

The critics of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle are pleased to announce the date and location of our annual awards ceremony.  The ceremony and accompanying fete celebrate excellence in theater seen in Los Angeles in 2015.

This year the event will take place on March 14, 2016. It will be held at the Ann & Jerry Moss Theater at New Roads School, in the Capshaw-Spielberg Center for Arts and Educational Justice. Doors open at 6:30 pm.  The show begins at 7:30 pm.

The Center is located in the Herb Alpert Educational Village, 3131 Olympic Blvd., Santa Monica, CA.

Tickets are $40.00, and can be purchased here (a small service fee applies) or at the door. There is some onsite parking and ample street parking.

For questions regarding the upcoming Awards show, please email here: 2016criticsawards@gmail.com

We hope to see you there.

“Vietgone.” Photo by Jason Niedle.

Following is a list of special awards and nominees:

The Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in theatre — Deaf West Theater Company.

The Ted Schmitt Award for the world premiere of an outstanding new play — Qui Nguyen for Vietgone, originally produced by South Coast Repertory.

The Polly Warfield Award for an excellent season in a small to mid-size theatre — International City Theatre.

The Kinetic Lighting Award for outstanding achievement in theatrical design — projections designer Jason H. Thompson.

The Joel Hirschhorn Award for outstanding achievement in musical theatre — director-choreographer Janet Miller.

The Milton Katselas Award for career or special achievement in direction — Michael Matthews.

“Hit the Wall.” Photo by Ken Sawyer.

 Annual award categories

Production

• André & Dorine, Kulunka Teatro at Los Angeles Theatre Center.
• Bootycandy, Celebration Theatre at The Lex.
• Enron, The Production Company at The Lex.
• Fences, International City Theatre.
• Hit the Wall, The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center and Sixth Avenue at The Los Angeles LGBT Center.
• Luna Gale, Goodman Theatre’s World Premiere Production, Center Theatre Group at Kirk Douglas Theatre.
• Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum and The Theatre @ Boston Court at Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman Theater at the Getty Villa.
• The Gospel at Colonus, Ebony Repertory Theatre at Nate Holden Performing Arts Center.

McCulloh Award for Revival (plays written between 1920 and 1980)

• Anna Christie, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble at Odyssey Theatre.

“Carrie The Musical.”
Photo by Jason Niedle.

Lead Performance

• Angela Bullock in Watching O.J., Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA at Atwater Village Theatre Complex.
• Jason Dechert in Picnic, Antaeus Theatre Company.
• Mary Beth Fisher in Luna Gale, Goodman Theatre’s World Premiere Production, Center Theatre Group at Kirk Douglas Theatre.
• Matthew Hancock in Hit the Wall, The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center and Sixth Avenue at The Los Angeles LGBT Center.
• Ted Heyck in God’s Man in Texas, A Guest Production at The Blank Theatre’s 2nd Stage.
• Lily Knight in A Small Fire, The Echo Theater Company @ Atwater Village Theatre.
• Troy Kotsur in American Buffalo, Cal State L.A. Department of Music, Theatre and Dance and Deaf West Theatre at State Playhouse.
• Emily Lopez in Carrie the Musical, Bruce Robert Harris and Jack W. Batman, The Transfer Group, Michael T. Cohen/Robin Reinach, Kraige Block and Joe Everett Michaels, in association with La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts and The Los Angeles Theatre.
• Zoe Perry in Anna Christie, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble at Odyssey Theatre.
• Tiffany Royale in The Best of Enemies, The Colony Theatre.
• Michael A. Shepperd in Fences, International City Theatre.
• Jimmi Simpson in Trevor, Circle X Theatre Co. at Atwater Village Theatre.
• Jeff Skowron in Into the Woods, Oregon Shakespeare Festival at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.
• Sabina Zuniga Varela in Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum and The Theatre @ Boston Court at Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman Theater at the Getty Villa.

Featured Performance

• Richard Fancy in Awake and Sing!, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble at Odyssey Theatre.
• Charlotte Gulezian in Hit the Wall, The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center and Sixth Avenue at The Los Angeles LGBT Center.
• Charlie Hofheimer in Bent, Center Theatre Group at Mark Taper Forum.
• Tracie Lockwood in A Permanent Image, Rogue Machine Theatre at Theatre/Theater.
• Elyse Mirto in Figaro, A Noise Within.
• Martin Rayner in Oedipus Machina, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble and KOAN at Odyssey Theatre.
• Bryce Ryness in Matilda the Musical, Royal Shakespeare Company and the Dodgers, Center Theatre Group at Ahmanson Theatre.
• Michael A. Shepperd in Bootycandy, Celebration Theatre at The Lex.

Ensemble Performance          

• André & Dorine, Kulunka Teatro at Los Angeles Theatre Center.
• Bootycandy, Celebration Theatre at The Lex.
• Hit the Wall, The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center and Sixth Avenue at The Los Angeles LGBT Center.
• Luna Gale, Goodman Theatre’s World Premiere Production, Center Theatre Group at Kirk Douglas Theatre.
• Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum and The Theatre @ Boston Court at Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman Theater at the Getty Villa.

Solo Performance

• Orson Bean in Safe at Home: An Evening With Orson Bean, Pacific Resident Theatre.
• Monica Piper in Not That Jewish, Jewish Women’s Theatre at The Braid.
• John Douglas Thompson in Satchmo at the Waldorf, The Long Wharf Theatre and Shakespeare & Company Production at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.

Direction

• Jessica Kubzansky, Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum and The Theatre @ Boston Court at Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman Theater at the Getty Villa.
• Jaime Robledo, Astro Boy and the God of Comics, Sacred Fools Theatre Company at Sacred Fools Theatre.
• Kim Rubinstein, Anna Christie, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble at Odyssey Theatre.
• Ken Sawyer, Hit the Wall, The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center and Sixth Avenue at The Los Angeles LGBT Center.
• August Viverito, Enron, The Production Company at The Lex. 

Writing

• Rebecca Gilman, Luna Gale, Goodman Theatre’s World Premiere Production, Center Theatre Group at Kirk Douglas Theatre.
• Nick Jones, Trevor, Circle X Theatre Co. at Atwater Village Theatre.
• Robert O’Hara, Bootycandy, Celebration Theatre at The Lex.
• Lucy Prebble, Enron, The Production Company at The Lex.
• Micah Schraft, A Dog’s House, IAMA Theatre Company at Elephant Theatre.
• Luis Alfaro, Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum and The Theatre @ Boston Court at Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman Theater at the Getty Villa.

Writing (Adaptation)

• Luis Alfaro, Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum and The Theatre @ Boston Court at Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman Theater at the Getty Villa. 

Musical Score

• Stu Barker, Tristan & Yseult, Kneehigh at South Coast Repertory.
• Jake Broder, Miravel, Sacred Fools Theater Company at Sacred Fools Theater.
• Tim Minchin, Matilda the Musical, Royal Shakespeare Company and the Dodgers, Center Theatre Group at Ahmanson Theatre.
• Anna Waronker and Charlotte Caffey, Hit the Wall, The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center and Sixth Avenue at The Los Angeles LGBT Center.

Music Direction

• Stu Barker, Tristan & Yseult, Kneehigh at South Coast Repertory.
• Brian P. Kennedy, Carrie the Musical, Bruce Robert Harris and Jack W. Batman, The Transfer Group, Michael T. Cohen/Robin Reinach, Kraige Block and Joe Everett Michaels, in association with La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts and The Los Angeles Theatre.
• Abdul Hamid Royal, The Gospel at Colonus, Ebony Repertory Theatre at Nate Holden Performing Arts Center.
• Julie Wolf, Girlfriend, The Actors Theatre of Louisville Production, Center Theatre Group at Kirk Douglas Theatre.

Choreography

• Christopher Gattelli, Newsies, Disney Theatrical Productions under the direction of Thomas Schumacher at Hollywood Pantages Theatre.
• Josh Rhodes, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Robyn Goodman, Jill Furman, Stephen Koos, Edward Walson, Venetian Glass Productions, The Araca Group, Carola Productions, Roy Furman, Peter May/Sanford Robertson, James Spry, Eric Schmidt, and Blanket Fort Productions, Center Theatre Group at Ahmanson Theatre.
• Dana Solimando, Billy Elliot, La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts & McCoy Rigby Entertainment at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.
• Angela Todaro, American Idiot, DOMA Theatre Company at The MET Theatre.

Set Design

• Tom Buderwitz, The Whipping Man, South Coast Repertory and The Pasadena Playhouse.
• Mimi Lien, Appropriate, Center Theatre Group at Mark Taper Forum.
• Don Llewellyn, Fences, International City Theatre.
• Bill Mitchell, Tristan & Yseult, Kneehigh at South Coast Reperto 

Lighting Design

• Martin Labrecque, Kurios—Cabinet of Curiosities, Cirque du Soleil at Dodger Stadium.
• Tom Ontiveros, My Barking Dog, The Theatre @ Boston Court.
• Matt Richter, Hit the Wall, The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center and Sixth Avenue at The Los Angeles LGBT Center.
• Malcolm Rippeth, Tristan & Yseult, Kneehigh at South Coast Repertory.

Costume Design

• Angela Balogh Calin, Figaro, A Noise Within.
• Jessica Ford, These Paper Bullets!, Geffen Playhouse in association with Atlantic Theater Company presents the Yale Repertory Theatre Production at Geffen Playhouse.
• Philippe Guillotel, Kurios—Cabinet of Curiosities, Cirque du Soleil at Dodger Stadium.
• Wade Laboissonniere, Waterfall, The Pasadena Playhouse in association with The 5th Avenue Theatre at The Pasadena Playhouse.
• William Ivey Long, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Robyn Goodman, Jill Furman, Stephen Koos, Edward Walson, Venetian Glass Productions, The Araca Group, Carola Productions, Roy Furman, Peter May/Sanford Robertson, James Spry, Eric Schmidt, and Blanket Fort Productions, Center Theatre Group at Ahmanson Theatre.

Sound Design

• Gregory Clarke, Tristan & Yseult, Kneehigh at South Coast Repertory.
• Bruno Louchouarn, Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum and The Theatre @ Boston Court at Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman Theater at the Getty Villa.
• Jaime Robledo, Astro Boy and the God of Comics, Sacred Fools Theatre Company at Sacred Fools Theatre.
• John Zalewski, My Barking Dog, The Theatre @ Boston Court.

CGI/Video

• Anthony Backman and Jim Pierce, Astro Boy and the God of Comics, Sacred Fools Theatre Company at Sacred Fools Theatre.
• Nicholas Santiago, A Permanent Image, Rogue Machine Theatre at Theatre/Theater.

Specialty

• Gieselle Blair, Figaro, A Noise Within. (Hair, wigs, and makeup)
• Garbiñe Insausti, André & Dorine, Kulunka Teatro at The Los Angeles Theatre Center. (Masks)
• Aviva Pressman, Astro Boy and the God of Comics, Sacred Fools Theatre Company at Sacred Fools Theatre. (Live art direction)
• Jim Steinmeyer, Carrie the Musical, Bruce Robert Harris and Jack W. Batman, The Transfer Group, Michael T. Cohen/Robin Reinach, Kraige Block and Joe Everett Michaels, in association with La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts and The Los Angeles Theatre. (Illusion design)

“Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles.” Photo by Craig Schwartz.

Productions which have garnered nominations