The Awards Event has been rescheduled and relocated to Monday, April 25, 2022
at the Samueli Theater at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa.
February 22, 2022 – Anaheim, California – Nominees for the inaugural OC Theatre Awards were announced on Saturday, January 22, 2022 during OC Theatre Guild’s annual membership meeting. Due to the need for additional seats, the awards ceremony has been rescheduled for the evening of Monday, April 25, 2022 at the Samueli Theater at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa.
Tickets can be purchased at https://www.octheatreguild.org/octg-awards.
Awards Coordinator and Guild vice-president Kristin Campbell said, “Considering what we’ve all been through, we’re thrilled that our first ever awards program will contain a total of 86 nominations comprising 20 awards spread out over 16 categories. A number of these categories will be split up between plays and musicals and the gender-neutral performance categories will have double the number of nominees and ultimately two recipients each.” Sixteen productions with a total of 179 artists were submitted for adjudication. Nine organizations in all participated, and the results were decided by a total of 44 voters made up of OC theatre artists who were chosen through a vigorous application process.
Leading the pack, with a total of 34 nominations, is Chance Theater for its productions of Fun Home (11), Striking 12 (10), Yellowman (7), and Edges (6). Maverick Theater follows with 18 nominations for its productions of The Crucible (12) and The Great Gatsby (6). Costa Mesa Playhouse garnered 15 nominations for its productions of Silent Sky (11) and Lost in Yonkers (4). The Wayward Artist snagged nine nominations, all for its production of The Nether. STAGEStheatre has four nominations for its production of It’s a Wonderful Life: a Live Radio Play (3) and She Kills Monsters (1). The Curtis Theatre ties with nominations for All Shook Up (4), while P3 Theatre Company receives multiple nominations for Day After Day (2).
A complete list of nominees can be found at the end of this release. It’s also posted on the Guild’s official website at octheatreguild.org
The Guild launched its awards program with the intention of celebrating excellence in Orange County theatre for productions mounted in 2020, but the awards committee extended the scope to include productions in 2021 due to the pandemic. Fellow Awards Coordinator and Guild Board Member Katie Chidester said, “It's been a tough couple of years for OC theatres and artists, so in many ways we need this opportunity to celebrate our community and each other’s work more now than when we launched it back in 2019. And we’re super grateful to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts for hosting this event in their beautiful Samueli Theater”
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 can’t do on our own?
Since OCTG’s inception, the following individuals and organizations have provided support: California Small Business Grant, OC Arts & Culture Resilience Fund, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, The Walt Disney Company Foundation, The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation, Muckenthaler Cultural Center, The Starbucks Foundation’s Neighborhood Grant, Jocelyn L. Buckner, Paul Burt, Kristin Campbell, Sharyn Case, Patrick Chavis, Wendy Colon, Maddi Deckard, Amanda DeMaio, Barney Evans, Andrea Freeman, Rob Greenfield MD, Laura Hathaway, Michael Hornyak, Tim Hume, Elizabeth Jouvenat, Scott A. Keister, Tommie Kozlov, Andrea G. La Vela, Patrick Mannion, Jill Martin, Candyce Marto-Maedel, Neil Middleton, Michelle Miller Day, Desiree Nguyen, Cindy O’Dell, Brian Page, Stephen Peeler, Crystal Phillips, Amber Scott, April Skinner, Richard Stein, Matthew Takahashi, Nicholas Thurkettle, Craig Tyrl, Tod White, Past Times Publishing, Patricia J. Zantos, Amanda Zarr, and Zaradich Law.
LIST OF THIS YEAR’S NOMINEES....
Outstanding Production of a Play
The Crucible, Maverick Theater
Lost in Yonkers, Costa Mesa Playhouse
The Nether, The Wayward Artist
Silent Sky, Costa Mesa Playhouse
Yellowman, Chance Theater
Outstanding Production of a Musical
Edges, Chance Theater
Fun Home, Chance Theater
Striking 12, Chance Theater
Outstanding Direction of a Play
Brian Newell, The Crucible, Maverick Theater
Brian Newell, The Great Gatsby, Maverick Theater
Craig Tyrl, The Nether, The Wayward Artist
Kathy Paladino, Silent Sky, Costa Mesa Playhouse
Khanisha Foster, Yellowman, Chance Theater
Outstanding Direction of a Musical
James Michael McHale, Edges, Chance Theater
Kari Hayter, Striking 12, Chance Theater
Marya Mazor, Fun Home, Chance Theater
Outstanding Lead Performance in Play (two recipients)
Dante Alexander (Eugene), Yellowman, Chance Theater
Hailey Tweter (Daisy), The Great Gatsby, Maverick Theater
Jacqueline Jade (Iris), The Nether, The Wayward Artist
Jaycob Hunter (Nick), The Great Gatsby, Maverick Theater
Julanne Chidi Hill (Alma), Yellowman, Chance Theater
Kalinda Gray (Elizabeth Proctor), The Crucible, Maverick Theater
Kendall Sinclair (Henrietta Leavitt), Silent Sky, Costa Mesa Playhouse
Nathan Baesel (Proctor), The Crucible, Maverick Theater
Samantha Green (Abigail), The Crucible, Maverick Theater
Spencer Douglas (Danforth), The Crucible, Maverick Theater
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical (two recipients)
Allen Everman (The Man Who’s Had Enough), Striking 12, Chance Theater
Anna Miles (Natalie), All Shook Up, Curtis Theatre
Ashlee Espinosa (Alison Bechdel), Fun Home, Chance Theater
Deborah Robin (Doris Day), Day After Day, P3 Theatre Company
Jacklyn Uweh (S.A.D. Light Seller/Little Match Girl), Striking 12, Chance Theater
Ron Hastings (Bruce Bechdel), Fun Home, Chance Theater
Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Play (two recipients)
Chau Long (Chuck), She Kills Monsters, STAGEStheatre
David Rodriguez (Peter Shaw), Silent Sky, Costa Mesa Playhouse
Jami Bartlett (Bella), Lost in Yonkers, Costa Mesa Playhouse
Jennifer Walquist (Williamina Flemming), Silent Sky, Costa Mesa Playhouse
Margaret Dean (Mary), The Crucible, Maverick Theater
Mark Coyan (Rev. Hale), The Crucible, Maverick Theater
Marlene Galan Woods (Annie Jump Cannon), Silent Sky, Costa Mesa Playhouse
Patrick Vest (Mr. Doyle), The Nether, The Wayward Artist
Sarah McGuire (Margaret Leavitt), Silent Sky, Costa Mesa Playhouse
Steven Biggs (Joseph/Mr. Potter & Others), It’s a Wonderful Life: a Live Radio Play, STAGEStheatre
Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Musical (two recipients)
Elizabeth Curtin (Woman #2), Edges, Chance Theater
Holly Reichert (Small Alison), Fun Home, Chance Theater
Ivy-Marie Simpson (Sylvia), All Shook Up, Curtis Theatre
Jennifer Richardson (Jack/Diane/NYE Host/Narrator/Lydia/Cello), Striking 12, Chance Theater
Kumari Small (Lorraine), All Shook Up, Curtis Theatre
Laura Leo Kelly (Craig/Space Invader Girl/Lydia/Grandma/Erica/Happy Foley/Drums), Striking 12, Chance Theater
Lex Leigh (Post-Nasal Drip Guy/Keys/Violin), Striking 12, Chance Theater
Madelyn Velazquez-Heywood (Medium Alison), Fun Home, Chance Theater
Sarah Pierce (Woman #1), Edges, Chance Theater
Tyler Marshall (Man #2), Edges, Chance Theater
Outstanding Scenic Design
Bradley Kaye, Lost in Yonkers, Costa Mesa Playhouse
Joe Hufferd, The Crucible, Maverick Theater
Kristin Campbell, Yellowman, Chance Theater
Mauri Anne Smith, The Nether, The Wayward Artist
Steve Endicott, Silent Sky, Costa Mesa Playhouse
Outstanding Costume Design
Beatrice Gray, Silent Sky, Costa Mesa Playhouse
Celestina Hudson, The Crucible, Maverick Theater
Celestina Hudson, The Great Gatsby, Maverick Theater
Hannah Andersen, The Nether, The Wayward Artist
Jojo Siu, Striking 12, Chance Theater
Outstanding Lighting Design
Andrea Heilman, Fun Home, Chance Theater
Andrea Heilman, Yellowman, Chance Theater
Camille Roberts, The Nether, The Wayward Artist
Masako Tobaru, Striking 12, Chance Theater
Ryan Linhardt, Silent Sky, Costa Mesa Playhouse
Outstanding Sound Design
Brian Newell, The Crucible, Maverick Theater
Brian Newell, The Great Gatsby, Maverick Theater
Darryl B. Hovis, Yellowman, Chance Theater
Maddi Deckard, The Nether, The Wayward Artist
Ryan Brodkin, Fun Home, Chance Theater
Outstanding Choreography
Kelsie Blackwell, All Shook Up, Curtis Theatre
Hazel Clarke, Fun Home, Chance Theater
Tony Santamauro, Day after Day, P3 Theatre Company
Outstanding Music Direction
Lex Leigh, Fun Home, Chance Theater
Lex Leigh, Striking 12, Chance Theater
Robyn Manion, Edges, Chance Theater
Outstanding Ensemble
The Crucible, Maverick Theater
Lost in Yonkers, Costa Mesa Playhouse
Fun Home, Chance Theater
It’s a Wonderful Life: a Live Radio Play, STAGEStheatre
The Great Gatsby, Maverick Theater
Outstanding Notable Achievement
Jon Gaw, Live Foley, It’s A Wonderful Life: a Live Radio Play, STAGEStheatre
Maddi Deckard, Video Designer, The Nether, The Wayward Artist
Victoria Serra, Video Designer, Silent Sky, Costa Mesa Playhouse