Marquee Theater Journalists Association Announces 2020 MTJA Award Nominations
The MTJA was founded in 2015 by Sonoma County-based theater journalists.
By: Stephi Wild Sep. 27, 2020
Despite a severely truncated theater season, the San Francisco North Bay-based Marquee Theater Journalists Association has decide to move forward with its 2020 awards program and has released its list of nominees for the 5th Annual MTJA Awards. The Association recognized the exemplary work of Sonoma County theater artists with nominations in eighteen categories that were culled from the thirty-five pre-pandemic productions attended by MTJA members. The qualifying season for the awards program usually runs from September of the previous year through August of the current year. Award recipients will be announced in an on-line presentation on a date still to be determined.
The MTJA was founded in 2015 by Sonoma County-based theater journalists with the intent of developing a critically-based awards program to acknowledge outstanding work done by the local theater community. Current members include the North Bay Bohemian's Harry Duke, Sonoma County Gazette's Jeanie K. Smith, and Aisle Seat Review's Nicole Singley and Barry Willis. All are also members of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle as well as the American Theatre Critics Association.
From its inception, the Marquee Theater Journalists Association took a different approach to its awards system than most other programs. It originally recognized three types of plays - comedy, drama, and musical - and was the first theater awards program in California to have non-gender-specific performance categories. The MTJA opted to not use the traditional and somewhat-outdated binary divisions and instead acknowledge Outstanding Lead and Outstanding Supporting Performances in Comedy, Drama, and Musical productions as well as an Outstanding Solo Performance/Production. A ranked-choice voting system is used to determine all the nominees.
Here is the complete list of nominees for the 2020 MTJA Awards:
Outstanding Poster/Program Design
Daddy Long Legs - Sonoma Arts Live - Design by Sue Martin with Moira McGovern
Eureka Day - Spreckels Theatre Company - Design by Jennifer Griego
Ripcord - Cinnabar Theater - Design by Elly Lichenstein
Urinetown - Spreckels Theatre Company - Design by Jennifer Griego
The Wolves - Raven Players - Design by Richard Sheppard
Outstanding Costume Design
Sandra Ish - Escanaba in Da Moonlight - Left Edge Theatre
Pamela Johnson - Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley - Spreckels Theatre Company
Pamela Johnson - Urinetown - Spreckels Theatre Company
Jolie O'Dell - Little Shop of Horrors - Cinnabar Theater
Skipper Skeoch - A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder - Spreckels Theatre Company
Outstanding Lighting Design
April George - Escanaba in Da Moonlight - Left Edge Theatre
Eddy Hansen - Eureka Day - Spreckels Theatre Company
Eddy Hansen - Urinetown - Spreckels Theatre Company
Wayne Hovey - Little Shop of Horrors - Cinnabar Theater
Missy Weaver - The Seafarer - Main Stage West
Outstanding Sound Design
Doug Faxon - Boom - Main Stage West
Doug Faxon - The Seafarer - Main Stage West
Jessica Johnson - Eureka Day - Spreckels Theatre Company
Jessica Johnson - Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley - Spreckels Theatre Company
Jessica Johnson - Urinetown - Spreckels Theatre Company
Outstanding Scenic Design
Elizabeth Bazzano & Eddy Hansen - Eureka Day - Spreckels Theatre Company
Elizabeth Bazzano - Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley - Spreckels Theatre Company
David Lear - The Seafarer - Main Stage West
Peter Q. Parish - Little Shop of Horrors - Cinnabar Theater
Argo Thompson - Escanaba in Da Moonlight - Left Edge Theatre
Outstanding Choreography
Bridget Codoni - Little Shop of Horrors - Cinnabar Theater
Joseph Favalora - Gypsy - 6th Street Playhouse
Lisa Ferreira - Merman's Apprentice - Sonoma Arts Live
Michella Snider - A Christmas Story (tap sequence) - Sonoma Arts Live
Michella Snider - A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder - Spreckels Theatre Company
Outstanding Musical Direction
John Bannister - Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story - 6th Street Playhouse
Mary Chun - Little Shop of Horrors - Cinnabar Theater
Jim Coleman - A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder - Spreckels Theatre Company
Sherrill Peterson - Daddy Long Legs - Sonoma Arts Live
Lucas Sherman - Urinetown - Spreckels Theatre Company
Outstanding Ensemble
Eureka Day - Spreckels Theatre Company
A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder - Spreckels Theatre Company
The Laramie Project - Raven Players
Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley - Spreckels Theatre Company
The Seafarer - Main Stage West
Outstanding Solo Performance/Production
Mark Bradbury - Polar Bears - Left Edge Theatre - Directed by David Templeton
Patrick Varner - Fully Committed - 6th Street Playhouse - Directed by Lennie Dean
Outstanding Musical Production
Daddy Long Legs - Sonoma Arts Live - Directed by Michael Ross
A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder - Spreckels Theatre Company - Directed by Michael Ross
Little Shop of Horrors - Cinnabar Theater - Directed by Nathan Cummings
Merman's Apprentice - Sonoma Arts Live - Directed by Jaime Love & Larry Williams
Urinetown - Spreckels Theatre Company - Directed by Jay Manley
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical
Daniela Innocenti Beem - Merman's Apprentice - Sonoma Arts Live
Madison Genovese - Daddy Long Legs - Sonoma Arts Live
Kyle Jurrasic - Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story - 6th Street Playhouse
Michael McGurk - Little Shop of Horrors - Cinnabar Theater
Tim Setzer - A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder - Spreckels Theatre Company
Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Musical
Keith Baker - Little Shop of Horrors - Cinnabar Theater
Denise Elia-Yen - Urinetown - Spreckels Theatre Company
Schary Pearl Fugitt - A Christmas Story - Sonoma Arts Live
Madison Genovese - A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder - Spreckels Theatre Company
Roger Michelson - Gypsy - 6th Street Playhouse
Outstanding Comedy Production
Body Awareness - Main Stage West - Directed by John Shillington
Escanaba in Da Moonlight - Left Edge Theatre - Directed by Argo Thompson
Eureka Day - Spreckels Theatre Company - Directed by Elizabeth Craven
Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley - Spreckels Theatre Company - Directed by Sheri Lee Miller
Ripcord - Cinnabar Theater - Directed by James Pelican
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Comedy
Kate Brickley - Ripcord - Cinnabar Theater
Sarah McKereghan - Eureka Day - Spreckels Theatre Company
Karina Pugh - Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley - Spreckels Theatre Company
Lydia Revelos - Body Awareness - Main Stage West
Val Sinckler - Eureka Day - Spreckels Theatre Company
Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Comedy
Jeff Coté - Eureka Day - Spreckels Theatre Company
Taylor Diffenderfer - Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley - Spreckels Theatre Company
Kimberly Kalember - Escanaba in Da Moonlight - Left Edge Theatre
Elijah Pinkham - Body Awareness - Main Stage West
Kyle Stoner - Ripcord - Cinnabar Theater
Outstanding Drama Production
Between Riverside and Crazy - Left Edge Theatre - Directed by Argo Thompson
Heisenberg - Left Edge Theatre - Directed by Carla Spindt
Luna Gale - Cinnabar Theater - Directed By Jessica Litwak
Mary's Wedding - Main Stage West - Directed by Missy Weaver
The Seafarer - Main Stage West - Directed by David Lear
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Drama
Keith Baker - The Seafarer - Main Stage West
John Craven - Heisenberg - Left Edge Theatre
Corey Jackson - Between Riverside and Crazy - Left Edge Theatre
Liz Jahren - Luna Gale - Cinnabar Theater
Edward McCloud - The Seafarer - Main Stage West
Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Drama
Sam Ademola - Between Riverside and Crazy - Left Edge Theatre
Kevin Bordi - The Seafarer - Main Stage West
John Craven - The Seafarer - Main Stage West
Kellie Donnelly - Luna Gale - Cinnabar Theater
Pilar Gonzalez - Between Riverside and Crazy - Left Edge Theatre
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