2018 Berkshire Theatre Award Winners Announced

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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