Judy's Scary Little Christmas: Playbill.com - L.A. Drama Critics Circle Awards

Gem of the Ocean's Rashad and Wilson Among L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award Winners

By Ernio Hernandez
05 Apr 2004


Phylicia Rashad

The Mark Taper Forum staging of Gem of the Ocean was a big winner at this year's Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, taking home prizes for its star Phylicia Rashad, scenic designer David Gallo and playwright August Wilson.

The 35th annual awards honoring excellence in Los Angeles and Orange County theatre for the year 2003 were presented in a ceremony, April 4 at West Hollywood's Coronet Theatre.
Special awards were presented as follows:
Margaret Harford Award (for sustained excellence in theatre): Jessica Kubzansky Ted Schmitt Award (for world premiere of an outstanding new play): Del Shores for The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife Bob Z Award (for lifetime achievement in set design): Desma Murphy Natalie Schafer Award (for an emerging comic actress): Rebecca O'Brien Polly Warfield Award (for an excellent season/ year in a small-to-mid sized theatre): A Noise Within
The 2003 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards winners (in bold) are (some categories have multiple winners):

PRODUCTION

Agnes of God International City Theatre, The Center Theater
Jesus' Kid Brother TriOmino Productions with Elephant Stageworks, The Hudson Theatres
Orpheus Descending Choppy Guillotte, Dana Dewes, Joanna Daniels, Ursula Brooks and Tania Getty, Pacific Resident Theatre
Raisin International City Theatre, The Center Theatre
The Shaggs: Philosophy of the World The Powerhouse Theatre Company, [Inside] the Ford
Toys in the Attic The Colony Theatre Company, The Colony Theatre
The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife Sharyn Lane, The Zephyr Theatre
DIRECTION
Jules Aaron, Jesus' Kid Brother
Martin Benson, The Drawer Boy South Coast Repertory
Elina de Santos, Orpheus Descending
Jessica Kubzansky, Toys in the Attic
Rick Sparks, Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange Greenway Arts Alliance, Greenway Court Theatre
MUSICAL DIRECTION
Darryl Archibald, Anyone Can Whistle The Matrix Theatre
David O, The Shaggs: Philosophy of the World
Gerald Sternbach, She Loves Me! Reprise! Broadway's Best
WRITING
Michael Healey, The Drawer Boy
Geraldine Hughes, Belfast Blues
August Wilson, Gem of the Ocean Center Theatre Group, The Mark Taper Forum
ADAPTATION
Bradley Rand Smith, Dalton Trumbo's Johnny Got His Gun Arye Gross and Don Boughton, Stages Theatre Center
Tom Szentgyorgyi, Among the Thugs The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, The Odyssey Theatre
MUSICAL SCORE
Brian and Mark Karmelich Jesus' Kid Brother
Gunnar Madsen (Music) and Joy Gregory (Lyrics), The Shaggs: Philosophy of the World
Stephen Sondheim, Passion East West Players, David Henry Hwang Theatre at the Union Center for the Arts
LEAD PERFORMANCE
Jack Axelrod, Visiting Mr. Green International City Theatre, The Long Beach Performing Arts Center
Hedy Burress, The Shaggs: Philosophy of the World
Connie Champagne, Judy's Scary Little Christmas David Church, The Court Theatre
Seamus Dever, Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange
Madison Dunaway, Agnes of God
Linda Emond, Homebody/Kabul Center Theatre Group, The Mark Taper Forum
Marilyn Fox, Orpheus Descending
Beth Grant, The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife
William Dennis Hurley, Among the Thugs
Jacqueline Kim, Passion
Hal Landon Jr., The Drawer Boy
Phylicia Rashad, Gem of the Ocean
FEATURED PERFORMANCE
John Apicella, The Big Knife MustardSeed Productions with Farrell Hirsch and Dan Harper, The Lillian Theatre
John Berczeller, The Big Knife
Nancy Linehan Charles, Toys in the Attic
James Farentino, Boy Gets Girl Geffen Playhouse
David Holladay, Guys and Dolls Interact Theatre Company
Kecia Lewis, Raisin
ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE
The cast of Among the Thugs
The cast of As It Is In Heaven Actors Co-op, The Crossley Theatre
The cast of Chavez Ravine Center Theatre Group, The Mark Taper Forum
SCENIC DESIGN
Nephelie Andonyadis, Relatively Speaking South Coast Repertory
Tom Buderwitz, Agnes of God
Tom Buderwitz, Toys in the Attic
David Gallo, Gem of the Ocean
Victoria Petrovich, Passion
LIGHTING DESIGN
Leigh Allen, Dalton Trumbo's Johnny Got His Gun
Derrick McDaniel, Among the Thugs
Rand Ryan, Agnes of God
COSTUME DESIGN
Ann Closs-Farley, Sneaux!, The Matrix Theatre
Elizabeth Huffman, The Big Knife
Shon LeBlanc, The Women, Theatre Neo with Hudson Theatricals/The Hudson Theatres
SOUND DESIGN
Erik Bleuer, Among the Thugs
Paul Fabre, Agnes of God
Rick Sparks, Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange
CHOREOGRAPHY
Brian Paul Mendoza, Jesus' Kid Brother
Larry Sousa, Anyone Can Whistle
Susan Stroman, The Producers, The Pantages Theatre
HAIR, WIGS AND MAKEUP DESIGN
Diane Martinous, The Women
Sugano, Anyone Can Whistle The Matrix Theatre
DIGITAL IMAGERY DESIGN
Jonathan Christman, Belfast Blues
The LADCC, founded in 1969, is dedicated to excellence in theatrical criticism, and to the encouragement and improvement of theatre in Greater Los Angeles. 21 critics reviewed theatre for different websites, radio stations, and newspapers and magazines for the year 2003. For more information, visit www.ladramacriticscircle.com.