Theater Critic Picks

Dallas-Fort Worth theater critics offer a standing ovation to 2017-18 stars

Fresh faces and local legends alike walked away with awards from the Dallas-Fort Worth Critics Forum, as this year's eight critics gathered to debate and vote for their onstage favorites from the newly closed previous season.

Newcomers included Zander Pryor for a remarkable performance in Stage West's Hir; Imprint Theatreworks and its strong inaugural season; and SMU graduate student Amelia Baransky, who earned two nods for her set design.

It was also a strong year for new works, with plays tackling issues both local and national and even a homegrown musical popping up on the list.

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. Look for personal favorites not included here to pop up in critics' end-of-year lists.

Without further ado, here are the awards:

Outstanding Direction:

Christopher Carlos, The Royale, Kitchen Dog Theater
Cameron Cobb, Pompeii!!, Kitchen Dog Theater
Kevin Moriarty, Hair, Dallas Theater Center
Pam Myers-Morgan, Ruined, Echo Theatre and Denise Lee Onstage
Jason O’Connell, Cyrano, Amphibian Stage Productions
Joanie Schultz, Hand to God, WaterTower Theatre
Garret Storms, Hir, Stage West
Christie Vela, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Theatre Three; Don’t Dress for Dinner, Stage West; Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again., Second Thought Theatre
Ashley H. White, Glengarry Glen Ross and Murder Ballad, Imprint Theatreworks
Ashley H. White and Joe Messina, The Revolutionists, Imprint Theatreworks

Outstanding New Play or Musical:

Babel by Cry Havoc Theater Company Ensemble, Cry Havoc Theater Company
Bread by Regina Taylor, WaterTower Theatre
Cedar Springs or Big Scary Animals by Matt Lyle, Theatre Three
Cyrano by Jason O’Connell and Brenda Withers, Amphibian Stage Productions
In the Tall Grass by Paul Kalburgi, Bishop Arts Theatre Center
Pompeii!! by Cameron Cobb, Michael Federico, and Max Hartman, Kitchen Dog Theater

Outstanding Performance by an Actor:

Tyrees Allen, Ruined, Echo Theatre and Denise Lee Onstage
Parker Gray, Hand to God, WaterTower Theatre
Max Hartman, Ironbound, Kitchen Dog Theater; Pompeii!!, Kitchen Dog Theater; Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again., Second Thought Theatre
John-Michael Marrs, Cyrano, Amphibian Stage Productions
Mark Oristano, Glengarry Glen Ross, Imprint Theatreworks
Zander Pryor, Hir, Stage West
Chris Ramirez, Hair, Dallas Theater Center; Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue, WaterTower Theatre; Empathitrax, Second Thought Theatre
Jamal Gibran Sterling, The Royale, Kitchen Dog Theater

Outstanding Performance by an Actress:

Jessica Cavanagh, Self Injurious Behavior, Theatre Three
Stormi Demerson, Hillary and Clinton, Second Thought Theatre; Bread, WaterTower Theatre
Kate Hamill, Cyrano, Amphibian Stage Productions
Jenny Ledel, Pride & Prejudice, WaterTower Theatre; Empathitrax, Second Thought Theatre; Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again., Second Thought Theatre
Shannon McGrann, Hand to God, WaterTower Theatre
Denise Lee, Ruined, Echo Theatre and Denise Lee Onstage; Bread, WaterTower Theatre
Elly Lindsay, John, Undermain Theatre

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast:

Cyrano, Amphibian Stage Productions
The Great Distance Home, WaterTower Theatre
Hair, Dallas Theater Center
Pompeii!!, Kitchen Dog Theater
The Revolutionists, Imprint Theatreworks
The Royale, Kitchen Dog Theater
Three Sisters, Undermain Theatre

Outstanding Touring Production:

The Color Purple, Dallas Summer Musicals
Cry Havoc!, Amphibian Stage Productions
Fun Home, AT&T Performing Arts Center
The King and I, AT&T Performing Arts Center
The Humans, AT&T Performing Arts Center
Waitress, Dallas Summer Musicals and Performing Arts Fort Worth

Outstanding Design or Creative Contribution:

John Arnone, scenic design, so go the ghosts of méxico, part 2, and Three Sisters, Undermain Theatre
Amelia Bransky, scenic design for Frankenstein, Dallas Theater Center and Empathitrax, Second Thought Theatre
Cameron Cobb, Michael Federico, and Max Hartman, music and lyrics, Pompeii!!, Kitchen Dog Theater
Design Team, Hair, Dallas Theater Center
Jeremy Dumont, choreography, A Chorus Line, Uptown Players
Ensemble, music and lyrics, Original Man, Ochre House
Kelsey Leigh Ervi and Ensemble, movement, The Great Distance Home, WaterTower Theatre
Sam Lao, music, and Brian McDonald, sound, Bread, WaterTower Theatre
Justin Locklear and Carla Parker, music and lyrics, Mousey, Ochre House
Bart McGeehon, set and projection design, Babel, Cry Havoc Theater Company
Korey Parker, properties design, A History of Everything, Cry Havoc Theater Company
Ryan Rumery, original music and sound design, Frankenstein, Dallas Theater Center
Jessie Wallace, costume design, The Revolutionists, Imprint Theatreworks
Ashley H. White, fight choreography and intimacy direction, Murder Ballad, Imprint Theatreworks

Special Citations:

Mara Richards Bim, the founder of Cry Havoc Theater Company, and her teen ensemble, for conducting thorough research and creating compelling verbatim drama, including this year's Babel, about gun violence.
Amphibian Stage Productions for its Comedy Series, curated by Baron Vaughn, for giving stand-up comics a place to workshop new material in a week-long residency.
Trinity Shakespeare Festival, for a decade of indelible performances, glorious sets and costumes, evocative sound and lighting, and penetrating directorial insight.

Participating Critics:

Lindsey Wilson, CultureMap
Nancy Churnin, Dallas Morning News
Janice L. Franklin, TheaterJones.com
Jan Farrington, TheaterJones.com
Martha Heimberg, TheaterJones.com and Dallas Weekly
Arnold Wayne Jones, Dallas Voice
Mark Lowry, TheaterJones.com
Jill Sweeney, TheaterJones.com

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.

Cameron Cobb, Michael Federico, and Max Hartman's Pompeii!! at Kitchen Dog Theater won big.

Photo by Matt Mrozek

Cameron Cobb, Michael Federico, and Max Hartman's Pompeii!! at Kitchen Dog Theater won big.

theater awards

Drama kings

Dallas theater lures new leaders away from Hollywood and Broadway

Photo courtesy of Lyric Stage

Malcolm Goodwin is an actor, director, and producer familiar for roles in Reacher, iZombie, and The Fall of the House of Usher.

Dallas theater company Lyric Stage has looked to Hollywood and Broadway for new leadership, hiring film and television actor and director Malcolm Goodwin and Broadway veteran Victor Hawks as the theater company's new co-artistic directors.

The appointments mark a new chapter for the company, which was founded in 1993 by Steven Jones, executive director Catherine Carpenter Cox says in a November 2 announcement.

Goodwin and Hawks are the co-founders of Team Vision Entertainment, a production company developing and producing film, television, and theater projects.

Their longstanding creative partnership will now extend to Lyric Stage, where they will work alongside Cox to develop programming, support new works, and strengthen the organization's connections to the broader entertainment industry, a press release says.

Goodwin is an actor, director, and producer best known for roles in Amazon Prime Video's Reacher and The CW's iZombie. Other credits include The Fall of the House of Usher, American Gangster, and Spike Lee's Miracle at St. Anna.

His new role at Lyric Stage brings him back to the art form that first inspired his career.

"Theater is where I first learned how to tell stories and where I discovered that I loved every part of the creative process, not just performing," Goodwin says in the release. "I was building theaters, working with lighting and sound, and learning how everything comes together to create something special for an audience. Being able to return to that world and help create opportunities for other artists is incredibly meaningful to me."

Hawks brings an extensive Broadway background to his new position, having appeared in the original Broadway company of Urinetown the Musical, the 2006 Broadway revival of Les Misérables, South Pacific at Lincoln Center, and The Producers national tour.

Victor Hawks, Lyric Stage Victor Hawks.Photo courtesy of Lyric Stage

"Musical theater changed the direction of my life," Hawks says in a statement. "I know firsthand what happens when someone gives a young performer an opportunity to learn, grow and be part of something bigger than themselves. That's what makes this next chapter so exciting. Lyric Stage already has an incredible history, and we want to build on that by creating great theater and opening doors for artists who are just beginning their journeys."

Over the past three decades, Lyric Stage has earned a reputation for its professional productions, world premieres, and restoration of classic Broadway works, with a big focus on musicals.

For Cox, the appointments are about bringing together artists who understand the importance of theater while offering the experience and relationships to help the organization grow.

"Steven Jones built something truly special with Lyric Stage, and we have a responsibility to honor what he created while continuing to move the organization forward," Cox says. "Malcolm and Victor have built remarkable careers in entertainment, but what I love most is that theatre is where both of their journeys began. They understand what the stage can mean to an artist, and they share my passion for creating opportunities for the next generation."

Cox also recently moved into a new role as director, making her directorial debut with Lyric Stage's production of the musical Godspell, which finished its run on October 25.

Upcoming Lyric Stage productions include A Very Lyric Christmas, A Chorus Line, Newsies, and Once.

Future planned endeavors for the company include Lyric Stage Academy, an educational program designed to introduce young people to the performing arts, as well as Children's Theatre, Summer Stock, professional training opportunities, a New Works Lab, and master classes.

lyric stage performing-arts theater