Sonoma County's Marquee Theater Journalists Association Announces 2019 MTJA Award Nominations

The San Francisco North Bay's Marquee Theater Journalists Association has released the list of nominees for its 4th Annual MTJA Awards. The Association recognized the exemplary work of Sonoma County theater artists with nominations in eighteen categories that were culled from the sixty-eight productions attended by MTJA members. Recipients will be announced at the 2019 MTJA Awards - A Celebration of Sonoma County Theater which will be held on Monday, October 14th at 3 Disciples Brewing in downtown Santa Rosa.

The MTJA was founded in 2015 by Sonoma County-based theater journalists with the intent of developing a critically-based awards program to acknowledge outstanding work done by the local theater community. Current members include the North Bay Bohemian's Harry Duke, the Petaluma Argus-Courier's Alexa Chipman, Sonoma County Gazette's Jeanie K. Smith, and Aisle Seat Review's Barry Willis and Nicole Singley. A ranked-choice voting system is used to determine the nominees.

From its inception, the Marquee Theater Journalists Association took a decidedly different approach to its awards system than most other programs. It originally recognized three types of plays - comedy, drama, and musical - and was the first Bay Area theater awards program to have non-gender-specific performance categories. The MTJA opted to not have the standard binary divisions and instead acknowledges Outstanding Lead and Outstanding Supporting Performances in Comedy, Drama, and Musical productions. This year the Association has added an eighteenth award category - Outstanding Solo Performance/Production.

Here is the complete list of nominees for the 2019 MTJA Awards:

* Outstanding Poster/Program Design *

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Spreckels Theatre Company

Heathen Valley - Main Stage West

Polar Bears - Left Edge Theatre

The Revolutionists - 6th Street Playhouse

A Streetcar Named Desire - 6th Street Playhouse

* Outstanding Costume Design *

Kate Graham - The Revolutionists - 6th Street Playhouse

Pamela Johnson - The Addams Family Musical - Spreckels Theatre Company

Pamela Johnson - Cinderella - Spreckels Theatre Company

Pamela Johnson - Hamlet - Spreckels Theatre Company

Barbara McFadden - My Fair Lady - Sonoma Arts Live

* Outstanding Lighting Design *

April George - Drumming with Anubis - Left Edge Theatre

Yavé Guzman - Of Mice and Men - Cloverdale Performing Arts Center

Eddy Hansen - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Spreckels Theatre Company

Jon Tracy - The Great God Pan - Cinnabar Theater

Missy Weaver - The House of Yes - Main Stage West

* Outstanding Sound Design *

Jeff Basham - Every Brilliant Thing - Left Edge Theatre

Kristoffer Barrera - The Great God Pan - Cinnabar Theatre

Albert Casselhoff, Branice McKenzie - To Kill a Mockingbird - 6th Street Playhouse

Jessica Johnson - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Spreckels Theatre Company

Joe Winkler - The Nether - Left Edge Theatre

* Outstanding Set Design *

Elizabeth Craven - After Miss Julie - Main Stage West

Elizabeth Craven - The House of Yes - Main Stage West

Argo Thompson - Drumming with Anubis - Left Edge Theatre

Argo Thompson - Hand to God - Left Edge Theatre

Jon Tracy - The Great God Pan - Cinnabar Theater

* Outstanding Choreography *

Sergia Louise Anderson - The Naked Truth - Left Edge Theatre

Staci Arriaga - My Fair Lady - Sonoma Arts Live

Jim Cooney - A Chorus Line - Transcendence Theatre Company

Dana Seghesio - After Miss Julie - Main Stage West

Michella Snider - Cabaret - Cinnabar Theater

* Outstanding Musical Direction *

Ginger Beavers - Guys and Dolls - 6th Street Playhouse

Mary Chun - Cabaret - Cinnabar Theater

Janis Dunson-Wilson - Jesus Christ Superstar - SRJC Theatre Arts

Lucas Sherman - The Addams Family Musical - Spreckels Theatre Company

Paul Smith - Cinderella - Spreckels Theatre Company

* Outstanding Ensemble *

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Spreckels Theatre Company

Drumming with Anubis - Left Edge Theatre

Heathen Valley - Main Stage West

The House of Yes - Main Stage West

This Random World - Left Edge Theatre

* Outstanding Solo Performance/Production *

Jessica Headington - The 12 Dates of Christmas - 6th Street Playhouse - Directed by Juliet Noonan

Jennifer King - The Belle of Amherst - Sonoma Arts Live - Directed by Sharon Winegar

Chris Schloemp - Polar Bears - Left Edge Theatre - Directed by David Templeton

Ron Severdia - Every Brilliant Thing - Left Edge Theatre - Directed by Argo Thompson

John Shillington - Underneath the Lintel - Cinnabar Theater - Directed by John Craven

* Outstanding Musical Production *

Cabaret - Cinnabar Theater - Directed by Elly Lichenstein

Cinderella - Spreckels Theatre Company - Directed by Sheri Lee Miller

A Chorus Line - Transcendence Theatre Company - Directed by Amy Miller

Million Dollar Quartet - 6th Street Playhouse - Directed by Michael Ray Wisely

My Fair Lady - Sonoma Arts Live - Directed by Michael Ross

* Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical *

Daniela Innocenti Beem - Hello, Dolly! - Sonoma Arts Live

Isiah Carter - Shrek the Musical - Santa Rosa Junior College Theatre Arts

Michael McGurk - Cabaret - Cinnabar Theater

Sarah Wintermeyer - My Fair Lady - Sonoma Arts Live

Ariel Zuckerman - Guys and Dolls - 6th Street Playhouse

* Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Musical *

Mary Gannon Graham - Cabaret - Cinnabar Theater

Daniela Innocenti Beem - Annie - 6th Street Playhouse

Nick Kenrick - Million Dollar Quartet - 6th Street Playhouse

Randy Nazarian - Guys and Dolls - 6th Street Playhouse

Tim Setzer - My Fair Lady - Sonoma Arts Live

* Outstanding Comedy Production *

Drumming with Anubis - Left Edge Theatre - Directed by David L. Yen

Hand to God - Left Edge Theatre - Directed by Chris Ginesi

The House of Yes - Main Stage West - Directed by Elizabeth Craven

Savage Wealth - Main Stage West - Directed by John Shillington

Sex with Strangers - Left Edge Theatre - Directed by Diane Bailey

* Outstanding Lead Performance in a Comedy *

Sam Coughlin - The House of Yes - Main Stage West

Dean Linnard - Hand to God - Left Edge Theatre

Sharia Pierce - The House of Yes - Main Stage West

Illana Niernberger - Savage Wealth - Main Stage West

Chris Schloemp - Drumming with Anubis - Left Edge Theatre

* Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Comedy *

Laura Jorgensen - The House of Yes - Main Stage West

Chandler Parrott-Thomas - Hand to God - Left Edge Theatre

Lydia Revelos - The Revolutionists - 6th Street Playhouse

Lyndsey Savilingam - Barbecue Apocalypse - Spreckels Theatre Company

Nick Sholley - Drumming with Anubis - Left Edge Theatre

* Outstanding Drama Production *

After Miss Julie - Main Stage West - Directed by Elizabeth Craven & David Lear

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Spreckels Theatre Company - Directed by Elizabeth Craven

Faceless - 6th Street Playhouse - Directed By Craig A. Miller

The Great God Pan - Cinnabar Theater - Directed by Taylor Korobow

Hamlet - Spreckels Theater Company - Directed by Sheri Lee Miller

* Outstanding Lead Performance in a Drama *

Keith Baker - Hamlet - Spreckels Theatre Company

Elijah Pinkham - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Spreckels Theatre Company

Illana Niernberger - Faceless - 6th Street Playhouse

Aaron Wilton - The Great God Pan - Cinnabar Theater

David L. Yen - Faceless - 6th Street Playhouse

* Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Drama *

Kevin Bordi - The Night Alive - Main Stage West

Jennifer Coté - After Miss Julie - Main Stage West

John Craven - Heathen Valley - Main Stage West

Elijah Pinkham - Heathen Valley - Main Stage West

Nick Sholley - The Great God Pan - Cinnabar Theater