Theater News

Into the Woods and More Shows Win Boston's Elliot Norton Awards

Ryan Landry received the annual Elliot Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence.

The cast of the Elliot Norton Award-winning production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Into the Woods at the Lyric Stage Company of Boston.
The cast of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Into the Woods at the Lyric Stage Company of Boston.

(© Mark S. Howard)

Awards were presented to more than 25 outstanding actors, directors, designers, and ensembles tonight by the Boston Theater Critics Association (BTCA), at the 33rd annual Elliot Norton Awards ceremony, held at Boston’s Citi Performing Arts Center Shubert Theatre.

Winners are preceded by an asterisk.

Outstanding Visiting Production

The Trip to Bountiful (ArtsEmerson and Jonathan Reinis Productions in Association with Center Theatre Group, presenters)
*Bedlam’s Saint Joan (Bedlam, presented by Underground Railway Theater)
The Mikado (The Hypocrites presented by American Repertory Theater)

Outstanding Production by a Large Resident Theater

*The Shape She Makes (American Repertory Theater)
The Tempest (American Repertory Theater in association with The Smith Center for the Performing Arts)
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Huntington Theatre Company)

Outstanding Production by a Midsize Theater

Bad Jews (SpeakEasy Stage Company)
Necessary Monsters (SpeakEasy Stage Company)
*God’s Ear (Actors’ Shakespeare Project)

Outstanding Production by a Small Theater

*Albatross (Mike Seiden and The Poets’ Theatre)
The Big Meal (Zeitgeist Stage Company)
Shockheaded Peter (Company One and Suffolk University, presenters)

Outstanding Production by a Fringe Theater

*Stupid F***ing Bird (Apollinaire Theatre Company)
Two Boys Lost (Stickball Productions)
It Felt Empty When the Heart Went at First But It Is Alright Now (Theatre on Fire and Charlestown Working Theater)

Outstanding Actor, Large Theater

Martin Moran, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Huntington Theatre Company)
Fred Sullivan Jr., Twelfth Night (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company)
*Tom Nelis, The Tempest (American Repertory Theater in association with The Smith Center for the Performing Arts)

Outstanding Actress, Large Theater

Cicely Tyson, The Trip to Bountiful (ArtsEmerson and Jonathan Reinis Productions in Association with Center Theatre Group presenters)
Brooke Adams, Happy Days (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company in association with The Theatre @ Boston Court)
*Finnerty Steeves, The Shape She Makes (American Repertory Theater)

Outstanding Actor, Midsize Theater

Victor L. Shopov, Bad Jews (SpeakEasy Stage Company)
*Nael Nacer, Intimate Apparel (Lyric Stage Company of Boston)
Jermel Nakia, Fences (Gloucester Stage Company)

Outstanding Actress, Midsize Theater

Andrus Nichols, Bedlam’s Saint Joan (Bedlam, presented by Underground Railway Theater)
Lindsey McWhorter, Intimate Apparel (Lyric Stage Company of Boston)
*Tamara Hickey, God’s Ear (Actors’ Shakespeare Project)

Outstanding Actor, Small or Fringe Theater

*Victor L. Shopov, Bent (Zeitgeist Stage Company)
Benjamin Lewin, Good Television (Zeitgeist Stage Company)
Devon Scalisi, The Big Meal (Zeitgeist Stage Company)

Outstanding Actress, Small or Fringe Theater

*Lee Mikeska Gardner, Emilie: La Marquise du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight (Nora Theatre Company)
Becca A. Lewis, The Big Meal (Zeitgeist Stage Company)
Lesley Anne Moreau, Language of Angels (Happy Medium Theatre Company)

Outstanding Musical Production

Finding Neverland (American Repertory Theater, presented by special arrangement with Harvey Weinstein)
*Into the Woods (Lyric Stage Company of Boston)
Snow White and the Seven Bottoms (Gold Dust Orphans)
The Musical of Musicals (the Musical!) (Moonbox Productions)

Outstanding Musical Performance by an Actor

*Steven Bargonetti, Father Comes Home From the Wars (American Repertory Theater and The Public Theater)
Walter Sickert, Shockheaded Peter (Company One and Suffolk University, presenters)
Casey Preston, Jesus Christ, It’s Christmas! (Gold Dust Orphans)

Outstanding Musical Performance by an Actress

Laura Michelle Kelly, Finding Neverland (American Repertory Theater, presented by special arrangement with Harvey Weinstein)
*Aimee Doherty, Into the Woods (Lyric Stage Company of Boston) and Far From Heaven (SpeakEasy Stage Company)
Leigh Barrett, Closer Than Ever (New Repertory Theatre) and City of Angels (Lyric Stage Company of Boston)

Outstanding Director, Large Theater

Jonathan Bernstein, The Shape She Makes (American Repertory Theater)
*Teller and Aaron Posner, The Tempest (American Repertory Theater in association with The Smith Center for the Performing Arts)
Sean Graney, The Mikado (The Hypocrites, presented by American Repertory Theater)

Outstanding Director, Midsize Production

Eric Tucker, Bedlam’s Saint Joan (Bedlam, presented by Underground Railway Theater)
*Spiro Veloudos, Into the Woods (Lyric Stage Company of Boston)
David R. Gammons, Necessary Monsters (SpeakEasy Stage Company)

Outstanding Director, Small or Fringe Theater

David J. Miller, Bent and The Big Meal (Zeitgeist Stage Company)
*Natsu Onoda Power, Astro Boy and the God of Comics (Company One)
James P. Byrne, Snow White and the Seven Bottoms (Gold Dust Orphans)

Outstanding New Script

*Father Comes Home From the Wars, by Suzan-Lori Parks (American Repertory Theater and the Public Theater)
Albatross, by Matthew Spangler and Benjamin Evett (Mike Seiden and The Poets’ Theatre)
Two Boys Lost, by Bill Doncaster (Stickball Productions)

Outstanding Solo Performance

Celeste Oliva, Grounded (Nora Theatre Company)
*Benjamin Evett, Albatross (Mike Seiden and The Poets’ Theatre)
Robbie McCauley, Jazz ‘n Class (Sleeping Weazel)

Outstanding Choreography

*Susan Misner, The Shape She Makes (American Repertory Theater)
Mia Michaels, Finding Neverland (American Repertory Theater, presented by special arrangement with Harvey Weinstein)
Emma Rice, Tristan & Yseult (Kneehigh, presented by ArtsEmerson)

Outstanding Design, Large Theater

The Tempest: Scenic design by Daniel Conway, Costumes by Paloma Young, Lighting by Christopher Akerlind, Sound by Darron L. West, Magic by Johnny Thompson (American Repertory Theater in association with The Smith Center for the Performing Arts)
*The Second Girl: Scenic and costume design by Santo Loquasto, Lighting by James F. Ingalls, Sound by Ben Emerson (Huntington Theatre Company)
Sontag: Reborn: Video design by Austin Switser, Sound by Dan Dobson, Lighting by Laura Mroczkowski, Set by Joshua Higgason, Associate video design by Jesse Garrison, Costumes by Andreea Mincic, Makeup by Dick Page (The Builders Association and New York Theatre Workshop, presented by ArtsEmerson)

Outstanding Design, Midsize, Small or Fringe Theater

Far From Heaven: Scenic design by Eric Levenson, Costumes by Charles Schoonmaker, Lighting by Karen Perlow, Sound by Noah Thomas (SpeakEasy Stage Company)
Shockheaded Peter: Scenic design by Michael Anania, Lighting by Justin Paice, Costumes by Miranda Giurleo, Sound by Joel Simches, Props by Brendan Conroy, Masks and Puppetry by Eric Bornstein (Company One and Suffolk University)
*Astro Boy and the God of Comics: Scenic design by Natsu Onoda Power, Projections by Jared Mezzocchi, Lighting by Justin Paice, Costumes by Tyler Kinney, Sound by Kelsey Jarboe, Props by Megan F. Kinneen (Company One)

Outstanding Ensemble, Large Theater

The Mikado (The Hypocrites, presented by American Repertory Theater)
Tristan & Yseult (Kneehigh, presented by ArtsEmerson)
*The Colored Museum (Huntington Theatre Company)

Outstanding Ensemble, Midsize, Small or Fringe Theater

*Bedlam’s Saint Joan (Bedlam, presented by Underground Railway Theater)
Bad Jews (SpeakEasy Stage Company)
The Big Meal (Zeitgeist Stage Company)

Elliot Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence

Ryan Landry, Gold Dust Orphans impresario and authorial genius, whose bawdy, irresistible parodistic extravaganzas have made the Ramrod Center for the Performing Arts the least stiff and most exuberant theater venue in town.