Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Reveals 2025 Season Award Finalists

The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle has revealed the Finalists for its 2025 Season Awards honoring significant achievements in each of the Circle’s season award categories. This list of Season Award Finalists follows LADCC’s previously announced list of 2025 Special Achievement Award Honorees.
During the 2025 theatre season, LADCC voting members attended 367 productions eligible for consideration in 17 award categories. From 561 initial member nominations, members voted to select the following 98 Finalists from 30 shows presented by 19 theatre companies from the greater Los Angeles, Orange, and Ventura counties.

Award recipients will be revealed in an upcoming announcement in connection with a live Reception Event for the theatre community.

The LADCC Awards cycle will conclude with selection and announcement of season award Recipients, followed by an Awards Reception event celebrating Recipients, Finalists, Special Honorees and the entire theatre community on April 13 at the William Turner Gallery.

Best Production

anthropology; Rogue Machine Theatre
Bacon; Rogue Machine Theatre
Cambodian Rock Band; East West Players
Corktown ’39; Rogue Machine Theatre
Evanston Salt Costs Climbing; Rogue Machine Theatre
Hello My Name is…; Moving Arts
Here There Are Blueberries; Tectonic Theatre Project at The Wallis
Life of Pi; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre
Old Friends; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre
Sleeping Giant; The Road Theatre Company
Some Like It Hot; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre
Suffs; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre

McCulloh Revival (25+ Years)

Bat Boy: The Musical; Open Fist Theatre Company
Into the Woods; Wisteria Theater
Joe Turner’s Come and Gone; A Noise Within
The Fantasticks; Ruskin Group Theatre

Direction

Guillermo Cienfuegos; Evanston Salt Costs Climbing; Rogue Machine Theatre
John Perrin Flynn; anthropology; Rogue Machine Theatre
Casey Nicholaw; Some Like It Hot; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre
Steven Robman; Corktown ’39; Rogue Machine Theatre
Chay Yew; Cambodian Rock Band; East West Players

Lead Performance

Hugo Armstrong; Evanston Salt Costs Climbing; Rogue Machine Theatre
Lesley Fera; Evanston Salt Costs Climbing; Rogue Machine Theatre
Alexandra Hellquist; anthropology; Rogue Machine Theatre
Tavis Kordell; Some Like It Hot; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre
Matt Loehr; Some Like It Hot; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre
Kasey Mahaffey; One Man, Two Guv’nors; A Noise Within
Ann Noble; Corktown ’39; Rogue Machine Theatre
Ben Raanan; Bat Boy: The Musical; Open Fist Theatre Company
Kacie Rogers; Furlough’s Paradise; Geffen Playhouse
DeWanda Wise; Furlough’s Paradise; Geffen Playhouse

Featured Performance

Kelsey Angel Baehrens; Cambodian Rock Band; East West Players
Ron Bottitta; Corktown ’39; Rogue Machine Theatre
JD Cullum; Corktown ’39; Rogue Machine Theatre
Kaia Gerber; Evanston Salt Costs Climbing; Rogue Machine Theatre
Juliane Godfrey; The Wedding Singer; The Colony Theatre
Edward Juvier; Some Like It Hot; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre
Kaylee Kaneshiro; anthropology; Rogue Machine Theatre
Tim Liu; Cambodian Rock Band; East West Players
Julia Manis; anthropology; Rogue Machine Theatre
Alex Morris; Joe Turner’s Come and Gone; A Noise Within

Solo Performance

Robert Bailey; In Some Dark Valley; Moving Arts
Julia Masli; ha ha ha ha ha ha ha; Pasadena Playhouse
Manuel Oliver; Guac; Center Theatre Group: Kirk Douglas Theatre
Roxana Ortega; Am I Roxie?; Geffen Playhouse

Ensemble

anthropology; Rogue Machine Theatre
Corktown ’39; Rogue Machine Theatre
Evanston Salt Costs Climbing; Rogue Machine Theatre
Hello My Name is…; Moving Arts
Some Like It Hot; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre

Writing (Original)

Will Arbery; Evanston Salt Costs Climbing; Rogue Machine Theatre
Amy Dellagiarino; Hello My Name is…; Moving Arts
Lauren Gunderson; anthropology; Rogue Machine Theatre
Roger Q. Mason; Hide & Hide; Skylight Theatre

Writing (Adaptation)

Lolita Chakrabarti; Life of Pi; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre
John Farmanesh-Bocca; Lear Redux; Odyssey Theatre Ensemble / The New American Theatre / Not Man Apart
John Anthony Loffredo; Frou-Frou: A Menagerie of Sorts; Boston Court Pasadena
Matthew Lopez & Amber Ruffin; Some Like It Hot; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre

Score / Music & Lyrics

Imogen Heap; Harry Potter and the Cursed Child; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre
Andrew T. Mackay; Life of Pi; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre
Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman; Some Like It Hot; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre
Shaina Taub; Suffs; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre

Music Direction

Mark Binns; Some Like It Hot; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre
Annbrit duChateau; Old Friends; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre
Dani Lee Hutch; Suffs; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre
Jane Lui/Matthew MacNelly; Cambodian Rock Band; East West Players

Choreography

Michelle Elkin; The Wedding Singer; The Colony Theatre
Mayte Natalio; Suffs; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre
Casey Nicholaw; Some Like It Hot; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre
Indira Tyler; One Man, Two Guv’nors; A Noise Within
Scarlet Wilderink; Life of Pi; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre

Set Design

Tim Hatley; Life of Pi; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre
Christine Jones; Harry Potter and the Cursed Child; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre
Mark Mendelson; Corktown ’39; Rogue Machine Theatre
Mark Mendelson; Evanston Salt Costs Climbing; Rogue Machine Theatre
Tesshi Nakagawa; The Night of the Iguana; Boston Court Pasadena
Stephanie Kerley Schwartz; anthropology; Rogue Machine Theatre

Lighting Design

Neil Austin; Harry Potter and the Cursed Child; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre
Pablo Santiago; Furlough’s Paradise; Geffen Playhouse
Anna Watson; Paranormal Activity; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre
Dan Weingarten; Corktown ’39; Rogue Machine Theatre
Dan Weingarten; Evanston Salt Costs Climbing; Rogue Machine Theatre

Costume Design

Gregg Barnes; Some Like It Hot; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre
Kate Bergh; Corktown ’39; Rogue Machine Theatre
Angela Balogh Calin; One Man, Two Guv’nors; A Noise Within
Christine Cover Ferro; Evanston Salt Costs Climbing; Rogue Machine Theatre
Nikiya Mathis (Hair and Wig); Jaja's African Hair Braiding; Center Theatre Group: Mark Taper Forum

Sound Design

Carolyn Downing; Life of Pi; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre
Gareth Fry; Paranormal Activity; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre
David B. Marling; Sleeping Giant; The Road Theatre Company
Christopher Moscatiello; anthropology; Rogue Machine Theatre
Christopher Moscatiello; Corktown ’39; Rogue Machine Theatre

Visual Effects Design

Finn Caldwell and Nick Barnes (Puppetry); Life of Pi; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre
Fritz Davis and Michelle Hanzelova Bierbauer; anthropology; Rogue Machine Theatre
Chris Fisher and Jamie Harrison (Illusions); Harry Potter and the Cursed Child; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre
Andrzej Goulding (Video Design); Life of Pi; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre
Finn Ross and Ash J. Woodward (Projections); Harry Potter and the Cursed Child; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre

Finalist Totals by Production

Evanston Salt Costs Climbing; Rogue Machine Theatre – 11 nominations
Some Like It Hot; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre – 11 nominations
anthropology; Rogue Machine Theatre – 10 nominations
Corktown ’39; Rogue Machine Theatre – 10 nominations
Life of Pi; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre – 8 nominations
Cambodian Rock Band; East West Players – 5 nominations
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre – 5 nominations
Suffs; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre – 4 nominations
Furlough’s Paradise; Geffen Playhouse – 3 nominations
Hello My Name is…; Moving Arts – 3 nominations
One Man, Two Guv’nors; A Noise Within – 3 nominations
Bat Boy: The Musical; Open Fist Theatre Company – 2 nominations
Joe Turner’s Come and Gone; A Noise Within – 2 nominations
Old Friends; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre – 2 nominations
Paranormal Activity; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre – 2 nominations
Sleeping Giant; The Road Theatre Company – 2 nominations
The Wedding Singer; The Colony Theatre – 2 nominations
Am I Roxie?; Geffen Playhouse – 1 nomination
Bacon; Rogue Machine Theatre – 1 nomination
Frou-Frou: A Menagerie of Sorts; Boston Court Pasadena – 1 nomination
Guac; Center Theatre Group: Kirk Douglas Theatre – 1 nomination
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha; Pasadena Playhouse – 1 nomination
Here There Are Blueberries; Tectonic Theatre Project at The Wallis – 1 nomination
Hide & Hide; Skylight Theatre – 1 nomination
In Some Dark Valley; Moving Arts – 1 nomination
Into the Woods; Wisteria Theater – 1 nomination
Jaja's African Hair Braiding; Center Theatre Group: Mark Taper Forum – 1 nomination
Lear Redux; Odyssey Theatre Ensemble/The New American Theatre/Not Man Apart – 1 nomination
The Fantasticks; Ruskin Group Theatre – 1 nomination
The Night of the Iguana; Boston Court Pasadena – 1 nomination

Finalist Totals by Presenting Companies

Rogue Machine Theatre – 32 nominations
Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre – 20 nominations
Center Theatre Group – 14 nominations
A Noise Within – 5 nominations
East West Players – 5 nominations
Geffen Playhouse – 4 nominations
Moving Arts – 4 nominations
Boston Court Pasadena – 2 nominations
Open Fist Theatre Company – 2 nominations
The Colony Theatre – 2 nominations
The Road Theatre Company – 2 nominations
Odyssey Theatre Ensemble/The New American Theatre/Not Man Apart – 1 nomination
Pasadena Playhouse – 1 nomination
Ruskin Group Theatre – 1 nomination
Skylight Theatre – 1 nomination
Tectonic Theatre Project at The Wallis – 1 nomination
Wisteria Theater – 1 nomination