The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle (LADCC), Southern California’s preeminent organization of professional theatre critics and journalists, is pleased to announce its 2024 Season Award Finalists and Special Award Honorees for theatrical excellence.
SPECIAL AWARD HONOREES
Each year, LADCC presents a set of awards recognizing sustained achievements in L.A. theatre as determined by consensus and selection by LADCC voting membership. This year’s Special Award Honorees are:
POLLY WARFIELD AWARD for an outstanding 2024 season: The Road Theatre Company, led by Taylor Gilbert (Founder and Artistic Director) and Sam Anderson (Artistic Director).
GORDON DAVIDSON AWARD for distinguished contributions to the Los Angeles Theatrical Community: John Perrin Flynn, Co-founder and former Artistic Director of Rogue Machine Theatre from 2008 through 2024.
JOEL HIRSCHHORN AWARD for outstanding achievement in musical theatre: East West Players; since 1965 the company has provided opportunities for talented Asian American theatre artists to demonstrate artistic excellence outside the confines of traditional casting.
MILTON KATSELAS AWARD for career or special achievement in direction: Stephen Sachs, Co-founder and former Artistic Director of the Fountain Theatre from 1990 through 2024.
MARGARET HARFORD AWARD for sustained excellence in theatre: Marilyn Fox, Artistic Director of Pacific Resident Theatre since 1995.
TED SCHMITT AWARD for the World Premiere of an outstanding new play: Tom Jacobson for CREVASSE, presented by The Victory Theatre Center & Son of Semele.
TECHNICAL DESIGN AWARD: John Zalewski, sound designer and composer for large and small theatre productions in Southern California and nationwide since 1995.
LADCC COMMUNITY IMPACT AWARD — This year LADCC gives special recognition to the Hollywood Fringe Festival for 15 years of unique contributions in nurturing and expanding artistic frontiers in the greater Los Angeles theatre scene and its milestone achievements as a resource for producing, organizing, and enabling theatre artists to present new work. The Festival’s dedication to equity, education, and economic exchange with local artists at all stages of their careers has had a profound impact on the greater Los Angeles theatre arts community.
2024 AWARD CATEGORY FINALISTS
In 2024, LADCC voting members attended 116 productions eligible for consideration in 17 award categories. From 473 initial member nominations, members voted the following 85 Finalists from 21 shows presented by 17 companies from the greater Los Angeles theatre community.
Award recipients will be revealed in an upcoming announcement in connection with a live Reception Event for the theatre community.
Finalists by Award Category
BEST PRODUCTION
A Strange Loop; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre)
Fat Ham; Geffen Playhouse
Company; Hollywood Pantages Theatre
Crevasse; Victory Theatre Center and Son of Semele
Dido of Idaho; Echo Theater Company
Funny Girl; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre) and Segerstrom Hall
Reefer Madness: The Musical; Independently produced @ The Whitley
McCULLOH AWARD FOR BEST REVIVAL
Company; Hollywood Pantages Theatre
Funny Girl; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre) and Segerstrom Hall
Reefer Madness: The Musical; Independently produced @ The Whitley
The Piano Lesson; A Noise Within
DIRECTION
Abigail Deser; Dido of Idaho; Echo Theater Company
Marianne Elliott; Company; Hollywood Pantages Theatre
Matthew McCray; Crevasse; Victory Theatre Center and Son of Semele
Sideeq Heard and Saheem Ali; Fat Ham; Geffen Playhouse
Spencer Liff; Reefer Madness: The Musical; Independently produced @ The Whitley
LEAD PERFORMANCE
Ron Bottitta; Fatherland; Fountain Theatre
Darcy Rose Byrnes; Reefer Madness: The Musical; Independently produced @ The Whitley
Alana Dietz; Dido of Idaho; Echo Theater Company
Patrick Keleher; Fatherland; Fountain Theatre
Leo Marks; Crevasse; Victory Theatre Center and Son of Semele
Katerina McCrimmon; Funny Girl; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre) and Segerstrom Hall
Ann Noble; Crevasse; Victory Theatre Center and Son of Semele
Anthony Norman; Reefer Madness: The Musical; Independently produced @ The Whitley
Marcel Spears; Fat Ham; Geffen Playhouse
Michael Sturgis; Clarkston; Echo Theater Company
FEATURED PERFORMANCE
Nikki Crawford; Fat Ham; Geffen Playhouse
Thomas Dekker; Reefer Madness: The Musical; Independently produced @ The Whitley
Nicole DuPort; Dido of Idaho; Echo Theater Company
Izaiah Montaque Harris; Funny Girl; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre) and Segerstrom Hall
Melissa Manchester; Funny Girl; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre) and Segerstrom Hall
John-Andrew Morrison; A Strange Loop; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre) and Segerstrom Hall
Ann Noble; The Skin of Our Teeth; A Noise Within
Eileen T’Kaye; Funny Girl; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre) and Segerstrom Hall
Nicole Parker; Reefer Madness: The Musical; Independently produced @ The Whitley
Bryan Daniel Porter; Reefer Madness: The Musical; Independently produced @ The Whitley
SOLO PERFORMANCE
Kate Berlant; Kate; Pasadena Playhouse
Alex Edelman; Alex Edelman’s Just for Us; Center Theatre Group (Mark Taper Forum)
Helder Guimarães; The Hope Theory; Geffen Playhouse
Sara Porkalob; Dragon Lady; Geffen Playhouse
ENSEMBLE
Reefer Madness; Independently produced @ The Whitley
A Strange Loop; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre)
Arrowhead; IAMA Theatre Company
Crevasse; Victory Theatre Center and Son of Semele
Fat Ham; Geffen Playhouse
Pacific Overtures; East West Players
WRITING — ORIGINAL
Samuel D. Hunter; Clarkston; Echo Theater Company
Michael R. Jackson; A Strange Loop; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre)
Catya McMullen; Arrowhead; IAMA Theatre Company
Abby Rosebrock; Dido of Idaho; Echo Theater Company
WRITING — ADAPTATION
David Lindsay-Abaire; Kimberly Akimbo; Hollywood Pantages Theatre
James Ijames; Fat Ham; Geffen Playhouse
MUSIC & LYRICS
Jeff Gardner; The Piano Lesson; A Noise Within
Michael R. Jackson; A Strange Loop; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre)
Mel Mercier; Waiting for Godot; Geffen Playhouse
Jeanine Tesori/David Lindsay-Abaire; Kimberly Akimbo; Hollywood Pantages Theatre
ORCHESTRATION & MUSIC DIRECTION
Elaine Davidson (Music Direction); Funny Girl; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre) and Segerstrom Hall
David Lamoureux (Music Direction); Reefer Madness; Independently produced @ The Whitley
Marc Macalintal (Music Direction); Pacific Overtures; East West Players
Chris Walker (Orchestration); Funny Girl; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre) and Segerstrom Hall
CHOREOGRAPHY
Spencer Liff/Maxx Reed; Reefer Madness; Independently Produced @ the Whitley
Raja Feather Kelly; A Strange Loop; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre)
Ellenore Scott/Ayodele Casel; Funny Girl; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre) and Segerstrom Hall
Yuka Takara/Nakamura Gankyō; Pacific Overtures; East West Players
LIGHTING DESIGN
Kevin Adams; Funny Girl; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre) and Segerstrom Hall
Bradley King; Fat Ham; Geffen Playhouse
Azra King-Abadi; Crevasse; Victory Theatre Center and Son of Semele
Matt Richter; Reefer Madness: The Musical; Independently produced @ The Whitley
SCENIC DESIGN
Katrina Coulorides; Mercury; Road Theatre Company
Maruti Evans; Fat Ham; Geffen Playhouse
Arnulfo Maldonado; A Strange Loop; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre)
Lee Savage; Clue; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre)
COSTUME DESIGN
Montana Levi Blanco; A Strange Loop; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre)
Susan Helferty; Funny Girl; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre) and Segerstrom Hall
Pinwheel Pinwheel; Reefer Madness; Independently produced @ The Whitley
Naomi Yoshida; Pacific Overtures; East West Players
SOUND DESIGN
Charles Glaudini/David Lamoureux; Reefer Madness: The Musical; Independently produced @ The Whitley
Christopher Moscatiello; Monsters of the American Cinema; Rogue Machine Theatre
Robert Oriol; The Skin of Our Teeth; A Noise Within
Mikaal Sulaiman; Fat Ham; Geffen Playhouse
VISUAL EFFECTS DESIGN
Nicholas Santiago; Crevasse; Victory Theatre Center and Son of Semele
Skylar Fox; Fat Ham; Geffen Playhouse
Citation Totals by Production
Reefer Madness: The Musical; The Whitley; 14 nominations
Funny Girl; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre) and Segerstrom Hall; 11 nominations
Fat Ham; Geffen Playhouse; 10 nominations
A Strange Loop; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre); 8 nominations
Crevasse; Victory Theatre Center and Son of Semele; 7 nominations
Dido of Idaho; Echo Theater Company; 5 nominations
Pacific Overtures; East West Players; 4 nominations
Company; Hollywood Pantages Theatre; 3 nominations
Arrowhead; IAMA Theatre Company; 2 nominations
Clarkston; Echo Theater Company; 2 nominations
Fatherland; The Fountain Theatre; 2 nominations
Kimberly Akimbo; Hollywood Pantages Theatre; 2 nominations
The Piano Lesson; A Noise Within; 2 nominations
The Skin of Our Teeth; A Noise Within; 2 nominations
Alex Edelman’s Just for Us; Center Theatre Group (Mark Taper Forum); 1 nomination
Clue; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre); 1 nomination
Dragon Lady; Geffen Playhouse; 1 nomination
Kate; Pasadena Playhouse; 1 nomination
Mercury; The Road Theatre Company; 1 nomination
Monsters of the American Cinema; Rogue Machine Theatre; 1 nomination
The Hope Theory; Geffen Playhouse; 1 nomination
Waiting for Godot; Geffen Playhouse; 1 nomination
Citation Totals by Presenting Companies
Center Theatre Group; 21 nominations
The Whitley; 14 nominations
Geffen Playhouse; 13 nominations
Segerstrom Hall; 11 nominations
Echo Theater Company; 7 nominations
Victory Theatre Center and Son of Semele; 7 nominations
Hollywood Pantages Theatre; 5 nominations
A Noise Within; 4 nominations
East West Players; 4 nominations
The Fountain Theatre; 2 nominations
IAMA Theatre Company; 2 nominations
Pasadena Playhouse; 1 nomination
The Road Theatre Company; 1 nomination
Rogue Machine Theatre; 1 nomination
Congratulations to all the 2024 Award Finalists and Special Award Honorees!
ABOUT LADCC
Founded in 1969, the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle is a nonprofit association of professional journalists dedicated to excellence in theatrical criticism and to the encouragement and support of theatre arts in Los Angeles, Orange, and Ventura counties (“Greater Los Angeles”).
Current officers consist of President Terry Morgan, Vice President Dana Martin, Treasurer Hoyt Hilsman, Co-Secretaries Martίn Hernández and Anita W. Harris, Website/Social Media Chair Patrick Chavis, Fundraising Chair Katie Buenneke, and Awards Co-Chairs Philip Brandes and Tracey Paleo.
The current 2025 membership of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle (in alphabetical order): Philip Brandes (Stage Raw, Santa Barbara Independent), Katie Buenneke (Stage Raw, TheaterDigest.substack.com), Amanda Callas (BroadwayWorld, Discover Hollywood Magazine), Patrick Chavis (LA Theatre Bites, The Orange Curtain Review), F. Kathleen Foley (Stage Raw), Anita W. Harris (LATheatrix.com), Martίn Hernández (Stage Raw), Hoyt Hilsman (Cultural Daily), Travis Michael Holder (TicketHoldersLA.com), Edward Hong (The Nerds of Color), Deborah Klugman (Stage Raw), Harker Jones (BroadwayWorld), Dana Martin (Stage Raw), Myron Meisel (Stage Raw), Terry Morgan (ArtsBeatLA), Honorary Member Steven Leigh Morris (Stage Raw), Tracey Paleo (Gia On the Move, BroadwayWorld), Melinda Schupmann (ShowMag.com, ArtsInLA.com), Jonas Schwartz-Owen (Theatermania, BroadwayWorld), Don Shirley (Angeles Stage on Substack), and Socks Whitmore (Stage Raw).