The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle (LADCC), Southern California’s pre‑eminent organization of professional theatre critics and journalists, is pleased to announce its 2025 Season Award winners, and to invite Award recipients, finalists, and the greater Los Angeles professional theatre community to join us for a live reception event on Monday, April 13 sponsored by the William Turner Gallery in Santa Monica’s Bergamot Station Arts complex.
The April 13 Reception is intended as an opportunity for theatre artists to freely mingle, network, and enjoy each other’s company, in a welcoming open space with no formal ceremony or speeches. For more information on the reception event, see the RSVP information below.
2025 THEATRE SEASON AWARD WINNERS
Selected from our previously announced Season Award finalists, the Recipients in each category are:
- BEST PRODUCTION:
- Cambodian Rock Band; East West Players
- Evanston Salt Costs Climbing; Rogue Machine Theatre
- Some Like It Hot; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre
- McCULLOH AWARD FOR BEST REVIVAL: Joe Turner’s Come and Gone; A Noise Within
- DIRECTION: Steven Robman; Corktown ’39; Rogue Machine Theatre
- LEAD PERFORMANCE:
- Hugo Armstrong; Evanston Salt Costs Climbing; Rogue Machine Theatre
- Kasey Mahaffy; One Man, Two Guv’nors; A Noise Within
- Ann Noble; Corktown ’39; Rogue Machine Theatre
- FEATURED PERFORMANCE: Alex Morris; Joe Turner’s Come and Gone; A Noise Within
- SOLO PERFORMANCE: Robert Bailey; In Some Dark Valley; Moving Arts
- ENSEMBLE: Evanston Salt Costs Climbing; Rogue Machine Theatre cast
- WRITING (ORIGINAL): Amy Dellagiarino; Hello, My Name is…; Moving Arts
- WRITING (ADAPTATION): Matthew Lopez & Amber Ruffin; Some Like It Hot; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre
- SCORE (MUSIC & LYRICS): Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman; Some Like It Hot; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre
- MUSIC DIRECTION:
- Mark Binns; Some Like It Hot; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre
- Annbrit duChateau; Old Friends; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre
- CHOREOGRAPHY: Casey Nicholaw; Some Like It Hot; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre
- SCENIC DESIGN: Mark Mendelson; Corktown ’39; Rogue Machine Theatre
- LIGHTING DESIGN: Anna Watson; Paranormal Activity; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre
- COSTUME DESIGN:
- Gregg Barnes; Some Like It Hot; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre
- Nikiya Mathis (Hair and Wig); Jaja’s African Hair Braiding; Center Theatre Group: Mark Taper Forum
- SOUND DESIGN: Gareth Fry; Paranormal Activity; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre
- VISUAL EFFECTS DESIGN
- Finn Caldwell and Nick Barnes Life of Pi; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre
- Chris Fisher and Jamie Harrison; Harry Potter and the Cursed Child; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre
The above 2025 season award winners join our previously announced list of SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD HONOREES:
- GORDON DAVIDSON AWARD for distinguished contribution to L.A. theatre: Gary Grossman
- MARGARET HARFORD AWARD for sustained excellence in theatre arts: Latino Theater Company
- POLLY WARFIELD AWARD for outstanding 2025 season: Rogue Machine Theatre
- JOEL HIRSCHHORN AWARD for outstanding achievement in Musical Theatre: Musical Theatre Guild
- MILTON KATSELAS AWARD for career achievement in Direction: Gregg T. Daniel
- TED SCHMITT AWARD for outstanding World Premiere playscript:
- CORKTOWN ’39 by John Fazakerley (Rogue Machine Theatre)
- YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO THE END OF THE WORLD! by Keiko Green (South Coast Repertory)
- TECHNICAL DESIGN AWARD for career excellence in design: Joel Daavid
- THEATER ANGEL AWARD for outstanding arts support: The Perenchio Foundation
- SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARDS:
- Victoria Hoffman: casting director
- Karyl Lynn Burns: Rubicon Theatre co-founder
IN-PERSON LADCC AWARDS RECEPTION:
Where: William Turner Gallery
2525 Michigan Ave. E-1
Santa Monica, CA 90404
When: Monday, 13 April 2026
Arrive anytime between 6:30 – 8:30 pm
What: An opportunity to celebrate L.A. theatre and socialize with colleagues without formal ceremony or speeches. Wine bar and light hors d’oeuvres. Award Plaques will be available for recipient pick up, or delivered at a later date.
Cost: No admission charge; a suggested donation of $15 in support of the LADCC
(a 501(c)(3) non-profit) can be made at this website.
Special thanks to our Reception Event sponsors:
William Turner Gallery, Custom Awards & Engraving Ventura, Batch-22, Max Ash
Congratulations to the 2025 Season Award Recipients and Special Achievement Honorees—and to the entire Los Angeles Theatre Community!
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 and Awards Chair Philip Brandes (Stage Raw, ArtsBeatLA), Vice President and Website/Social Media Chair Patrick Chavis (LA Theatre Bites, The Orange Curtain Review), Treasurer Hoyt Hilsman (Cultural Daily), Co-Secretaries Martίn Hernández (Stage Raw) and Anita W. Harris (LATheatrix.com).
The current membership of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle also includes: Katie Buenneke (Stage Raw, TheaterDigest.substack.com), Amanda Callas (BroadwayWorld, Discover Hollywood Magazine), Lovell Estell III (Stage Raw), F. Kathleen Foley (Stage Raw), Travis Michael Holder (TicketHoldersLA.com), Edward Hong (The Nerds of Color), Harker Jones (BroadwayWorld, Arts in LA), Deborah Klugman (Stage Raw), Dana Martin (Stage Raw), Myron Meisel (Stage Raw), Terry Morgan (ArtsBeatLA), Elaine Mura (Splash Magazines), Tracey Paleo (Gia On the Move, BroadwayWorld), Ed Rampell (People’s World), Melinda Schupmann (ShowMag.com, ArtsInLA.com), Jonas Schwartz-Owen (Theatermania, BroadwayWorld), Don Shirley (Angeles Stage on Substack), Socks Whitmore (Stage Raw), and Honorary Member Steven Leigh Morris (Stage Raw).