In Memoriam: Craig Noel

                         Aug. 25, 1915 - April 3, 2010

San Diego Theatre Critics Circle mourns Craig Noel    Craig Noel, the namesake for the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle's annual Awards for Theatrical Excellence, passed away April 3, 2010, at his San Diego home. He was 94.    Noel spent more than 70 years as the founding artistic director of the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego's Balboa Park, and his contributions to developing San Diego's reputation as a nationally renowned theater city are significant.    In 2007, he was honored by President George Bush with the National Medal of Arts, the nation's highest honor for artistic excellence.

Craig Noel takes the podium to a standing ovation at  the 2003 Craig Noel awards ceremony at the San   Diego Natural History Museum.

Darko Tresnjak waves to his UCSD grad students in the back row while accepting his Special Achievement Award.

Darko Tresnjak, DJ Sullivan among top honorees at San Diego Theatre Critics Circle's 2009 Craig Noel Awards

On Monday, Jan. 25, 2010, the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle handed out 37 awards in 27 categories at the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, in La Jolla.     Veteran San Diego actor and teacher DJ Sullivan, seen at right with Critics Circle member Jeff Smith of the San Diego Reader, was honored with a lifetime achievement award. And Darko Tresnjak, former artistic directorr for the Old Globe's Summer Shakespeare Festival, was honored with a special achievement award for his vivid   reimagining of the classics.    For a full report, visit the links below.

      Full report              Winners            Photos                           

 _________________________________

Special thanks to these contributors
for helping to make our presentation grand:

Donald and Darlene Shiley
Danah H. Fayman
The Seuss Foundation and Audrey Geisel
Harvey and Sheryl White Foundation
Sheila & Jeff Lipinsky
Giuseppe Fine Catering & Eurobar Espresso
The Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego
Musical accompanist Justin Gray
Event photographer Ion Moe

_________________________________

Founded in 1983 and re-established in 2002, the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle is an independent, nonprofit organization of print and online theater critics dedicated to open and honest dialogue about theater in San Diego County and to honoring artistic excellence.

The members of our organization are professional critics writing for daily newspapers, magazines, entertainment trade publications and Web sites in San Diego, Riverside and Los Angeles counties.

The organization's major event is an awards program held each January, honoring the previous year's finest in theater production, direction, acting, playwriting, scoring and technical achievements. The event is presented free of charge to the theatrical community thanks to the gracious support of private underwriters.

In 2002, the awards were renamed in honor of Craig Noel, longtime artistic director at San Diego's Old Globe Theatre and the founding father of San Diego's theater community.

The Craig Noel Awards program is underwritten by San Diego arts philanthropists, including Donald & Darlene Shiley, Danah H. Fayman, David C. Copley, Audrey Geisel, The Harvey & Sheryl White Foundation, Broadway/San Diego and Jeff & Sheila Lipinsky.