Jibber-Jabber Mini-Review: Plays by Young Writers

I attended Playwrights Project's Plays by Young Writers this evening at the Lyceum, and may I just say...wow. I was very impressed by the caliber of the writing and the complexity of the subjects covered; if I didn't know better, I'd refuse to believe these pieces were written by kids. Even the two staged readings had me hooked. All five of the pieces were tight, brilliantly structured, imaginative, and clever. Some made me laugh (quite a bit!) and others jerked at my heartstrings. Overall it was a fantastic experience and I can't recommend the show highly enough. There are only two more chances to catch this particular round of pieces, but this is a regularly recurring event thanks to the tireless staff at Playwrights Project. You can find out more about this program and others at the Playwrights Project website.

San Diego Critics Circle Craig Noel Awards for 2012

Congrats to everyone who won an award this evening, to everyone who was nominated, and to the wonderful San Diego theatre community that makes it all possible.

In case you weren't able to attend (or you've forgotten who won which awards), we've got you covered. Soon it will all be posted on the Critics Circle website, which you can visit here: http://www.sdcriticscircle.org/mainpages/awards.htm

As usual, there were some funny moments and some touching ones, and lots and lots of applause. The comedic through-line, oddly enough, was the winners thanking those in their families who pay the mortgage (I'll give you a hint: it's not the artists). And to [poorly] paraphrase my two favorite lines from the speeches:
- Working in TV and film is nice for the paycheck, but working in theatre is great because you know immediately when you suck.
- Theatre is just about hanging out with people.

Without further ado, here are the San Diego Critics Circle Craig Noel Award winners for 2012:

Outstanding Musical Direction
Elan McMahan
As You Like It - The Old Globe
Fiddler on the Roof - Moonlight Stage Productions
Sweeney Todd - Moonlight Stage Productions

Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical, Female
Eileen Bowman
Guys and Dolls - Lamb's Players Theatre

Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical, Male
Michael K. Lee
Allegiance - The Old Globe

Outstanding Choreography
Susan Stroman
The Scottsboro Boys - The Old Globe

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical, Female
Sandy Campbell
Parade - Cygnet Theatre

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical, Male
Sean Murray
Man of La Mancha - Cygnet Theatre

Outstanding Scenic Design
Jennifer Brawn Gittings
Hickorydickory - Moxie Theatre

Outstanding Young Artist - Sandra Ellis-Troy Scholarship
Dylan Hoffinger

Outstanding Costume Design
Deirdre Clancy
Inherit the Wind - The Old Globe
&
Shirley Pierson
Parade - Cygnet Theatre

Outstanding Sound Design
Mark Bennett
An Iliad - La Jolla Playhouse
&
Shahrokh Yadegari
Blood and Gifts - La Jolla Playhouse

2012 Actor of the Year
Mark Christopher Lawrence

Outstanding Solo Performance
Henry Woronicz
An Iliad - La Jolla Playhouse

Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play, Female
Samantha Ginn
Hickorydickory - Moxie Theatre

Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play, Male
Phil Johnson
The Man Who Came to Dinner - Coronado Playhouse
&
Claudio Raygoza
The Little Flower of East Orange - ion theatre

Outstanding Lighting Design
Scott Zielinski
An Iliad - La Jolla Playhouse

Outstanding Featured Musical Performance in a Play
Brian Ellingsen
An Iliad - La Jolla Playhouse

Outstanding Technical Achievement
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots - La Jolla Playhouse

Outstanding Orchestrations
Lynne Shankel
The Old Globe

Outstanding Special Event
The Car Plays - La Jolla Playhouse

Outstanding Projection Design
Ian Wallace
Tortilla Curtain - San Diego Repertory Theatre

Outstanding Ensemble
A Raisin in the Sun - Moxie Theatre

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play, Male
Jeffrey Jones
The Little Flower of East Orange - ion theatre

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play, Female
Catalina Maynard
Julia - ion theatre

Outstanding New Score
Nobody Loves You - The Old Globe
music by Gaby Alter; lyrics by Itamar Moses and Gaby Alter

Outstanding New Play
The Recommendation by Jonathan Caren - The Old Globe

The Don Braunagel Award for Outstanding Work at a Small Theatre
Moxie Theatre

Outstanding Direction of a Musical
Susan Stroman
The Scottsboro Boys - The Old Globe

Outstanding Direction of a Play
Delicia Turner Sonnenberg
Topdog/Underdog - ion theatre

Outstanding Resident Musical
Parade - Cygnet Theatre
&
The Scottsboro Boys - The Old Globe

Outstanding New Musical
Allegiance - The Old Globe

Outstanding Dramatic Production
A Raisin in the Sun - Moxie Theatre
&
An Iliad - La Jolla Playhouse


An enormous thank you goes out to all the artists, technicians, staff, volunteers, donors, and patrons who make all this wonderful theatre possible.