The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle named the multi-nominated Hit the Wall and Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles as 2015's Outstanding Productions at the organization's 47th annual awards event, held on Monday evening, March 14 at the Moss Theatre of New Roads School in Santa Monica.
Hit the Wall, playwright
Ike Holter's immersive recreation of the 1969 Stonewall Inn riots produced by the LA LGBT Center and Sixth Avenue, won honors for Lead Performer
Matthew Hancock and Featured Performer Charlotte Gulezian. The show's entire cast shared in an Ensemble Performance award, and
Ken Sawyer was cited for Direction.
Another directing honoree was
Jessica Kubzansky for
Mojada at The Getty Villa.
Luis Alfaro took Outstanding Adaptation for his transposition of the Euripides tragedy to America's southern border, and
Sabina Zuniga Varela was cited in the pivotal part of the betrayed wife.
The next largest number of plaques was earned by the Odyssey Theatre's
Anna Christie. The Westside company's reinterpretation of the 1920 Eugene O'Neill classic received the Tom McCulloh Award for Outstanding Revival, and also won for
Kim Rubinstein's direction and
Zoe Perry's performance in the title role.
Representing another major regional theater,
South Coast Repertory, John Glore accepted the LADCC's Ted Schmitt Award for an outstanding world premiere play on behalf of
Qui Nguyen's
Vietgone.
But the evening was a triumph for intimate local stages first and foremost.
Veteran star
Orson Bean sailed off with Solo Performance honors for his memoir
Safe at Home at Pacific Resident Theatre. Among double winners were Circle X's
Trevor (lead performer
Jimmi Simpson, and
Nick Jones' writing); Rogue Machine's
A Permanent Image (featured performer Tracie Lockwood, and Nicholas Santiago's projections); Sac
Red Fools'
Astro Boy and the God of Comics (
Aviva Pressman's live art direction, and projections by Anthony Backman and
Jim Pierce); and The Theatre @ Boston Court's
My Barking Dog (
Tom Ontiveros' lighting and
John Zalewski's sound design).
In 2015, international sensations from Spain, Kulunka Teatro, brought to the LA Theatre Center Andre & Dorine, a wordless mask-theater exploration of an elderly couple faced with Alzheimer's. The troupe was honored for Garbine Insausti's exquisite mask work, and was also named an Outstanding Ensemble.
Actor, playwright and raconteur
Jake Broder served as an elegant host for the evening, which included an award to him for his musical score for
Miravel at Sac
Red Fools Theatre Company.
Long Beach's International City Theatre won the Polly Warfield Award for the best season by a small-to-midsize theater, and previously announced special awards to longtime local director
Michael Matthews, director-choreographer
Janet Miller and projection designer
Jason H. Thompson were presented in the beautiful Moss theater space, part of the Capshaw-Spielberg Center for Arts and Educational Justice on the campus of the
Herb Alpert Educational Village. A complete list of honorees follows.
Production
·
Hit the Wall, The Los Angeles LGBT Center's
Lily Tomlin/
Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center and Sixth Avenue at The Los Angeles LGBT Center.
· Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum and The Theatre @ Boston Court at Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman Theater at the Getty Villa.
McCulloh Award for Revival (plays written between 1920 and 1980)
Lead Performance
·
Sabina Zuniga Varela in
Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum and The Theatre @ Boston Court at Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman Theater at the Getty Villa.
Featured Performance
· Charlotte Gulezian in
Hit the Wall, The Los Angeles LGBT Center's
Lily Tomlin/
Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center and Sixth Avenue at The Los Angeles LGBT Center.
· Tracie Lockwood in A Permanent Image, & Dorine.
Ensemble Performance
· André & Dorine, Kulunka Teatro at Los Angeles Theatre Center.
·
Hit the Wall, The Los Angeles LGBT Center's
Lily Tomlin/
Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center and Sixth Avenue at The Los Angeles LGBT Center.
Solo Performance
Direction
·
Jessica Kubzansky,
Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum and The Theatre @ Boston Court at Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman Theater at the Getty Villa.
Writing
Writing (Adaptation)
·
Luis Alfaro,
Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum and The Theatre @ Boston Court at Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman Theater at the Getty Villa. (previously announced)
Musical Score
Music Direction
·
Abdul Hamid Royal,
The Gospel at Colonus, Ebony Repertory Theatre at Nate Holden Performing Arts Center.
Choreography
·
Josh Rhodes,
Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella, Robyn Goodman,
Jill Furman, Stephen Koos,
Edward Walson, Venetian Glass Productions,
The Araca Group, Carola Productions,
Roy Furman,
Peter May/Sanford Robertson,
James Spry,
Eric Schmidt, and Blanket Fort Productions,
Center Theatre Group at
Ahmanson Theatre.
· Angela Todaro, American Idiot, DOMA Theatre Company at The MET Theatre.
Set Design
Lighting Design
· Matt Richter,
Hit the Wall, The Los Angeles LGBT Center's
Lily Tomlin/
Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center and Sixth Avenue at The Los Angeles LGBT Center.
Costume Design
·
William Ivey Long,
Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella, Robyn Goodman,
Jill Furman, Stephen Koos,
Edward Walson, Venetian Glass Productions,
The Araca Group, Carola Productions,
Roy Furman,
Peter May/Sanford Robertson,
James Spry,
Eric Schmidt, and Blanket Fort Productions,
Center Theatre Group at
Ahmanson Theatre.
Sound Design
CGI/Video Design
· Anthony Backman and
Jim Pierce,
Astro Boy and the God of Comics, Sac
Red Fools Theatre Company at Sac
Red Fools Theatre.
· Nicholas Santiago, A Permanent Image, Rogue Machine Theatre at Theatre/Theater.
Specialty
· Garbiñe Insausti, André & Dorine, Kulunka Teatro at The Los Angeles Theatre Center. (Masks)
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 2015 membership consisted of:
Jenny Lower, Stage Raw, LA Weekly
Comments
To post a comment, you must
register and
login.