THE CLEVELAND CRITICS CIRCLE AWARDS - 2015

 CLEVELAND CRITICS CIRCLE 2015 THEATER AWARDS

Awards Committee: Roy Berko, Mark Horning, Kerry Clawson, Bob Abelman, Art Thomas, Christine Howey and Andrea Simakis.

Note; Superior Achievement Awards are listed alphabetically (by first word or first name).

Best Musical Production: 

The Secret Garden, Great Lakes Theater

Superior Achievement:

A Little Night Music, Porthouse Theatre

American Idiot, Beck Center

Dogfight, Beck Center

Godspell, Cain Park

Violet, Porthouse Theatre

Violet, Lakeland Civic Theatre

Best Non-Musical Production: 

The Crucible, Cleveland Play House

Superior Achievement:

A Streetcar Named Desire, Mamai Theatre

Death of a Salesman, Ensemble Theatre

First Love, none too fragile

God of Carnage, none too fragile

Isaac’s Eye, convergence-continuum

Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Karamu House

Our Town, Blank Canvas Theatre

Peter and the Starcatcher, Dobama Theatre

Slowgirl, Dobama Theatre

Superior Donuts, Dobama Theatre

The Mighty Scarabs!, Karamu House

The Three Sisters, Mamaí Theatre

Best Actor – Musical:

Pat Miller, Bat Boy The Musical, Blank Canvas Theatre

Superior Achievement:

Jared Dixon, Hairspray, Porthouse Theatre

Jared Dixon, Violet, Porthouse Theatre

Stephen Mitchell Brown, A Secret Garden, Great Lakes Theater

Warren Egypt Franklin III, Godspell, Cain Park

Best Actor – Non-Musical: 

Aled Davies, King Lear, Great Lakes Theater

Superior Achievement:

Andrew Narten, The Lonesome West, none too fragile

Bernard Bygott, Much Ado About Nothing, Ohio Shakespeare Festival

Brian Zoldessy, Einstein, Actors’ Summit

Esau Pritchett, The Crucible, Cleveland Play House

Geoff Knox, OR, Dobama  Theatre

Greg Violand, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Lakeland Civic Theatre

Greg White, Death of a Salesman, Ensemble Theatre

Michael May, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Karamu House

Prophet Seay, The Mighty Scarabs!, Karamu House

Rodney Freeman, The Mighty Scarabs!, Karamu House

Sean Derry, The Lonesome West, none too fragile

Best Actress – Musical:  

(tie) Neely Gevaart, Violet, Lakeland Civic Theatre and 

Amy Fritsche, Violet, Porthouse Theatre

Superior Achievement:

Giovanna Layne, The Secret Garden, Great Lakes Theater

Jillian Kates, The Secret Garden, Great Lakes Theater

Keri Rene Fuller, Dogfight, Beck Center

Lucy Anders, A Little Night Music, Porthouse Theatre

Neely Gevaart, The Spitfire Grill, Beck Center

Best Actress – Non-Musical: 

Lara Mielcarek, OR, Dobama

Superior Achievement:

Bernadette Clemens, A Streetcar Named Desire, Mamaí Theatre

Jen Klika, God of Carnage, none too fragile

Katrice Headd, The Mighty Scarabs!, Karamu

Lauren B. Smith, Tear It Off, convergence-continuum

Leighann Delorenzo, In A Forest Dark and Deep, none too fragile

Liz Conway, in a word, Cleveland Public Theatre

Lucy Bredeson-Smith, Tear It Off, convergence-continuum

Miranda Leann Scholl, Slowgirl, Dobama

Rachel Lee Kolis, Tall Skinny Cruel Cruel Boys, Theater Ninjas

Best Director – Musical: 

Ian Wolfgang Hinz and Joanna May Hunkins, Godspell, Cain Park

Superior Achievement:

Sean Morrissey, A Little Night Music, Porthouse

Steven Anderson, Violet, Porthouse

Victoria Bussert, The Secret Garden, Great Lakes Theater

Best Director – Non-Musical: 

Laura Kepley, The Crucible, Cleveland Play House

Superior Achievement:

Beth Wood, in a word, Cleveland Public Theatre

Donald Carrier, Becky Shaw, Dobama Theatre

Leighann Delorenzo, Slowgirl, Dobama Theatre

Patrick Ciamacco, Our Town, Blank Canvas Theater

Sean Derry, God of Carnage, none too fragile

Stephen Wadsworth, A Comedy of Tenors, Cleveland Play House

Mathew Wright, The Call, Dobama Theatre

Best Choreographer: 

Martín Céspedes, American Idiot, Beck Center

Superior Achievement:

John R. Crawford, Hairspray, Porthouse Theatre

Terrence Greene, Dreamgirls, Karamu House

Best Musical Direction: 

Jonathan Swoboda, A Little Night Music, Porthouse

Superior Achievement:

Jennifer Korecki, Violet, Porthouse Theatre

Jonathan Swoboda, Hairspray, Porthouse Theatre

Larry Goodpaster, Mary Poppins, Beck Center

Best Scenic Design: 

Charlie Corcoran, A Comedy of Tenors, Cleveland Play House

Superior Achievement:

Bill Clarke, Voyna and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Cleveland Play House

Laura Carlson, Slow Girl, Dobama Theatre

Linda Buchanan, King Lear, Great Lakes Theater

Russell Metheny, Dial ‘M’ For Murder, Great Lakes Theater

Scott Bradley, The Crucible, Cleveland Play House

Best Lighting Design: 

Beth Wood/Benjamin Gantose/Sam Fisher, in a word, Cleveland Public Theatre

Superior Achievement:

C.J. Pierce, Isaac’s Eye, convergence-continuum

Paul Miller, King Lear, Great Lakes Theater

Rick Martin, The Tempest, Great Lakes Theater

Rob Peck, A Streetcar Named Desire, Mamaí

Best Projection Design: 

T. Paul Lowry, The Turing Machine, Theater Ninjas

Superior Achievement:

Adam Zeek and Douglas Puskas, American Idiot, Beck Center

Ian Hinz, Bengal Tiger in the Baghdad Zoo, Ensemble Theatre

Mike Tutaj, Mary Poppins, Beck Center

Ron Newell, Death of a Salesman, Ensemble Theatre

Best Costume Design: 

Lex Liang, The Crucible, Cleveland Play House

Superior Achievement:

Charlotte M. Yetman, The Secret Garden, Great Lakes Theater

Martha Hally, King Lear, Great Lakes Theater

S.Q. Campbell, A Little Night Music, Porthouse Theatre

Tesia Dugan Benson, OR, Dobama Theatre

William Ivey Long, A Comedy of Tenors, Cleveland Play House

Best Sound Design: 

Rob Milburn & Michael Bodeen, King Lear, Great Lakes Theater

Superior Achievement:

Beau Reinker, Tear It Off, convergence-continuum

David Gotwald, The Secret Garden, Great Lakes Theater

Jeremy Dobbins, Slowgirl, Dobama Theatre

Joshua Horvath, A Comedy of Tenors, Cleveland Play House

Richard B. Ingraham, American Idiot, Beck Center

Sam Fisher, in a word, Cleveland Public Theatre

Best Touring Production: 

A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder, Playhouse Square

Superior Achievement:

Cinderella, Playhouse Square

Kinky Boots, Playhouse Square

Pippin, Playhouse Square

The Wizard of Oz, Playhouse Square

Special Mention:

Baldwin-Wallace University, for establishing the Kyle Jean-Baptiste Memorial Scholarship in honor of the late Baldwin Wallace alumnus.

Cleveland Play House, for receiving the 2015 Tony Award for Regional Theatres.

Cleveland Play House’s Joel Grey: Up Close and Personal, for a splendid use of archival video, to help celebrate the theater’s 100^th anniversary. 

The Kent State University School of Theatre and Dance, for staging the first full-production of My Heart Is The Drum.

Cornell Hubert Calhoun III, for drawing on his life in Cleveland to create the riveting, gritty original script The Mighty Scarabs!

The Musical Theater Project, for producing concert versions of shows, replete with background information and visuals provided by Bill Rudman.

Christine Howey and Scott Plate, for their development and production of Exact Change, which was selected by the New York Times as one of the “top ten plays to look for” at the 2015 New York International Fringe Festival.