The 2018 Stage Raw Theater Awards Nominees

For LA area shows shows in intimate theaters, that opened between Jan. 1, 2017 and May 31, 2018

By Steven Leigh Morris

The 2018 Stage Raw Theater Awards celebrate excellence on the Los Angeles stages in venues of 99-seats or under. This fourth annual edition includes productions that opened between January 1, 2017 and May 31, 2018.

Stage Raw is a community funded professional journalism website that was created in response to the decline of arts coverage in local mainstream and alternative media.

(Nominees include everybody whose name appears on the list below; all actors and understudies named in the program for all ensemble categories; all actors, understudies, directors, playwrights, stage managers, choreographers, designers and producers in the categories of Revival, Musical and Production of the Year; and in the category of Production Design: all producers, directors, and designers.)

The Awards ceremony is slated for Monday night, August 20, at Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring Street in downtown Los Angeles, hosted by Coeurage Theatre Company, an immersive spectacle with Dixie Band and chorus, co-directed by Jer Adrianne Lelliott, Tad Shafer and Lauren Ludwig, and celebrating the theme of “community.” Tickets are $30.

All tickets are $30 + fees and can found at  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/stage-raw-theater-awards-tickets-46961390784#tickets.

Discounted group rates for parties of 11 or more are also available. For more information, write us at info@stageraw.com

The 2018 Nominees are:

FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHY

1. Myrna Gawryn, Rhinoceros, Pacific Resident Theater
2. Bjørn Johnson, King Hedley II, The Matrix Theatre
3. Bjørn Johnson, Red Speedo, Road Theatre Company
4. Bjørn Johnson, Stupid Kid, Road Theatre Company
5. Edgar Landa, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, After Hours Theatre Company
6. Doug Oliphant, Br’er Cotton, Lower Depths Theatre Ensemble
7. Jones (Welsh) Talmadge, Paradise Lost: Reclaiming Destiny, Not Man Apart at Greenway Court Theatre

VIDEO/PROJECTION DESIGN

1. Omolara Abode, Lyrics From Lockdown, The Actors’ Gang
2. Nicholas Acciani, 33 Variations, Actors Co-op
3. J-Walt Adamcyk and Hannah Beavers, Paradise Lost: Reclaiming Destiny, Not Man Apart at Greenway Court Theatre
4. Benjamin Durham, This Land, Company of Angels
5. Corwin Evans, The Art Couple, Sacred Fools Theater Company
6. Hana Sooyeon Kim, Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Boops, Boston Court Performing Arts Center
7. Hana Sooyeon Kim, With Love and a Major Organ, Boston Court Performing Arts Center
8. Yee Eun Nam, Br’er Cotton, Lower Depths Theatre Ensemble
   
9. Tom Ontiveros, The House in Scarsdale: A Memoir for the Stage, Boston Court Performing Arts Center

SOUND DESIGN

1. Joseph V. Calarco, The Secret in the Wings, Coeurage Theatre Company
2. Jeff Gardner, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Antaeus Theatre Company
3. Jeff Gardner, The Hothouse, Antaeus Theatre Company
4. Jeff Gardner, Les Blancs, Rogue Machine Theatre
5. Jeff Gardner, Native Son, Antaeus Theatre Company
6. Christopher Moscatiello, The Devil’s Wife, The Skylight Theatre
7. Christopher Moscatiello, Rhinoceros, Pacific Resident Theater
8. John Nobori, With Love and a Major Organ, Boston Court Performing Arts Center
9. Robert A. Ramirez, Master Class, The Garry Marshall Theatre
10. John Zalewski, I Carry Your Heart, Bootleg Theatre

LIGHTING DESIGN

1. Brandon Baruch, The Secret in the Wings, Coeurage Theatre Company
2. John Bass, Paradise Lost: Reclaiming Destiny, Not Man Apart at Greenway Court Theatre
3. Elizabeth Harper, The House In Scarsdale: A Memoir for the Stage, Boston Court Performing Arts Center
4. Elizabeth Harper and Rose Malone, With Love and a Major Organ, Boston Court Performing Arts Center
5. Matt Richter, I Am Not a Comedian . . . I’m Lenny Bruce, Theatre 68
6. Pablo Santiago-Brandwein, Time Alone, Belle Reve Theatre Company
7. Andrew Schmedake, 33 Variations, Actors Co-op
8. Andrew Schmedake, Native Son, Antaeus Theatre Company
9. Andrew Schmedake, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, After Hours Theatre Company

COSTUME DESIGN

1. Wendell C. Carmichael, Les Blancs, Rogue Machine Theatre
2. Allison Dillard, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Celebration Theatre
3. Christine Cover Ferro, Rhinoceros, Pacific Resident Theater
4. Ashphord Jacoway, Paradise Lost: Reclaiming Destiny, Not Man Apart at Greenway Court Theatre
5. Terri A. Lewis, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Antaeus Theatre Company
6. Linda Muggeridge, Burns, A Post-Electric Play, Sacred Fools Theater
7. Michael Mullen, Fixed, Echo Theater Company
8. Lena Sands, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, After Hours Theatre Company

ORIGINAL MUSIC

1. Jeff Gardner, Les Blancs, Rogue Machine Theatre
2. Kangaroo Rat (Tim Desrosiers and Anna Bell), Rhinoceros, Pacific Resident Theater
3. Bernie Sirelson, Alysia Michelle James, and Elisa Rosin, Paradise Lost: Reclaiming Destiny, Not Man Apart at Greenway Court Theatre
4. Surrija, The Secret in the Wings, Coeurage Theatre Company

CHOREOGRAPHY

1. Joyce Guy, Les Blancs, Rogue Machine Theatre
2. Carolyn Katz, Daedalus’ Daughter, Bootleg Theater
3. Michael Marchak, Pacific Overtures, Chromolume Theatre
4. Jen Oundjian, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, After Hours Theatre Company
5. Roman Pantoja, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Celebration Theatre
6. Jaime Robledo, Erin Parks and Lauren van Kurin, Mr. Burns, a Post Electric Play, Sacred Fools Theater
7. Anne-Marie Talmadge, Alina Bolshakova, Leslie Charles Roy Jr., and the NMA Ensemble, Paradise Lost: Reclaiming Destiny, Not Man Apart at Greenway Court Theatre

MUSICAL DIRECTION

1. Jake Anthony, The View Upstairs, Celebration Theatre
2. Gina Belafonte, Lyrics From Lockdown, The Actors’ Gang
3. Jennifer Lin, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Celebration Theatre
4. Dylan Price, 33 Variations, Actors Co-op
5. Lyndon Pugeda, Honky Tonk Laundry, Hudson Mainstage Theatre
6. Dimitri Toscas, Master Class, The Gary Marshall Theatre

SET DESIGN

1. Nicholas Acciani, 33 Variations, Actors Co-op
2. Joel Daavid, Burns, A Post-Electric Play, Sacred Fools Theater
3. Justin Huen, This Land, Company of Angels
4. John Iacovelli, Bled For The Household Truth, Rogue Machine Theatre
5. John Iacovelli, El Niño, Rogue Machine Theatre
6. John Iacovelli, King Hedley II, The Matrix Theatre
7. David Mauer, Rhinoceros, Pacific Resident Theater
8. Jeff McLaughlin, Stupid Kid, Road Theatre Company
9. Stephanie Kerley Schwartz, Les Blancs, Rogue Machine Theatre
10. Victoria Tam, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, After Hours Theatre Company

SOLO PERFORMANCE       

1. Giovanni Adams, Love Is A Dirty Word, VS Theatre
2. Alex Alpharaoh, WET: A DACAmented Journey, Ensemble Studio Theatre L.A.
3. Bryonn Bain, Lyrics From Lockdown, The Actors’ Gang
4. Keight Leighn, A(partment 8), The ABC Project
5. Ronnie Marmo, I Am Not a Comedian . . . I’m Lenny Bruce, Theatre 68
6. Tina Preston, Don’t You Ever Call My Anything But Mother, Open Fist Theatre Company

TWO PERSON PERFORMANCE

1. Martin Rayner & Martyn Stanbridge, Freud’s Last Session, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble
2. Misty Cotton & Bets Malone, Honky Tonk Laundry, Hudson Mainstage Theatre
3. Tim Cummings & Brian Henderson, The House In Scarsdale: A Memoir for the Stage, Boston Court Performing Arts Center
4. Gary Patent & Dan Via, Plunge, Son of Semele Theater
5. James Eckhouse & Graham Sibley, Redline, IAMA Theatre Company
6. Alex Hernandez & Tonya Pinkins, Time Alone, Belle Reve Theatre Company

SUPPORTING MALE PERFORMANCE

1. Noel Arthur, Native Son, Antaeus Theatre Company
2. Ryan Brophy, Rotterdam, The Skylight Theatre
3. Eduardo Fernandez-Baumann, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, After Hours Theatre Company
4. Harry Groener, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Antaeus Theatre Company
5. Rob Nagle, Stupid Kid, Road Theatre Company
6. Jeris Poindexter, Runaway Home, The Fountain Theatre
7. Gabriel Romero, The Madres, The Skylight Theatre
8. Montae Russell, King Hedley II, The Matrix Theatre
9. Desean Kevin Terry, A Streetcar Named Desire, Boston Court Performing Arts Center
10. Adolphus Ward, King Hedley II, The Matrix Theatre

MALE COMEDY PERFORMANCE                   

1. Josh Clark, The Hothouse, Antaeus Theatre Company
2. Drew Droege, Die, Mommie, Die!, Celebration Theatre
3. Alex Elliott-Funk, Supper, Theatre of NOTE
4. Alex Fernandez, Rhinoceros, Pacific Resident Theater
5. Leo Marks, The Hothouse, Antaeus Theatre Company
6. Lyle Colby Mackston, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Celebration Theatre
7. Darrett Sanders, Supper, Theatre of NOTE
8. Joel Scher, Supper, Theatre of NOTE

LEADING MALE PERFORMANCE

1. Daniel Bess, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Antaeus Theatre Company
2. Benjamin Burdick, Bled For The Household Truth, Rogue Machine Theatre
3. Joe Hart, Stupid Kid, Road Theatre Company
4. Bruce Ladd, 33 Variations, Actors Co-op
5. Ben Martin, Walking To Buchenwald, Open Fist Theatre
6. Esau Pritchett, King Hedley II, The Matrix Theatre
7. Graham Sibley, Redline, IAMA Theatre Company
8. Adam Silver, Exit Strategy, The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Davidson/Valentini Theatre
9. Desean Kevin Terry, Les Blancs, Rogue Machine Theatre

SUPPORTING FEMALE PERFORMANCE       

1. Dawn Didawick, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Antaeus Theatre Company
2. Emily Goss, Forever Bound, Atwater Village Theatre
3. Ella Joyce, King Hedley II, The Matrix Theatre
4. Ciera Payton, King Hedley II, The Matrix Theatre
5. Maya Lynne Robinson, Runaway Home, The Fountain Theatre
6. Maya Lynne Robinson, A Streetcar Named Desire, Boston Court Performing Arts Center
7. Michaela Slezak, Lord of the Underworld’s Home for Unwed Mothers, The Skylight Theatre
8. Cheryl Umaña, This Land, Company of Angels
9. Karen Malina White, Runaway Home, The Fountain Theatre
10. Christine Woods, Cult of Love, IAMA Theatre Company

FEMALE COMEDY PERFORMANCE                           

1. Anna Lamadrid, Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Boops, Boston Court Performing Arts Center
2. Debra Jo Rupp, The Cake, Echo Theater Company
3. Paige Lindsey White, With Love and a Major Organ, Boston Court Performing Arts Center

LEADING FEMALE PERFORMANCE                                            

1. Corryn Cummins, Lord of the Underworld’s Home for Unwed Mothers, The Skylight Theatre
2. Carolyn Hennesy, Master Class, The Garry Marshall Theatre
3. Margarita Lamas, The Madres, The Skylight Theatre
4. Nan McNamara, 33 Variations, Actors Co-op
5. Jaimi Paige, A Streetcar Named Desire, Boston Court Performing Arts Center
6. Ashley Romans, Rotterdam, The Skylight Theatre
7. Camille Spirlin, Runaway Home, The Fountain Theatre
8. Heidi Sulzman, Bugaboo and The Silent One, The Lounge Theatre
9. Miranda Wynne, Rotterdam, The Skylight Theatre

ADAPTATION

1. Nambi E. Kelley, Native Son, Antaeus Theatre Company
2. Jones (Welsh) Talmadge and Laura Covelli, Paradise Lost: Reclaiming Destiny, Not Man Apart at Greenway Court Theatre
3. Mary Zimmerman, The Secret in the Wings, Coeurage Theatre Company

PLAYWRITING

1. Giovanni Adams, Love Is A Dirty Word, VS. Theatre
2. Alex Alpharaoh, WET: A DACAmented Journey, Ensemble Studio Theatre L.A.
3. Bekah Brunstetter, The Cake, Echo Theater Company
4. Alessandro Camon, Time Alone, Belle Reve Theatre Company
5. Bernardo Cubría, The Giant Void In My Soul, Ammunition Theatre Company
6. Leslye Headland, Cult of Love, IAMA Theatre Company
7. Jeremy J. Kamps, Runaway Home, The Fountain Theatre
8. Dan O’Brien, The House in Scarsdale: A Memoir for the Stage, Boston Court Performing Arts Center
9. Evangeline Ordaz, This Land, Company of Angels
10. Marja-Lewis Ryan, Bugaboo and the Silent One, The Lounge Theatre

PRODUCTION DESIGN

1. Caught, Firefly Theatre and Films
   
2. Daedalus’ Daughter, Bootleg Theater
3. King Hedley II, The Matrix Theatre
4. Burns, A Post-Electric Play, Sacred Fools Theater
5. Native Son, Antaeus Theatre Company
6. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, After Hours Theatre Company
7. Paradise Lost: Reclaiming Destiny, Not Man Apart at Greenway Court Theatre
8. A Streetcar Named Desire, Boston Court Performing Arts Center
9. This Land, Company of Angels
10. Time Alone, Belle Reve Theatre Company
11. With Love and a Major Organ, Boston Court Performing Arts Cent

COMEDY ENSEMBLE

1. Bad Jews, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble
2. The Cake, Echo Theater Company
3. Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Boops, Boston Court Performing Arts Center
4. El Niño, Rogue Machine Theatre
5. The Giant Void In My Soul, Ammunition Theatre Company
6. The Hothouse, Antaeus Theatre Company
7. Rhinoceros, Pacific Resident Theater
8. Supper, Theatre of NOTE
9. With Love and a Major Organ, Boston Court Performing Arts Center

ENSEMBLE

1. 33 Variations, Actors Co-op
2. Exit Strategy, The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Davidson/Valentini Theatre
3. King Hedley II, The Matrix Theatre
4. Les Blancs, Rogue Machine Theatre
5. Burns, A Post-Electric Play, Sacred Fools Theater
6. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, After Hours Theatre Company
7. Pacific Overtures, Chromolume Theatre
8. Paradise Lost: Reclaiming Destiny, Not Man Apart at Greenway Court Theatre
9. Runaway Home, The Fountain Theatre
10. The Secret in the Wings, Coeurage Theatre Company

COMEDY DIRECTION                       

1. Lindsay Allbaugh, Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Boops, Boston Court Performing Arts Center
2. Jennifer Chambers, The Cake, Echo Theater Company
3. Guillermo Cienfuegos, Rhinoceros, Pacific Resident Theater
4. Lisa James, El Niño, Rogue Machine Theatre
5. Jessica Kubzansky, With Love and a Major Organ, Boston Court Performing Arts Center
6. Dana Resnick, Bad Jews, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble
7. Felix Solís, The Giant Void In My Soul, Ammunition Theatre Company

DIRECTION   

1. Andi Chapman, Native Son, Antaeus Theatre Company
2. Gregg T. Daniel, Les Blancs, Rogue Machine Theatre
3. Ed Sylvanus Iskandar, Caught, Firefly Theatre and Films
   
4. Carol Katz, Daedalus’ Daughter, Bootleg Theater
5. Thomas James O’Leary, 33 Variations, Actors Co-op
6. Robert Mandel, Freud’s Last Session, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble
7. Michael Michetti, A Streetcar Named Desire, Boston Court Performing Arts Center
8. Jonathan Muñoz-Proulx, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, After Hours Theatre Company
9. Jaime Robledo, Burns, A Post-Electric Play, Sacred Fools Theater
10. Michael A. Shepperd, Rotterdam, The Skylight Theatre
11. Annie Tippe, Cult of Love, IAMA Theatre Company

MUSICAL OF THE YEAR

1. Dessa Rose, Chromolume Theatre
2. Pacific Overtures, Chromolume Theatre
3. Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Celebration Theatre

REVIVAL OF THE YEAR

1. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Antaeus Theatre Company
2. King Hedley II, The Matrix Theatre
3. Les Blancs, Rogue Machine Theatre
4. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, After Hours Theatre Company
5. Rhinoceros, Pacific Resident Theater
6. A Streetcar Named Desire, Boston Court Performing Arts Center

PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR

1. Caught, Firefly Theatre and Films
   
2. The House in Scarsdale: A Memoir for the Stage, Boston Court Performing Arts Center
3. Burns, A Post-Electric Play, Sacred Fools Theater
4. Native Son, Antaeus Theatre Company
5. Rotterdam, The Skylight Theatre
6. Runaway Home, The Fountain Theatre
7. The Secret in the Wings, Coeurage Theatre Company
8. This Land, Company of Angels
9. Time Alone, Belle Reve Theatre Company

QUEEN OF THE ANGELS

Dolores Chavez

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

Norman Lloyd