Some extremely worthy artists and entities have just been announced as our Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle’s special award recipients for 2024 and some exciting nominees have been chosen as contenders for this year’s upcoming 55th competitive awards, with the winners to be announced at a reception at  a soon-to-be released date and venue.
Are there also some disappointing omissions for me personally in the list of this year’s nominees? Of course, yes, but I am but one of 21 discerning critical voices and we all do our best to bring recognition for the spectacular work presented on Southland stages each year.
My own 33rd annual TicketHolder Awards are posted elsewhere here on my website if you haven’t seen them and are interested to check out the work I felt strongly deserved recognition in 2024.
Let it be said, however, none of our LADCC nominees and honorees are anything but mighty deserving of recognition and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of an organization honoring this incredible group of worldclass artists:

LOS ANGELES DRAMA CRITICS CIRCLE ANNOUNCES FINALISTS AND SPECIAL AWARD HONOREES FOR THEATRICAL EXCELLENCE IN 2024

From David Elzer / DEMAND PR:
March 5, 2025; Los Angeles, CA: The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle (LADCC), Southern California’s preeminent organization of professional theatre critics and journalists, is pleased to announce its 2024 Season Award Finalists and Special Award Honorees for theatrical excellence.


SPECIAL AWARD HONOREES
Each year, LADCC presents a set of awards recognizing sustained achievements in L.A. theatre as determined by consensus and selection by LADCC voting membership. This year’s Special Award Honorees are:

POLLY WARFIELD AWARD for an outstanding 2024 season: The Road Theatre Company, led by Taylor Gilbert (Founder and Artistic Director) and Sam Anderson (Artistic Director).

GORDON DAVIDSON AWARD for distinguished contributions to the Los Angeles Theatrical Community: John Perrin Flynn, Co-founder and former Artistic Director of Rogue Machine Theatre from 2008 through 2024.

JOEL HIRSCHHORN AWARD for outstanding achievement in musical theatre: East West Players; since 1965 the company has provided opportunities for talented Asian American theatre artists to demonstrate artistic excellence outside the confines of traditional casting.

MILTON KATSELAS AWARD for career or special achievement in direction: Stephen Sachs, Co-founder and former Artistic Director of the Fountain Theatre from 1990 through 2024.

MARGARET HARFORD AWARD for sustained excellence in theatre: Marilyn Fox, Artistic Director of Pacific Resident Theatre since 1995.

TED SCHMITT AWARD for the World Premiere of an outstanding new play: Tom Jacobson for CREVASSE, presented by The Victory Theatre Center & Son of Semele.                     

TECHNICAL DESIGN AWARD to John Zalewski, sound designer and composer for large and small theatre productions in Southern California and nationwide since 1995.

LADCC COMMUNITY IMPACT AWARD: This year LADCC gives special recognition to the Hollywood Fringe Festival for 15 years of unique contributions in nurturing and expanding artistic frontiers in the greater Los Angeles theatre scene and its milestone achievements as a resource for producing, organizing, and enabling theatre artists to present new work. The Fest’s dedication to equity, education, and economic exchange with local artists at all stages of their careers has had a profound impact on the greater LA theatre arts community.

2024 COMPETITIVE AWARD FINALISTS
In 2024, LADCC voting members attended 116 productions eligible for consideration in 17 award categories. From 473 initial member nominations, members voted the following 85 Finalists from 21 shows presented by 17 companies from the greater Los Angeles theatre community. Award recipients will be revealed and celebrated at a live Reception Event for the theatre community, with date and venue soon to be announced.

BEST PRODUCTION
A Strange Loop;  Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre)

Fat Ham; Geffen Playhouse

Company; Hollywood Pantages Theatre

Crevasse; Victory Theatre Center and Son of Semele

Dido of Idaho; Echo Theater Company

Funny Girl; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre) and Segerstrom Hall  

Reefer Madness: The Musical; Independently produced @ The Whitley

McCULLOH AWARD FOR BEST REVIVAL
Company; Hollywood Pantages Theatre

Funny Girl; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre) and Segerstrom Hall  

Reefer Madness: The Musical; Independently produced @ The Whitley

The Piano Lesson; A Noise Within

DIRECTION
Abigail Deser; Dido of Idaho; Echo Theater Company

Marianne Elliott; Company; Hollywood Pantages Theatre

Matthew McCray; Crevasse; Victory Theatre Center and Son of Semele

Sideeq Heard and Saheem Ali; Fat Ham; Geffen Playhouse

Spencer Liff; Reefer Madness: The Musical; Independently produced @ The Whitley

LEAD PERFORMANCE
Ron Bottitta; Fatherland; Fountain Theatre

Darcy Rose Byrnes; Reefer Madness: The Musical; Independently produced @ The Whitley

Alana Dietz; Dido of Idaho; Echo Theater Company

Patrick Keleher; Fatherland; Fountain Theatre

Leo Marks; Crevasse; Victory Theatre Center and Son of Semele

Katerina McCrimmon; Funny Girl; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre) and Segerstrom Hall

Ann Noble; Crevasse; Victory Theatre Center and Son of Semele

Anthony Norman; Reefer Madness: The Musical; Independently produced @ The Whitley

Marcel Spears; Fat Ham; Geffen Playhouse

Michael Sturgis; Clarkston; Echo Theater Company

FEATURED PERFORMANCE

Nikki Crawford; Fat Ham; Geffen Playhouse

Thomas Dekker; Reefer Madness: The Musical; Independently produced @ The Whitley

Nicole DuPort; Dido of Idaho; Echo Theater Company

Izaiah Montaque Harris; Funny Girl; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre) and Segerstrom Hall

Melissa Manchester; Funny Girl; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre) and Segerstrom Hall

John-Andrew Morrison; A Strange Loop; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre) and Segerstrom Hall

Ann Noble; The Skin of Our Teeth; A Noise Within

Eileen T’Kaye; Funny Girl; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre) and Segerstrom Hall

Nicole Parker; Reefer Madness: The Musical; Independently produced @ The Whitley

Bryan Daniel Porter; Reefer Madness: The Musical; Independently produced @ The Whitley

SOLO PERFORMANCE
Kate Berlant; Kate; Pasadena Playhouse

Alex Edelman; Alex Edelman’s Just for Us; Center Theatre Group (Mark Taper Forum)

Helder Guimarães; The Hope Theory; Geffen Playhouse

Sara Porkalob; Dragon Lady; Geffen Playhouse

ENSEMBLE
Reefer Madness; Independently produced @ The Whitley

A Strange Loop; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre)

Arrowhead; IAMA Theatre Company

Crevasse; Victory Theatre Center and Son of Semele

Fat Ham; Geffen Playhouse

Pacific Overtures; East West Players

WRITING — ORIGINAL
Samuel D. Hunter; Clarkston; Echo Theater Company

Michael R. Jackson; A Strange Loop; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre)

Catya McMullen; Arrowhead; IAMA Theatre Company

Abby Rosebrock; Dido of Idaho; Echo Theater Company

WRITING — ADAPTATION
David Lindsay-Abaire; Kimberly Akimbo; Hollywood Pantages Theatre

James Ijames; Fat Ham; Geffen Playhouse

MUSIC & LYRICS
Jeff Gardner; The Piano Lesson; A Noise Within

Michael R. Jackson; A Strange Loop; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre)

Mel Mercier; Waiting for Godot; Geffen Playhouse

Jeanine Tesori/David Lindsay-Abaire; Kimberly Akimbo; Hollywood Pantages Theatre

ORCHESTRATION & MUSIC DIRECTION
Elaine Davidson (Music Direction); Funny Girl; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre) and Segerstrom Hall

David Lamoureux (Music Direction); Reefer Madness; Independently produced @ The Whitley

Marc Macalintal (Music Direction); Pacific Overtures; East West Players

Chris Walker (Orchestration); Funny Girl; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre) and Segerstrom Hall

CHOREOGRAPHY
Spencer Liff/Maxx Reed; Reefer Madness; Independently Produced @ the Whitley

Raja Feather Kelly; A Strange Loop; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre)

Ellenore Scott/Ayodele Casel; Funny Girl; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre) and Segerstrom Hall

Yuka Takara/Nakamura Gankyō; Pacific Overtures; East West Players

LIGHTING DESIGN
Kevin Adams; Funny Girl; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre) and Segerstrom Hall

Bradley King; Fat Ham; Geffen Playhouse

Azra King-Abadi; Crevasse; Victory Theatre Center and Son of Semele

Matt Richter; Reefer Madness: The Musical; Independently produced @ The Whitley

SCENIC DESIGN
Katrina Coulorides; Mercury; Road Theatre Company

Maruti Evans; Fat Ham; Geffen Playhouse

Arnulfo Maldonado; A Strange Loop; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre)

Lee Savage; Clue; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre)

COSTUME DESIGN
Montana Levi Blanco; A Strange Loop; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre)

Susan Helferty; Funny Girl; Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre) and Segerstrom Hall

Pinwheel Pinwheel; Reefer Madness; Independently produced @ The Whitley

Naomi Yoshida; Pacific Overtures; East West Players

SOUND DESIGN
Charles Glaudini/David Lamoureux; Reefer Madness: The Musical; Independently produced @ The Whitley

Christopher Moscatiello; Monsters of the American Cinema; Rogue Machine Theatre

Robert Oriol; The Skin of Our Teeth; A Noise Within

Mikaal Sulaiman; Fat Ham; Geffen Playhouse

VISUAL EFFECTS DESIGN
Nicholas Santiago; Crevasse; Victory Theatre Center and Son of Semele

Skylar Fox; Fat Ham; Geffen Playhouse

ABOUT LADCC

Founded in 1969, the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle is a nonprofit association of professional journalists dedicated to excellence in theatrical criticism and to the encouragement and support of theatre arts in Los Angeles, Orange, and Ventura counties (“Greater Los Angeles”).

Current officers consist of President Terry Morgan, Vice President Dana Martin, Treasurer Hoyt Hilsman, Co-Secretaries Martίn Hernández and Anita W. Harris, Website/Social Media Chair Patrick Chavis, Fundraising Chair Katie Buenneke, and Awards Co-Chairs Philip Brandes and Tracey Paleo.

The current 2025 membership of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle (in alphabetical order): Philip Brandes (Stage Raw, Santa Barbara Independent), Katie Buenneke (Stage Raw, TheaterDigest.substack.com), Amanda Callas (BroadwayWorld, Discover Hollywood Magazine), Patrick Chavis (LA Theatre Bites, The Orange Curtain Review), F. Kathleen Foley (Stage Raw),  Anita W. Harris (LATheatrix.com), Martίn Hernández (Stage Raw), Hoyt Hilsman (Cultural Daily), Travis Michael Holder (TicketHoldersLA), Edward Hong (The Nerds of Color), Deborah Klugman (Stage Raw), Harker Jones (BroadwayWorld), Dana Martin (Stage Raw), Myron Meisel (Stage Raw), Terry Morgan (ArtsBeatLA), Honorary Member Steven Leigh Morris (Stage Raw), Tracey Paleo (Gia On the Move, BroadwayWorld), Melinda Schupmann (ShowMag.com, ArtsInLA.com), Jonas Schwartz-Owen (Theatermania, BroadwayWorld), Don Shirley (Angeles Stage on Substack), and Socks Whitmore (Stage Raw).


Congratulations to all the 2024 Award Finalists and Special Award Honorees!