Theater News

Center Theatre Group, LA Theatre Works, Pasadena Playhouse, and More Recognized by the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle

Nominations have been announced for the 45th annual awards.

Bethany Rickwald

Los Angeles

January 27, 2014

A dance of the vampires in Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty. — A dance of the vampires in Matthew Bourne's *Sleeping Beauty*.
(© Mikah Smillie)

The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle has announced the 2013 nominations and special awards for excellence in Los Angeles, Orange County, and Ventura County theater. The 45th annual Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards ceremony will take place on March 17 at The Colony Theatre.

James Roday (Red Dog Squadron, Co-owner of the Circle Theatre) is currently scheduled to host the event, which will feature performances by Constance Jewell Lopez (Dreamgirls at DOMA Theatre Co. at The MET Theatre) as well as LA theatre favorites Beth Malone and Lowe Taylor. Presenters will include David Kurs (Deaf West Theatre), Gates McFadden (Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA), Nicole Parker (Funny Girl with 3–D Theatricals at Plummer Auditorium), Stephen Sachs (Fountain Theatre), and Lisa Wolpe (LA Women's Shakespeare Company). Additional performers and presenters will be announced at a later date.

Awards will be given in 19 categories, along with six special awards.

The 2013 special award recipients are as follows:

• The Ted Schmitt Award for the World Premiere of an Outstanding New Play will be awarded to Kemp Powers for One Night in Miami … The award is accompanied by an offer to publish by Samuel French, Inc.

• The Polly Warfield Award for an Excellent Season in a Small to Midsize Theatre will be awarded to Actors Co-op. The award is accompanied by an honorarium, funded by the Nederlander Organization.

• The Margaret Harford Award for Sustained Excellence in Theatre will be awarded to LA Theatre Works. The award is accompanied by an honorarium, funded by The Knitting Factory Entertainment Company.

• The Joel Hirschhorn Award for Outstanding Achievement in Musical Theatre will be awarded to David Elzer. The award is accompanied by an honorarium, funded by an anonymous donor.

• The Milton Katselas Award for Career or Special Achievement in Direction will be awarded to Bart DeLorenzo. 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 Kinetic Lighting Award for Outstanding Achievement in Theatrical Design. Kinetic Lighting is an award-winning rental house that supplies and supports the theatre community throughout Southern California. The inaugural recipient of the Kinetic Lighting Award is Angela Balogh Calin for her sustained achievement in costume design.

The 2013 nominees are as follows:

Production

• A Family Thing, Chris Fields and Lauren Bass, The Echo Theater Company at Stage 52

• One Night in Miami…, John Perrin Flynn and Roxanne Hart, Rogue Machine Theatre

• Our Class, Son of Semele Ensemble, Atwater Village Theatre

• The Nether, Center Theatre Group, Kirk Douglas Theatre

• The Scottsboro Boys, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre

• Walking the Tightrope, Debbie Devine and Jay McAdams, 24th Street Theater

• We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, From the German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years 1884–1915, Joseph Stern and The Matrix Theatre Company, The Matrix Theatre

McCulloh Award for Revival

• A View From the Bridge, Valerie Havey, Julianne Figueroa, Sara Newman-Martins, Robert Cannon, and Marilyn Fox, Pacific Resident Theatre

• Dreamgirls, Mike Abramson and Dolf Ramos, DOMA Theatre Co. at The MET Theatre

• The Fantasticks, South Coast Repertory

• The Normal Heart, Deborah Lawlor and Stephen Sachs, The Fountain Theatre

Direction

• T.J. Dawson, Parade, 3–D Theatricals at Plummer Auditorium

• Amanda Dehnert, The Fantasticks, South Coast Repertory Theatre

• Nancy Keystone, Alcestis, The Theatre @ Boston Court

• Jessica Kubzansky, R II, The Theatre @ Boston Court

• Matthew McCray, Our Class, Son of Semele Ensemble at Atwater Village Theatre

• Todd Nielsen, Master Class, International City Theatre

Writing

• Johnna Adams, Gidion's Knot, Furious Theatre Company at Carrie Hamilton Theatre at Pasadena Playhouse

• Allen Barton, Years to the Day, Skylight Theatre Company at Beverly Hills Playhouse

• Stephen Adly Guirgis, The Motherfucker With the Hat, South Coast Repertory

• Jennifer Haley, The Nether, Kirk Douglas Theatre

Writing (Adaptation)

• Richard Alger, Track 3, Theatre Movement Bazaar and Bootleg Theater at Bootleg Theater

• Nancy Keystone, Alcestis, The Theatre @ Boston Court

Musical Score

• John Kander and Fred Ebb, The Scottsboro Boys, Ahmanson Theatre
Music Direction

• Eric Heinly, A Midsummer Saturday Night's Fever Dream, Troubadour Theater Company at Falcon Theatre

• Corey Hirsch, A Man of No Importance, Good People Theater Company at Lillian Theater

• David Lamoureux, Parade, 3–D Theatricals at Plummer Auditorium

• Chris Raymond, Dreamgirls, DOMA Theatre Co. at The MET Theatre

• Ross Seligman, One Night With Janis Joplin, Pasadena Playhouse

Choreography

• Matthew Bourne, Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty, Ahmanson Theatre

• Tina Kronis, Track 3, Theatre Movement Bazaar and Bootleg Theater at Bootleg Theater

• Kelly Todd, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Chance Theater

• Rae Toledo, Dreamgirls, DOMA Theatre Co. at The MET Theatre

Lead Performance

• Tony Abatemarco, Red, International City Theatre

• Gigi Bermingham, Master Class, International City Theatre

• Tim Cummings, The Normal Heart, The Fountain Theatre

• Mary Bridget Davies, One Night With Janis Joplin, Pasadena Playhouse

• Dana Delany, The Parisian Woman, South Coast Repertory

• Constance Jewell Lopez, Dreamgirls, DOMA Theatre Co. at The MET Theatre

• Perry Ojeda, The Fantasticks, South Coast Repertory

• Nicole Parker, Funny Girl, 3–D Theatricals at Plummer Auditorium

• Jeff Skowron, Parade, 3–D Theatricals at Plummer Auditorium

• Paige Lindsey White, Walking the Tightrope, 24th Street Theatre

• Michael Yavnieli, Years to the Day, Skylight Theatre Company at Beverly Hills Playhouse

Featured Performance

• Christian Barillas, The Motherfucker With the Hat, South Coast Repertory

• Sabrina Elayne Carten, One Night With Janis Joplin, Pasadena Playhouse

• Nate Dendy, The Fantasticks, South Coast Repertory

• Michael Nehring, Our Class, Son of Semele Ensemble at Atwater Village Theatre

• Welton Thomas Pitchford, Dreamgirls, DOMA Theatre Co. at The MET Theatre

• Elizabeth Regen, A Family Thing, The Echo Theater Company at Stage 52

• Patrick Stafford, Red, International City Theatre

Ensemble Performance

• One Night in Miami…, Rogue Machine Theatre

• Our Class, Son of Semele Ensemble at Atwater Village Theatre

• The Fantasticks, South Coast Repertory

• The Scottsboro Boys, Ahmanson Theatre

• We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, From the German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years 1884–1915, Matrix Theatre

Solo Performance

• Lorenzo Pisoni, Humor Abuse, Mark Taper Forum

Set Design

• Lez Brotherston, Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty, Ahmanson Theatre

• Danny Cistone, Cops and Friends of Cops, VS. Theatre

• Adrian W. Jones, The Nether, Kirk Douglas Theatre

• Jeanine A. Ringer, Pericles, Prince of Tyre, A Noise Within Theatre

Lighting Design

• Ken Booth, Pericles, Prince of Tyre, A Noise Within

• Paule Constable, Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty, Ahmanson Theatre

• Christopher Kuhl, The Nether, Kirk Douglas Theatre

• Jeremy Pivnick, R II, The Theatre @ Boston Court