Theatre Bay Area Announces 2018 TBA Awards Finalists

Theatre Bay Area, the third-largest regional theatre service organization in North America, announced the finalists for the 2018 TBA Awards. The fifth annual TBA Awards Celebration will be held on Monday, Nov. 5 at the Herbst Theatre (401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco). Tickets for the public go on sale Friday, September 28, 2018, through City Box Office.

The TBA Awards are designed to honor excellence in professionally-oriented theatre produced throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Award finalists and recipients are determined through a peer- based, Bay Area-wide adjudication process. During each production season (September 1 to August 31), TBA Awards adjudicators attend eligible productions and submit recommended productions every week. Theatre Bay Area publishes these weekly recommendations for its members and to the general public. At the end of each season, all of the votes are tallied to determine each year's award finalists and recipients. For the 2017-18 awards season, more than 400 productions staged by 122 participating Bay Area arts companies were scored via approximately 10,000 ballots submitted by over 400 adjudicators.

This will be the first year that all performance categories will be gender-inclusive and not designated along the male/female binary.

The fifth annual TBA Awards Celebration is open to the public, and tickets go on sale Friday, September 28, through City Box Office - online at www.cityboxoffice.com; over the phone at (415) 392-4400, or in- person at 180 Redwood Street, San Francisco. Tickets prices are $29 balcony, $49 mezzanine, and $69 orchestra.

2018 THEATRE BAY AREA AWARDS FINALISTS

Productions are sorted into three tiers:

Tier 1: Productions in this tier operate under LORT or BAT contracts and usually have an annual budget in excess of $1M. Tier I productions must be seen by a minimum of 12 adjudicators.

Tier 2: Productions in this tier operate on some Actors' Equity Association contract and/or an annual budget of $400K or above. Tier II productions must be seen by a minimum of (9) nine adjudicators.

Tier 3: Productions in this tier are agnostic in regards to AEA requirement and operate on an annual budget below $400K. Tier III productions must be seen by a minimum of (6) six adjudicators.

Companies with the most finalists

Tier 1: Berkeley Repertory Theatre (37 finalists)

Tier 2: Bay Area Children's Theatre (22 finalists)

Tier 3: Oasis (23 finalists)

Most nominated productions

Tier 1: Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations at Berkeley Repertory Theatre (25 finalists)

Tier 2: Beautiful Oops! at Bay Area Children's Theatre (10 finalists)

Tier 3: Jesus Christ Superstar at Ray of Light (14 finalists)

Companies with finalists by region

East Bay 18 companies

North Bay 12 companies

San Francisco 26 companies South Bay/Peninsula 16 companies

Outstanding Properties Design

Tier 1

Chris Fitzer for Skeleton Crew at Marin Theatre Company & Theatreworks

Tatjana Jessee for Reel to Reel at Magic Theatre

Devon LaBelle for Blasted at Shotgun Players

Devon LaBelle for Iron Shoes at Shotgun Players

Kyle Nitchy for The Speakeasy at Boxcar Theatre

Tier 2

Stephanie Dittbern for Timon of Athens at Cutting Ball Theater

Joan Howard for Beautiful Oops! at Bay Area Children's Theatre

Joan Howard for Inside Out & Back Again at Bay Area Children's Theatre

Devon LaBelle for Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at Contra Costa Civic Theatre

Elizabeth Reeves and Frances Silcox for The Pirates of Penzance at Lamplighters Music Theatre

Tier 3

Dhyanis Carniglia for The Tin Woman at Ross Valley Players

Peet Cocke for Jesus Christ Superstar at Ray of Light Theatre

Devon LaBelle for Two Mile Hollow at Ferocious Lotus Theatre Company

Sarah Phykitt for Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Live! at Oasis

Sarah Phykitt for Trog! at Oasis

Claudio Silva for Woman on Fire at Those Women Productions

Outstanding Costume Design

Tier 1

Ulises Alcala for White at Shotgun Players

Abra Berman and Jackee Princeau for The Speakeasy at Boxcar Theatre

Victoria Livingston-Hall for The Liar at Center Repertory Company

Lauren Roark for Million Dollar Quartet at Center Repertory Company

Paul Tazewell for Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations at Berkeley Repertory Theatre

Tier 2

Amy Bobeda for The Night Fairy at Bay Area Children's Theatre

Wes Crain, Keri Fitch, and Jorge R. Hernandez for Howard Crabtree's When Pigs Fly at New Conservatory Theatre Center

Judy Jackson and Miriam Lewis for The Gondoliers at Lamplighters Music Theatre

Pamela Johnson for Peter Pan at Spreckels Theatre Company

Miriam Lewis for The Pirates of Penzance at Lamplighters Music Theatre

Tier 3

Barbara "BJ" Bandy for The Rover at Role Players Ensemble

Tammy Berlin for Bamboozled at Central Works

Liz Martin for One Man, Two Guvnors at Altarena Playhouse

Shelby Pujol for Trog! at Oasis

Michael Ross for Always...Patsy Cline at Sonoma Arts Live

Maggie Whitaker for Jesus Christ Superstar at Ray of Light Theatre

Creative Specialities

Tier 1

Christopher Ash: Projection Design for Our Great Tchaikovsky at TheatreWorks

Teddy Hulsker: Video Design for Eureka Day at Aurora Theatre Company

Alexander V. Nichols: Projection Design for Angels in America, Parts One and Two at Berkeley Repertory Theatre

Peter Nigrini: Projection Design for Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations at Berkeley Repertory Theatre

Harold Wheeler: Orchestrations for Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations at Berkeley Repertory Theatre

Tier 2

Michael Doppe: Projection Design for Inside Out & Back Again at Bay Area Children's Theatre

Kevin August Landesman and Amy O'Hanlon: Projection Design for Beautiful Oops! at Bay Area Children's Theatre

Linda Middlebusher: Vocal Direction for Disney's Newsies The Musical at CMT San Jose

Sarah Phykitt: Projection Design for This Bitter Earth at New Conservatory Theatre Center

Kerry Rider-Kuhn: Wig Design for The Gondoliers at Lamplighters Music Theatre

Tier 3

Diane Milo: Vocal Direction for The Hunchback of Notre Dame at South Bay Musical Theatre

Lana Palmer and Carol Braves: Original Music Composition for Dracula at Inferno Theatre

Erik Scanlon: Video Design for Jesus Christ Superstar at Ray of Light Theatre

Jon Tracy: Adaptation for The Farm at TheatreFIRST

Wolfgang Lancelot Wachalovsky: Projection Design for In Event of Moon Disaster at Mugwumpin

Phil Wong: Vocal Coaching for Honey, I Shrunk The Whites at Killing My Lobster

Outstanding Lighting Design

Tier 1

Heather Basarab for Blasted at Shotgun Players

Howell Binkle for Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations at Berkeley Repertory Theatre

Kirk Bookman for Million Dollar Quartet at Center Repertory Company

Jiyoun Chang for The War of the Roses at California Shakespeare Theater

Jennifer Schriever for Angels in America, Parts One and Two at Berkeley Repertory Theatre

Tier 2

Heather Basarab for Timon of Athens at Cutting Ball Theater

April George for Illyria at 6th Street Playhouse

Kevin August Landesman for Inside Out & Back Again at Bay Area Children's Theatre

Kevin August Landesman for Beautiful Oops! at Bay Area Children's Theatre

Aaron Spivey for Million Dollar Quartet at Broadway by the Bay

Allen Willner for The Obligation at PlayGround

Tier 3

Sophia Craven for Sex & the City Live! at Oasis

Sophia Craven for Trog! at Oasis

Ben Hemmen for The Road to Mecca at The Pear Theatre

Kevin August Landesman for Two Mile Hollow at Ferocious Lotus Theatre Company

Christian Mejia for Jesus Christ Superstar at Ray of Light Theatre

Ray Oppenheimer for In Event of Moon Disaster at Mugwumpin

Outstanding Scenic Design

Tier 1

Nina Ball for An Entomologist's Love Story at San Francisco Playhouse

Nina Ball for Blasted at Shotgun Players

Robert Brill for Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations at Berkeley Repertory Theatre

Takeshi Kata for Angels in America, Parts One and Two at Berkeley Repertory Theatre

Josh Smith for Million Dollar Quartet at Center Repertory Company

Tier 2

Elizabeth Bazzano and Eddy Hansen for Peter Pan at Spreckels Theatre Company

Ron Gasparinetti for The Merchant of Venice at City Lights Theater Company

Devin Kasper for This Bitter Earth at New Conservatory Theatre Center

Kuo-Hao Lo for Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at Contra Costa Civic Theatre

Kuo-Hao Lo for It's Only a Play at New Conservatory Theatre Center

Kimberly Powers for Disney's Newsies The Musical at CMT San Jose

Tier 3

Gideon Jones and Finneas Dinklage for Kursk at Theatre Lunatico

Fernando Ochoa Beltran Smith for It Shoulda Been You at Pinole Community Players

Argo Thompson for Women in Jeopardy at Left Edge Theatre

Ting Na Wang for 1984 at Los Altos Stage Company

Ting Na Wang for The Road to Mecca at The Pear Theatre

Randy Wong-Westbrooke for Two Mile Hollow at Ferocious Lotus Theatre Company

Outstanding Sound Design

Tier 1

Brendan Aanes for Million Dollar Quartet at Center Repertory Company

Sara Huddleston for Reel to Reel at Magic Theatre

Steve C. Kennedy for Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations at Berkeley Repertory Theatre

Stowe Nelson for Small Mouth Sounds at American Conservatory Theater

Jake Rodriguez for Angels in America, Parts One and Two at Berkeley Repertory Theatre

Matt Stines for Blasted at Shotgun Players

Tier 2

Cliff Caruthers for Timon of Athens at Cutting Ball Theater

Teddy Hulsker for The Obligation at PlayGround

Jessica Johnson for Peter Pan at Spreckels Theatre Company

Michael Kelly for Inside Out & Back Again for Bay Area Children's Theatre

Michael Kelly for Judy Moody & Stink: The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Treasure Hunt for Bay Area Children's Theatre

Michael Kelly for Beautiful Oops! for Bay Area Children's Theatre

Tier 3

Kevin Droese for Kursk at Theatre Lunatico

Teddy Hulsker for Jesus Christ Superstar at Ray of Light Theatre

Teddy Hulsker for In Event of Moon Disaster at Mugwumpin

Gary Landis for 1984 at Los Altos Stage Company

Gregory Scharpen for Palace Wreckers at Central Works

Dan Singletary for The Hunchback of Notre Dame at South Bay Musical Theatre

Outstanding Ensemble of a Play

Tier 1

Angels in America, Parts One and Two at Berkeley Repertory Theatre

Skeleton Crew at Marin Theatre Company & TheatreWorks

Small Mouth Sounds at American Conservatory Theater

The Liar at Center Repertory Company

The War of the Roses at California Shakespeare Theater

Tier 2

Good People at Cinnabar Theater

How I Learned to Drive at The Custom Made Theatre Co.

Still at Risk at New Conservatory Theatre Center

The Laramie Project at Palo Alto Players

Timon of Athens at Cutting Ball Theater

Inside Out & Back Again at Bay Area Children's Theatre

Tier 3

Bamboozled at Central Works

One Man, Two Guvnors at Altarena Playhouse

Strange Ladies at Central Works

The Tin Woman at Ross Valley Players

Two Mile Hollow at Ferocious Lotus Theatre Company

Women in Jeopardy at Left Edge Theatre

Outstanding Performance in a Featured Role in a Play

Tier 1

Monique Hafen for The Liar at Center Repertory Company

Benjamin T. Ismail for Angels in America, Parts One and Two at Berkeley Repertory Theatre

Judith Ivey for The Birthday Party at American Conservatory Theater

Joseph Patrick O'Malley for The War of the Roses at California Shakespeare Theater

Carmen Roman for Angels in America, Parts One and Two at Berkeley Repertory Theatre

Stacy Ross for The War of the Roses at California Shakespeare Theater

Rolf Saxon for Eureka Day at Aurora Theatre Company

Jomar Tagatac for The War of the Roses at California Shakespeare Theater

Caldwell Tidicue for Angels in America, Parts One and Two at Berkeley Repertory Theatre

Gregory Wallace for Father Comes Home from the Wars Parts 1, 2 & 3 at American Conservatory Theater

Tier 2

Kate Brickley for Good People at Cinnabar Theater

Justin DuPuis for Judy Moody & Stink: The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Treasure Hunt at Bay Area Children's Theatre

Josiah Frampton for The Laramie Project at Palo Alto Players

Liz Jahren for Good People at Cinnabar Theater

Gwen Loeb for Cow Pie Bingo at AlterTheater Ensemble

Benjamin Nguyen for Inside Out & Back Again at Bay Area Children's Theatre

Desiree Rogers for Still at Risk at New Conservatory Theatre Center

Nick Sholley for Good People at Cinnabar Theater

David Sinaiko for Timon of Athens at Cutting Ball Theater

Todd Wright for The Laramie Project at Palo Alto Players

Tier 3

David F. Abrams for Richard II at Birdbath Theatres

Rinabeth Apostol for Two Mile Hollow at Ferocious Lotus Theatre Company

Greg Ayers for Two Mile Hollow at Ferocious Lotus Theatre Company

Ted Barker for One Man, Two Guvnors at Altarena Playhouse

Samuel Barksdale for One Man, Two Guvnors at Altarena Playhouse

Michael Curry for Topdog/Underdog at Ubuntu Theater Project

Dorian Lockett for T opdog/Underdog at Ubuntu Theater Project

Benoit Monin for American Jornalero at Ubuntu Theater Project

Dominick Palamenti for A Streetcar Named Desire at Ubuntu Theater Project

Jose Rodriguez for American Jornalero at Ubuntu Theater Project

Michelle Talgarow for Two Mile Hollow at Ferocious Lotus Theatre Company

Winona Wagner for Richard II at Birdbath Theatres

Outstanding Performance in a Principal Role in a Play

Tier 1

Joy Carlin for Marjorie Prime at Marin Theatre Company

Joel de la Fuente for Hold These Truths at TheatreWorks

Emilio Delgado for Quixote Nuevo at California Shakespeare Theater

Santoya Fields for White at Shotgun Players

Margo Hall for Skeleton Crew at Marin Theatre Company & Theatreworks

Randy Harrison for Angels in America, Parts One and Two at Berkeley Repertory Theatre

Jeremy Kahn for The Liar at Center Repertory Company

Kerri Shawn for Shirley Valentine at Center Repertory Company

Stephen Spinella for Angels in America, Parts One and Two at Berkeley Repertory Theatre

Calvin M. Thompson for The Royale at Aurora Theatre Company

Zoe Winters for Reel to Reel at Magic Theatre

Tier 2

Tre'Vonne Bell for Hooded, or Being Black for Dummies at The Custom Made Theatre Co.

L. Peter Callender for Richard III at African-American Shakespeare Company

H. Adam Harris for This Bitter Earth at New Conservatory Theatre Center

Brian Herndon for The Merchant of Venice at City Lights Theater Company

Maria G. Marquis for The Merchant of Venice at City Lights Theater Company

Sarah McKereghan for Good People at Cinnabar Theater

Krystle Piamonte for Inside Out & Back Again at Bay Area Children's Theatre

Brennan Pickman-Thoon for Timon of Athens at Cutting Ball Theater

Stacy Ross for BRIGHT SHINING SEA at PlayGround

Ava Roy for Mother Lear at We Players

Courtney Walsh for Mother Lear at We Players

Tier 3

Chelsea Bearce for Bamboozled at Central Works

Ellen Brooks for The Tin Woman at Ross Valley Players

Emma Curtin for The Miracle Worker at Altarena Playhouse

Farshad Farahat for All the Shah's Men at Arabian Shakespeare Festival

Juanita Harris for The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler at Dragon Productions Theatre Company

Peter Marietta for One Man, Two Guvnors at Altarena Playhouse

Dana Cordelia Morgan for Distracted at Los Altos Stage Company

Sarita Ocón for A Streetcar Named Desire at Ubuntu Theater Project

Lisa Ramirez for A Streetcar Named Desire at Ubuntu Theater Project

Shannon Rider for Women in Jeopardy at Left Edge Theatre

Stacy Ross for Bamboozled at Central Works

Max Tachis for Equivocation at Dragon Productions Theatre Company

Charles Woodson Parker for One Man, Two Guvnors at Altarena Playhouse

Outstanding Performance in a Featured Role in a Specialty Performance

Andy Alabran for Sex & the City Live! at Oasis

Joshua Beld for Sex & the City Live! at Oasis

Cody Caronna for Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Live! at Oasis

John Paul Gonzalez for Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Live! at Oasis

Sara Moore for Trog! at Oasis

Michael Phillis for Trog! at Oasis

Ellie Rossi for CIRCUS VERITAS Featuring the Sacred Order of the Burning Pants at Kinetic Arts Productions

Adam Roy for Trog! at Oasis

Kevin Singer for Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Live! at Oasis

Ross Travis for CIRCUS VERITAS Featuring the Sacred Order of the Burning Pants at Kinetic Arts Productions

Outstanding Performance in a Principal Role in a Specialty Performance

Jenna Anast for Honey, I Shrunk The Whites at Killing My Lobster

George Coker for Honey,I Shrunk The Whites at Killing My Lobster

D'Arcy Drollinger for Sex & the City Live! at Oasis

Brian Entler for Sex & the City Live! at Oasis

Marisa Yoko Hankins for Honey, I Shrunk The Whites at Killing My Lobster

Carla Lee for Honey, I Shrunk The Whites at Killing My Lobster

Dorian Lockett for Honey, I Shrunk The Whites at Killing My Lobster

Matthew Martin for Trog! at Oasis

Jia Taylor for Honey, I Shrunk The Whites at Killing My Lobster

Phil Wong for A Bag of Dickens at Killing My Lobster

Outstanding Ensemble Performance in a Specialty Performance

A Bag of Dickens at Killing My Lobster

Honey, I Shrunk The Whites at Killing My Lobster

Queering My Lobster at Killing My Lobster

Sex & the City Live! at Oasis

Trog! at Oasis

Outstanding Choreography

Tier 1

Sean Cheesman for The Prince of Egypt at TheatreWorks

Erika Chong Shuch for Iron Shoes at Shotgun Players

Cassie Nordgren for The Liar at Center Repertory Company

Jeffrey Polk for Ain't Misbehavin' at 42nd Street Moon

Sergio Trujillo for Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations at Berkeley Repertory Theatre

Tier 2

Kimberly Dooley and Alison Paraiso for Grease at Berkeley Playhouse

Nicole Helfer for The Music Man at Broadway by the Bay

Alex Rodriguez for Ragtime at Berkeley Playhouse

Scott Shedenhelm for Disney's Newsies The Musical at CMT San Jose

Robyn Tribuzi for Singin' in the Rain at Broadway by the Bay

Tier 3

Staci Arriaga for Chicago at Lucky Penny Productions

Rodney Earl Jackson Jr. for La Posarela at San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company

Bridgette Loriaux for 4.48 Psychosis at Anton's Well Theater Company

Jerry Navarro for Honey, I Shrunk The Whites at Killing My Lobster

Alex Rodriguez for Jesus Christ Superstar at Ray of Light Theatre

Liz Tenuto for The Farm at TheatreFIRST

Outstanding Fight Choreography

Tier 1

Mark Gabriel Kenney for The Speakeasy at Boxcar Theatre

Dave Maier for Shakespeare in Love at Marin Theatre Company

Dave Maier for Dry Land at Shotgun Players

Dave Maier for Quixote Nuevo at California Shakespeare Theater

Rick Sordelet for Father Comes Home from the Wars Parts 1, 2 & 3 at American Conservatory Theater

Tier 2

Jon Bailey for Hooded, or Being Black for Dummies at Custom Made Theatre Co.

Katherine O'Bryon Champlin for Peter and the Starcatcher at Tabard Theatre Company

Richard Pallaziol for Pericles at Marin Shakespeare Company

Richard Pallaziol for Hamlet at Marin Shakespeare Company

Carla Pantoja for Revolt. She said. Revolt again. at Crowded Fire Theater Company

Marty Pistone for Peter Pan at Spreckels Theatre Company

Tier 3

Larry Barrott for The Hood of Sherwood at Silicon Valley Shakespeare

John Ficarra for Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Live! at Oasis

Carla Pantoja for Two Mile Hollow at Ferocious Lotus Theatre Company

Andrew Perez for Hamlet at Arabian Shakespeare Festival

Sydney Schwindt for The Game's Afoot at Ross Valley Players

Zoe Swenson-Graham for Pippin at Marin Musical Theatre Company

Outstanding Music Direction

Tier 1

Katie Coleman for Sweeney Todd at San Jose Stage Company

Dave Dobrusky for Ain't Misbehavin ' at 42nd Street Moon

Janet Kutulas for Iron Shoes at Shotgun Players

John Michael Presney for Million Dollar Quartet at Center Repertory Company

Kenny Seymour for Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations at Berkeley Repertory Theatre

Tier 2

David Drummond for The Pirates of Penzance at Lamplighters Music Theatre

Tim Eisman for Peter Pan at Spreckels Theatre Company

Daniel Feyer for Ragtime at Berkeley Playhouse

Alicia Jeffrey for Million Dollar Quartet at Broadway by the Bay

Baker Peeples for The Gondoliers at Lamplighters Music Theatre