Kitchen Dog’s ‘The Chairs’ was a big winner from the theater critics, winning for actors Raphael Parry and Rhonda Boutte, director Tim Johnson and set designer Scott Osbourne.
Among the highlights: As always, there were tons of gay winners (hey, it’s theater), including Tim Johnson (for The Chairs at Kitchen Dog, which had a stellar season), and Regan Adair (In a Forest Dark and Deep and Joel Ferrell (Gruesome Playground Injuries), both at Second Thought, which also had a standout season. Knock Me a Kiss, a play with a gay theme over at Jubilee, was singled out for Barbara Wood’s performance.
The group also recognized two of last years best performances: Marianne Galloway in Children of a Lesser God and Theatre 3 founder Jac Alder in a rare performance as Sigmund Freud in Freud’s Last Session. Tween Kennedy Waterman was also recognized for her role in Daffodil Girls. Season’s best show, On the Eve, was a runaway hit with five awards.
Two Fort Worth productions of The Taming of the Shrew received lots of kudos, including one at Stage West; its founder, Jerry Russell, died last week, and was given a special citation for his years of artistry.
The participating critics — me, Elaine Liner (Dallas Observer), Mark Lowry (TheaterJones.com), Lawson Taitte (Dallas Morning News), M. Lance Lusk and Liz Johnstone (D Magazine), Lauren Smart and Kris Noteboom (TheaterJones.com), Martha Heimberg (Turtle Creek News and TheaterJones.com), Alexandra Bonifield (Critical Rants), Lindsey Wilson (CultureMap Dallas) and Punch Shaw (Fort Worth Star-Telegram) — selected the following winners (after the break). Congrats.
Outstanding direction
Regan Adair, In a Forest Dark and Deep (Second Thought Theatre); Jim Covault, The Taming of the Shrew (Stage West); Cheryl Denson, The Most Happy Fella (Lyric Stage); Joel Ferrell, Gruesome Playground Injuries (Second Thought Theatre); Jonathan Fielding, The True Story of the Tragic Life and Triumphant Death of Julia Pastrana, The Ugliest Woman in the World (Amphibian Stage Productions); Tim Johnson, The Chairs (Kitchen Dog Theater); Matthew Posey, Dreams of Slaughtered Sheep (Ochre House); Susan Sargeant, Children of a Lesser God (Contemporary Theatre of Dallas) and Lydie Marland in the Afterlife (WingSpan Theater Co.); Jeffrey Schmidt, On the Eve (Spacegrove Productions and Nouveau 47), Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo (Theatre 3) and Enron (Theatre 3); Jeff Swearingen, Daffodil Girls, Inspired by David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross (Fun House Theatre and Film); T.J. Walsh, The Taming of the Shrew (Trinity Shakespeare Festival).
Outstanding new play or musical
Daffodil Girls by Jeff Swearingen; Dreams of Slaughtered Sheep by Matthew Posey; Fly By Night (Dallas Theater Center) by Kim Rosenstock, Bill Connolly and Michael Mitnick; On the Eve by Shawn and Seth Magill and Michael Federico.
Outstanding performances by actors
Jac Alder, Freud’s Last Session (Theatre 3); David Coffee, Fly By Night; Bruce DuBose, An Iliad (Undermain Theatre); Max Hartman, RX (Kitchen Dog Theater); Chris Hury, The Taming of the Shrew (Stage West); Gregory Lush, On the Eve and Penelope (Undermain Theatre); Alex Organ, The Most Happy Fella and Fly by Night; Raphael Parry, The Chairs; Montgomery Sutton, Gruesome Playground Injuries; Ashley Wood, Children of a Lesser God.
Outstanding performances by actresses
Rhonda Boutte, The Chairs; Marianne Galloway, Children of a Lesser God; Amber Nicole Guest, The Most Happy Fella; Martha Harms, RX, On the Eve and The Lucky Chance; or, The Alderman’s Bargain (Echo Theatre); Jenny Ledel, Becky Shaw (Kitchen Dog Theater) and On the Eve; Tina Parker, RX; Allison Pistorius, The Taming of the Shrew (Stage West); Kennedy Waterman, Daffodil Girls; Barbara Wood, Knock Me a Kiss (Jubilee Theatre).
Outstanding ensemble cast
Jailbait (Dallas Actors Lab); On the Eve; The Taming of the Shrew (Trinity Shakespeare Festival).
The recently closed ‘Book of Mormon’ was one of the top touring productions of the season.
Outstanding creative contribution
Score, Home by Hovercraft, On the Eve; Music and sound design, Bruce DuBose and Paul Semrad, An Iliad; Sound design, John Flores, Gruesome Playground Injuries; Costume design, Ryan Matthieu Smith, The Lucky Chance; Set design, Timothy R. Mackabee, The Odd Couple (Dallas Theater Center); Set design, Scott Osborne, The Chairs; Set design, Bob Lavallee, The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife (Theatre Arlington) and Gruesome Playground Injuries; Design team, The Taming of the Shrew and Julius Caesar (Trinity Shakespeare Festival); Design team, Dreams of Slaughtered Sheep.
Outstanding touring production
Anything Goes (Lexus Broadway Series); The Book of Mormon (Lexus Broadway Series); Traces (Lexus Broadway Series); Underneath the Lintel (Patrick O’Brien at the Out of the Loop Fringe Festival).
Special citations
To the late Jerry Russell, founder of Stage West, for his lifetime contributions to the North Texas theater community as an actor, director, producer and advocate.
To Jeff Swearingen and Bren Rapp with Fun House Theatre and Film, for their innovative youth theater and dedication to the future of the craft.
