2016 AWARDS
The San Diego Theatre Critics Circle presented its 2016 Craig Noel Awards on Monday, Feb. 6, 207, at the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation in San Diego. The 15th annual awards ceremony drew nearly 600 people from as far as Los Angeles.
Actors of the Year:
Melissa Fernandes & Ro Boddie
Designer of the Year
Scenic designer Sean Fanning
Don Braunagel Award for Outstanding Work by a Small Theater
Diversionary Theatre
Outstanding Young Artist Award and Sandra Ellis-Troy Scholarship
Reed Lievers – “Big River,” New Village Arts
Outstanding Dramatic Production
“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” Intrepid Theatre
Outstanding Resident Musical
“October Sky,” The Old Globe
Outstanding New Play & Performing Arts LIVE Prize
“Junk: The Golden Age of Debt” by Ayad Akhtar, La Jolla Playhouse
Outstanding Touring Production
“Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Broadway/San Diego
Outstanding Direction of a Play
Christy Yael-Cox, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” Intrepid Theatre
Outstanding Direction of a Musical
Glenn Paris & Kim Strassburger – “Sunday in the Park with George,” ion theatre
Outstanding Ensemble
August Wilson Repertory Company – Cygnet Theatre
Outstanding Solo Performance
Rosina Reynolds – “Golda’s Balcony,” New Village Arts
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical, Male
Justin Huertas – “Lizard Boy,” Diversionary Theatre
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical, Female
Carolyn Agan – “Ragtime,” San Diego Musical Theatre
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical, Female
Allison Spratt Pearce – “Gypsy,” Cygnet Theatre
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical, Male
Sean Allan Krill – “Sense and Sensibility,” The Old Globe
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play, Male
Robert Smyth – “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” Intrepid Theatre
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play, Female
Deborah Gilmour Smyth – “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” Intrepid Theatre
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play, Male
Laurence Brown – “Seven Guitars,” Cygnet Theatre
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play, Female
Kim Strassburger – “The Normal Heart,” ion theatre
Outstanding Music Direction
Don LeMaster – “Ragtime,” San Diego Musical Theatre
Outstanding Choreography
Colleen Kollar Smith – “American Rhythm,” Lamb’s Players Theatre
Outstanding Original Score
Tim Rosser – “The Boy Who Danced on Air,” Diversionary Theatre
Outstanding Scenic Design
John Lee Beatty – “Love’s Labor’s Lost,” The Old Globe
Outstanding Sound Design
Charles Coes & Nathan A. Roberts – “tokyo fish story,” The Old Globe
Outstanding Costume Design
Jennifer Brawn Gittings – “Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show,” Cygnet Theatre
Outstanding Lighting Design
Howell Binkley – “Hollywood,” La Jolla Playhouse
Outstanding Projection Design
Blake McCarty – “Sunday in the Park with George,” ion theatre
Special thanks to these contributors:
The Seuss Foundation & Audrey Geisel
Mike Napoli & Performing Arts LIVE
Stanley Cohen
Yolanda Braunagel
Osborn and Dea Hurston
Jay and Julie Sarno
Ralph Johnson
Trina Kaplan
Also:
Musical direction/orchestrations: Justin Gray
Event photographer: Ion Moe
Slide show presenter: Leslie Crawford
Films/slide show/program design & event production: Pam Kragen
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2016 Craig Noel Award nominations announced
Winners will be announced at the ceremony on Feb. 6 at new location
SAN DIEGO (Jan. 1, 2017) —- More than 90 local and national theatre artists representing 56 San Diego theatrical productions from 20 different producing companies will compete for the 2016 Craig Noel Awards, the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle announced today.
Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony from 6 to 10 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6, 2017, at the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation, 404 Euclid Ave, San Diego, CA 92114.
Besides the categories below, the Critics Circle will also present the annual Don Braunagel Award for Outstanding Work by a Small Theater Company, which includes a cash award from his widow, Yolanda Braunagel; the Outstanding Young Actor & Sandra Ellis-Troy Scholarship; awards for Actor of the Year, Male and Female, and an inaugural award for Designer of the Year. Winners of these categories will be announced from the stage.
Nominees for the 2016 Craig Noel Awards:
MUSICAL CATEGORIES
Outstanding Music Direction
Charlie Alterman – “October Sky,” The Old Globe
Mark Danisovszky – “Sunday in the Park with George,” ion theatre
Tony Houck – Oklahoma!,” New Village Arts
Don LeMaster – “Ragtime,” San Diego Musical Theatre
Elan McMahan – “Titanic, the Musical,” Moonlight Stage Productions
Outstanding Choreography
Paul David Bryant – “Ragtime,” San Diego Musical Theatre
Jill Gorrie – “42nd Street,” San Diego Musical Theatre
Colleen Kollar Smith – “American Rhythm,” Lamb’s Players Theatre
Ray Limon – “Jesus Christ Superstar,” Welk Resort Theatre
Nejla Y. Yatkin – “The Boy Who Danced on Air,” Diversionary Theatre
Outstanding Original Score
Deborah Gilmour Smyth – “Equivocation,” Lamb’s Players Theatre
Peter Golub – “Love’s Labor’s Lost,” The Old Globe
Robert Grossman – “Way Downriver,” North Coast Repertory Theatre
Erin McKeown – “Miss You Like Hell,” La Jolla Playhouse
Tim Rosser – “The Boy Who Danced on Air,” Diversionary Theatre
ACTING CATEGORIES
Outstanding Ensemble
“Manifest Destinitis,” San Diego Repertory Theatre
“Seminar,” InnerMission Productions
“Seven Guitars”/”King Hedley II,” Cygnet Theatre
“When the Rain Stops Falling,” Cygnet Theatre
“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” Intrepid Theatre Company
Outstanding Solo Performance
Mike Daisey – “The Trump Card,” La Jolla Playhouse
Bets Malone – “Tell Me on a Sunday,” The Broadway Theater
Rosina Reynolds – “Golda’s Balcony,” New Village Arts
Benjamin Scheuer – “The Lion,” The Old Globe
Keith A. Wallace – “The Bitter Game,” La Jolla Playhouse
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical, Male
Bryan Barbarin – “Big River,” New Village Arts
Jacob Brent – “The Drowsy Chaperone,” San Diego State University School of Theatre, Television & Film
Jack French – “Oklahoma!” New Village Arts
Justin Huertas – “Lizard Boy,” Diversionary Theatre
Reed Lievers – “Big River,” New Village Arts
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical, Female
Carolyn Agan – “Ragtime,” San Diego Musical Theatre
Melissa Fernandes – “Sunday in the Park with George,” ion theatre
Linda Libby – “Gypsy,” Cygnet Theatre
Daebreon Poiema – “Sister Act,” Moonlight Stage Productions
Sharon Rietkerk – “Sense and Sensibility,” The Old Globe
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical, Female
Bets Malone – “Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show,” Cygnet Theatre
Nicole Pryor – “Ragtime,” San Diego Musical Theatre
Allison Spratt Pearce – “Gypsy,” Cygnet Theatre
Alexandra Slade – “Oklahoma,” New Village Arts
Wendy Waddell – “Fiddler on the Roof,” Welk Resort Theatre
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical, Male
Ron Bohmer – “October Sky,” The Old Globe
Cornelius Jones Jr. – “Sister Act,” Moonlight Stage Productions
Sean Allan Krill – “Sense and Sensibility,” The Old Globe
David McBean – “Ruthless! The Musical,” Moxie Theatre
Jonathan Sangster – “Oklahoma!”, New Village Arts
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play, Male
Richard Baird – “Way Downriver,” North Coast Repertory Theatre
Ro Boddie – “Seven Guitars,” Cygnet Theatre
Ronobir Lahiri – “Disgraced,” San Diego Repertory Theatre
Claudio Raygoza – “The Normal Heart,” ion theatre
Robert Smyth – “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” Intrepid Theatre Company
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play, Female
Deborah Gilmour Smyth – “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” Intrepid Theatre Company
Jo Anne Glover – “The Kid Thing,” Moxie Theatre
Cashe Monya – “Our Lady of Kibeho,” Moxie Theatre
Jennifer Paredes – “Lydia,” ion theatre
M’Lafi Thompson – “Brownsville Song (b-side for Tray),” Moxie Theatre
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play, Male
Laurence Brown – “Jesus Hates Me,” ion theatre
Laurence Brown – “Seven Guitars,” Cygnet Theatre
Kevin Cahoon – “Love’s Labor’s Lost,” The Old Globe
Ross Hellwig – “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” Intrepid Theatre Company
Antonio “TJ” Johnson – “Seven Guitars”/King Hedley II,” Cygnet Theatre
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play, Female
Dana Fares – “Airline Highway,” ion theatre
Jennifer Paredes – “Seven Spots on the Sun,” InnerMission Productions
Erin Petersen – “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” Intrepid Theatre Company
Kim Strassburger – “The Normal Heart,” ion theatre
Jacque Wilke – “Stupid F**king Bird,” Cygnet Theatre
DESIGN CATEGORIES
Outstanding Scenic Design
John Lee Beatty – “Junk: The Golden Age of Debt,” La Jolla Playhouse
John Lee Beatty – “Love’s Labor’s Lost,” The Old Globe
Kevin Depinet – “October Sky,” The Old Globe
Sean Fanning – “Manifest Destinitis,” San Diego Repertory Theatre
Sean Fannning – “Seven Guitars”/”King Hedley II,” Cygnet Theatre
Mark Wendland – “Rain,” The Old Globe
Outstanding Sound Design
Mark Bennett – “Junk: The Golden Age of Debt,” La Jolla Playhouse
Charles Coes & Nathan A. Roberts – “tokyo fish story,” The Old Globe
Emily Jankowski – “Brownsville Song (b-side for Tray),” Moxie Theatre
Bray Poor – “The Last Match,” The Old Globe
Ken Travis – “Rain,” The Old Globe
Outstanding Costume Design
Jennifer Brawn Gittings – “Manifest Destinitis,” San Diego Repertory Theatre
Jennifer Brawn Gittings – “Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show,” Cygnet Theatre
Michael Krass – “Love’s Labor’s Lost,” The Old Globe
Janet Turner Pitcher – “Sunday in the Park with George,” ion theatre
Jeanne Reith – “American Rhythm,” Lamb’s Players Theatre
Outstanding Lighting Design
Howell Binkley – “Hollywood,” La Jolla Playhouse
Wen-Ling Liao – “The Boy Who Danced on Air,” Diversionary Theatre
Jason Lyons – “Love’s Labor’s Lost,” The Old Globe
Nathan Peirson – “The Miracle Worker,” Lamb’s Players Theatre
Ben Stanton – “Junk: The Golden Age of Debt,” La Jolla Playhouse
Japhy Weideman – “October Sky,” The Old Globe
Outstanding Projection Design
Jonathan Infante – “Titanic, The Musical,” Moonlight Stage Productions
Tara Knight – “Hollywood,” La Jolla Playhouse
Blake McCarty – “Sunday in the Park with George,” ion theatre
Michael McKeon – “Woody Guthrie’s American Song,” Intrepid Theatre Company
Shawn Sagady – “October Sky,” The Old Globe
DIRECTING CATEGORIES
Outstanding Direction of a Play
Rob Lutfy – “When the Rain Stops Falling,” Cygnet Theatre
Kathleen Marshall – “Love’s Labor’s Lost,” The Old Globe
Jennifer Nelson – “Seven Guitars”/”King Hedley II,” Cygnet Theatre
Glenn Paris & Claudio Raygoza – “The Normal Heart,” ion theatre
Christy Yael-Cox, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” Intrepid Theatre Company
Outstanding Direction of a Musical
Stephen Brotebeck – “The Drowsy Chaperone,” SDSU School of Theatre, TV & Film
Barbara Gaines – “Sense and Sensibility,” The Old Globe
Colleen Kollar Smith – “Big River,” New Village Arts
Sean Murray – “Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show,” Cygnet Theatre
Glenn Paris & Kim Strassburger – “Sunday in the Park with George,” ion theatre
PRODUCTION CATEGORIES
Outstanding New Play
“Damascus” by Bennett Fisher – Wagner New Play Festival, University of California, San Diego
“Junk: The Golden Age of Debt” by Ayad Akhtar, La Jolla Playhouse
“The Last Match” by Anna Ziegler, The Old Globe
“The Last Tiger in Haiti” by Jeff Augustin, La Jolla Playhouse
“Manifest Destinitis” by Herbert Siguenza, San Diego Repertory Theatre
Outstanding Touring Production
“Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Broadway/San Diego
“Cabaret,” Broadway/San Diego
“Maestro,” 88 Entertainment at San Diego Repertory Theatre
“The Metromaniacs,” The Old Globe
“1918” – Le Moana, San Diego International Fringe Festival
Outstanding Dramatic Production
“Disgraced,” San Diego Repertory Theatre
“Love’s Labor’s Lost,” The Old Globe
“The Normal Heart,” Ion Theatre
“Seven Guitars”/”King Hedley II,” Cygnet Theatre
“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” Intrepid Theatre Company
Outstanding Resident Musical
“Gypsy,” Cygnet Theatre
“Lizard Boy,” Diversionary Theatre
“October Sky,” The Old Globe
“Ragtime,” San Diego Musical Theatre
“Sunday in the Park with George,” ion theatre
“Titanic: The Musical,” Moonlight Stage Productions
SPECIAL CATEGORIES winners to be announced from the stage
Outstanding Young Artist Award & Sandra Ellis-Troy Scholarship
Don Braunagel Award for Outstanding Work by a Small Theater
Actor of the Year, Male
Actor of the Year, Female
Designer of the Year