Boston Theater Critics Association Announces 2018 Elliot Norton Award Nominees; Huntington's MERRILY Leads with Seven Nominations

Two dozen nominations of outstanding actors, directors, designers and ensembles were announced today by The Boston Theater Critics Association for the 36th Annual Elliot Norton Awards, celebrating achievement in Boston theatre.

Among this year's nominees, Huntington's production of Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll along leads the pack with seven nominations, including Outstanding Musical Production. Three of the show's leads, Mark Unger, Aimee Doherty, and Eden Espinosa were also nominated respectively for their performances.

Wheelock Family Theatre's production of Lin-Manuel Miranda's In The Heights received five nominations, and American Repertory Theater's production of Arrabal, snagged several nominations including one for Broadway director and choreographer Sergio Trujillo.

See the full list of nominees below!

The Elliot Norton Awards are presented annually by The Boston Theater Critics Association (Don Aucoin, Jared Bowen, Terry Byrne, Carolyn Clay, Iris Fanger, Jeremy D. Goodwin, Joyce Kulhawik, Kilian Melloy, Bob Nesti, and Ed Siegel) to honor the outstanding productions, directors, designers, and performers that audiences have seen on Greater Boston stages throughout the year.

The Elliot Norton Awards are named for the eminent Boston theater critic Elliot Norton, who remained an active supporter of drama, both locally and nationally, until his death in 2003 at the age of 100. The Boston theater community carries on his legacy and can be proud of its remarkable growth at a time in our nation's history when the arts are struggling to survive.

Special and honored guests at the awards in past years comprise a Who's Who of distinguished artists who have graced Boston's stages, including: Lea DeLaria, Mary Louise Wilson, Olympia Dukakis, Chita Rivera, Tommy Tune, Al Pacino, Edward Albee, Brian Dennehy, August Wilson, Julie Harris, Sir Ian McKellen, Lynn Redgrave, and Jason Robards.

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The 2018 Elliot Norton Award nominees

Outstanding Production, Large Theatre
Beckett in Brief (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company)
A Guide for the Homesick (Huntington Theatre Company)
Skeleton Crew (Huntington Theatre Company)

Outstanding Production, Midsize Theatre
Constellations (Underground Railway Theater)
Ideation (New Repertory Theatre and the Boston Center for American Performance) Shakespeare in Love (SpeakEasy Stage Company)

Outstanding Production, Small Theatre
Elemeno Pea (Boston Playwrights' Theatre)
Hype Man: a break beat play (Company One Theatre)
The 39 Steps (Moonbox Productions)

Outstanding Production, Fringe Theatre
A Dead Man's Diary: A Theatrical Novel (Arlekin Players Theatre)
Or, (Maiden Phoenix and Simple Machine)
3/Fifths' Trapped in a Traveling Minstrel Show (Sleeping Weazel)

Outstanding Musical Production
Merrily We Roll Along (Huntington Theatre Company)
Arrabal (American Repertory Theater)
In The Heights (Wheelock Family Theatre)

Outstanding Design, Large Theatre
Arrabal (American Repertory Theater) Scenic design by Riccardo Hernandez, costumes by Clint Ramos, lighting by Vincent Colbert, sound by Peter McBoyle, projections by Peter Nigrini, wig and make-up design by Rachel Padula

Home (ArtsEmerson) Scenic design by Steven Dufala, costumes by Karen Young, lighting by Christopher Kuhl, sound by brandon wolcott, illusions by Steve Cuiffo

The Humans (Boch Center Shubert Theatre) Scenic design by David Zinn, costumes by Sarah Laux, lighting by Justin Townsend, sound by Fitz Patton.

Outstanding Design, Midsize, Small or Fringe Theatre
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (SpeakEasy Stage Company) Scenic design by Christopher and Justin Swader, costumes by Gail Astrid Buckley, lighting by Jeff Adelberg, sound by David Remedios, props by Joe Stallone

A Dead Man's Diary: A Theatrical Novel (Arlekin Players Theatre) Stage design by Nikolay Simonov, lighting by Stephen Petrelli, sound by Jakov Jakoulov, video by Svetlana Vakhutinsky and Aleksey Shemyatovsky

In The Heights (Wheelock Family Theatre) Set design by Jenna McFarland Lord, costumes by Marian Bertone, lighting by Franklin Meissner Jr., sound by Andrew Duncan Will, props by Matthew T. Lazure

Outstanding Actor, Large Theatre
McKinley Belcher III, A Guide for the Homesick (Huntington Theatre Company)
Brett Gelman, Tartuffe (Huntington Theatre Company)
Will Lyman, Beckett in Brief (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company)

Outstanding Actor, Midsize Theatre
Nancy E. Carroll, Ripcord (Huntington Theatre Company)
Toccarra Cash, Skeleton Crew (Huntington Theatre Company)
Gracyn Mix, Romeo and Juliet (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company)

Outstanding Actress, Midsize Theatre
Marianna Bassham, Constellations (Underground Railway Theater) and Julius Caesar (Actors' Shakespeare Project)
Caitlin Nasema Cassidy, Paradise (Underground Railway Theater)
Bobbie Steinbach, Julius Caesar (Actors' Shakespeare Project)

Outstanding Actor, Small or Fringe Theatre
Barlow Adamson, Elemeno Pea (Boston Playwrights' Theatre)
Michael Poignand, Or, (Maiden Phoenix and Simple Machine)
Brooks Reeves, Three Sisters (Apollinaire Theatre Company)

Outstanding Actress, Small or Fringe Theatre
Aina Adler, Faceless (Zeitgeist Stage Company)
Kaylyn Bancroft, Or, (Maiden Phoenix and Simple Machine)
Lindsay Eagle, Fat Pig (Flat Earth Theatre)

Outstanding Musical Performance by an Actor
Will McGarrahan, Souvenir (Lyric Stage Company of Boston)
Diego Klock-Perez, In The Heights (Wheelock Family Theatre)
Mark Unger, Merrily We Roll Along (Huntington Theatre Company)

Outstanding Musical Performance by an Actress
Leigh Barrett, Souvenir (Lyric Stage Company of Boston) and Gypsy (Lyric Stage Company of Boston)
Aimee Doherty, Merrily We Roll Along (Huntington Theatre Company)
Eden Espinosa, Merrily We Roll Along (Huntington Theatre Company)

Outstanding Director, Large Theater
Lee Sunday Evans, Home (ArtsEmerson)
Maria Friedman, Merrily We Roll Along (Huntington Theatre Company)
Sergio Trujillo, Arrabal (American Repertory Theater)

Outstanding Director, Midsize Theatre
Rachel Bertone, In The Heights (Wheelock Family Theatre) and Gypsy (Lyric Stage Company of Boston)
Scott Edmiston, Constellations (Underground Railway Theater) and Shakespeare in Love (SpeakEasy Stage Company)
Summer L. Williams, Barbecue (Lyric Stage Company of Boston)

Outstanding Director, Small or Fringe Theatre
Allison Olivia Choat, The 39 Steps (Moonbox Productions)
Shawn LaCount, Hype Man: a break beat play (Company One Theatre)
Mark Rayment, 3/Fifths' Trapped in a Traveling Minstrel Show (Sleeping Weazel)

Outstanding New Script
Laura Maria Censabella, Paradise (Underground Railway Theater)
Idris Goodwin, Hype Man: a break beat play (Company One Theatre)
Ken Urban, A Guide for the Homesick (Huntington Theatre Company)

Outstanding Solo Performance
Keith Hamilton Cobb, American Moor (O.W.I. Bureau of Theatre and Phoenix Theatre Ensemble)
Debra Wise, Homebody (Underground Railway Theater)
Haneefah Wood, Bad Dates (Huntington Theatre Company)

Outstanding Musical Direction
Kadahj Bennett, Hype Man: a break beat play (Company One Theatre)
David Reiffel, Man of La Mancha (New Repertory Theatre) and Shakespeare in Love (SpeakEasy Stage Company)
Matthew Stern, Merrily We Roll Along (Huntington Theatre Company)

Outstanding Ensemble
Hype Man: a break beat play (Company One Theatre)
In The Heights (Wheelock Family Theatre)
Merrily We Roll Along (Huntington Theatre Company)