SAN DIEGO THEATRE CRITICS CIRCLE
www.sdcriticscircle.org
San Diego critics honor top theatrical achievements of 2009
Old Globe's "Cyrano," Playhouse's "Bonnie & Clyde," "Creditors" among top honorees
SAN DIEGO ---- Productions by the Old Globe Theatre and La Jolla Playhouse dominated as the San
Diego Theatre Critics Circle on Jan. 25 presented the eighth annual Craig Noel Awards for Theatrical Excellence, honoring the best stage work of 2009.
The ceremony was dedicated to Noel, the 94-year-old founding director of the Old Globe. He’s in frail health and, for the first time since the awards were renamed in his honor in 2002, was unable to attend his namesake awards. They were given out at the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, in La Jolla, at a ceremony attended by more than 400 members of the theater community and their supporters.
"Although the troubled economy affected some of the programming choices local theaters made in 2009, critics association members were pleased to see risk-taking plays and several new musicals produced at San Diego theaters, both large and small," said Pam Kragen, president of the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle.
Nine San Diego County professional and semi-professional companies took home a total of 37 awards, given in 27 categories, including a new one, Outstanding Young Artist. Also, the critics presented three special awards. Topping the winners’ list was the Playhouse’s world premiere of “Bonnie & Clyde,” which took five awards in the musical categories: new musical, direction, musical direction, female lead performance and female-featured performance.
Next in line, taking four Noels was the Playhouse’s fresh version of Strindberg’s “Creditors.” It won for lighting design, set design, music for a play and for Tony-winning playwright Doug Wright’s pungent new adaptation. The Globe’s summer production of “Cyrano de Bergerac” garnered three major awards: dramatic production, direction of a play and lead male performance, which went to Patrick Page in the title role.
Four productions received two apiece: the Globe’s “Sammy,” “Opus” and “Twelfth Night,” and Cygnet Theatre’s “Bed and Sofa.” Other plaques went to artists at Diversionary Theatre, San Diego Repertory Theatre, ion Theatre Company, Compass Theatre and North Coast Repertory Theatre. The first Outstanding Young Artist award went to Ian Brininstool for his performance as a questioning young teen in the bittersweet “Over the Tavern” at North Coast Rep.
Darko Tresnjak, winning director for “Cyrano,” also received one of the evening's special awards for his body of work in San Diego, especially reviving and helming the Globe’s Summer Shakespeare Festival.
Also honored was DJ Sullivan, for her decades of acting on stage and screen, for her union activities on behalf of actors, and for teaching and directing local actors, many of whom have gone on to illustrious careers.
An Outstanding Special Event Award went to the Ira Aldridge Repertory Players, for its doo-wop musical revue, “Looking for an Echo.” Founded in 1983, the
San Diego Theatre Critics Circle is a non-profit collective of print and online theater critics covering live theater in San Diego County. In 2002, the awards program was renamed in honor of Craig Noel, founding artistic director of San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre, acclaimed regional theater innovator and 2007 recipient of the National Medal of Arts. For information on the awards and members of the organization, visit the Web site at www.sdcriticscircle.org.
Complete Winners List
Special Awards: DJ Sullivan – Lifetime Achievement Award Darko Tresnjak - Excellence in Artistic Direction - 14 reimagined classics at the Old Globe.
Outstanding Special Theatrical Achievement: "Looking for an Echo" - Ira Aldridge Repertory Players
Resident musical: "42nd Street," Moonlight Stage Productions
New musical: "Bonnie & Clyde," La Jolla Playhouse
Orchestrations for a Musical: John McDaniel, "Bonnie & Clyde," La Jolla Playhouse Mark Danisovszky, "Threepenny Opera," San Diego Repertory Theatre
Direction of a Musical: Jeff Calhoun, "Bonnie & Clyde," La Jolla Playhouse
Musical Direction: John McDaniel, "Bonnie & Clyde," La Jolla Playhouse
Lead Performance in a Musical, Female: Colleen Kollar Smith, "Bed and Sofa," Cygnet Theatre Laura Osnes, "Bonnie & Clyde," La Jolla Playhouse
Lead Performance in a Musical, Male: Obba Babatunde, "Sammy," The Old Globe
Featured Performance in a Musical, Male: Jordan Miller, "Bed & Sofa," Cygnet Theatre
Featured Performance in a Musical, Female: Sara Chase, "The First Wives Club," The Old Globe Melissa van der Schyff, "Bonnie & Clyde," La Jolla Playhouse
Choreography: Keith Young, "Sammy," The Old Globe
Direction of a Play: Darko Tresnjak, "Cyrano de Bergerac," The Old Globe
Sound Design: Lindsay Jones, "Opus," The Old Globe
Costume Design: Linda Cho, "Twelfth Night," The Old Globe
Lighting Design: Japhy Weideman, "Creditors," La Jolla Playhouse
Set Design: Michael McKeon, "Killer Joe," Compass Theatre Robert Brill, "Creditors," La Jolla Playhouse
Music for a Play Christopher R. Walker, "Twelfth Night," The Old Globe David Van Tieghem, "Creditors," La Jolla Playhouse
ACTING CATEGORIES:
Ensemble: "The Dresser," North Coast Repertory Theatre "Twelfth Night," The Old Globe "Noises Off," Cygnet Theatre
Featured Performance in a Play, Female: Amanda Sitton, "Doubt, a Parable," San Diego Repertory Theatre Harriet Harris, "Unusual Acts of Devotion," La Jolla Playhouse
Featured Performance in a Play, Male: Armin Shimerman, "The Seafarer," San Diego Repertory Theatre
Lead Performance in a Play, Male: Patrick Page, "Cyrano de Bergerac," The Old Globe
Lead Performance in a Play, Female: Karson St. John, "The Little Dog Laughed," Diversionary Theatre Dana Hooley, "Frozen," ion theatre
Newcomer Award: Ian Brininstool, "Over the Tavern," North Coast Repertory Theatre
Touring Production: "39 Steps," La Jolla Playhouse
Dramatic Production: "Cyrano de Bergerac," The Old Globe
New Play or Adaptation: "Creditors," Doug Wright, La Jolla Playhouse
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