FINDING NEVERLAND Takes Home the Most Wins at the IRNE Awards

The Independent Reviewers of New England announced the winners of the 19th Annual IRNE Awards last night at the Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts.

The American Repertory Theater's pre-Broadway production of Finding Neverland won eight awards, including Best New Play and Best Musical. Jeremy Jordan, the musical's out-of-town star, received the award for Best Actor, and castmate Michael McGrath, whose role is now played on Broadway by Kelsey Grammer, won for Best Supporting Actor. Current Finding Neverland stars Carolee Carmello and Laura Michelle Kelly won awards for Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress, respectively. Rounding out the production's lengthy list of wins were Gilles Papain for projection design and Tony winner Diane Paulus for best director.

Check out the complete list of winners below.

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Small Theater Winners 2015

Best New Play
PATTERN OF LIFE by Walt McGough (New Repertory Theatre)

Best Set Design
Janie E. Howland THE WHIPPING MAN (New Repertory Theatre)

Best Lighting Design
Franklin Meissner, Jr. SWEENEY TODD (Lyric Stage Co. of Boston)

Best Projection Design
Jared Mezzocchi ASTRO BOY (Company One)

Best Costume Design
Scott Martino SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN BOTTOMS (Gold Dust Orphans)

Best Sound Design
Edward Young PATTERN OF LIFE (New Repertory Theatre)

Best Choreography
Christian Bufford THE COLOR PURPLE (SpeakEasy Stage Company)

Best Solo
Neil McGarry A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Bay Colony Shakespeare)

Best Ensemble
MIDSIZE Winner:INTO THE WOODS (Lyric Stage Compay)
FRINGE winner:KNOCK: The Daniil Kharms Project (Imaginary Beasts)

Best Supporting Actress MIDSIZE (Drama)
Paula Plum DEATH OF A SALESMAN (Lyric Stage Company)

Best Supporting Actress FRINGE (Drama)
Lynn R. Guerra NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH (Zeitgeist Stage Company)

Best Supporting Actor MIDSIZE (Drama)
Kelby T. Aken DEATH OF A SALESMAN (Lyric Stage Company)

Best Supporting Actor FRINGE (Drama)
Brooks Reeves BENT (Zeitgeist Stage Company

Best Actresses (Drama) FRINGE
Surprise Announcement
The WOMEN of Imaginary Beasts
Erin Eva Butcher
Sarah Gazdowicz
Lynn Guerra
Molly Kimmerling
Maria Grazia LaFauci
Caroline Rose Markham
Amy Meyer
Beth Pearson
Anneke Reich
Kiki Samko
Libby Schap
Kaitee Tredway
Melissa Walker

Best Actress (Drama) Midsize
Jacqui Parker FENCES (Gloucester Stage Company)

Best Actor FRINGE (Drama)
Victor Shopov BENT (Zeitgeist Stage Company)

Best Actor MIDSIZE (Drama)
Daver Morrison FENCES (Gloucester Stage Company)

Best Supporting Actress (Musical)
Crystin Gilmore THE COLOR PURPLE (SpeakEasy Stage)

Best Supporting Actor (Musical)
Maurice Emmanuel Parent THE COLOR PURPLE (SpeakEasy Stage)

Best Actress (Musical)
Lovely Hoffman THE COLOR PURPLE (SpeakEasy Stage)

Best Actor (Musical)
Danny Bolton THE DROWSY CHAPERONE (Company Theatre)

Best Music Director
Nicholas J. Connell THE COLOR PURPLE (SpeakEasy Stage)

Best Director of a Musical
Spiro Veloudos INTO THE WOODS (Lyric Stage)

Best Director of a Drama FRINGE
David J. Miller BENT (Zeitgeist Stage)

Best Director of a Drama MIDSIZE
Joe Antoun GOD OF CARNAGE (Next Door Theatre)

Best Visiting Production
CAROLEE CARMELLO: The Boston Concert (Joey DeMita, Matt Phillips, F.U.D.G.E.)

Best Musical
INTO THE WOODS (Lyric Stage)

Best Play FRINGE
BENT (Zeitgeist Stage)

Best Play MIDSIZE
DEATH OF A SALESMAN (Lyric Stage)

Promising Performance by a Young Actor
Wil Moser THE LITTLE PRINCE (New Repertory Theatre)

Large Theater Winners 2015

Best New Play
FINDING NEVERLAND by James Graham/Gary Barlow/Eliot Kennedy (ART)

Best Set Design
James Youmans ETHER DOME (Huntington Theatre Co.)

Best Lighting Design
M. L. Geiger VENUS IN FUR (Huntington Theatre Co.)

Best Projection Design
Gilles Papain FINDING NEVERLAND (ART)

Best Costume Design
Charles Schoonmaker VENUS IN FUR (Huntington Theatre)

Best Sound Design
Jonathan Deams WITNESS UGANDA (ART)

Best Choreography
Adam Petty BILLY ELLIOT (Ogunquit Playhouse)

Best Solo
Penny Fuller 13 THINGS ABOUT ED CARPOLOTTI (Merrimack Repertory Theatre)

Best Ensemble
BILLY ELLIOT (Ogunquit Playhouse)

Best Supporting Actress (Drama)
Miranda Craigwell SMART PEOPLE (Huntington Theatre)

Best Supporting Actor (Drama)
Will Lebow AWAKE AND SING! (Huntington Theatre)

Best Actress (Drama)
Andrea Syglowski VENUS IN FUR (Huntington Theatre)

Best Actor (Drama)
Michael Bakkersen ETHER DOME (Huntington Theatre)

Best Supporting Actress (Musical)
Carolee Carmello FINDING NEVERLAND (ART)

Best Supporting Actor (Musical)
Michael McGrath FINDING NEVERLAND (ART)

Best Actress (Musical)
Laura Michelle Kelly FINDING NEVERLAND (ART)

Best Actor (Musical)
Jeremy Jordan FINDING NEVERLAND (ART)

Best Music Director
Ana Flavia Zuim BILLY ELLIOT (Ogunquit Playhouse)

Best Director of a Musical
Diane Paulus FINDING NEVERLAND (ART)

Best Director of a Drama
David Esbjornson GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (Huntington Theatre)

Best Visiting Production LARGE
THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL (Arts Emerson)

Best Visiting Production SMALL
THE OLD MAN AND THE OLD MOON (Arts Emerson)

Best Visiting Performer
Cicely Tyson THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL (Arts Emerson)

Best Musical
FINDING NEVERLAND (ART)

Best Play
VENUS IN FUR (Huntington Theatre)

Promising Performance by Young Actor
Noah Parets/Sam Faulkner (alternating) BILLY ELLIOT (Ogunquit Playhouse)