This year the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award ceremony will take place on March 20, 2017, at the Colony Theatre at Burbank Town Center, 555 N. Third Street, Burbank. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for a reception with a cash bar, and the show will begin at 7:30 p.m. There is ample, free, on-site parking.
Tickets are $40.00 and can be purchased at 2017criticsawards.brownpapertickets.com (a small service fee applies), or, depending on availability, at the door.
Nominees are entitled to one complimentary ticket apiece and should RSVP to criticsawards2017@gmail.com. All questions regarding the event should also be directed to this address.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Following is a list of special awards and nominees:
The Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in theatre: Antaeus Theatre Company.
The Polly Warfield Award for an excellent season in a small to mid-size theatre, sponsored by the Nederlander Organization: Rogue Machine Theatre.
The Ted Schmitt Award for the world premiere of an outstanding new play: Aliza Goldstein for A Singular They, originally produced by the Blank Theatre.
The Kinetic Lighting Award for outstanding achievement in theatrical design, sponsored by Kinetic Lighting: lighting designer Jared A. Sayeg.
The Joel Hirschhorn Award for outstanding achievement in musical theatre: Cabrillo Music Theatre.
The Milton Katselas Award for career or special achievement in direction, sponsored by the Beverly Hills Playhouse: Maria Gobetti.
The LADCC’s newest award, the Gordon Davidson Award for distinguished contribution to the Los Angeles theatrical community: I Love 99.
ANNUAL AWARD CATEGORIES
Production
- A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre.
- Cloud 9, Antaeus Theatre Company.
- Disgraced, Center Theatre Group, Mark Taper Forum.
- Fly, The Pasadena Playhouse.
- The Boy from Oz, Celebration Theatre.
- Urinetown the Musical, Coeurage Theatre Company.
McCulloh Award for Revival (plays written between 1920 and 1991)
- Cloud 9, Antaeus Theatre Company.
- Endgame, Center Theatre Group, Kirk Douglas Theatre.
- Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Center Theatre Group, Mark Taper Forum.
- West Side Story, Musical Theatre West, Carpenter Performing Arts Center.
Lead Performance
- Hugo Armstrong in All the Way, South Coast Repertory.
- Andrew Bongiorno in The Boy from Oz, Celebration Theatre.
- Ginna Carter in The Eccentricities of a Nightingale, Pacific Resident Theatre.
- Kate Morgan Chadwick in Bed, The Echo Theater Company.
- Darren Criss in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Hollywood Pantages Theatre.
- Hari Dhillon in Disgraced, Center Theatre Group, Mark Taper Forum.
- Rebecca Gray in One of the Nice Ones, The Echo Theater Company.
- Connor Kelly-Eiding in Dry Land, The Echo Theater Company.
- Matt Orduña in Bars and Measures, The Theatre @ Boston Court.
- Gedde Watanabe in La Cage aux Folles, East West Players.
- Jacqueline Wright in Blueberry Toast, The Echo Theater Company.
Featured Performance
- JD Cullum in Cloud 9, Antaeus Theatre Company.
- Bo Foxworth in Cloud 9, Antaeus Theatre Company.
- Lena Hall in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Hollywood Pantages Theatre.
- Steve Hofvendahl in The Engine of Our Ruin, The Victory Theatre.
- Bess Motta in The Boy from Oz, Celebration Theatre.
- Jessica Pennington in The Boy from Oz, Celebration Theatre.
- Victoria Ortiz in The Super Variety Match Bonus Round!, Rogue Machine Theatre.
Ensemble Performance
- Ameryka, Critical Mass Performance Group, The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles.
- Casa Valentina, The Pasadena Playhouse.
- Cloud 9, Antaeus Theatre Company.
- Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Center Theatre Group, Mark Taper Forum.
- The Boy from Oz, Celebration Theatre.
Solo Performance
- Deborah Puette, Captain of the Bible Quiz Team, Rogue Machine Theatre.
Direction
- Tim Dang, La Cage aux Folles, East West Players.
- Kari Hayter, Urinetown the Musical, Coeurage Theatre Company.
- Ricardo Khan, Fly, The Pasadena Playhouse.
- Michael A. Shepperd, The Boy from Oz, Celebration Theatre.
- Casey Stangl, Cloud 9, Antaeus Theatre Company.
- Darko Tresnjak, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre.
Writing
- Ayad Akhtar, Disgraced, Center Theatre Group, Mark Taper Forum.
- Idris Goodwin, Bars and Measures, The Theatre @ Boston Court.
- Erik Patterson, One of the Nice Ones, The Echo Theater Company.
- Jason Wells, The Engine of Our Ruin, The Victory Theatre.
Musical Score
- Noah Agruss, Bars and Measures, The Theatre @ Boston Court.
- Steven Lutvak and Robert L. Freedman, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre.
- Jason Robert Brown, The Bridges of Madison County, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre.
Music Direction
- Bryan Blaskie, The Boy from Oz, Celebration Theatre.
- Paul Litteral, Louis & Keely: ‘Live’ at the Sahara, Geffen Playhouse.
- Marc Macalintal, La Cage aux Folles, East West Players.
- Gregory Nabours, Urinetown the Musical, Coeurage Theatre Company.
Choreography
- Hope Clarke, Fly, The Pasadena Playhouse.
- Reggie Lee, La Cage aux Folles, East West Players.
- Janet Roston, The Boy from Oz, Celebration Theatre.
- Leslie Stevens, The Full Monty, 3-D Theatricals.
Set Design
- Tom Buderwitz, Casa Valentina, The Pasadena Playhouse.
- Alexander Dodge, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre.
- David Gallo, Empire the Musical, La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.
- Michael Navarro, My Mañana Comes, The Fountain Theatre.
Lighting Design
- Brandon Baruch, Urinetown the Musical, Coeurage Theatre Company.
- Ken Billington, Dreamgirls, La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.
- Rui Rita and Jake DeGroot, Fly, The Pasadena Playhouse.XXX
- Tim Swiss, Dream Boy, Celebration Theatre.
Costume Design
- Kate Bergh, Casa Valentina, Pasadena Playhouse.
- Amy Clark and Mark Koss, The Little Mermaid, La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.
- A. Jeffrey Schoenberg, Cloud 9, Antaeus Theatre Company.
- Anthony Tran, La Cage aux Folles, East West Players.
Sound Design
- John Farmanesh-Bocca and Adam Phalen, Tempest Redux, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble and New American Theatre.
- John Gromada, Fly, The Pasadena Playhouse.
- Rebecca Kessin, Dream Boy, Celebration Theatre.
- Eric Snodgrass, The Boy from Oz, Celebration Theatre.
Specialty: Fight Choreography
- Jen Albert, Punch and Judy, The School of Night, Ruby Theater at the Complex.
Specialty: Wigs, Hair and Makeup
- Rick Geyer, Casa Valentina, The Pasadena Playhouse.
- Jessica Mills, Cloud 9, Antaeus Theatre Company.
Productions that have garnered nominations:
| The Boy from Oz (Celebration Theatre) | 9 |
| Cloud 9 (Antaeus Theatre Company) | 8 |
| Fly (The Pasadena Playhouse) | 5 |
| La Cage aux Folles (East West Players) | 5 |
| Casa Valentina (The Pasadena Playhouse) | 4 |
| A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder(Ahmanson Theatre) | 4 |
| Urinetown the Musical (Coeurage Theatre Company) | 4 |
| Bars and Measures (The Theatre @ Boston Court) | 3 |
| Disgraced (Mark Taper Forum) | 3 |
| Dream Boy (Celebration Theatre) | 2 |
| The Engine of Our Ruin (The Victory Theatre) | 2 |
| Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Hollywood Pantages Theatre) | 2 |
| Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Mark Taper Forum) | 2 |
| One of the Nice Ones (The Echo Theater Company) | 2 |
| All the Way (South Coast Repertory) | 1 |
| Ameryka (Critical Mass Performance Group) | 1 |
| Bed (The Echo Theater Company) | 1 |
| Blueberry Toast (The Echo Theater Company) | 1 |
| The Bridges of Madison County (Ahmanson Theatre) | 1 |
| Captain of the Bible Quiz Team (Rogue Machine Theatre) | 1 |
| Dreamgirls (La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts) | 1 |
| Dry Land (The Echo Theater Company) | 1 |
| The Eccentricities of a Nightingale (Pacific Resident Theatre) | 1 |
| Empire the Musical (La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts) | 1 |
| Endgame (Kirk Douglas Theatre) | 1 |
| The Full Monty (3-D Theatricals) | 1 |
| The Little Mermaid (La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts) | 1 |
| Louis & Keely: ‘Live’ at the Sahara (Geffen Playhouse) | 1 |
| My Mañana Comes (The Fountain Theatre) | 1 |
| Punch and Judy (The School of Night) | 1 |
| A Singular They (The Blank Theatre) | 1 |
| The Super Variety Match Bonus Round! (Rogue Machine Theatre) | 1 |
| Tempest Redux (Odyssey Theatre Ensemble/New American Theatre) | 1 |
| West Side Story (Musical Theatre West) | 1 |
The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle was founded in 1969. It is dedicated to excellence in theatrical criticism, and to the encouragement and improvement of theatre in Greater Los Angeles. The 2016 membership – and voters – consisted of:
Pauline Adamek, ArtsBeatLA.com, Stage Raw
Paul Birchall, Stage Raw
Shirle Gottlieb, Gazette Newspapers, StageHappenings.com
Margaret Gray, Los Angeles Times
Hoyt Hilsman, The Huffington Post
Deborah Klugman, LA Weekly, ArtsBeatLA.com, Stage Raw
Jenny Lower, Stage Raw, LA Weekly
Dany Margolies, ArtsInLA.com, The Daily Breeze and The Daily News
Myron Meisel, Stage Raw
Terry Morgan, TalkinBroadway.com, Stage Raw
Steven Leigh Morris, LA Weekly, Stage Raw
David C. Nichols, Los Angeles Times
Melinda Schupmann, ShowMag.com, ArtsinLA.com
Jonas Schwartz-Owen, Theatermania.com, ArtsinLA.com
Don Shirley, LA Observed
Les Spindle, EDGE LA
Bob Verini, Variety, ArtsinLA.com, Stage Raw
Neal Weaver, Stage Raw, ArtsinLA.com
Katie Buenneke, L.A. Weekly
Lovell Estell III, Stage Raw