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.
