Variety
Monday, February 4, 2008

L.A. drama critics announce noms

Four perfs garner five nominations each

Two tuners, "13" and "Zanna Don't," and two plays, "dark play, or stories for boys" and "Love Loves a Pornographer," garnered five noms each in the 39th annual Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards.

Tied with four each are Elephant Theater's "In Arabia, We'd All Be Kings," Geffen Playhouse's," "The Quality of Life" and the Center Theater Group/Kirk Douglas Theater premiere of "Sleeping Beauty Wakes." "13," "dark play or stories for boys," "In Arabia We'd All Be Kings" and "The Quality of Life" are all vying top production nods, along with the Colony Theater Company's staging of "Trying," which garnered three noms.

Also nabbing three noms is El Portal Forum Theater's holiday tuner, "Winter Wonderettes."

Awards ceremony will be held March 17 at North Hollywood's El Portal Theatre, hosted by Jason Graae. Graae is also being honored with the Joel Hirschhorn Award for outstanding achievement in musical theater.

Awards will be given in 16 categories, honoring excellence in theater over the past year.

The nominees for the 2007 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards are:

PRODUCTION

13, Center Theatre Group, Mark Taper Forum

Dark Play or Stories for Boys, Theatre@Boston Court

In Arabia, We'd All Be Kings, Elephant Theatre Company in association with VS. Theatre Company, Elephant Theatre

The Quality of Life, Geffen Playhouse, Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater

Trying, Colony Theatre Company

REVIVAL

The Hasty Heart, Pacific Resident Theatre Company

Tonight at 8:30, Parts 1 and 2, Antaeus Theatre Company at Deaf West Theatre

Waiting for Godot, A Noise Within

DIRECTION

Jillian Armenante, Love Loves a Pornographer, Circle X at [Inside] the Ford

Dan Bonnell, Anatol, Pacific Resident Theatre

Jeff Calhoun, Sleeping Beauty Wakes, Center Theatre Group, Kirk Douglas Theatre

Nick DeGruccio, Zanna, Don't!, West Coast Ensemble at Lyric-Hyperion Theatre

Michael Michetti, Dark Play or Stories for Boys, Theatre@Boston Court

WRITING

Dan Elish, 13

Joanna McClelland Glass, Trying

Jeff Goode, Love Loves a Pornographer


Stephen Adly Guirgis, In Arabia We'd All Be Kings

Carlos Murillo, Dark Play or Stories for Boys

ADAPTATION

Martin Crimp, The Misanthrope, Andak Stage Company at New Place Studio Theatre

Stephen Sachs, Miss Julie, Fountain Theatre

Matt Walker, Alice In One-Hit Wonderland, Troubadour Theatre Company, Falcon Theatre

MUSICAL DIRECTION

Brian Baker, Winter Wonderettes, El Portal Forum Theatre

John Glaudini, Altar Boyz, Musical Theatre West at Carpenter Performing Arts Center

David O, 13

Gerald Sternbach, On Your Toes, Reprise! Broadway's Best at UCLA Freud Playhouse

MUSICAL SCORE

Tim Acito and Alexander Dinelaris, Zanna, Don't!, Lyric Hyperion Theatre

Jason Robert Brown, 13

Michael John LaChiusa, Little Fish, Blank Theatre Company at 2nd Stage Theatre

CHOREOGRAPHY

Christine Lakin and Paul Nygro, Zanna, Don't!

Troy Magino, Altar Boyz

Lee Martino, On Your Toes

Janet Miller, Winter Wonderettes

LEAD PERFORMANCE

Dennis Boutsikaris, The Quality of Life

Danny Calvert, Zanna, Don't!

Gregory Itzin, Shipwrecked: An Entertainment, South Coast Repertory

Matt Letscher, Anatol, Pacific Resident Theatre

Alan Mandell, Trying

Rebecca Marcotte, Loyal Women, Theatre Banshee

Laurie Metcalf. The Quality of Life

Gabriel Olds, Tryst, Black Dahlia Theatre

Deborah Puette, Tryst

Rex Smith, The Pirates of Penzance, Musical Theatre West at Carpenter Performing Arts Center

FEATURED PERFORMANCE

Deanne Bray, Sleeping Beauty Wakes

Steven Cell, Small Tragedy, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble

Misty Cotton, A Little Night Music, South Coast Repertory

Adam Haas Hunter, Dark Play or Stories for Boys

Norman Large, The Pirates of Penzance

Shawn Lee, An Impending Rupture of the Belly, Furious Theatre Company at Pasadena Playhouse Carrie Hamilton Theatre

Kathleen Rose Perkins. Love Loves a Pornographer


Jo Beth Williams, The Quality of Life

ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE

13, Mark Taper Forum

Loyal Women, Theatre Banshee

Waiting for Godot, A Noise Within

Winter Wonderettes, El Portal Forum Theatre

Zanna, Don't!, Lyric Hyperion Theatre

SCENIC DESIGN

Joel Daavid, In Arabia We'd All Be Kings

Robert G. Smith, Bug, Lost Angeles Theatre Company at Coast Playhouse

Gary Smoot, Love Loves A Pornographer


LIGHTING DESIGN

Joel Daavid, In Arabia We'd All be Kings

Jeremy Pivnick, Calling Aphrodite, International City Theatre

Steven Young, Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings, Theatre@Boston Court

COSTUME DESIGN

Shon LeBlanc, The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore

Maggie Morgan, Sleeping Beauty Wakes

Paul Spadone, Love Loves a Pornographer


SOUND DESIGN

Lindsay Jones, Bug

Cricket S. Myers, Dark Play or Stories for Boys

Eric Snodgrass, Sleeping Beauty Wakes

PUPPET DESIGN

Rick Lyon, Avenue Q, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre

The 2007 special award recipients are as follows:

The Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in theatre by an individual, company or theatre goes to Musical Theatre West.

The Polly Warfield Award for an outstanding single season by a small to midsized theatre (sponsored by the Nederlander Organization) goes to Theatre Banshee.

The Ted Schmitt Award for outstanding world premiere play in Los Angeles (sponsored by Samuel French) goes to Jane Anderson for The Quality of Life.

The Joel Hirschhorn Award for outstanding achievement in musical theatre (sponsorship pending) goes to actor-singer Jason Graae.

The Angstrom Award for career achievement in lighting design (sponsored by Angstrom Lighting) goes to Leigh Allen.

A special award goes to Jon Maher for his long-term outstanding achievement as an ASL interpreter.