Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Announces 2014 Nominees, Special Awards

By: Jan. 22, 2015
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The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle has announced its nominations and special awards for excellence in Los Angeles and Orange County theatre for the year 2014 (Dec. 1, 2013 - Nov. 30, 2014). The 46th Annual Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards ceremony will take place on Monday, March 16, 2015 at Beyond the Stars Palace, 417 N. Brand Boulevard in Glendale.

All event tickets are $40 and can be purchased at www.brownpapertickets.com. Tickets will be sold at the door if available. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for a reception (with hors d'oeuvres and cash bar; dessert post-show), the event to commence at 7:30 p.m. Valet parking is available at the venue, along with ample street parking.

The evening, whose theme is "L.A. FUNNY," will be hosted by Dixie Longate. "America's favorite Tupperware lady" is the creator/performer of numerous solo shows including Dixie's Tupperware Party, which enjoyed smash engagements in 2014 at Westwood's Geffen Playhouse and Costa Mesa's Segerstrom Center, A 2007 Drama Desk nominee for Outstanding Solo Performance in New York, Dixie will bring her unique perspective on creative food storage to the wine and song of a tableside awards ceremony, encouraging theater community and public alike to let their hair down. Corey B. Hirsch, recipient of a 2014 LADCC award for A Man of No Importance, will be the evening's musical director.

One or more plaques will be presented in each of 16 categories. Three technical achievements have already been voted plaques: John Burton for his properties design for Everything You Touch (The Theatre @ Boston Court and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater); Tony Doublin and Gabe Bartalos, for their special effects for Taste (Sacred Fools Theater Company, The Schramm Group LLC and Red Hen Productions); and Teller, Johnny Thompson, Thom Rubino, and Christopher Rose for their illusions for South Coast Repertory's The Tempest. In addition, six special awards will also be presented through the sponsorship of organizations to which the LADCC is most grateful.

The LADCC special award recipients are as follows:

The Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in theatre goes to Independent Shakespeare Company. The award is accompanied by an honorarium, sponsor to be announced.

The Ted Schmitt Award for the world premiere of an outstanding new play goes to Sheila Callaghan for Everything You Touch. 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 mid-size theatre goes to The Theatre @ Boston Court. The award is accompanied by an honorarium funded by the Nederlander Organization.

The Kinetic Lighting Award for outstanding achievement in theatrical design goes to sound designer Cricket S. Myers. The award is accompanied by an honorarium funded by Kinetic Lighting.

The Joel Hirschhorn Award for outstanding achievement in musical theatre goes to 3-D Theatricals. The award is accompanied by an honorarium, sponsor to be announced.

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

The nominees for the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards for theatrical excellence in 2014 are as follows:

Production
· Firemen, The Echo Theater.
· Floyd Collins, La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.
· One in the Chamber, 6140 Productions in association with Theatre Planners, Racquel Lehrman, Victoria Watson, Lynne Peck, Joe Cirincione, Ed Ryan and Robin Greenspun at The Lounge Theatre.
· Spring Awakening, Deaf West Theatre in association with The Forest of Arden, Cody Lassen, Jarrod Musano at Inner City Arts.
· Stupid f-ing Bird, The Theatre @ Boston Court and Circle X Theatre Company at The Theatre @ Boston Court.
· Taste, Sacred Fools Theater Company, The Schramm Group LLC and Red Hen Productions at Sacred Fools Theater.
· The Behavior of Broadus, Sacred Fools Theater Company and Burglars of Hamm in association with Center Theatre Group at Sacred Fools Theater.

McCulloh Award for Revival (plays written between 1920 and 1980)
· A Delicate Balance, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble at Odyssey Theatre.
· Pippin, Barry and Fran Weissler, Howard and Janet Kagan, Lisa Matlin, Kyodo Tokyo, A&A Gordon/Brunish Trinchero, Tom Smedes/Peter Stern, Broadway Across America, Independent Presenters Network, Norton Herrick, Allen Spivak, Rebecca Gold, Joshua Goodman, Stephen E. McManus, David Robbins/Bryan S. Weingarten, Philip Hagemann/Murray Rosenthal, Jim Kierstead/Carlos Arana/Myla Lerner, Hugh Hayes/Jamie Cesa/Jonathan Reinis, Sharon A. Carr/Patricia R. Klausner, Ben Feldman, Square 1 Theatrics, Wendy Federman/Carl Moellenberg, Bruce Robert Harris/Jack W. Batman, Infinity Theatre Company/Michael Rubenstein, Michael A. Alden/Dale Badway/Ken Mahoney, American Repertory Theater at Hollywood Pantages.
· Ruth Draper's Monologues, Geffen Playhouse.

Lead Performance
· Brooke Adams in Happy Days, The Theatre @ Boston Court.
· Hugo Armstrong in The Behavior of Broadus, Sacred Fools Theater Company and Burglars of Hamm in association with Center Theatre Group at Sacred Fools Theater.
· Ian Bamberg in Firemen, The Echo Theater.
· Geoff Elliott in The Dance of Death, A Noise Within.
· Robert Joy in The Ugly One, Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA at Atwater Village Speakeasy Theatre.
· Chris L. McKenna in Taste, Sacred Fools Theater Company, The Schramm Group LLC and Red Hen Productions at Sacred Fools Theater.
· Patrick Stafford in Cock, Rogue Machine Theatre at Theatre/Theater.
· Heidi Sulzman in One in the Chamber, 6140 Productions in association with Theatre Planners, Racquel Lehrman, Victoria Watson, Lynne Peck, Joe Cirincione, Ed Ryan and Robin Greenspun at The Lounge Theatre.
· Cicely Tyson in The Trip to Bountiful, Center Theatre Group in association with ArtsEmerson at Ahmanson Theatre.

Featured Performance
· Hugo Armstrong in Backyard, The Echo Theater.
· Rebecca Gray in Firemen, The Echo Theater.
· Andrea Martin in Pippin, Barry and Fran Weissler, Howard and Janet Kagan, Lisa Matlin, Kyodo Tokyo, A&A Gordon/Brunish Trinchero, Tom Smedes/Peter Stern, Broadway Across America, Independent Presenters Network, Norton Herrick, Allen Spivak, Rebecca Gold, Joshua Goodman, Stephen E. McManus, David Robbins/Bryan S. Weingarten, Philip Hagemann/Murray Rosenthal, Jim Kierstead/Carlos Arana/Myla Lerner, Hugh Hayes/Jamie Cesa/Jonathan Reinis, Sharon A. Carr/Patricia R. Klausner, Ben Feldman, Square 1 Theatrics, Wendy Federman/Carl Moellenberg, Bruce Robert Harris/Jack W. Batman, Infinity Theatre Company/Michael Rubenstein, Michael A. Alden/Dale Badway/Ken Mahoney, American Repertory Theater at Hollywood Pantages.
· Josey Montana McCoy in Floyd Collins, La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.
· Tyler Pierce in Everything You Touch, The Theatre @ Boston Court and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater at The Theatre @ Boston Court.
· Joel Polis in My Name Is Asher Lev, The Fountain Theatre.
· Aramazd Stepanian in The Cherry Orchard, Pacific Resident Theatre.

Ensemble Performance
· Cock, Rogue Machine Theatre at Theatre/Theater.
· Firemen, The Echo Theater.
· Five Mile Lake, South Coast Repertory.
· Stupid f-ing Bird, The Theatre @ Boston Court and Circle X Theatre Company at The Theatre @ Boston Court.
· The Behavior of Broadus, Sacred Fools Theater Company and Burglars of Hamm in association with Center Theatre Group at Sacred Fools Theater.
· The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart, National Theatre of Scotland at The Broad Stage.

Solo Performance
· Annette Bening in Ruth Draper's Monologues, Geffen Playhouse.
· Barry McGovern in I'll Go On, Gate Theatre Production, Center Theatre Group at Kirk Douglas Theatre.
· Ben Moroski in The Wake, Elephant Studio Theatre.
· Michael Urie in Buyer & Cellar, Center Theatre Group at Mark Taper Forum.

Direction
· Matt Almos & Ken Roht, The Behavior of Broadus, Sacred Fools Theater Company and Burglars of Hamm in association with Center Theatre Group at Sacred Fools Theater.
· Guillermo Cienfuegos, Henry V, 2nd Stage Production at Pacific Resident Theatre.
· Chris Fields, Firemen, The Echo Theater.
· Jessica Kubzansky, Everything You Touch, The Theatre @ Boston Court and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater at The Theatre @ Boston Court.
· Michael Michetti, Stupid f-ing Bird, The Theatre @ Boston Court and Circle X Theatre Company at The Theatre @ Boston Court.
· Wils Wilson, The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart, National Theatre of Scotland at The Broad Stage.

Writing
· Burglars of Hamm: Carolyn Almos, Matt Almos, Jon Beauregard & Albert Dayan, The Behavior of Broadus, Sacred Fools Theater Company and Burglars of Hamm in association with Center Theatre Group at Sacred Fools Theater.
· Kenneth Cavander, The Curse of Oedipus, The Antaeus Company.
· David Greig, The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart, National Theatre of Scotland at The Broad Stage.
· Aaron Posner, Stupid f-ing Bird, The Theatre @ Boston Court and Circle X Theatre Company at The Theatre @ Boston Court.
· Marja-Lewis Ryan, One in the Chamber, 6140 Productions in association with Theatre Planners, Racquel Lehrman, Victoria Watson, Lynne Peck, Joe Cirincione, Ed Ryan and Robin Greenspun at The Lounge Theatre.
· Tommy Smith, Firemen, The Echo Theater.

Musical Score
· Matt Almos, Brendan Milburn & Burglars of Hamm (original songs), The Behavior of Broadus, Sacred Fools Theater Company and Burglars of Hamm in association with Center Theatre Group at Sacred Fools Theater.
· Wayne Barker, Peter and the Starcatcher (music), Center Theatre Group at Ahmanson Theatre.
· Barry Manilow (music) and Bruce Sussman (lyrics), Harmony, Center Theatre Group and Alliance Theatre, Atlanta, GA, Ahmanson Theatre.

Music Direction
· Darryl Archibald (music supervisor) and Brian Baker (music director), Let's Misbehave: The Music and Lyrics of Cole Porter, International City Theatre.
· Miche Braden, The Tempest, South Coast Repertory.
· Alasdair Macrae, The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart, National Theatre of Scotland at The Broad Stage.
· David O, Floyd Collins, La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.

Choreography
· JoAnn M. Hunter, Harmony, Center Theatre Group and Alliance Theatre, Atlanta, GA at Ahmanson Theatre.
· Matt Kent, Pilobolus, The Tempest, South Coast Repertory.
· Spencer Liff, Spring Awakening, Deaf West Theatre in association with The Forest of Arden, Cody Lassen, Jarrod Musano at Inner City Arts.
· Ken Roht, The Behavior of Broadus, Sacred Fools Theater Company and Burglars of Hamm in association with Center Theatre Group at Sacred Fools Theater.

Set Design
· Daniel Conway, The Tempest, South Coast Repertory.
· Jeff Cowie, The Trip to Bountiful, Center Theatre Group in association with ArtsEmerson at Ahmanson Theatre.
· Allen Moyer, Parfumerie, Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.
· Neil Murray, Noel Coward's Brief Encounter, Kneehigh, Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.

Lighting Design
· Christopher Akerlind, The Tempest, South Coast Repertory.
· Jeff Croiter, Peter and the Starcatcher, Center Theatre Group at Ahmanson Theatre.
· Lisa D. Katz, Floyd Collins, La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.
· Jeremy Pivnick, Everything You Touch, The Theatre @ Boston Court and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater at The Theatre @ Boston Court.

Costume Design
· Gregg Barnes, Kinky Boots, Daryl Roth, Hal Luftig, James L. Nederlander, Terry Allen Kramer, Independent Presenters Network, CJ E&M, Jayne Baron Sherman, Just For Laughs Theatricals/Judith Ann Abrams, Yasuhiro Kawana, Jane Berger, Allen S. Gordon & Adam S. Gordon, Ken Davenport, Hunter Arnold, Lucy & Phil Suarez, Bryan Bantry, Ron Fierstein & Dorsey Regal, Jim Kierstead/Gregory Rae, BB Group/Christina Papagjika, Miacheal DeSantis/Patrick Baugh, Brian Smith/Tom & Connie Walsh, Warren Trepp and Jujamcyn Theatres at Hollywood Pantages.
· Kym Barrett, TOTEM by Cirque du Soleil.
· Jenny Foldenauer, Everything You Touch, The Theatre @ Boston Court and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater at The Theatre @ Boston Court.
· Dominique Lemieux, Pippin, Barry and Fran Weissler, Howard and Janet Kagan, Lisa Martin, Kyodo Tokyo, Stephen E. McManus, A&A Gordon, Tom Smedes/Peter Stern, Broadway Across America, Independent Presenters Network, Norton Herrick, Allen Spivak, Rebecca Gold, David Robbins/Bryan S. Weingarten, Philip Hagemann/Murray Rosenthal, Hugh Hayes/Jonathan Reinis/Jamie Cesa, Kim Kierstead/Carlos Arana/Myla Lerner, Ben Feldman, Just For Laughs Theatricals, Square|Theatrics, Sharon A. Carr/Patricia R. Klausner, Wendy Federman/Carl Muellenberg/Infinity Theatre Company/Michael Rubenstein, Michael A. Aldon/Dale Badway/Ken Mahoney at Hollywood Pantages.

Sound Design
· Josh Bessom, Floyd Collins, La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.
· Charles Coes and Darron L. West, The Tempest, South Coast Repertory.
· Jonathan Deans & Garth Helm, Pippin, Barry and Fran Weissler, Howard and Janet Kagan, Lisa Martin, Kyodo Tokyo, Stephen E. McManus, A&A Gordon, Tom Smedes/Peter Stern, Broadway Across America, Independent Presenters Network, Norton Herrick, Allen Spivak, Rebecca Gold, David Robbins/Bryan S. Weingarten, Philip Hagemann/Murray Rosenthal, Hugh Hayes/Jonathan Reinis/Jamie Cesa, Kim Kierstead/Carlos Arana/Myla Lerner, Ben Feldman, Just For Laughs Theatricals, Square|Theatrics, Sharon A. Carr/Patricia R. Klausner, Wendy Federman/Carl Muellenberg/Infinity Theatre Company/Michael Rubenstein, Michael A. Aldon/Dale Badway/Ken Mahoney at Hollywood Pantages.
· Doug Newell, Foxfinder, Furious Theatre Company in association with Artists Repertory Theatre of Portland, Oregon at Pasadena Playhouse Carrie Hamilton Theatre.
CGI/Video
· John Driscoll and Gemma Carrington, Noel Coward's Brief Encounter, Kneehigh, Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.
· Pedro Pires, TOTEM by Cirque du Soleil.

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 2014 membership consisted of:
Pauline Adamek, ArtsBeatLA.com, Stage Raw
Shirle Gottlieb, Gazette Newspapers, StageHappenings.com
Margaret Gray, L.A. Times
Hoyt Hilsman, The Huffington Post
Deborah Klugman, ArtsBeatLA.com, Stage Raw
Jon Magaril, CurtainUp.com
Dany Margolies, ArtsInLA.com
Myron Meisel, The Hollywood Reporter, Stage Raw
Terry Morgan, TalkinBroadway.com, Stage Raw
Steven Leigh Morris, Stage Raw
David C. Nichols, L.A. Times
Sharon Perlmutter, TalkinBroadway.com
Melinda Schupmann, ShowMag.com, ArtsinLA.com
Jonas Schwartz, Theatermania.com
Madeleine Shaner, Park La Brea News & Beverly Press (emeritus)
Don Shirley, LA Observed
Les Spindle, Frontiers, EDGE LA
Bob Verini, Variety, ArtsinLA.com, Stage Raw
Neal Weaver, Stage Raw, ArtsinLA.com

Citations by production/venue:
The Behavior of Broadus (Sacred Fools) 7
Firemen (Echo Theatre) 6
The Tempest (South Coast Rep) 6
Everything You Touch (The Theatre @ Boston Court) 5, plus the Ted Schmitt Award
Floyd Collins (La Mirada Center for the Performing Arts) 5
Pippin (Hollywood Pantages) 4
Stupid f-ing Bird (The Theatre @ Boston Court) 4
The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart (The Broad Stage) 4
Taste (Sacred Fools) 3
One in the Chamber (Lounge Theatre) 3
Cock (Rogue Machine) 2
Harmony (Ahmanson Theatre) 2
Noel Coward's Brief Encounter (Wallis Annenberg Center) 2
Peter And The Starcatcher (Ahmanson Theatre) 2
Ruth Draper's Monologues (Geffen Playhouse) 2
Spring Awakening (Deaf West) 2
The Trip to Bountiful (Ahmanson Theatre) 2
TOTEM (Cirque du Soleil) 2
A Delicate Balance (Odyssey Theatre) 1
Backyard (Echo Theatre) 1
Buyer & Cellar (Mark Taper Forum) 1
Five Mile Lake (South Coast Rep) 1
Foxfinder (Carrie Hamilton Theatre) 1
Happy Days (The Theatre @ Boston Court) 1
Henry V (Pacific Resident Theatre) 1
I'll Go On (Kirk Douglas Theatre) 1
Kinky Boots (Hollywood Pantages) 1
Let's Misbehave: The Music and Lyrics of Cole Porter (International City Theatre) 1
My Name Is Asher Lev (The Fountain Theatre) 1
Parfumerie (Wallis Annenberg Center) 1
The Cherry Orchard (Pacific Resident Theatre) 1
The Curse of Oedipus (Antaeus) 1
The Dance of Death (A Noise Within) 1
The Ugly One (EST/LA) 1
The Wake (Elephant Studio Theatre) 1



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