The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle (LADCC) has announced its nominations and special awards for excellence in Los Angeles, Orange County and Ventura County theatre for the year 2016 (Dec. 1, 2015 – Nov. 30, 2016). The 48th annual LADCC awards ceremony will take place on Monday, March 20, 2017, at the Colony Theatre at Burbank Town Center, 555 North 3^rd Street, Burbank. (There is ample, free, on-site parking.)

All event tickets are $40 and can be purchased at 2017criticsawards.brownpapertickets.com (a small service fee applies) or at the door if available. (Purchased tickets will be held at Will Call.) Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for a reception with hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. The show will commence at 7:30 p.m. Further information will be found at www.ladramacriticscircle.com. Inquiries and nominee RSVPs to: criticsawards2017@gmail.com.

Wenzel Jones, a co-host on IMRU, the LGBTQI Radio News Magazine on KPFK 90.7, will host the ceremony. Corey Hirsch, recipient of a 2014 LADCC award for A Man of No Importance, will appear as music director for the fourth consecutive year.

One or more plaques will be presented in each of 17 categories. Two of those achievements have already been voted plaques. For Solo Performance, Deborah Puette will be honored for Captain of the Bible Quiz Team, produced by Rogue Machine Theatre. An award for Fight Choreography will be presented to Jen Albert for Punch and Judy, produced by the School of Night at the Ruby Theater at the Complex. In addition, 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 Antaeus Theatre Company. The award is accompanied by an honorarium, sponsor to be announced.

The Polly Warfield Award for an excellent season in a small to mid-size theatre will be awarded to Rogue Machine Theatre. The award is accompanied by an honorarium funded by the Nederlander Organization.

The Ted Schmitt Award for the world premiere of an outstanding new play goes to Aliza Goldstein for A Singular They, originally produced by the Blank Theatre. The award is accompanied by an honorarium funded by an anonymous donor.

The Kinetic Lighting Award for outstanding achievement in theatrical design goes to lighting designer Jared A. Sayeg. The award is accompanied by an honorarium funded by Kinetic Lighting.

The Joel Hirschhorn Award for outstanding achievement in musical theatre goes to Cabrillo Music Theatre. The award is accompanied by an honorarium, sponsor to be announced.

The Milton Katselas Award for career or special achievement in direction goes to Maria Gobetti. The award is accompanied by an honorarium funded by the Beverly Hills Playhouse.

The LADCC is pleased to announce the creation of a new award, the Gordon Davidson Award for distinguished contribution to the Los Angeles theatrical community. Established in honor of the late Gordon Davidson, founding artistic director of the Center Theatre Group, this award will be presented to I Love 99.

The nominees for the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards for theatrical excellence in 2015 are as follows:

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.
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.

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 2016 membership consisted of:

Pauline Adamek, ArtsBeatLA.com, Stage Raw

Paul Birchall, Stage Raw

Katie Buenneke, L.A. Weekly

Lovell Estell III, Stage Raw

Shirle Gottlieb, Gazette Newspapers, StageHappenings.com

Margaret Gray, Los Angeles Times

Hoyt Hilsman, The Huffington Post

Deborah Klugman, ArtsBeatLA.com, Stage Raw, LA Weekly

Jenny Lower, Stage Raw, LA Weekly

Jon Magaril, CurtainUp.com

Dany Margolies, ArtsInLA.com, The Daily Breeze, The Daily News

Myron Meisel, Stage Raw