Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Announces Winners For Theatrical Achievement In 2016

The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle announced the recipients of its 48th annual awards for distinguished achievement in theatre tonight, Monday, March 20, at the Colony Theatre in Burbank.

Four 2016 productions received plaques: A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder at the Ahmanson Theatre; Cloud 9 at Antaeus Theatre Company; Disgraced at the Mark Taper Forum; and The Boy from Oz at Celebration Theatre.

The LADCC also presented the inaugural Gordon Davidson Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Los Angeles Theatrical Community to the Pro99 movement. Family members of the late Gordon Davidson, in whose honor the award is named, attended the ceremony.

Wenzel Jones presided over the festivities, and Corey Hirsch served as music director.

A complete list of award recipients is as follows:

Production

• A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder, Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre.
• Cloud 9, Antaeus Theatre Company.
• Disgraced, Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum.
• The Boy from Oz, Celebration Theatre.

McCulloh Award for Revival (plays written between 1920 and 1991)

• Cloud 9, Antaeus Theatre Company.
• Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum.

Lead Performance

• Andrew Bongiorno in The Boy from Oz, Celebration Theatre.
• Ginna Carter in The Eccentricities of a Nightingale, Pacific Resident Theatre.
• Hari Dhillon in Disgraced, Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum.
• Featured Performance
• JD Cullum in Cloud 9, Antaeus Theatre Company.
• Bo Foxworth in Cloud 9, Antaeus Theatre Company.
• Bess Motta in The Boy from Oz, Celebration Theatre.

Ensemble Performance

• Casa Valentina, The Pasadena Playhouse.
• Cloud 9, Antaeus Theatre Company.
• Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum.

Solo Performance

• Deborah Puette, Captain of the Bible Quiz Team, Rogue Machine Theatre.

Direction

• Michael A. Shepperd, The Boy from Oz, Celebration Theatre.
• Casey Stangl, Cloud 9, Antaeus Theatre Company.
• Darko Tresnjak, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder, Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre

Writing

• Ayad Akhtar, Disgraced, Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum.
• Erik Patterson, One of the Nice Ones, The Echo Theater Company.

Musical Score

• Steven Lutvak and Robert L. Freedman, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder, Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre.

Music Direction

• Bryan Blaskie, The Boy from Oz, Celebration Theatre.

Choreography

• Janet Roston, The Boy from Oz, Celebration Theatre.

Set Design

• Alexander Dodge, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder, Center Theatre Group/ Ahmanson Theatre.

CGI/Video Design

• Brad Peterson and David Gallo, Empire the Musical, La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.

Lighting Design

• Rui Rita and Jake DeGroot, Fly, The Pasadena Playhouse.

Costume Design

• Kate Bergh, Casa Valentina, The Pasadena Playhouse.
• A. Jeffrey Schoenberg, Cloud 9, Antaeus Theatre Company.

Sound Design

• Eric Snodgrass, The Boy from Oz, Celebration Theatre.

Specialty: Fight Choreography

• Jen Albert, Punch and Judy, The School of Night, Ruby Theater at the Complex.

Specialty: Wigs, Hair and Makeup

• Rick Geyer, Casa Valentina, The Pasadena Playhouse.
• Jessica Mills, Cloud 9, Antaeus Theatre Company.

The following special award winners were previously announced:

2016 Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in theatre

• Antaeus Theatre Company.

2016 Polly Warfield Award for an excellent season in a small to mid-size theatre

• Rogue Machine Theatre.

2016 Ted Schmitt Award for the world premiere of an outstanding new play

• Aliza Goldstein for A Singular They, originally produced by the Blank Theatre.

2016 Kinetic Lighting Award for outstanding achievement in theatrical design

• Jared A. Sayeg.

2016 Joel Hirschhorn Award for outstanding achievement in musical theatre

• Cabrillo Music Theatre.

2016 Milton Katselas Award for career or special achievement in direction

• Maria Gobetti.

2016 Gordon Davidson Award for distinguished contribution to the Los Angeles theatrical community

• Pro99.

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 2016 membership consisted of:

Pauline Adamek, ArtsBeatLA.com, Stage Raw

Paul Birchall, Stage Raw

Katie Buenneke, L.A. Weekly

Lovell Estell III, Stage Raw

Shirle Gottlieb, Gazette Newspapers, StageHappenings.com

Margaret Gray, Los Angeles Times

Hoyt Hilsman, The Huffington Post

Deborah Klugman, ArtsBeatLA.com, Stage Raw, LA Weekly

Jenny Lower, Stage Raw, LA Weekly

Jon Magaril, CurtainUp.com

Dany Margolies, ArtsInLA.com, Southern California News Group

Myron Meisel, Stage Raw

Terry Morgan, Stage Raw, TalkinBroadway.com

Steven Leigh Morris, Stage Raw, LA Weekly

David C. Nichols, Los Angeles Times

Melinda Schupmann, ShowMag.com, ArtsInLA.com

Jonas Schwartz-Owen, Theatermania.com, ArtsInLA.com

Don Shirley, LA Observed

Les Spindle, EDGE LA

Bob Verini, Variety, ArtsInLA.com, Stage Raw

NeAl Weaver, Stage Raw

To post a comment, you must register and login.