Bucking the national trend of diminishing arts coverage, attendance at the annual Dallas-Fort Worth Theater Critics Forum was actually up this year. Nine professional critics gathered to nominate, vote for, and debate our favorites from the 2016-17 season — and was there ever debate.
In categories spanning new works to stellar performances, the nine critics fought for their favorites. Not everyone's picks made it through the voting process, which needed either more than 50 percent of the votes or a unanimous decision if only two or three critics had seen the production, so look out for personal favorites not included here to pop up in those end-of-year lists.
It was a strong year for women, with female directors earning six of the eight nods (way up from last year's four out of 10). Kitchen Dog Theater had a stellar showing, as did Stage West and Dallas Theater Center, and the majority of theaters stepped up their community involvement thanks to the pioneering spirit of performer, producer, and activist Denise Lee. Some artists scored both on and off the stage, earning nods for their performances as well as directing and/or design contributions.
Without further ado, here are the awards:
Outstanding Direction
- Robin Armstrong, Ripcord, Circle Theatre
- Emily Scott Banks, Stupid Fucking Bird, Stage West; The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens, and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord, WaterTower Theatre
- Cheryl Denson, Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches, Uptown Players
- Marianne Galloway, Stiff, Risk Theater Initiative (Festival of Independent Theatres)
- Kevin Moriarty, Electra, The Tempest, and Inherit the Wind, Dallas Theater Center
- Jeffrey Schmidt, The Minotaur, Theatre Three
- Joanie Schultz, Hit the Wall, WaterTower Theatre
- Christie Vela, 'night, Mother, Echo Theatre; Straight White Men, Second Thought Theatre
Outstanding New Play or Musical
- Br'er Cotton by Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm, Kitchen Dog Theater
- Hood: The Robin Hood Musical Adventure by Douglas Carter Beane and Lewis Flinn
- The Necessities, by Blake Hackler, Second Thought Theatre
- Stiff by Sherry Jo Ward, Risk Theater Initiative (Festival of Independent Theatres)
Outstanding Touring Production
- An American in Paris, Dallas Summer Musicals and Performing Arts Fort Worth
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, AT&T Performing Arts Center Broadway Series
- Hedwig and the Angry Inch, AT&T Performing Arts Center Broadway Series
- Into the Woods, AT&T Performing Arts Center Broadway Series
- Tina Packer's Women of Will, Eisemann Center Presents
Outstanding Performance by an Actor
- Christopher Carlos, Paper Flowers, Kitchen Dog Theater
- Cameron Cobb, Trevor, Kitchen Dog Theater
- Blake Hackler, Richard III and Measure for Measure, Trinity Shakespeare Festival; so go the ghosts of méxico, part one: a brave woman in méxico, Undermain Theatre
- Selmore Haines III, Thurgood, Jubilee Theatre
- Max Hartman, Trevor, Kitchen Dog Theater
- Bob Hess, La Cage aux Folles, Uptown Players
- Alex Organ, The Tempest, Dallas Theater Center
- Randy Pearlman, Funnyman, Circle Theatre
- Thomas Ward, Straight White Men, Second Thought Theatre
Outstanding Performance by an Actress
- Deborah Brown, Ripcord, Circle Theatre
- Whitney LaTrice Coulter, The Submission, Proper Hijinx Productions
- Steph Garrett, The Great Dictator, Audacity Theatre Lab (Festival of Independent Theatres); Waiting for Lefty, Upstart Productions
- Julie Johnson, Mame, Lyric Stage
- Jenny Ledel, Grounded, Second Thought Theatre
- Kelsey Milbourn, Richard III and Measure for Measure, Trinity Shakespeare Festival
- Sally Nystuen Vahle, Electra and A Christmas Carol, Dallas Theater Center
- Christie Vela, Paper Flowers, Kitchen Dog Theater; The Necessities, Second Thought Theatre
- Sherry Jo Ward, Stiff, Risk Theater Initiative (Festival of Independent Theatres)
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast
- Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches, Uptown Players
- Hood: The Robin Hood Musical Adventure, Dallas Theater Center
- Inherit the Wind, Dallas Theater Center
- 'night, Mother, Echo Theatre
- Richard III and Measure for Measure, Trinity Shakespeare Festival
- Stupid Fucking Bird, Stage West
Outstanding Design or Creative Contribution
- Design team, Br'er Cotton, Kitchen Dog Theater
- Stefany Cambra, properties design, Feathers and Teeth, Kitchen Dog Theater
- Jay Dias, music direction, Camelot, Lyric Stage
- John M. Flores, sound design, Feathers and Teeth, Kitchen Dog Theater
- Pam Holcomb-McLain, musical direction, The Light in the Piazza, Brick Road Theatre
- Design team, Jesus Christ Superstar, Casa Mañana
- Brian McDonald, set and sound design, Grounded, Second Thought Theatre
- Aaron Johansen, lighting design, Grounded, Second Thought Theatre
- Michael B. Moore, wigs and makeup design, La Cage aux Folles, Uptown Players
- Lauren Morgan, a season of costume design for Stolen Shakespeare Guild
- James Ortiz, puppet design, Stefano Brancato, associate puppet design, Hood: The Robin Hood Musical Adventure, Dallas Theater Center
- Design team, Trinity Shakespeare Festival
- Sean J. Smith and Rhonda Jones, choreography, Fly, African American Repertory Theater
- Trigg Watson, magic consultation, Midas, Prism Movement Theater
Special Citations
- Dallas Theater Center, for engaging the city with its Public Works production of The Tempest, which used 200 members of the community in its cast, and for committing to continue the program in future seasons.
- Denise Lee, for starting Community Conversation, following the Dallas Police shootings, as an ongoing, free, inclusive program that gives theater audiences an opportunity to discuss tense issues and create fellowship across different cultures, races, orientations, and/or social-economic statuses in a safe, judgment-free setting. The program is held every fourth Monday at Dallas Children's Theater, alternates every other month at Circle Theatre and Stage West in Fort Worth, and has been offered after Second Thought Theatre's Straight White Men, Kitchen Dog Theater's Br'er Cotton, and WaterTower Theatre's Hit the Wall.
Participating Critics
Lindsey Wilson, CultureMap
Alexandra Bonifield, CriticalRant.com
Nancy Churnin, Dallas Morning News
Jan Farrington, TheaterJones.com
Janice Franklin, TheaterJones.com
Martha Heimberg, TheaterJones.com and Dallas Weekly
Arnold Wayne Jones, Dallas Voice
Mark Lowry, TheaterJones.com and Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Punch Shaw, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Dallas-Fort Worth Theater Critics Forum is an organization of professional, paid critics that recognizes outstanding theatrical contributions in North Texas. Members see 45 or more productions per season (Sept. 1-Aug. 31) and are not practicing theater artists.
Kevin Moriarty was recognized for directing three outstanding Dallas Theater Center shows, including Inherit the Wind.
Cliburn Junior 2023 winner Seokyoung Hong (center) with second-place Yifan Wu (left), and third-place Jan Schulmeister. Photo by Ralph Lauer 
Clayton Stephenson competed in the 2015 Cliburn Junior Competition and returned for the 2022 Cliburn International Competition, where he was a finalist. Photo courtesy of The Cliburn 
Italian pianist and Cliburn alum Alessandro Deljavan will serve on the jury. Photo courtesy of Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth 