Parton, Kaye & Glover Among LADCC Award Winners

The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle announced the winners and special awards for excellence in Los Angeles and Orange County theatre for the year 2008. The 40th Annual Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards ceremony took place Monday, March 16 at the historic El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood, and was co-hosted by Vicki Lewis and Wenzel Jones.

The Circle also announced a new Special Award, the Milton Katselas Award, sponsored by Camelot Artists, to be awarded beginning next year for career or special achievement in Directing.

The award recipients for the 2008 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards are as follows:

Production
Anything, Elephant Theatre Company at the Lillian Theatre
Gem of the Ocean, Fountain Theatre
Louis & Keely Live at the Sahara, Sacred Fools Theater Company at Sacred Fools and at the Matrix Theatre

McCulloh Award for Revival
(For Shows between 1920 and 1980) 
Of Mice and Men, Theatre Banshee

Direction
Jeremy Aldridge, Louis & Keely Live at the Sahara, Sacred Fools Theater Company at Sacred Fools and at the Matrix Theatre
Ben Bradley, Gem of the Ocean, Fountain Theatre
David Fofi, Anything, Elephant Theatre Company at the Lillian Theatre

Writing
Athol Fugard, Victory, the Fountain Theatre

Writing (Adaptation)
Sean T. Cawelti with Miles Taber and the Rogues, The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch, Rogue Artists Ensemble at Bootleg Theater

Music Direction
Dennis Kaye, Louis & Keely Live at the Sahara, Sacred Fools Theater Company at Sacred Fools and at the Matrix Theatre

Choreography
Andy Blankenbuehler, 9 to 5: The Musical, Center Theatre Group at the Ahmanson Theatre
Lee Martino, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Havok Theatre Company at Bootleg Theatre

Musical Score
Michael Friedman, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Center Theatre Group at the Kirk Douglas Theatre
Dolly Parton, 9 to 5: The Musical, Center Theatre Group at the Ahmanson Theatre

Lead Performance
Sean Branney, Of Mice and Men, Theatre Banshee
Jake Broder, Louis & Keely Live at the Sahara, Sacred Fools Theater Company at Sacred Fools and at the Matrix Theatre
Ellen Geer, Long Day's Journey Into Night, Theatricum Botanicum
John Glover, Secrets of the Trade, the Black Dahlia Theatre
Louis Jacobs, Anything, Elephant Theatre Company at the Lillian Theatre
Judy Kaye, Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Center Theatre Group at the Ahmanson Theatre

Featured Performance
JD Cullum, Don Juan, A Noise Within
Beth Kennedy, As U2 Like It, Troubadour Theater Company at the Falcon Theatre
Sharon Lawrence, Orson's Shadow, Pasadena Playhouse
Adolphus Ward, Gem of the Ocean, Fountain Theatre

Ensemble Performance
Assassins, West Coast Ensemble at The El Centro Theatre

Set Design
Laura Fine Hawkes, Snake in the Grass, Salem K Theatre Company at The Matrix Theatre

Lighting Design
Steven Young, Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story, Havok Theatre Company at the Hudson Backstage Theatre

Costume Design
Shigeru Yaji, An Italian Straw Hat: A Vaudeville, South Coast Repertory

Sound Design
Ken Rich, The Common Air, SoulArt and Elephant C.A.F.E at Theatre Asylum

Solo Performance
Nilaja Sun, No Child..., Center Theatre Group at the Kirk Douglas Theatre

CGI/Video
BrIan White, The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch, Rogue Artists Ensemble at Bootleg Theater

Puppet and Mask Design
Joyce Hutter and Patrick Rubio, The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch, Rogue Artists Ensemble at Bootleg Theater

Fight Choreography
Ned Mochel, On An Average Day, VS. Theatre Company at the Elephant Theatre Lab

Special Awards
The Ted Schmitt Award for the world premiere of an outstanding new play was awarded to EM Lewis for Song of Extinction. The award was accompanied by an offer to publish and a $1000 check funded by Samuel French, Inc.

The Polly Warfield Award for an excellent season in a small to mid-size theater was awarded to Sacred Fools Theater Company. The award was accompanied by a $500 check, funded by the Nederlander Organization.

The Angstrom Award for career achievement in lighting design was awarded to Lisa D. Katz. The award was accompanied by a $1000 check, funded by Angstrom Lighting.

The Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in theater was awarded to the Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company. The award was accompanied by a $500 check from Camelot Artists.

The Joel Hirschhorn Award for outstanding achievement in musical theatre will be awarded to Nick DeGruccio. The award was accompanied by a $500 check from David Elzer/DEMAND PR.

The members of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle include: F. Kathleen Foley (L. A. TIMES),

Shirle Gottlieb (GAZETTE NEWSPAPERS, STAGEHAPPENINGS.COM),

Hoyt Hilsman (BACK Stage West), Wenzel Jones (FRONTIERS, SHOWMAG.COM),

Mayank Keshaviah (LA WEEKLY), Amy Lyons (SANTA MONICA MIRROR,

PARK LA BREA NEWS/BEVERLY PRESS, NOHOARTSDISTRICT.COM),

Dany Margolies (BACK STAGE), Terry Morgan (VARIETY), David C. Nichols (L.A. TIMES),

Amy Nicholson (LA WEEKLY), Sharon Perlmutter (TALKIN BROADWAY.COM),

Melinda Schupmann (BACK STAGE/SHOWMAG.COM), Madeleine Shaner

(PARK LA BREA NEWS/BEVERLY PRESS/BACK STAGE), Les Spindle (BACK STAGE/

THEATERMANIA.COM/FRONTIERS IN LA), Bob Verini (VARIETY), Neal Weaver (LA WEEKLY/

BACK STAGE/THE PINK SHEET).

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

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