Long Wharf Theatre has won three Connecticut Critics Circle Awards this season – Francesca Choy-Kee for best actress, Katie Down for best sound design (Agnes Under the Big Top) and Eshan Bay for best newcomer. Goodspeed led with four wins, followed by us with three, and Yale Rep and Westport with two each. Music Theatre of Connecticut, Ivoryton Playhouse, Downtown Cabaret, Hartford Stage, TheatreWorks and Elm Shakespeare Company each won a single award. Music Theatre of Connecticut won the Tom Killen Award. The ceremony will take place Sunday, June 12 at the Ivoryton Playhouse, which is being recognized during its 100th anniversary season.
CONNECTICUT CRITICS CIRCLE
21ST ANNUAL AWARDS
NOMINATIONS AND WINNERS
(winners are starred and in bold)
PLAY
“The Diary of Anne Frank” (Westport Country Playhouse)
“Gem of the Ocean” (Hartford Stage)
*“The Piano Lesson” (Yale Rep)
“A Steady Rain” (TheaterWorks)
“The Train Driver” (Long Wharf Theatre)
MUSICAL
“Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story (Ivoryton Playhouse)
“Everything the Traffic Will Allow” (Music Theatre of Connecticut)
“How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” (Goodspeed Musicals)
“I Do! I Do!” (Westport Country Playhouse)
*“My One and Only” (Goodspeed Musicals)
“We Have Always Lived in the Castle” (Yale Rep)
ACTRESS/PLAY
*Francesca Choy-Kee (“Agnes Under the Big Top,” Long Wharf Theatre)
Eisa Davis (“The Piano Lesson,” Yale Rep)
Laura Esterman (“Agnes Under the Big Top,” Long Wharf)
Dana Ivey (“Happy Days,” Westport Country Playhouse)
Judith Ivey (“Shirley Valentine,” Long Wharf Theatre)
Novella Nelson (“Gem of the Ocean,” Hartford Stage)
ACTOR/PLAY
Anthony Chisholm (“The Train Driver,” Long Wharf Theatre)
Harry Groener (“The Train Driver,” Long Wharf Theatre)
Edward Herrmann (“A Delicate Balance,” Yale Rep)
*LeRoy McClain (“The Piano Lesson,” Yale Rep)
Brian Murray (“The Old Masters,” Long Wharf Theatre)
Roger Robinson (“Gem of the Ocean,” Hartford Stage)
ACTRESS/MUSICAL
Kate Baldwin (“I Do! I Do!,” Westport Country Playhouse)
*Klea Blackhurst (Everything the Traffic Will Allow, Music Theatre of Conn.)
Jenn Gambatese (“We Have Always Lived in the Castle,” Yale Rep)
Jodi Langel (“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” Downtown Cabaret)
Alexandra Socha (“We Have Always Lived in the Castle,” Yale Rep)
ACTOR/MUSICAL
Lewis Cleale (“I Do! I Do!,” Westport Country Playhouse)
Sean Palmer (“We Have Always Lived in the Castle,” Yale Rep)
Brian Sears (“How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” Goodspeed)
Kris Stock (“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” Downtown Cabaret)
*Tony Yazbeck (“My One and Only,” Goodspeed Musicals)
DIRECTOR/PLAY
Gordon Edelstein (“The Train Driver,” Long Wharf)
Gerald Freedman (“The Diary of Anne Frank,” Westport)
*Peter Lockyer (“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” Ivoryton)
Eric Ting (“Agnes Under the Big Top,” Long Wharf)
Liesl Tommy (“The Piano Lesson,” Yale Rep)
DIRECTOR/MUSICAL
Greg Ganakas (“How to Succeed in Business . . . , Goodspeed)
Jacqueline Hubbard (“Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story,” Ivoryton)
Anne Kauffman (“We Have Always Lived in the Castle,” Yale Rep)
Ray Roderick (“My One and Only, Goodspeed)
*Scott Thompson (“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,”
Downtown Cabaret)
Darko Tresnjak (“Carnival,” Goodspeed)
CHOREOGRAPHY
Kelli Barclay (“How to Succeed in Business . . . , Goodspeed))
*Kelli Barclay (“My One and Only,” Goodspeed)
Peggy Hickey (“Carnival,” Goodspeed))
SET DESIGN
Frank Alberino (“Agnes Under the Big Top,” Long Wharf))
Frank Alberino (“Shirley Valentine,” Long Wharf)
Scott Bradley (“Gem of the Ocean, Hartford Stage)
*John Ezell (“The Diary of Anne Frank,” Westport)
Eugene Lee (“The Train Driver,” Long Wharf)
Chien-Yu Peng (“A Delicate Balance,” Yale Rep)
LIGHTING
Christopher Akerlind (“The Train Driver,” Long Wharf)
*Travis McHale (“The Diary of Anne Frank,” Westport)
Stephen Strawbridge (“We Have Always Lived in the Castle,” Yale Rep)
Jennifer Tipton (“Autumn Sonata,” Yale Rep)
COSTUMES
Elicia Lord (“The Last Days of Judas Iscariot,” Connecticut Rep)
*Robin L. McGee (“My One and Only,” Goodspeed)
Devon Painter (“I Do! I Do,” Westport)
Ilona Somogyi (“Gem of the Ocean,” Hartford Stage)
David C. Woolard (“Divine Rivalry,” Hartford Stage)
SOUND
Broken Chord (“Gem of the Ocean,” Hartford Stage)
*Katie Down (“Agnes Under the Big Top,” Long Wharf)
Chad Raines (“Autumn Sonata,” Yale Rep)
ENSEMBLE
“God of Carnage” (TheaterWorks)
“Divine Rivalry” (Hartford Stage)
*Robert Eli, Steven French, Christina Pumariega, Noble Shropshire
in “Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps” (Hartford Stage)
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Downtown Cabaret)
DEBUT (TIE)
*Eshan Bay (Agnes Under the Big Top,” Long Wharf)
*Evan Jonigkeit (“High,” TheaterWorks)
*Aaron Moss (“The Winter’s Tale,” Elm Shakespeare)
THE TOM KILLEN MEMORIAL AWARD
Music Theatre of Connecticut
SPECIAL RECOGNITION
The 100th Anniversary of the Ivoryton Playhouse