5th Annual OC Theatre Guild Awards Celebrate Orange County’s Vibrant Theatre Scene
- OC Theatre Guild
- 3 minutes ago
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Chance Theater, Curtis Theatre, and Costa Mesa Playhouse Among Top Honorees
May 12, 2026 – Orange County’s vibrant theater scene took center stage on Monday night at the 5th Annual OC Theatre Guild Awards, held at the Samueli Theater at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Artists, designers, and companies from across the county were recognized for their creativity, dedication, and artistic excellence.
This year, the Guild recognized outstanding work across 22 categories, including four gender-neutral acting categories, with two recipients honored in each by design. A rare tie in both Leading and Supporting Performance in a Play led to three winners receiving awards in each of those categories. In total, 28 awards were presented throughout the evening.
Chance Theater had a strong showing, earning 19 awards for plays and musicals. What the Constitution Means to Me earned Outstanding Production of a Play, while Tick, Tick… Boom! captured Outstanding Production of a Musical. Spring Awakening earned the most of the evening, taking home seven awards, including Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical, choreography, music direction, lighting, sound, and fight direction.
Curtis Theatre earned four awards in total. One for the musical Beautiful: The Carole King Musical in collaboration with Southgate Productions and three for the play August: Osage County in collaboration with STAGEStheatre.
Costa Mesa Playhouse earned Outstanding Ensemble in a Play for Sweat, highlighting the theater’s continued excellence in collaborative storytelling.
The ceremony was directed by Amanda DeMaio, with Kim Le returning as musical director and pianist, and Nicholas Thurkettle serving as announcer. Katie Chidester and Kristin Coyne served as OCTG Theatre Awards Program Managers.
The evening also highlighted the strong sense of connection and collaboration that defines the Orange County theater community. “The awards ceremony was an unforgettable celebration of the incredible talent and community spirit that make Orange County theater so special,” said Katie Chidester. “It was an evening of laughter and fun, bringing our theater family together for one special night each year.”
The evening featured live performances from Luc Clopton, Kristin Cortines, Dyan Hobday-Smith, Danielle Heaton, Mario Houle, Alyssa Kammerer, Lex Leigh, Caitlin Lopez, Robyn Manion, Corydon Melgoza, Elijah Munck, Katie Perry Page, Scott Roberts, Brandon Sanchez, Brian Shyer, Bret Simmons, Kayley Stallings, Frank Tryon, and Rachel Williams.
“One of the best parts of the OCTG Theatre Awards is how community-driven the program is,” said Kristin Coyne. “It’s not too late for voters or producing organizations to get involved this season, and we’re always excited to welcome new participants into the process. More information can be found on the guild's website.”
The OC Theatre Guild was founded in 2015 and officially organized in 2019 as a not-for-profit 501(c)3 to serve Orange County’s vital artistic community with a mission to nurture, support and promote live theatre in greater Orange County. That stated goal is supported by the long-held beliefs of the guild’s founders and leaders that theatre and the performing arts are an essential part of what creates a healthy, passionate, and multicultural society that enriches communities while providing opportunities for personal growth and fulfillment. Through the last several years, the guild has made a commitment to answer the question “What can we do together that we cannot do on our own?”
2026 OC Theatre Guild Award recipients are:
Outstanding Production of a Play
What the Constitution Means to Me – Chance Theater
Outstanding Production of a Musical
Tick, Tick… Boom! – Chance Theater
Outstanding Ensemble in a Play
Sweat – Costa Mesa Playhouse
Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical
Spring Awakening – Chance Theater
Outstanding Leading Performance in a Play
Aubrey Saverino – What the Constitution Means to Me, Chance Theater
Rose London – August: Osage County, STAGEStheatre & Curtis Theatre
Stacy Castiglione – August: Osage County, STAGEStheatre & Curtis Theatre
Outstanding Leading Performance in a Musical
Corydon Melgoza – Spring Awakening, Chance Theater
Danielle Heaton – Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Curtis Theatre & Southgate Productions
Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Play
Albert Park – The Chinese Lady, Chance Theater
Frank Bishop – Sweat, Costa Mesa Playhouse
Juliet Fischer – Such Small Hands, Chance Theater
Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Musical
Lena Ceja – Tick, Tick… Boom!, Chance Theater
Mario Houle – Tick, Tick… Boom!, Chance Theater
Outstanding Direction of a Play
Katie Chidester – What the Constitution Means to Me, Chance Theater
Outstanding Direction of a Musical
Jocelyn A. Brown – Spring Awakening, Chance Theater
Outstanding Choreography
Niko Montelibano – Tick, Tick… Boom!, Chance Theater
Outstanding Music Direction
Robyn Manion – Spring Awakening, Chance Theater
Outstanding Costume Design
Haven Hanson – Cinderella, JStage Irvine
Outstanding Lighting Design
Jacqueline Malenke – Spring Awakening, Chance Theater
Outstanding Scenic Design
Ganymede Projects – Such Small Hands, Chance Theater
Outstanding Sound Design
Lia Weed – Spring Awakening, Chance Theater
Outstanding Projection Design
Matthew McCray – Such Small Hands, Chance Theater
Outstanding Properties Design
Amanda DeMaio – August: Osage County, STAGEStheatre & Curtis Theatre
Outstanding Fight Direction
Martin Noyes – Spring Awakening, Chance Theater
Outstanding Wig Design
Cynthia Wilson – Cinderella, JStage Irvine
Outstanding Makeup Design
Sean Arnold – Into the Woods, Alchemy Theatre Company
Outstanding Playwriting (Original Work)
Adam Szymkowicz – Such Small Hands, Chance Theater