LA Weekly
February 8, 2010

THEATER AWARDS NOMINEES

The best of our theater in 99-seats (or less) in the Calendar year of 2009 gets recognized for the 31st year at the L.A. Weekly Theater Awards, March 29, 2010 at the El Rey, 5515 Wilshire Boulevard. This year's party (with open-bar and post-show reception) features the doo-wop stylings of Life Could Be A Dream heartthrobs, The Crooning Crabcakes. Tickets are $20 with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the spcaLA. Dress for 1960 (that would be, like, Jackie Kennedy or The Mad Men), or you'll feel like a dork. But in heels, blue velvet and thin tie, you'll be like a "Teenager in Love" all over again, no matter when you were born. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., show starts at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets to the public go on sale February 25. Check here from mid-February for the link to the box office.

Each nominee gets one complimentary ticket. Nominees may RSVP to (310) 574-7208.

You're a nominee if 1) if your name appears below; 2) if, in any of the "production"categories (including "Musical of the Year"), your name appeared in the program as a writer, director, producer, actor, stage manager or designer; 3) if, in any of the "ensemble" categories, your name appeared in the program as an actor; 4) if, in the "Production Design" category, your name appeared in the program as a director or designer.

For a list of nominees, press the Continue Reading tab directly below.

PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR
Battle Hymn, Circle X Theatre Company at [Inside] the Ford
Block Nine Elephant Theatre Company at the Lillian Theatre
Hamlet, Shut Up, Sacred Fools Theatre Company
The Illusion, Open Fist Theatre Company
Land of the Tigers, Burglars of Hamm and Sacred Fools Theatre Company
Munched, Buzzworks Theatre Company at the El Centro Theatre

REVIVAL PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR (of a 20th- or 21st-century work)

Blackbird, VS Theatre Company at the Elephant Theatre Lab
Equus, The Production Company at the Chandler Studio Theatre
The Mystery of Irma Vep, Deconstructed Productions at WeHo Church
Saint Joan of the Slaughterhouses, Pacific Resident Theater
Shining City, The Fountain Theatre

MUSICAL OF THE YEAR

Altar Boyz, Celebration Theatre
Divorce! The Musical, The Hudson Mainstage Theatre
Life Could Be a Dream, The Hudson Mainstage Theatre
Setup & Punch, Blank Theatre Company

DIRECTION

Sean T. Cawalti, Gogol Project, Rogue Artists Ensemble at Bootleg Theatre
Duane Daniels, Munched, Buzzworks Theatre Company at the El Centro Theatre
Shirley Jo Finney, Stick Fly, The Matrix Theatre Company
Stephen Sachs, Coming Home, Fountain Theatre
Marianne Savell, The Crucible, Actors Co-op
Daisuke Tsuji, Monkey Madness, Los Angeles Theatre Ensemble at the Powerhouse Theatre
August Viverito, Equus, The Production Company at the Chandler Studio Theatre

DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL

Jeremy Aldridge, Savin' Up for Saturday Night, Sacred Fools Theatre Company
Roger Bean, Life Could Be a Dream, The Hudson Mainstage Theatre
Daniel Henning, Setup & Punch, The Blank Theatre Company
Rick Sparks, Divorce! The Musical, The Hudson Mainstage Theatre

COMEDY DIRECTION
Matt Almos, Land of the Tigers, Burglars of Hamm and Sacred Fools Theatre Company
Keythe Farley, Stranger, Bootleg Theatre
Bjorn Johnson, Light up the Sky, Open Fist Theatre Company
Gulu Montiero, The Doctor Despite Himself, Ipanema Theatre Troupe at the Electric Lodge
Jonas Oppenheim, Hamlet Shut Up, Sacred Fools Theatre Company
Peter Urube and Emilie Beck, Block Nine, Elephant Theatre Company at the Lillian Theatre


MUSICAL DIRECTION
Christopher Lloyd Bratten, Altar Boyz, Celebration Theatre
John Groover McDuffie, Savin' up For Saturday Night, Sacred Fools Theatre Company
David O, Divorce! The Musical, The Hudson Mainstage Theatre
Jan Roper, Godspell, Knightsbridge Theatre
Greg Piper, Just Imagine, NoHo Arts Center

ENSEMBLE
Battle Hymn, Circle X Theatre Company at [Inside] the Ford
Children of a Lesser God, Deaf West Theatre Company
Coming Home, Fountain Theatre
Munched, Buzzworks Theatre Company at the El Centro Theatre
Photograph 51, The Fountain Theatre
Stick Fly, The Matrix Theatre Company

MUSICAL ENSEMBLE

Altar Boyz, Celebration Theatre
Godspell, Knightsbridge Theatre
Life Could Be a Dream, The Hudson Mainstage Theatre

COMEDY ENSEMBLE
Block Nine, Elephant Theatre Company at the Lillian Theatre
The Devil With Boobs, Open Fist Theatre Company
Hamlet Shut Up, Sacred Fools Theatre Company
Land of the Tigers, Burglars of Hamm and Sacred Fools Theatre Company
Light up the Sky, Open Fist Theatre Company
Monkey Madness
, Los Angeles Theatre Ensemble at the Powerhouse Theatre
Stranger, Bootleg Theatre

LEADING FEMALE PERFORMANCE

Aria Alpert, Photograph 51, The Fountain Theatre
Melina Bielenfelt, Molly Sweeney, Oasis Theater Company at Son of Semele Theatre
Diedre Henry, Coming Home, The Fountain Theatre
Bess Meyer, Mammals, The Lost Studio
Samantha Sloyan, Munched, Buzzworks Theatre Company at the El Centro Theatre
Shoshannah Stern, Children of a Lesser God, Deaf West Theatre Company
Ellen D. Williams, Ruby, Tragically Rotund, Playwrights Arena at the Los Angeles Theatre Center
Jacqueline Wright, Tree, Ensemble Studio Theatre - LA, at [Inside] the Ford

LEADING MALE PERFORMANCE
Sam Anderson, The Bird and Mr. Banks, The Road Theatre Company at the NoHo Arts Center
Wyatt Fenner, Anita Bryant Died for Your Sins, West Coast Ensemble at the El Centro Theatre
Bruce French, The Browning Version, Pacific Resident Theatre
Chuma Gault, Tree, Ensemble Studio Theatre - LA, at [Inside] the Ford
Jim Hanna, Equus, The Production Company at the Chandler Studio Theatre
Morlan Higgins, Shining City, Fountain Theatre
Carl J. Johnson, Film, Theatre of NOTE
Sam R. Ross, Breaking the Code, The Production Company at the Chandler Studio Theatre

SUPPORTING FEMALE PERFORMANCE
Kendra Chell, The Illusion, Open Fist Theatre Company
Andrea Hutchman, Munched, Buzzworks Theatre Company at the El Centro Theatre
Jenny Kern, The Bird and Mr. Banks, The Road Theatre Company at the North Hollywood Arts Center
Jan Sheldrick, Anita Bryant Died for Your Sins, West Coast Ensemble at the El Centro Theatre
Tessa Thompson, Tree, Ensemble Studio Theatre - LA, at [Inside] the Ford

SUPPORTING MALE PERFORMANCE

John Ross Clark, Molly Sweeney, Oasis Theater Compay at Son of Semele Theatre
Gary Clemmer, The Crucible, Actors Co-op
David Corbett, Mammals, The Lost Studio
Tony Pandolfo, Anita Bryant Died for Your Sins, West Coast Ensemble at the El Centro Theatre
David Ross Patterson, Breaking the Code, The Production Company at the Chandler Studio Theatre
Andrew Parks, St. Joan of the Slaughterhouses, Pacific Resident Theatre
Daniel J. Roberts, The Crucible, Actors Co-op
Thomas Silcott, Coming Home, Fountain Theatre
Phil Ward, Film, Theatre of NOTE

SOLO PERFORMANCE
Adelina Anthony, Bruising for Besos, Davidson/Valenti Theatre at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center
Mary Beth Manning, Mother, Imagined Life Theatre
R. Ernie Silva, Heavy Like the Weight of a Flame, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble
Casey Smith, Violators Will be Violated, Circle X Theater Company at Son of Semele Theatre
Mark Thomsen, Chesapeake, Syzygy Theatre Group at GTC Theatre

FEMALE COMEDY PERFORMANCE
Kimberly Atkinson, Hamlet Shut Up, Sacred Fools Theatre Company
Tegan Ashton Cohan, Hamlet Shut Up, Sacred Fools Theatre Company
Katherine Griffin, The Devil With Boobs, Open Fist Theatre Company
Devin Sidell, Land of the Tigers, Burglars of Hamm and Sacred Fools

MALE COMEDY PERFORMANCE

Hugo Armstrong, Land of the Tigers, Buglars of Hamm and Sacred Fools
Benjamin Burdick, Light up the Sky, Open Fist Theatre Company
Michael Dunn, Stranger, Bootleg Theatre
Jeremy Glazer, Block Nine, Elephant Theatre Company at the Lillian Theatre
Stephen Simon, Hamlet Shut Up, Sacred Fools Theatre Company
Max Williams, Block Nine, Elephant Theatre Company at the Lillian Theatre

PLAY WRITING
Lydia R. Diamond, Stick Fly, The Matrix Theatre Company
Julie H̩bert, Tree, Ensemble Studio Theatre - LA, at [Inside] the Ford
Jim Leonard, Battle Hymn, Circle X Theatre Company at [Inside] the Ford
Patrick McGowan, Film, Theatre of NOTE
Michael Sargent, Black Leather, Unknown Theatre
Daisuke Tsuji, Monkey Madness, Los Angeles Theatre Ensemble at the Powerhouse Theatre

CAREER ACHIEVEMENT
Bennett A. Bradley (posthumus)

QUEEN OF THE ANGELS
David Sefton

PRODUCTION DESIGN
Accomplice: Hollywood Produced by Tom Salamon and Neil Patrick Harris, at various locations
Blackbird, VS Theatre Company at the Elephant Theatre Lab
Dracula, The NoHo Arts Center
Family Planning, Chalk Repertory Theatre
Land of the Tigers, Burglars of Hamm and Sacred Fools Theatre
Monkey Madness, Los Angeles Theatre Ensemble at the Powerhouse Theatre

ADAPTATION
Richard Alger, Model Behavior, Theatre Movement Bazaar at the 24th Street Theatre
Charles Duncombe, The Trojan Women, City Garage
Kitty Felde, Gogol Project, Rogue Artists Ensemble at Bootleg Theatre
Jonas Oppenheim, Hamlet Shut Up, Sacred Fools Theatre Company
Richard Tatum, The Country Wife, Ark Theatre Company at the Hayworth Theatre

LIGHTING DESIGN
Leigh Allen, Treefall, Rogue Machine at Theatre/Theater
Brian Sidney Bembridge, Battle Hymn, Circle X Theatre Company at [Inside] the Ford
Joel Daavid, Block Nine, Elephant Theatre Company at the Lillian Theatre
Christian Epps, Stick Fly, The Matrix Theatre Company
Christopher Kuhl, Model Behavior, Theatre Movement Bazaar at the 24th Street Theatre
Luke Moyer, Life Could Be a Dream, The Hudson Mainstage Theatre
Kathi O'Donohue, Photograph 51, The Fountain Theatre

COSTUME DESIGN
Wesley Crain, Hamlet Shut Up, Sacred Fools Theatre Company
Dianna K Graener, Battle Hymn, Circle X Theatre Company at [Inside] the Ford
Shon LeBlanc, Life Could Be a Dream, The Hudson Mainstage Theatre
Swinda Rcichelt, The Doctor Despite Himself, Ipanema Theatre Troupe at the Electric Lodge
Dana Woods, Stick Fly, The Matrix Theatre Company
Christina Wright, The Devil With Boobs, Open Fist Theatre Company
Christina Wright, The Illusion, Open Fist Theatre Company


SET DESIGN
Francois-Pierre Couture, Stranger, Bootleg Theatre
Brian Sidney Bembridge, Battle Hymn, Circle X Theatre Company at [Inside] the Ford
John Iacovelli, Stick Fly, The Matrix Theatre Company
Jeff McLaughlin, A Skull in Connemara, Theatre Tribe
Desma Murphy, The Bird and Mr. Banks, The Road Theatre Company at the North Hollywood Arts Center
Katie Polebaum, Gogol Project, Rogue Artists Ensemble at Bootleg Theatre
Adam Rowe, The Devil With Boobs, Open Fist Theatre Company
Stephanie Kerley Schwartz, Treefall, Rogue Machine at Theatre/Theater

SOUND DESIGN
Ron Klier, Blackbird, Vs Theatre Company at the Elephant Theatre Lab
Peter Bayne, Shining City, The Fountain Theatre
John Nabori, Gogol Project, Rogue Artists Ensemble at Bootleg Theatre
James Richter, Lie With Me, Mutineer Theatre Company at Art/Works Theatre
Joseph "Sloe" Slawinski, Treefall, Rogue Machine at Theatre/Theater
Jonathan Snipes, Sock & Shoe, The Actors' Gang at the Ivy Substation

CHOREOGRAPHY
Allison Bibicoff, Godspell, Knightsbridge Theatre
Anne Rene Brashier, Monkey Madness, Los Angeles Theatre Ensemble at the Powerhouse Theatre
Ameenah Kaplan, Altar Boyz, Celebration Theatre
Tina Kronis, Model Behavior, Theatre Movement Bazaar at the 24th Street Theatre
Lee Martino, Life Could Be a Dream, The Hudson Mainstage Theatre

MASK DESIGN
Pat Rubio, Gogol Project, Rogue Artists Ensemble at Bootleg Theatre

PUPPET DESIGN
Cristina Bercovitz, Monkey Madness, Los Angeles Theatre Ensemble at the Powerhouse Theatre
Wes Crain, Lena Garcia, Elizabeth Luce and Brian White, Gogol Project, Rogue Artists Ensemble at Bootleg Theatre
Christina Wright, The Devil With Boobs, Open Fist Theatre Company

ORIGINAL MUSIC
Michael A. Levine, Battle Hymn, Circle X Theatre Company at [Inside] the Ford
Ian Whitcombe, The Jazz Age, The Blank Theatre Company

FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHY
Victor Warren, Stranger, Bootleg Theatre

This year's voting committee was: Paul Birchall, Lovell Estell III, Mayank Keshaviah, Deborah Klugman, Steven Leigh Morris, Amy Nicholson, Tom Provenzano, Bill Raden, J.C. Sullivan, Glenda Toni, and Neal Weaver.