LOS ANGELES DRAMA CRITICS CIRCLE ANNOUNCES 2025 SEASON AWARD FINALISTS FOR THEATRICAL EXCELLENCE

DEMAND PR / David Elzer Marketing and Public Relations

The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle (LADCC), Southern California’s preeminent organization of professional theatre critics and journalists, is pleased to announce the Finalists for its 2025 Season Awards honoring significant achievements in each of the Circle’s season award categories.

This list of Season Award Finalists follows LADCC’s previously announced announcement of this season’s SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD winners, included here after the list of competitive award finalists.

During the 2025 theatre season, LADCC voting members attended 367 productions eligible for consideration in 17 award categories. From 561 initial member nominations, members voted to select the following 98 Finalists from 30 shows presented by 19 theatre companies from the greater Los Angeles, Orange, and Ventura counties.

Award recipients will be revealed in an upcoming announcement in connection with a live Reception Event for the theatre community.

The LADCC Awards cycle will conclude with selection and announcement of season award recipients, followed by an Awards Reception event celebrating Recipients, Finalists, Special Honorees and the entire theatre community on April 13 at the William Turner Gallery.

2025 Season Award Finalists

Best Production

anthropology; Rogue Machine Theatre

Bacon; Rogue Machine Theatre

Cambodian Rock Band; East West Players

Corktown ’39; Rogue Machine Theatre

Evanston Salt Costs Climbing; Rogue Machine Theatre

Hello My Name is…; Moving Arts

Here There Are Blueberries; Tectonic Theatre Project at The Wallis

Life of Pi; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre

Old Friends; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre

Sleeping Giant; The Road Theatre Company

Some Like It Hot; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre

Suffs; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre

McCulloh Best Revival

Bat Boy: The Musical; Open Fist Theatre Company

Into the Woods; Wisteria Theater

Joe Turner’s Come and Gone; A Noise Within

The Fantasticks; Ruskin Group Theatre

Direction

Guillermo Cienfuegos; Evanston Salt Costs Climbing; Rogue Machine Theatre

John Perrin Flynn; anthropology; Rogue Machine Theatre

Casey Nicholaw; Some Like It Hot; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre

Steven Robman; Corktown ’39; Rogue Machine Theatre

Chay Yew; Cambodian Rock Band; East West Players

Lead Performance

Hugo Armstrong; Evanston Salt Costs Climbing; Rogue Machine Theatre

Lesley Fera; Evanston Salt Costs Climbing; Rogue Machine Theatre

Alexandra Hellquist; anthropology; Rogue Machine Theatre

Tavis Kordell; Some Like It Hot; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre

Matt Loehr; Some Like It Hot; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre

Kasey Mahaffey; One Man, Two Guv’nors; A Noise Within

Ann Noble; Corktown ’39; Rogue Machine Theatre

Ben Raanan; Bat Boy: The Musical; Open Fist Theatre Company

Kacie Rogers; Furlough’s Paradise; Geffen Playhouse

DeWanda Wise; Furlough’s Paradise; Geffen Playhouse

Featured Performance

Kelsey Angel Baehrens; Cambodian Rock Band; East West Players

Ron Bottitta; Corktown ’39; Rogue Machine Theatre

JD Cullum; Corktown ’39; Rogue Machine Theatre

Kaia Gerber; Evanston Salt Costs Climbing; Rogue Machine Theatre

Juliane Godfrey; The Wedding Singer; The Colony Theatre

Edward Juvier; Some Like It Hot; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre

Kaylee Kaneshiro; anthropology; Rogue Machine Theatre

Tim Liu; Cambodian Rock Band; East West Players

Julia Manis; anthropology; Rogue Machine Theatre

Alex Morris; Joe Turner’s Come and Gone; A Noise Within

Solo Performance

Robert Bailey; In Some Dark Valley; Moving Arts

Julia Masli; ha ha ha ha ha ha ha; Pasadena Playhouse

Manuel Oliver; Guac; Center Theatre Group: Kirk Douglas Theatre

Roxana Ortega; Am I Roxie?; Geffen Playhouse

Ensemble

anthropology; Rogue Machine Theatre

Corktown ’39; Rogue Machine Theatre

Evanston Salt Costs Climbing; Rogue Machine Theatre

Hello My Name is…; Moving Arts

Some Like It Hot; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre

Writing (Original)

Will Arbery; Evanston Salt Costs Climbing; Rogue Machine Theatre

Amy Dellagiarino; Hello My Name is…; Moving Arts

Lauren Gunderson; anthropology; Rogue Machine Theatre

Roger Q. Mason; Hide & Hide; Skylight Theatre

Writing (Adaptation)

Lolita Chakrabarti; Life of Pi; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre John Farmanesh-Bocca; Lear Redux; Odyssey Theatre Ensemble / The New American Theatre / No Man Apart

John Anthony Loffredo; Frou-Frou: A Menagerie of Sorts; Boston Court Pasadena

Matthew Lopez & Amber Ruffin; Some Like It Hot; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre

Score / Music & Lyrics

Imogen Heap; Harry Potter and the Cursed Child; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre

Andrew T. Mackay; Life of Pi; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre

Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman; Some Like It Hot; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre

Shaina Taub; Suffs; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre

Music Direction

Mark Binns; Some Like It Hot; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre

Annbrit duChateau; Old Friends; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre

Dani Lee Hutch; Suffs; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre

Jane Lui/Matthew MacNelly; Cambodian Rock Band; East West Players

Choreography

Michelle Elkin; The Wedding Singer; The Colony Theatre

Mayte Natalio; Suffs; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre

Casey Nicholaw; Some Like It Hot; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre

Indira Tyler; One Man, Two Guv’nors; A Noise Within

Scarlet Wilderink; Life of Pi; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre

Set Design

Tim Hatley; Life of Pi; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre

Christine Jones; Harry Potter and the Cursed Child; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre

Mark Mendelson; Corktown ’39; Rogue Machine Theatre

Mark Mendelson; Evanston Salt Costs Climbing; Rogue Machine Theatre

Tesshi Nakagawa; The Night of the Iguana; Boston Court Pasadena

Stephanie Kerley Schwartz; anthropology; Rogue Machine Theatre

Lighting Design

Neil Austin; Harry Potter and the Cursed Child; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre

Pablo Santiago; Furlough’s Paradise; Geffen Playhouse

Anna Watson; Paranormal Activity; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre

Dan Weingarten; Corktown ’39; Rogue Machine Theatre

Dan Weingarten; Evanston Salt Costs Climbing; Rogue Machine Theatre

Costume Design

Gregg Barnes; Some Like It Hot; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre

Kate Bergh; Corktown ’39; Rogue Machine Theatre

Angela Balogh Calin; One Man, Two Guv’nors; A Noise Within

Christine Cover Ferro; Evanston Salt Costs Climbing; Rogue Machine Theatre

Nikiya Mathis (Hair and Wig); Jaja's African Hair Braiding; Center Theatre Group: Mark Taper Forum

Sound Design

Carolyn Downing; Life of Pi; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre

Gareth Fry; Paranormal Activity; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre

David B. Marling; Sleeping Giant; The Road Theatre Company

Christopher Moscatiello; anthropology; Rogue Machine Theatre

Christopher Moscatiello; Corktown ’39; Rogue Machine Theatre

Visual Effects Design

Finn Caldwell and Nick Barnes (Puppetry); Life of Pi; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre

Fritz Davis and Michelle Hanzelova Bierbauer; anthropology; Rogue Machine Theatre

Chris Fisher and Jamie Harrison (Illusions); Harry Potter and the Cursed Child; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre

Andrzej Goulding (Video Design); Life of Pi; Center Theatre Group: Ahmanson Theatre

Finn Ross and Ash J. Woodward (Projections); Harry Potter and the Cursed Child; Broadway in Hollywood / Pantages Theatre

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD HONOREES:

GORDON DAVIDSON AWARD for distinguished contributions to the Los Angeles Theatrical Community: Gary Grossman, founder and retiring Artistic Director of the Skylight Theatre, and a defining force in Los Angeles small theater for over four decades. Championing world premieres and socially engaged work that larger institutions often avoided, he was one of the pioneers of the 99-seat theater movement that transformed the city's theatrical landscape and fought to preserve it through challenges that threatened its survival.

MARGARET HARFORD AWARD for Sustained Excellence in Theatre: Latino Theater Company, now celebrating its 40th anniversary, has been a home for bold contemporary work illuminating life in the Latina/o/x and other underrepresented communities while transforming the historic Los Angeles Theatre Center's five-theater complex into one of our most vibrant performing arts centers. Commitment to excellence in authentic storytelling, community education, and its National Latinx Theater Initiative's support of Latinx companies nationwide have made LTC an essential cultural institution reflecting and serving the rich mosaic of Los Angeles.

POLLY WARFIELD AWARD for an Outstanding 2025 Season: Rogue Machine Theatre; the only company to receive the LADCC's Polly Warfield Award four times, continues its tradition of fearless programming in its 17th season with a slate of six well-received productions including world premieres, West Coast premieres, and the return of the Playwright's Roundtable Festival. Under the inaugural artistic leadership of Guillermo Cienfuegos, Rogue Machine remains a home where provocative work sparks both challenging intellectual exploration and profound emotional connection.

JOEL HIRSCHHORN AWARD for Outstanding Achievement in Musical Theatre: Musical Theatre Guild. Founded in 1995 by a dedicated group of professional musical theater artists who first gathered in living rooms to explore their shared passion, MTG has since revived nearly 150 forgotten, undiscovered, and otherwise-unseen musicals for Los Angeles audiences in their distinctive concert staging format. The company's robust educational outreach programs bring the joy and history of musical theater to diverse youth throughout Southern California, cultivating the next generation of audiences for this uniquely American art form.

MILTON KATSELAS AWARD for Career or Special Achievement in Direction: Gregg T. Daniel, Artistic Director of Lower Depth Theatre and one of L.A. theater's most vital voices exploring the African American experience and a celebrated director of the works of August Wilson in particular. His extensive collaborations across a wide swath of prominent companies have established him as one of the region's foremost champions and interpreters of new works and neglected classics by Black playwrights while mentoring a new generation of theater artists.

TED SCHMITT AWARD FOR THE WORLD PREMIERE OF AN OUTSTANDING NEW PLAY (TIE):

CORKTOWN ’39 by John Fazakerley, presented by Rogue Machine Theatre

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO THE END OF THE WORLD! by Keiko Green, presented by South Coast Repertory

TECHNICAL DESIGN AWARD: Joel Daavid, an acclaimed director and designer whose work has graced stages across Los Angeles for decades. As both resident designer and technical director for companies including the Fountain Theatre and A Noise Within, and with credits ranging from Theatre of NOTE to Pasadena Playhouse, Daavid’s inventive scenic and lighting designs have shaped the visual landscape of Los Angeles theater while mentoring countless artists in the craft of transforming intimate spaces into worlds that serve and enrich the story.

THEATER ANGEL AWARD: The Perenchio Foundation, for its extraordinary support of arts and culture throughout Los Angeles County. Since 2011, through multi-year operating grants, capital improvement funding, and emergency relief efforts, the foundation has helped countless theater institutions—from intimate storefront companies to major regional houses—survive the challenges of recent years, including the devastating impact of the pandemic and the 2025 fires. As a key partner in the LA Arts Recovery Fund, which distributed over $41 million to more than 100 arts organizations, and through its own grants prioritizing quality, accessibility, and permanence, the Perenchio Foundation has become an indispensable guardian of the region's cultural ecosystem.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARDS: LADCC members also voted to honor the career achievements of two talented professionals who've had an enormous behind-the-scenes impact on the success of countless theater productions:

Victoria Hoffman: As resident casting director for Rogue Machine Theatre and a trusted collaborator with companies including A Noise Within, Boston Court, Skylight Theatre, and the AFI Conservatory, Hoffman has spent decades matching the right actors to the right roles, shaping the ensembles that bring L.A.'s most acclaimed productions to life.

Karyl Lynn Burns: As co-founder and Producing Artistic Director at Rubicon Theatre Company, since 1998 Burns has built Ventura's intimate 185-seat venue into a nationally recognized home for theatre artists that has presented over 160 productions—including more than 20 world premieres—earning Regional Tony, Drama Desk, and Ovation Awards, and production transfers to New York, London, and Tokyo.

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 and Awards Chair Philip Brandes (Stage Raw, ArtsBeatLA), Vice President and Website/Social Media Chair Patrick Chavis (LA Theatre Bites, The Orange Curtain Review), Treasurer Hoyt Hilsman (Cultural Daily), Co-Secretaries Martίn Hernández (Stage Raw) and Anita W. Harris (LATheatrix.com).

The current 2025 membership of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle also includes: Katie Buenneke (Stage Raw, TheaterDigest.substack.com), Amanda Callas (BroadwayWorld, Discover Hollywood Magazine), Lovell Estell III (Stage Raw), F. Kathleen Foley (Stage Raw), Travis Michael Holder (TicketHoldersLA.com), Edward Hong (The Nerds of Color), Harker Jones (BroadwayWorld, Arts in LA), Deborah Klugman (Stage Raw), Dana Martin (Stage Raw), Myron Meisel (Stage Raw), Terry Morgan (ArtsBeatLA), Honorary Member Steven Leigh Morris (Stage Raw), Elaine Mura (Splash Magazines), Tracey Paleo (Gia On the Move, BroadwayWorld), Ed Rampell (People’s World), Melinda Schupmann (ShowMag.com, ArtsInLA.com), Jonas Schwartz-Owen (Theatermania, BroadwayWorld), Don Shirley (Angeles Stage on Substack), and Socks Whitmore (Stage Raw).

Special thanks to our LADCC Theatre Awards sponsors: William Turner Gallery, Custom Awards and Engraving, Max Ash.