LADCC 2016 Awards Recipients

The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle announced the recipients of its 48th annual awards for distinguished achievement in theatre on Monday evening, 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 Art

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 PlayhousJessica Mills, Cloud 9, Antaeus Theatre Company

The following special award winners were previously announced:

2016 Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in theater
Antaeus Theatre Company

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

Plaques by production:

Cloud 9 at Antaeus Theatre Company: Production; McCulloh Award for Revival; Featured Performance (JD Cullum); Featured Performance (Box Foxworth); Ensemble Performance; Direction (Casey Stangl); Costumes (A. Jeffrey Schoenberg); and Specialty—Wigs, Hair, and Makeup (Jessica Mills) 8 plaques

The Boy from Oz at Celebration Theatre: Production; Direction (Michael A. Shepperd); Lead Performance (Andrew Bongiorno); Featured Performance (Bess Motta); Music Direction (Bryan Blaskie); Choreography (Janet Roston); and Sound Design (Eric Snodgrass) 7 plaques

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder at the Ahmanson Theatre: Production; Direction (Darko Tresnjak); Musical Score (Steven Lutvak and Robert L. Freedman); Set Design (Alexander Dodge) 4 plaques
Casa Valentina at The Pasadena Playhouse: Ensemble; Costumes (Kate Bergh); Specialty—Wigs, Hair and Makeup (Rick Geyer) 3 plaques

Disgraced at the Mark Taper Forum: Production; Writing (Ayad Akhtar); Lead Performance (Hari Dhillon) 3 plaques

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom at the Mark Taper Forum: McCulloh Award for Revival; Ensemble Performance 2 plaques

Fly at The Pasadena Playhouse: Lighting Design (Rui Rita and Jake DeGroot) 1 plaque

Captain of the Bible Quiz Team at Rogue Machine Theatre: Solo Performance (Deborah Puette) 1 plaque

The Eccentricities of a Nightingale at Pacific Resident Theatre: Lead Performance (Ginna Carter) 1 plaque

Empire the Musical at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts: CGI/Video Design (Brad Peterson and David Gallo) 1 plaque

One of the Nice Ones at The Echo Theater Company: Writing (Erik Patterson) 1 plaque

Punch and Judy, The School of Night, Ruby Theatre at the Complex: Specialty—Fight Choreography (Jen Albert)1 plaque

A Singular They at The Blank Theatre: Ted Schmitt Award for the world premiere of an outstanding new play (Aliza Goldstein) 1 plaque

Plaques by company:

Ahmanson Theatre 4 plaques

Antaeus Theatre Company 9 plaques

The Blank Theatre plaque

Cabrillo Music Theatre 1 plaque

Celebration Theatre 7 plaques

The Echo Theater Company 1 plaque

La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts 1 plaque

Mark Taper Forum 5 plaques

Pacific Resident Theatre 1 plaque

The Pasadena Playhouse 4 plaques

Rogue Machine Theatre 2 plaques

The School of Night 1 plaque