Some of these shows I did not see. A number I would not honor with awards. EVER. I am disappointed that neither Ochre House’s Christhelmet (directed by Matthew Posey) nor Diana Sheehan’s Full Gallop or her sophisticated cabaret, Searching for Gertrude Lawrence at WaterTower Theatre met the critical popularity threshold. I am quite thrilled for other wins. Call it a draw….
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at Uptown Players: Diana Sheehan, Bob Hess, Evan Fentriss and Wendy Welch, directed by B.J.Cleveland
Direction: B.J. Cleveland, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Uptown Players); Tre Garrett, A Raisin in the Sun (Dallas Theater Center) and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Jubilee Theatre); Susan Sargeant, The Diaries of Adam and Eve and Happy Days (WingSpan Theatre Co.); Terry Martin, Dogfight (WaterTower Theatre); David Denson, Year of the Rooster (Upstart Productions); Daniel Aukin, The Fortress of Solitude (Dallas Theater Center); Kevin Moriarty, Oedipus el Rey (Dallas Theater Center); Liesl Tommy, Les Miserables (Dallas Theater Center); Tim Johnson, Detroit (Kitchen Dog Theater)
Actor: Jaxon Beeson, Stiff (Fun House Theatre and Film); Joey Folsom, Year of the Rooster (Upstart Productions) and Hank Williams: Lost Highway (WaterTower Theatre); Steven Walters, Les Miserables (Dallas Theater Center); Drew Wall, Nocturne (Second Thought Theatre); Alex Ross, The Boy from Oz (Uptown Players); Garret Storms, for his season of performances; Adam A. Anderson, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Jubilee Theatre)
Taylor Donnelson, Jaxon Beeson share licorice in FunHouse Theatre’s Stiff
Actress: Ashley Wilkerson, The Mountaintop (Jubilee Theatre); Janelle Lutz, The Boy from Oz (Uptown Players); Sarah Elizabeth Smith, The Boy from Oz (Uptown Players); Liz Mikel, A Raisin in the Sun (Dallas Theater Center); Juliette Talley, Dogfight (WaterTower Theatre); Tiffany Hobbs, A Raisin in the Sun (Dallas Theater Center) and Spunk (WaterTower Theatre); Tina Parker, Detroit (Kitchen Dog Theater); Allison Pistorius, Venus in Fur (Circle Theatre) and Clybourne Park (Dallas Theater Center)
Ashley Wilkerson in Jubilee Theatre’s The Mountaintop. Photo by Cecil Fuqua
Ensemble Performances: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Uptown Players); The Echo Room Presents: Her Song (Echo Theatre); Heroes (Stage West); Barbecue Apocalypse (Kitchen Dog Theater)
Creative Contribution: Coy Covington for his wig and makeup design for The Boy from Oz (Uptown Players) and wig designs for Pageant: The Musical (Uptown Players) and Gary James, wig design, Dogfight (WaterTower Theatre); Jay Dias for his musical direction, Nine and Titanic (Lyric Stage); the design team for the season with TCU’s Trinity Shakespeare Festival; Jeffrey Colangelo and Katy Tye (Prism Co.) for their movement design, Gallatea; Clare Floyd DeVries for her set design, Detroit (Kitchen Dog Theater)
New Play or Musical: Stiff by Jeff Swearingen (Fun House Theatre and Film); Booth by Steven Walters and Erik Archilla (Second Thought Theatre); Barbecue Apocalypse by Matt Lyle (Kitchen Dog Theater); mania/gift by Shelby-Allison Hibbs (Echo Theatre); The Fortress of Solitude by Itamar Moses and Michael Friedman (Dallas Theater Center)
Emily Scott Banks and Stan Denman in Second Thought Theatre’s Booth
Touring Production: The Gershwins’ Porgy & Bess (ATTPAC); Evita (Dallas Summer Musicals); Trick Boxing (Sossy Mechanics); Peter and the Starcatcher (ATTPAC).
Special Citations: to Matt Tomlanovich for reviving the Margo Jones Hall as a busy performance space, opening it to fledgling companies at a reasonable price, and making it available to small festivals, poetry slams, readings and dance groups; and to Lawson Taitte, for his distinguished career in arts criticism.
Regional critics voting:
Elaine Liner and Lauren Smart, Dallas Observer
Lindsey Wilson, Liz Johnstone, D Magazine
Mark Lowry, Martha Heimberg, Jan Farrington, M. Lance Lusk, David Novinski: TheaterJones.com
Punch Shaw, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Arnold Wayne Jones, Dallas Voice
Nancy Churnin, Dallas Morning News
Alexandra Bonifield, criticalrant.com
criticalrant.com Alexandra Bonifield 