2018 Berkshire Theatre Award Winners Announced
By: A.A. Cristi Nov. 12, 2018
At an SRO ceremony held at Zion Lutheran Church in Pittsfield, the Board of the Berkshire Theatre Critics Association presented the Berkshire Theatre Awards on the evening of Monday, November 12, 2018. This was the third year the awards have been presented to honor and celebrate the excellence and diversity of theatre in the greater Berkshire region.
The 2018 awards really display the commitment of regional theatres to presenting new and diverse work. Women and minorities were well represented among the nominees and the winners in all categories. Nominees represented theatres in Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, and Connecticut.
Critics J. Peter Bergman and Macey Levin once again hosted the ceremony, which saw top honors for Outstanding Play Production go to the Williamstown Theatre Festival's production of Theresa Rebeck's Seared, and West Side Story take home the award for Outstanding Musical Production for Barrington Stage Company.
This year's ceremony featured several performances from regional theatre groups, some of whom were nominated for awards. The Acting Class with Patrick White recreated scenes from their production of Men in Boats, nominated for Outstanding Ensemble Production. Director Christine Decker and actors Erika Floriani and Jana Lillie presented a scene from Chocolate by Frederick Stroppel, Brian Petti performed a monologue from the Bridge Street Theatre's production of Mickie Maher's There is a Happiness that Morning Is directed by John Sowle. And Joel Ripka and Paul Pontrelli, did a scene from the Chester Theatre Company's production The Aliens by Annie Baker, directed by Daniel Elihu Kramer, which won the Outstanding Ensemble Production award for the cast, which also included James Barry.
Julianne Boyd was named Outstanding Director of a Musical for her work on West Side Story at Barrington Stage, and James Warwick was named Outstanding Director of a Play for Mothers and Sons at Shakespeare & Company.
Danielle Skraastad took home the award for Outstanding Solo Performance in Tony Kushner's HOMEBODY, directed by Jeffrey Mousseau and presented at the Ancram Opera House.
The Larry Murray Award for Community Outreach and Support through Theater went to Shakespeare & Company for their Shakespeare in the Courts and Fall Festival of Shakespeare programs.
2018 Berkshire Theatre Awards (winners appear in Boldface)
1. Outstanding Supporting Actress Musical
Skyler Volpe as Anita - West Side Story - Barrington Stage
Hayley Podschun as Gwen Cavendish - Royal Family of Broadway - Barrington Stage
Latoya Edwards as Dionne - Hair -Berkshire Theatre Group
Monica M. Wemett as Miss Hannigan - Annie -Mac-Haydn Theatre
2. Outstanding Supporting Actor Musical
Chip Zien as Oscar Wolfe - Royal Family of Broadway - Barrington Stage
Sean Ewing as Bernardo - West Side Story - Barrington Stage
A.J. Shively as Perry - The Royal Family of Broadway - Barrington Stage
Steven Rattazzi as Marinetti - Lempicka - Williamstown Theatre Festival
3. Outstanding Supporting Actress Play
Ella Loudon as LaBelle/Phoebe Dennis - As You Like It - Shakespeare and Co.
Victoria Frings as Viv - Well Intentioned White People - Barrington Stage
Nemuna Ceesay as Macy - The Cake - Barrington Stage
Mary Stout as Anne Marie - A Doll's House, Part II - Barrington Stage
4. Outstanding Supporting Actor Play
Brooks Ashmanskas as Ronnie Wilde - The Closet - Williamstown Theatre Festival
Phillip James Brannon as Marcel - Dangerous House - Williamstown Theatre Festival
John Hadden as Arnold - HIR - Shakespeare and Co.
Daniel K. Isaac as Atung - The Chinese Lady - Barrington Stage
5. Outstanding Lead Actor Musical
Will Branner as Tony - West Side Story - Barrington Stage
Will Swenson as Tony Cavendish - Royal Family of Broadway - Barrington Stage
David Garrison as Irving Berlin - Coming Back Like a Song - Berkshire Theatre Group
George Dvorsky as "Daddy" Warbucks - Annie - Mac-Haydn Theatre
6. Outstanding Lead Actress Musical
Addie Morales as Maria - West Side Story - Barrington Stage
Harriet Harris as Fanny Cavendish - Royal Family of Broadway - Barrington Stage
Laura Michelle Kelly as Julie Cavendish -Royal Family of Broadway - Barrington Stage
Andrea Prestinario as Alison Bechdel - Fun Home - Weston Playhouse
7. Outstanding Lead Actress Play
Annette Miller as Katherine - Mothers and Sons - Shakespeare and Co.
Debra Jo Rupp as Della - The Cake - Barrington Stage
Alfie Fuller as Noxolo - Dangerous House - Williamstown Theatre Festival
Laila Robins as Nora - A Doll's House, Part II - Barrington Stage
8. Outstanding Lead Actor Play
Jonathan Epstein as Gustav - Creditors - Shakespeare and Co
Christopher Innvarr as Torvald - A Doll's House, Part II - Barrington Stage
David Adkins as Allen Squier - The Petrified Forest - Berkshire Theatre Group
Hoon Lee as Harry - Seared - Williamstown Theatre Festival
9. Outstanding Ensemble Production
HIR - Shakespeare and Co.
Three Sisters - Living Room Theatre
Men on Boats - Acting Class with Patrick White at Sand Lake Center for the Arts
The Aliens - Chester Theatre
10. Outstanding Solo Play
Mona Golabek in The Children of Willisden Lane - Hartford Stage
Danielle Skraastad in HOMEBODY - Ancram Opera House
Sharon Washington in Feeding the Dragon - Hartford Stage
11. Outstanding Director Musical
Julianne Boyd - West Side Story - Barrington Stage
John Rando - Royal Family of Broadway - Barrington Stage
John Saunders - Cabaret - Mac-Haydn Theatre
Rachel Chavkin - Lempicka - Williamstown Theatre Festival
12. Outstanding Director Play
Nicole Ricciardi - Creditors - Shakespeare and Co.
Saheem Ali - Dangerous House - Williamstown Theatre Festival
Jennifer Chambers -The Cake - Barrington Stage
James Warwick - Mothers and Sons - Shakespeare and Co.
13. Outstanding Scenic Design
Alexander Dodge - Royal Family of Broadway - Barrington Stage
Wilson Chen - The Petrified Forest - Berkshire Theatre Group
Dane Laffrey - Dangerous House - Williamstown Theatre Festival
Kristen Robinson -West Side Story - Barrington Stage
14. Outstanding Costume Design
Alejo Vietti - The Royal Family of Broadway - Barrington Stage
Hunter Kaszarowski - The Petrified Forest - Berkshire Theatre Group
Montana Levi Blanco - Lempicka - Williamstown Theatre Festival
Angela Carstensen - Cabaret - Mac-Haydn Theatre
15. Outstanding Lighting Design
Bradley King - Lempicka - Williamstown Theatre Festival
Andrew Gmoser - Damn Yankees - Mac-Haydn Theatre
Lap Chi Chu - Dangerous House - Williamstown Theatre Festival
David Lander - West Side Story - Barrington Stage
16. Outstanding Sound Design - TIE
Daniel Kluger - The Sound Inside - Williamstown Theatre Festival
Fabian Obispo - The Chinese Lady - Barrington Stage
Rider Q. Stanton - Ring of Fire - Capital Repertory Theatre
Palmer Hefferan - Dangerous House - Williamstown Theatre Festival
17. Outstanding Choreography
Robert La Fosse - West Side Story - Barrington Stage
Joshua Bergasse - Royal Family of Broadway - Barrington Stage
Sebastiani Romagnolo - Cabaret - Mac-Haydn Theatre
Lisa Shriver - Hair - Berkshire Theatre Group
18. Outstanding NEW Play
The Sound Inside by Adam Rapp, directed by David Cromer - Williamstown Theatre Festival
The Chinese Lady by Lloyd Suh, directed by Ralph B. Pena - Barrington Stage
The Closet by Douglas Carter-Beane, directed by Mark Brokaw - Williamstown Theatre Festival
Dangerous House by Jen Silverman, directed by Saheem Ali - Williamstown Theatre Festival
19. Outstanding NEW Musical
Lempicka - Book and Lyrics by Carson Kreitzer; Music by Matt Gould, directed by Rachel Chavkin - WilliamstownTheatre Festival
Royal Family of Broadway - Book by Rachel Sheinkin; Music and Lyrics by William Finn, directed by Joshua Bergasse - Barrington Stage
Coming Back Like a Song - by Lee Kalcheim. Songs by Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen, Jimmy Van Heusen and their collaborators. Directed by Gregg Edelman - Berkshire Theatre Group
20. Outstanding Musical Production
West Side Story - directed by Julianne Boyd - Barrington Stage
Hair - directed by Daisy Walker - Berkshire Theatre Group
Ring of Fire - directed by Maggie Mancinelli -Cahill - Capital Repertory Theatre
Anything Goes - directed by Alan M-L Wager - Sharon Playhouse
21. Outstanding Play Production
Creditors by August Strindberg, adapted by David Greig. Directed by Nicole Ricciardi -Shakespeare and Co.
Mothers and Sons by Terence McNally. Directed by James Warwick - Shakespeare and Co.
Dangerous House by Jen Silverman, directed by Saheem Ali - Williamstown Theatre Festival
Seared by Theresa Rebeck. Directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel. Williamstown Theatre Festival
The 2018 Larry Murray Award for Community Outreach and Support through Theater
Awarded to Shakespeare & Company for their Shakespeare in the Courts and Fall Festival of Shakespeare programs.
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