50TH ANNUAL CELEBRATION
OF LOCAL THEATRE
BY LOS ANGELES DRAMA CRITICS CIRCLE
KICKS OFF WITH 2018 NOMINATIONS
February 15, 2019…Los Angeles…The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle (LADCC), which presented its first awards for excellence in Los Angeles, Orange County, and Ventura County a half-century ago, has begun the gala celebration of its 50th anniversary by announcing its nominations for the year 2018 (Dec. 1, 2017 – Nov. 30, 2018).
The LADCC is further thrilled to announce that this historic occasion will take place on Monday, April 8, 2019 at one of the region's most historic and beautiful theatres, Pasadena Playhouse, at 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena.
Although Pasadena Playhouse is hosting the LADCC Awards for the very first time, onstage host Wenzel Jonesof IMRU, the LGBTQI Radio News Magazine on KPFK 90.7, has served in that capacity numerous times, most recently in 2018. Noted local composer-conductor Christopher Raymond will serve in the capacity of musical director for the second consecutive year. The entire production will be in the hands of stage manager Heatherlynn Gonzalez, veteran of more than a decade's worth of LADCC service.
Standard general admission tickets are $40 and can be purchased at https://2019criticsawards.brownpapertickets.com/ (a small service fee applies) or at the door if available. All purchased tickets will be held at Will Call. The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a pre-show reception in the courtyard. The show will commence at 7:30 p.m. Nominees will receive instructions via email regarding how to claim complimentary tickets. Inquiries to: criticsawards2019@gmail.com.
One or more plaques will be presented in each of 18 categories. Seven special awards will also be presented.
The LADCC special award recipients are as follows:
The Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in theatre will be awarded to Sacred Fools Theater Company.
The Polly Warfield Award for an excellent season in a small to mid-size theatre will be awarded to Echo Theater Company.
The Ted Schmitt Award for the world premiere of an outstanding new play goes to Lauren Yee for Cambodian Rock Band, originally produced by South Coast Repertory.
The Kinetic Lighting Award for distinguished achievement in theatrical design goes to sound designer Robert Oriol.
The Joel Hirschhorn Award for distinguished achievement in musical theatre goes to McCoy Rigby Entertainment
The Milton Katselas Award for distinguished achievement in direction goes to Cameron Watson.
The Gordon Davidson Award for distinguished contribution to the Los Angeles theatrical community will be presented to Native Voices at the Autry.
The nominees for the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards for theatrical excellence in 2018 are as follows:
Production
· A Picture of Dorian Gray, A Noise Within.
· Cambodian Rock Band, South Coast Repertory.
· Come From Away, Center Theatre Group / Ahmanson Theatre.
· Cry It Out, Echo Theater Company.
· Sell/Buy/Date,Geffen Playhouse / Los Angeles LGBT Center.
· The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk, Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.
· Vietgone, East West Players.
McCulloh Award for Revival (plays written between 1920 and 1993)
· A Streetcar Named Desire, Boston Court Pasadena.
· Cabaret,Celebration Theatre.
· Cabaret,La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.
· Haiti,Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum.
· Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, A Noise Within.
· The Hothouse, Antaeus Theatre Company.
· The Little Foxes, Antaeus Theatre Company.
Lead Performance
· MaameYaa Boafo in School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play,
Center Theatre Group / Kirk Douglas Theatre.
· Graham Hamilton in The Hothouse, Antaeus Theatre Company.
· Tom Hanks in Henry IV, Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles.
· Sylvia Kwan in Vietgone, East West Players.
· Kasey Mahaffy in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, A Noise Within.
· Saundra McClain in A Raisin in the Sun, A Noise Within.
· Alex Nee in Cabaret, Celebration Theatre.
· Joe Ngo in Cambodian Rock Band, South Coast Repertory.
· Adam Peltier in Red Speedo, The Road Theatre Company.
· Conrad Ricamora in Soft Power, Center Theatre Group / Ahmanson Theatre.
· French Stewart in Finks, Rogue Machine Theatre.
· Paul Yen in Vietgone, East West Players.
Featured Performance
· JD Cullum in The Hothouse, Antaeus Theatre Company.
· John Perrin Flynn in 100 Aprils, Rogue Machine Theatre.
· Sarah Hollis in A Raisin in the Sun, A Noise Within.
· Wesley Mann in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, A Noise Within.
· Rob Nagle in The Little Foxes, Antaeus Theatre Company.
· Felix Solis in Cost of Living, TheFountain Theatre.
· Daisuke Tsuji in Cambodian Rock Band, South Coast Repertory.
Ensemble Performance
· Come From Away, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre.
· Cult of Love, IAMA Theatre Company.
· School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play, Center Theatre Group,
Kirk Douglas Theatre.
· The Little Foxes, Antaeus Theatre Company.
· Vietgone,East West Players.
Solo Performance
· Sarah Jones, Sell/Buy/Date, Geffen Playhouse / Los Angeles LGBT Center.
· Jefferson Mays, A Christmas Carol, Geffen Playhouse.
Direction
· Jennifer Chang, Vietgone, East West Players.
· Nike Doukas, The Hothouse, Antaeus Theatre Company.
· Geoff Elliott, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, A Noise Within.
· Annie Tippe, Cult of Love, IAMA Theatre Company.
· Chay Yew, Cambodian Rock Band, South Coast Repertory.
Writing
· Inda Craig-Galvin, I Go Somewhere Else, Playwrights Arena.
· Bernardo Cubría, The Giant Void in My Soul, Ammunition Theatre Company.
· Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Gloria, Echo Theater Company.
· Sarah Jones, Sell/Buy/Date, Geffen Playhouse / Los Angeles LGBT Center.
· Molly Smith Metzler, Cry It Out, Echo Theater Company.
Writing (Adaptation)
· Sean Graney, The Pirates of Penzance, Pasadena Playhouse.
· Patrick Marber, Three Days in the Country, Antaeus Theatre Company.
Musical Score
· Sara Bareilles, Waitress, Hollywood Pantages Theatre.
· Dengue Fever + others, Cambodian Rock Band, South Coast Repertory.
· Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Dear Evan Hansen, Center Theatre Group,
Ahmanson Theatre.
· Irene Sankoff and David Hein, Come From Away, Center Theatre Group,
Ahmanson Theatre.
Music Direction
· Ian Eisendrath, Come From Away, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre.
· Matthew MacNelly, Cambodian Rock Band, South Coast Repertory.
· David O, Cabaret, La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.
· Anthony Zediker, Cabaret, Celebration Theatre.
Choreography
· Janet Roston, Cabaret, Celebration Theatre.
· Dana Solimondo, Cabaret, La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.
· Sergio Trujillo, Ain’t Too Proud, Center Theatre Group /Ahmanson Theatre.
· Sergio Trujillo, On Your Feet, Hollywood Pantages Theatre.
Set Design
· Tom Burch, The Pirates of Penzance, Pasadena Playhouse.
· Stephen Gifford, Cabaret, Celebration Theatre.
· John Iacovelli, The Little Foxes, Antaeus Theatre Company.
· Stephanie Kerley Schwartz, A Raisin in the Sun, A Noise Within.
Lighting Design
· Ken Booth, Henry V, A Noise Within.
· Matthew Brian Denman, Cabaret, Celebration Theatre.
· Andrew Schmedake, Native Son, Antaeus Theatre Company.
· Steven Young, Cabaret, La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.
Costume Design
· Allison Dillard, Bliss, Or Emily Post Is Dead, Moving Arts.
· Allison Dillard, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Celebration Theatre.
· Terri A. Lewis, The Little Foxes, Antaeus Theatre Company.
· David Kay Mickelsen, Cabaret, La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.
Sound Design
· Josh Bessom, Cabaret, La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.
· Mikhail Fiksel, Cambodian Rock Band, South Coast Repertory.
· Jeff Gardner, Native Son, Antaeus Theatre Company.
· Joshua D. Reid, A Christmas Carol, Geffen Playhouse.
CGI/Video
· Lucy Mackinnon, A Christmas Carol, Geffen Playhouse.
· Kaitlyn Pietras and Jason H. Thompson, Vietgone, East West Players.
· Nicholas E. Santiago, Arrival & Departure, The Fountain Theatre.
Specialty
· Klint Flowers for Wigs and Makeup, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead,
A Noise Within.
· Thomas Isao Morinaka and Aaron Aoki for Fight Choreography, Vietgone,
East West Players.
· Dane Oliver for Fight Choreography, Haiti, Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum.
· Jim Steinmeyer for Illusions, Stagecraft, and Magic Carpet, Aladdin,
Hollywood Pantages Theatre.
Every effort has been made to ascertain proper credits for our nominees. We regret any errors or omissions. Any that come to our attention will be corrected on our LADCC website, in the event program, and (when applicable) on a recipient’s award plaque.
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 2018 membership consisted of:
Frances Baum Nicholson, Southern California News Group, Stage Struck Review
Paul Birchall, Stage Raw, Stage & Cinema
Katie Buenneke, LA Weekly, Stage Raw
Erin Conley, On Stage & Screen
Ellen Dostal, BroadwayWorld LA, Musicals in LA, The Three Tomatoes
Lovell Estell III, Stage Raw, Arts in LA
Shirle Gottlieb, Arts in LA, StageHappenings.com
Margaret Gray, Los Angeles Times
Hoyt Hilsman, Huffington Post
Deborah Klugman, Stage Raw, LA Weekly, ArtsBeatLA.com
Harker Jones, Edge Media Network
Jenny Lower, Stage Raw
Dany Margolies, ArtsInLA.com, Southern California News Group
Myron Meisel, Stage Raw
Terry Morgan, Stage Raw, TalkinBroadway.com
Steven Leigh Morris, LA Stage Alliance
Melinda Schupmann, ShowMag.com, ArtsinLA.com
Jonas Schwartz-Owen, Theatermania.com, ArtsinLA.com
Don Shirley, LA Observed
Les Spindle, EDGE LA
Rob Stevens, haineshisway
Neal Weaver, Stage Raw, ArtsinLA.com
Citations by production:
Cambodian Rock Band (South Coast Repertory)…………………………………8
Vietgone (East West Players)………………………………………………………7
Cabaret (Celebration Theatre)…………………………………………………… 6
Cabaret (La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts)………………………… 6
The Little Foxes (Antaeus Theatre Company)…………………………………….5
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (A Noise Within)……………………… 5
Come From Away (Center Theatre Group / Ahmanson Theatre)………………..4
The Hothouse (Antaeus Theatre Company)……………………………………….4
A Christmas Carol (Geffen Playhouse)……………………………………………. 3
A Raisin in the Sun (A Noise Within)………………………………………………3
Sell/Buy/Date (Geffen Playhouse / Los Angeles LGBT Center)………………… 3
Cry It Out (Echo Theater Company)……………………………………………….2
Cult of Love (IAMA Theatre Company)………………………………………… 2
Haiti (Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum)……………………………………… 2
Native Son (Antaeus Theatre Company)………………………………………….. 2
The Pirates of Penzance (Pasadena Playhouse)………………………………… 2
School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play (Center Theatre Group /
Kirk Douglas Theatre)………………………………………………………………2
100 Aprils (Rogue Machine Theatre)………………………………………………..1
Ain’t Too Proud (Center Theatre Group / Ahmanson Theatre) ………………….1
Aladdin (Hollywood Pantages Theatre)…………………………………………….1
Arrival and Departure (The Fountain Theatre)………………………………… 1
Bliss, Or Emily Post is Dead (Moving Arts) ……………………………………… 1
Cost of Living (The Fountain Theatre) ………………………………………… 1
Dear Evan Hansen (Center Theatre Group / Ahmanson Theatre) ……………….1
Finks (Rogue Machine Theatre)…………………………………………………… 1
The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk (Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts) 1
The Giant Void in My Soul (Ammunition Theatre Company)…………………… 1
Gloria (Echo Theater Company)…………………………………………………… 1
I Go Somewhere Else (Playwrights Arena)……….………………………………….1
Henry IV (The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles)………………………………. 1
Henry V (A Noise Within)…………………………………………………………… 1
On Your Feet (Hollywood Pantages Theatre)……………………………………….1
A Picture of Dorian Gray (A Noise Within)………………………………………… 1
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (Celebration Theatre)………………………………..1
Red Speedo (The Road Theatre Company)……….…………………………………1
Soft Power (Center Theatre Group / Ahmanson Theatre)…………………………1
A Streetcar Named Desire (Boston Court Pasadena)………………………………. 1
Three Days in the Country (Antaeus Theatre Company)………………………… 1
Waitress (Hollywood Pantages Theatre)…………………………………………… 1
Citations by company:
Antaeus Theatre Company…………………………………………………………….12
A Noise Within………………………………………………….………………………10
Center Theatre Group……………………………………….…………………………..9
South Coast Repertory…………………………………………………………………..8
East West Players………………………………………………………………..……… 7
Celebration Theatre………………………………………………………….………… 6
Geffen Playhouse………………………………………………………………….…… 6
La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts………………………………………… 6
Echo Theater Company…………………………………………………………..…… 4
Hollywood Pantages Theatre..................................................................................... 3
The Fountain Theatre………………………………………………………..………… 2
IAMA Theatre Company……………………………………………………………… 2
Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center……… 2
Pasadena Playhouse…………………………………………………………………….…2
Rogue Machine Theatre……………………….……..………………………………… 2
Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum………………………………………………………2
Ammunition Theatre Company………………………………………………………… 1
Boston Court Pasadena…………………………………………………………………… 1
Moving Arts…………………………………………………………………………………1
Native Voices at the Autry…………………………………………………………………1
Playwright’s Arena…………………………………………………………………………1
The Road Theatre Company……………………………………………………………….1
Sacred Fools Theater Company……………………………………………………………1
The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles..............................................................................1
Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.............................................................1
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