April 19, 2024

2014 Awards

2014 AWARDS

On Feb. 9, 2015, the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle presented the 13th annual Craig Noel Awards for Excellence in Theatre, honoring the outstanding achievements on San Diego stages in 2014.

Photos from the event

Outstanding Dramatic Production

“All My Sons,” Intrepid Shakespeare Company

Outstanding Resident Musical:

“Les Misérables,” Lamb’s Players Theatre

Don Braunagel Award for Outstanding Work by a Small Theater Company

Intrepid Shakespeare Company

Producer of the Year

Steve Glaudini, producing artistic director for Moonlight Stage Productions

Actors of the Year

Tom Stephenson & Dana Hooley

Outstanding New Play

Herbert Siguenza – “El Henry,” La Jolla Playhouse and San Diego Repertory Theatre

Outstanding Touring Production

“Into the Woods,” Fiasco Theatre at the Old Globe

Outstanding Direction of a Musical

Robert Smyth – “Les Misérables,” Lamb’s Players Theatre

Outstanding Direction of a Play

  • Sam Woodhouse – “El Henry,” La Jolla Playhouse and San Diego Repertory Theatre
  • Richard Baird & Matthew Henerson – “Henry V,” New Fortune Theatre

Outstanding Young Actor

Lindsay Joan, for her work in San Diego Musical Theatre’s “Next to Normal”

Outstanding Musical Direction

Scott Lacy – “Les Misérables,” Lamb’s Players Theatre

Outstanding Choreography

Karl Warden – “Catch Me If You Can,” Moonlight Stage Productions

Outstanding Original Score

Bruno Louchouarn, “El Henry,” La Jolla Playhouse and San Diego Repertory Theatre

Outstanding Ensemble

  • “All My Sons,” Intrepid Shakespeare Company
  • “Les Misérables,” Lamb’s Players Theatre

Outstanding Solo Performance

Mona Golabek – “The Pianist of Willesden Lane,” San Diego Repertory Theatre

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical, Female

Bets Malone – “Next to Normal,” San Diego Musical Theatre

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical, Male

Brandon Joel Maier – “Les Misérables,” Lamb’s Players Theatre

Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical, Female

Kelsey Venter – “Les Misérables,” Lamb’s Players Theatre

Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical, Male

Patrick Page – “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” La Jolla Playhouse

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play, Male

Richard Baird – “Henry V,” New Fortune Theatre

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play, Female

Hannah Logan – “Bug,” ion theatre

Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play, Female

Jacque Wilke – “Honky,” San Diego Repertory Theatre

Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play, Male

Eddie Yaroch – “Enron,” Moxie Theatre

Outstanding Sound Design

Patrick Duffy – “Les Misérables,” Lamb’s Players Theatre

Outstanding Costume Design

Alina Bokovikova – “The School for Lies,” North Coast Repertory Theatre

Outstanding Lighting Design

Howell Binkley – “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” La Jolla Playhouse

Outstanding Scenic Design

Alexander Dodge – “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” La Jolla Playhouse

 


Special thanks to these contributors:

Darlene Shiley
Danah H. Fayman
The Seuss Foundation & Audrey Geisel
Harvey and Sheryl White
Yolanda Braunagel
Osborn and Dea Hurston
Jay and Julie Sarno
Ralph Johnson
Ted and Trina Kaplan  

Also:
Musical direction/orchestrations:
Justin Gray
Event photographer: Ion Moe
Stage manager: Debbie Luce
Slide show presenter: Leslie Crawford

 

Press Release:

2014 Craig Noel Award winners announced

Photo gallery from the event
SAN DIEGO (Feb. 9, 2015) – Lamb’s Players Theatre, Intrepid Shakespeare Company, San Diego Repertory Theatre and La Jolla Playhouse came up big winners Monday, Feb. 9, at  San Diego Theatre Critics Circle’s 2014 Craig Noel Awards.

The 13th annual awards ceremony took place before an audience of nearly 500 theater professionals at the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, in La Jolla.This year’s ceremony celebrated the centennial of Craig Noel’s birth. The namesake for the Critics Circle’s annual awards — who died in 2010 — was revered for his decades-long efforts to build a rich and vibrant theater community in San Diego. This year’s winners were chosen from among 115 nominees at 17 professional theaters large and small, a proud reflection of his work.

Taking home the most awards Monday was Lamb’s Players Theatre for its box office smash “Les Misérables.”

Intrepid Shakespeare Company earned the annual Don Braunagel award and cash grant as the county’s outstanding small theater. It was honored, in part, for its stellar production of Arthur Miller’s post-war drama “All My Sons,” which also earned awards for Outstanding Dramatic Production and Outstanding Ensemble.

For only the third time in the history of the Craig Noel Awards, the Critics Circle gave out the “Producer of the Year” award, which honors a local theater producer who made a major impact on the local theater scene.

The 2014 honoree was Steve Glaudini, producing artistic director of Moonlight Stage Productions in Vista. Since he arrived two years ago, Glaudini has dramatically increased ticket sales and subscriptions as well as the theater’s profile and prestige with Broadway-quality productions.

La Jolla Playhouse and San Diego Repertory theatre shared three awards for the Without Wall production of Herbert Siguenza’s “El Henry” at the outdoor Makers Quarter in East Village. “El Henry” was also named the year’s best new play.

Two cast members of San Diego Musical Theatre’s “Next to Normal” picked up prizes: Bets Malone won for her lead performance as a mentally troubled suburban mom. High school student Lindsay Joan, who played Malone’s daughter, was honored as Outstanding Young Actor and was awarded a Sandra Ellis-Troy Scholarship.

New Fortune Theatre Co., which launched in 2014, took home two prizes for its’ production of Shakespeare’s “Henry V,” a lead acting prize for Richard Baird and for its co-directors Baird and Matthew Henerson.

La Jolla Playhouse earned two design awards as well as an award for actor Patrick Page for its Disney musical “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” which will open in March at Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey. And The Old Globe picked up the award for outstanding touring production by hosting Fiasco Theatre’s “Into the Woods,” which is now playing off Broadway at the Roundabout Theatre.

This year’s “Actor of the Year” honors went to two veteran local actors who played diverse and multiple roles in 2014.

Tom Stephenson was honored for his work in Intrepid’s “All My Sons,” “Much Ado About Nothing” and “I Hate Hamlet” and his performances in New Village Arts’ “Circle Mirror Transformation” and Cygnet Theatre’s “A Christmas Carol.”

Dana Hooley was honored for her roles in comedy, Shakespeare and Becket, including “The School for Lies” at North Coast Repertory Theatre, “Henry V” at New Fortune Theatre and “Happy Days” at Sledgehammer Theatre.

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 2014 Craig Noel Award nominees announced

SAN DIEGO (Jan. 1, 2015) — The San Diego Theatre Critics Circle has announced the nominees for its 2014 Craig Noel Awards.

The 13th annual awards ceremony will celebrate the more than 115 nominations for theatrical productions presented by 17 professional and semiprofessional theaters in San Diego County.

This year’s ceremony will celebrate the centennial of Craig Noel’s birth. The namesake for the Critics Circle’s annual awards, who died in 2010, was revered for his decades-long efforts to build a rich and vibrant theater community in San Diego.

The breadth of nominations among theater troupes large and small is a proud reflection of his work. Leading with 18 nominations this year is the La Jolla Playhouse followed by San Diego Repertory Theatre with 16; Moonlight Stage Productions with 12; and The Old Globe and Lamb’s Players Theatre, both with 10.

Other theaters honored with multiple nominations are San Diego Musical Theatre, Moxie Theatre, Intrepid Shakespeare Company, Cygnet Theatre, Diversionary Theatre, ion theatre, North Coast Repertory Theatre, New Village Arts and Broadway/San Diego.

Two newly launched troupes, New Fortune Theatre Co. and The Trip, also picked up nominations, along with the resurrected Sledgehammer Theatre.

The winners will be announced at the group’s annual awards ceremony, which will be held on Feb. 9, 2015, at the Museum of Contemporary Arts, San Diego, in La Jolla.

Here are the 2014 nominees

Special awards to be announced from stage:

  • Don Braunagel Award for Outstanding Work by a Small Theater Company
  • 2014 Producer of the Year
  •  Actor of the Year (male and female)
  • Outstanding Young Actor Award/Sandra Ellis-Troy Scholarship

Outstanding Resident Musical

  • “Catch Me If You Can” – Moonlight Stage Productions
  • “Les Misérables” – Lamb’s Players Theatre
  • “Mary Poppins” – Moonlight Stage Productions
  • “Next to Normal” – San Diego Musical Theatre
  • “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” – La Jolla Playhouse

Outstanding Musical Direction

  • Tony Houck – “Bare,” Diversionary Theatre
  • Brent Alan Huffman – “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” La Jolla Playhouse
  • G. Scott Lacy – “Les Misérables,” Lamb’s Players Theatre
  • Don LeMaster – “Next to Normal,” San Diego Musical Theatre
  • Lyndon Pugeda – “Monty Python’s Spamalot,” Moonlight Stage Productions

Outstanding Choreography

  • Brad Bradley – “Monty Python’s Spamalot,” Moonlight Stage Productions
  • Michael Mizerany – “Bare”, Diversionary Theatre
  • Michael Mizerany – “Spring Awakening,” Cygnet Theatre
  • Jon Vaughan – “Mary Poppins,” Moonlight Stage Productions
  • Karl Warden – “Catch Me If You Can,” Moonlight Stage Productions

Outstanding Original Score

  • Byron Au Yong – “The Orphan of Zhao,” La Jolla Playhouse
  • Bruno Louchouarn – “El Henry,” La Jolla Playhouse and San Diego Repertory Theatre
  • Steve Martin and Edie Brickell – “Bright Star,” The Old Globe

Outstanding Ensemble

  • “All My Sons,” Intrepid Shakespeare Company
  • “Crumbs from the Table of Joy,” Moxie Theatre
  • “Honky,” San Diego Repertory Theatre
  • “In the Time of the Butterflies,” San Diego Repertory Theatre
  • “Les Misérables,” Lamb’s Players Theatre

Outstanding Solo Performance

  • Todd Blakesley – “Tru,” Diversionary Theatre
  • Mona Golabek – “The Pianist of Willesden Lane,” San Diego Repertory Theatre
  • James Leaming – “This Wonderful Life,” North Coast Repertory Theatre

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical, Female

  • Jessica Bernard – “Mary Poppins,” Moonlight Stage Productions
  • Sandy Campbell – “Passion,” ion theatre
  • Carmen Cusack – “Bright Star,” The Old Globe
  • Beth Malone – “Annie Get Your Gun,” San Diego Musical Theatre
  • Bets Malone – “Next to Normal,” San Diego Musical Theatre

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical, Male

  • Dave Thomas Brown – “Spring Awakening,” Cygnet Theatre
  • Jacob Haren – “Catch Me If You Can,” Moonlight Stage Productions
  • Jason Heil – “Passion,” ion theatre
  • Brandon Joel Maier – “Les Misérables,” Lamb’s Players Theatre
  • Sean Murray – “Monty Python’s Spamalot,” Moonlight Stage Productions

Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical, Female

  • Lindsay Joan – “Next to Normal,” San Diego Musical Theatre
  • Beth Leavel – “Dog and Pony,” The Old Globe
  • Myra McWethy – “The Full Monty,” New Village Arts
  • Kiani Nelson – “Bare,” Diversionary Theatre
  • Allie Trimm – “Les Misérables,” Lamb’s Players Theatre
  • Kelsey Venter – “Les Misérables,” Lamb’s Players Theatre

Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical, Male

  • Randall Dodge – “Les Misérables,” Lamb’s Players Theatre
  • Jordan Miller – “Les Misérables,” Lamb’s Players Theatre
  • Patrick Page – “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”, La Jolla Playhouse
  • Jamie Torcellini – “Monty Python’s Spamalot,” Moonlight Stage Productions
  • Leigh Wakeford – “Mary Poppins,” Moonlight Stage Productions

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play, Male

  • Richard Baird – “Henry V,” New Fortune Theatre
  • Manny Fernandes – “True West,” Cygnet Theatre
  • Tom Stephenson – “All My Sons,” Intrepid Shakespeare Company
  • John Vickery – “Red,” San Diego Repertory Theatre
  • Ruff Yeager – “I Hate Hamlet,” Intrepid Shakespeare Company

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play, Female

  • Samantha Ginn – “The Miss Firecracker Contest,” New Village Arts
  • Dana Hooley – “Happy Days,” Sledgehammer Theatre
  • Hannah Logan – “Bug,” ion theatre
  • Linda Libby – “Milvotchkee, Visconsin,” Mo’olelo Performing Arts
  • Shana Wride – “Much Ado about Nothing,” Intrepid Shakespeare Company

Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play, Female

  • Yolanda Franklin – “This Wide Night,” Ion Theatre
  • Montego Glover – “The Royale,” The Old Globe
  • Hannah Logan – “The Clean House,” New Village Arts
  • Cashae Monya (Meads) – “Crumbs from the Table of Joy,” Moxie Theatre
  • Jacque Wilke – “Honky,” San Diego Repertory Theatre

Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play, Male

  • Brian Mackey – “All My Sons,” Intrepid Shakespeare Company
  • Jason Maddy – “Red,” San Diego Repertory Theatre
  • Kinan Valdez – “El Henry,” La Jolla Playhouse and San Diego Repertory Theatre
  • Bernard White – “The Who and the What,” La Jolla Playhouse
  • Eddie Yaroch – “Enron,” Moxie Theatre

Outstanding Sound Design

  • Melanie Chen – “Crumbs from the Table of Joy,” Moxie Theatre
  • Patrick Duffy – “Les Misérables,” Lamb’s Players Theatre
  • Emily Jankowski – “Jade Heart,” Moxie Theatre
  • Matt Lescault-Wood – “Henry V,” New Fortune Theatre
  • Bruno Louchouarn – “El Henry,” La Jolla Playhouse and San Diego Repertory Theatre

Outstanding Costume Design

  • Alina Bokovikova – “Fallen Angels,” North Coast Repertory Theatre
  • Alina Bokovikova – “The School for Lies,” North Coast Repertory Theatre
  • Lindo Cho – “Two Gentlemen of Verona,” The Old Globe
  • Jennifer Brawn Gittings – “El Henry,” La Jolla Playhouse and San Diego Repertory Theatre
  • David Israel Reynosa – “Time and the Conways,” The Old Globe

Outstanding Lighting Design

  • Howell Binkley – “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” La Jolla Playhouse
  • Brian Gale – “Red,” San Diego Repertory Theatre
  • Sherrice Kelly – “Jade Heart,” Moxie Theatre
  • Conor Mulligan – “Fool For Love,” Cygnet Theatre
  • Japhy Weideman – “Bright Star,” The Old Globe

Outstanding Scenic Design

  • Alexander Dodge – “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” La Jolla Playhouse
  • Sean Fanning – “Honky,” San Diego Repertory Theatre
  • Daniel Ostling – “The Orphan of Zhao,” La Jolla Playhouse
  • Neil Patel – “Time and the Conways,” The Old Globe
  • Ian Wallace – “El Henry,” La Jolla Playhouse and San Diego Repertory Theatre

Outstanding Direction of a Play

  • Richard Baird & Matthew Henerson – “Henry V,” New Fortune Theatre
  • Rachel Chavkin – “The Royale,” The Old Globe
  • Delicia Turner Sonnenberg – “Crumbs from the Table of Joy,” Moxie Theatre
  • Sam Woodhouse – “El Henry,” La Jolla Playhouse and San Diego Repertory Theatre
  • Christy Yael-Cox – “All My Sons,” Intrepid Shakespeare Company

Outstanding Direction of a Musical

  • Brad Bradley – “Monty Python’s Spamalot,” Moonlight Stage Productions
  • Nick DeGruccio – “Next to Normal,” San Diego Musical Theatre
  • Scott Schwartz – “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” La Jolla Playhouse
  • Robert Smyth – “Les Misérables,” Lamb’s Players Theatre
  • Kim Strassburger – “Passion,” ion theatre

Outstanding New Play

  • Jeff Augustin – “in the crowding darkness,” UC San Diego Wagner New Play Festival
  • Tom Dugdale – “Orpheus and Eurydice,” The Trip
  • Lionel Goldstein – “Mandate Memories,” North Coast Repertory Theatre
  • Herbert Siguenza – “El Henry,” La Jolla Playhouse and San Diego Repertory Theatre

Outstanding Touring Production

  • “Into the Woods,” Fiasco Theatre at The Old Globe
  • “Kinky Boots,” Broadway/San Diego
  • “The Book of Mormon,” Broadway/San Diego
  • “The Graduate,” L.A. Theatre Works at Poway Center for the Performing Arts

Outstanding Dramatic Production

  • “All My Sons,” Intrepid Shakespeare Company
  • “Crumbs from the Table of Joy,” Moxie Theatre
  • “El Henry,” La Jolla Playhouse and San Diego Repertory Theatre
  • “The School for Lies,” North Coast Repertory Theatre
  • “The Who and the What,” La Jolla Playhouse

The annual program, honoring the top achievements in local semi-pro and professional theater will be held at 6 p.m. Feb. 9, 2015, at the Museum of Contemporary Arts, San Diego, in La Jolla.

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