LA Drama Critics Circle Announces 2005 Nominations

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 2005.  The 37th Annual Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards ceremony will take place Monday, March 13 at the El Portal Theatre, located at 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood.  Tickets are $35.  The doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a catered reception (with no-host bar) and silent auction.  The show commences at 7:30 p.m.  

Donating his services as co-host is Los Angeles theatre favorite Jason Graae (The Grand Tour, Grand Hotel, Fully Committed), who will be joined by Back Stage West critic (and perennial LADCC Awards co-host) Wenzel Jones.  Mr. Graae is scheduled to perform at the event.  Other performers currently scheduled include members of the cast of Pacific Resident Theatre's 20th anniversary revival of Happy End (nominated this year for T.H. McCulloh Award for Revival); and Reece Holland, Roger Befeler, and Paul Keith, from A Man of No Importance (presented in concert by this year's Harford Award recipient, Musical Theatre Guild). Additional performers and presenters will be announced later this month.

Awards will be given in fifteen categories, honoring excellence in theatre over the past year.  Six special awards will also be given, including a new award, honoring the memory of LADCC member Joel Hirschhorn, which will be awarded for outstanding achievement in musical theatre.

For tickets to the show, please call (818) 754-4419 for a reservation, and send your check, made out to the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, to Dany Margolies, P.O. Box 641127, Los Angeles, CA 90064.

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 nominees for the 2005 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards are as follows:

PRODUCTION
 
Pera Palas, The Theatre@Boston Court & Antaeus Company, The Theatre@Boston Court
Play Without Words, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre
Stuff Happens, Center Theatre Group, Mark Taper Forum
The Drowsy Chaperone, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre
The Goat or, Who is Sylvia?, Center Theatre Group, Mark Taper Forum
The Paris Letter, Center Theatre Group, Kirk Douglas Theatre
The Wild Party, Blank Theatre Company, Hudson Mainstage Theatre
Yellowman, Bennett Bradley and The Fountain Theatre, The Fountain Theatre

T.H. McCULLOH AWARD FOR REVIVAL
 
Happy End, Pacific Resident Theatre, Pacific Resident Theatre
Mother Courage and Her Children, Antaeus Theatre Company, NewPlace Warehouse Theatre
On The Town, Reprise! Broadway's Best, UCLA Freud Playhouse
Private Lives, Pasadena Playhouse, Pasadena Playhouse

DIRECTION

Michael Michetti, Pera Palas, The Theatre@Boston Court & Antaeus Company
Casey Nicholaw, The Drowsy Chaperone, Ahmanson Theatre
Stefan Novinski & Hassan Christopher, J.O.B. The Hip-Hopera, the Stella Adler Theatre
Warner Shook, The Goat or, Who is Sylvia?, Mark Taper Forum
Pat Towne, Gorey Stories, Sacred Fools Theater
 
MUSICAL DIRECTION

Graham Jackson, Gorey Stories, Sacred Fools Theater
David O, The Wild Party, Blank Theatre Company at Hudson Mainstage Theatre
Phil Reno, The Drowsy Chaperone, Ahmanson Theatre
Gerald Sternbach, On the Town, Reprise! Broadway's Best at UCLA Freud Playhouse

WRITING

Edward Albee, The Goat or, Who is Sylvia?, Mark Taper Forum
David Hare, Stuff Happens, Mark Taper Forum
Bob Martin and Don McKellar, The Drowsy Chaperone, Ahmanson Theatre
Dael Orlandersmith, Yellowman, The Fountain Theatre

ADAPTATION/TRANSLATION

Joanne Gordon, Love, Bukowski, California Repertory Company at Edison Theatre
KOAN Ensemble, Kafka Thing, Odyssey Theatre
Simon Levy, What I Heard About Iraq, The Fountain Theatre

MUSICAL SCORE

David Aldrich, Gorey Stories, Sacred Fools Theater
Michael John LaChiusa, The Wild Party, Blank Theatre Company at Hudson Mainstage Theatre
Lisa Lambert & Greg Morrison, The Drowsy Chaperone, Ahmanson Theatre

LEAD PERFORMANCE

Michael Arden, Pippin, Reprise! Broadway's Best at UCLA Freud Playhouse
Chris Butler, Yellowman, The Fountain Theatre
Deidrie N. Henry, Yellowman, The Fountain Theatre
Beth Hogan, Kafka Thing, Odyssey Theatre
Brian Kerwin, The Goat or, Who is Sylvia?, Mark Taper Forum
Bob Martin, The Drowsy Chaperone, Ahmanson Theatre
Lisa Tharps, Medea, The Theatre@Boston Court
Trieu D. Tran, Equus, East/West Players

FEATURED PERFORMANCE

Frank Ashmore, National Pastime, Fremont Centre Theatre
Nathan Lee Graham, The Wild Party, Blank Theatre Company at Hudson Mainstage Theatre
Daren A. Herbert, The Wild Party, Blank Theatre Company at Hudson Mainstage Theatre
Beth Leavel, The Drowsy Chaperone, Ahmanson Theatre
Bets Malone, On the Town, Reprise! Broadway's Best at UCLA Freud Playhouse
Jeff Marlow, Medea, The Theatre@Boston Court
Kirsten Potter, Honour, Matrix Theatre Company

ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE

Gorey Stories, Sacred Fools Theater
Kafka Thing, Odyssey Theatre
Love, Bukowski, California Repertory Company at Edison Theatre
Pera Palas, The Theatre@Boston Court & Antaeus Company

SCENIC DESIGN

Evan A. Bartoletti, Floyd Collins, West Coast Ensemble
Tom Buderwitz, Pera Palas, The Theatre@Boston Court & Antaeus Company
David Gallo, The Drowsy Chaperone, Ahmanson Theatre
 
LIGHTING DESIGN

Mike Durst, Kafka Thing, Odyssey Theatre
Cricket Sloat, Gorey Stories, Sacred Fools Theatre
Steven Young, J.O.B. The Hip-Hopera, the Stella Adler Theatre

COSTUME DESIGN, HAIR, WIGS & MAKEUP

Ann Closs-Farley (costumes, hair, wigs & makeup), Gorey Stories, Sacred Fools Theatre
Mary Vogt (costumes), Private Lives, Pasadena Playhouse
Gerald Altenburg (hair, wigs & make-up), The School for Scandal, Mark Taper Forum

SOUND DESIGN

Cricket Meyers, Floyd Collins, West Coast Ensemble
Kurt Thum, Kafka Thing, Odyssey Theatre
John Zalewski, Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said, EvidEnce Room

CHOREOGRAPHY
 
Matthew Bourne and the company, Play Without Words, Ahmanson Theatre
Hassan Christopher, J.O.B. The Hip-Hopera, the Stella Adler Theatre
Lee Martino, On the Town, Reprise! at UCLA Freud Playhouse

The 2005 special award recipients are as follows:

The Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in theater will be awarded to Musical Theatre Guild.

The Ted Schmitt Award for world premiere of an outstanding new play will be award to Jon Robin Baitz for The Paris Letter.

The Bob Z Award for career achievement in set design will be awarded to Donna Marquet.

The Angstrom Award for career achievement in lighting design will be awarded to Jeremy Pivnick.

The Polly Warfield Award for an excellent season in a small to mid-size theater will be awarded to California Repertory Company.

The Joel Hirschhorn Award for outstanding achievement in musical theatre will be awarded to Eric Anderson. 

For tickets to the show, please call (818) 754-4419 for a reservation, and send your check, made out to the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, to Dany Margolies, P.O. Box 641127, Los Angeles, CA 90064.