Nominations Announced For 30th Annual LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards - Michael Arden, Daniel J. Watts, and More!

Nominees for the 30th Annual LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards were announced on Tuesday, November 5 on at This Stage [ThisStage.la]. The ceremony will take place Monday, January 13, 2020 at The Theatre at Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Among the nominees are director Michael Arden and actor Jefferson Mays for A Christmas Carol, and Tina star Daniel J. Watts.

Center Theatre Group leads the pack with 20 nominations for their productions of Lackawanna Blues (5), and Linda Vista (4) at the Mark Taper Forum; Ain't Too Proud (1) at the Ahmanson Theatre; and Dana H. (7), and Quack (2) at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, along with Best Season. Fountain Theatre follows with 19 nominations for their productions of Cost of Living (9), Daniel's Husband (6), Hype Man: A Break Beat Play (3), and Best Season. Geffen Playhouse earned 18 nominations for their productions of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol (8), Lights Out: Nat "King" Cole (8), Mysterious Circumstances (2), and Black Super Hero Magic Mama (1). La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts garnered 14 nominations for their productions of Singin' in the Rain (11), Beauty and the Beast (2), and A Night with Janis Joplin (1). Pasadena Playhouse tied with 14 nominations for their production of Ragtime. Sophina Brown gets 10 nominations for her production of August Wilson's Two Trains Running.

Ovation Honors, which recognizes outstanding achievement in areas that are not among the standard list of nomination categories, have been awarded to Romero Moseley (Music Composition for a Play, Hype Man: A Break Beat Play at Fountain Theatre, and Dillon Nelson & Erin Walley (Puppet Design, Argonautika, A Noise Within).

A complete list of nominees can be found at https://thisstage.la/2019/11/ovations30/.

During the 2018-2019 voting season, 278 productions were registered for awards consideration by 124 producing organizations, and 3,838 individual artists were evaluated. Of those productions registered, 83 were 'Ovation Recommended,' identified during their runs as scoring in the top quarter of all productions in the Overall Production category. This year's 272 voters cast a total of 6,462 ballots. The eligibility period ran from August 27, 2018 through August 25, 2019.

Sponsors of this year's Ovation Awards are DOMA Development Corporation; DOMA Theatre Company; Requiem Media Productions, LLC; SE7EN Waves Entertainment, LLC; Venture Hills Entertainment, LLC; UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television; F&D Scene Changes LTD; Ken Werther Publicity; Bakers Man Productions; Rosebrand; Zodiac Entertainment, LLC; Perpetua Holdings, LLC; Behind the Mask, Inc.; and Millennia Development, Inc.

LA Stage Alliance is a nonprofit arts service organization dedicated to building awareness, appreciation, and support for the performing arts in greater Los Angeles. The LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards, founded in 1989, are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles. Voters are LA theatre professionals who are chosen through a vigorous application process each year by the Ovation Rules Committee. More information can be found at www.ovationawards.com.