Dolly Parton, John Glover, Gem of the Ocean & More Honored by L.A. Drama Critics Circle

Dolly Parton, John Glover and a production of August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean were among the winners and special honorees announced at the 40th annual Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards. Spotlighting excellence in Los Angeles and Orange County theater for the year 2008, the ceremony took place March 16 at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood, and was co-hosted by Vicki Lewis and Wenzel Jones.

The award and special honors recipients for the 2008 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards are as follows:

Production
Anything, Elephant Theatre Company at the Lillian Theatre
Gem of the Ocean, Fountain Theatre
Louis & Keely Live at the Sahara, Sacred Fools Theater Company at Sacred Fools and at the Matrix Theatre

McCulloh Award for Revival
for shows between 1920 and 1980
Of Mice and Men, Theatre Banshee

Direction
Jeremy Aldridge, Louis & Keely Live at the Sahara, Sacred Fools Theater Company at Sacred Fools and at the Matrix Theatre
Ben Bradley, Gem of the Ocean, Fountain Theatre
David Fofi, Anything, Elephant Theatre Company at the Lillian Theatre

Writing
Athol Fugard, Victory, the Fountain Theatre

Writing Adaptation
Sean T. Cawelti with Miles Taber and the Rogues, The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch, Rogue Artists Ensemble at Bootleg Theater

Music Direction
Dennis Kaye, Louis & Keely Live at the Sahara, Sacred Fools Theater Company at Sacred Fools and at the Matrix Theatre

Choreography
Andy Blankenbuehler, 9 to 5: The Musical, Center Theatre Group at the Ahmanson Theatre
Lee Martino, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Havok Theatre Company at Bootleg Theatre

Musical Score
Michael Friedman, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Center Theatre Group at the Kirk Douglas Theatre
Dolly Parton, 9 to 5: The Musical, Center Theatre Group at the Ahmanson Theatre

Lead Performance
Sean Branney, Of Mice and Men, Theatre Banshee
Jake Broder, Louis & Keely Live at the Sahara, Sacred Fools Theater Company at Sacred Fools and at the Matrix Theatre
Ellen Geer, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Theatricum Botanicum
John Glover, Secrets of the Trade, the Black Dahlia Theatre
Louis Jacobs, Anything, Elephant Theatre Company at the Lillian Theatre
Judy Kaye, Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Center Theatre Group at the Ahmanson Theatre

Featured Performance
JD Cullum, Don Juan, A Noise Within
Beth Kennedy, As U2 Like It, Troubadour Theater Company at the Falcon Theatre
Sharon Lawrence, Orson’s Shadow, Pasadena Playhouse
Adolphus Ward, Gem of the Ocean, Fountain Theatre

Ensemble Performance
Assassins, West Coast Ensemble at The El Centro Theatre

Set Design
Laura Fine Hawkes, Snake in the Grass, Salem K Theatre Company at The Matrix Theatre

Lighting Design
Steven Young, Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story, Havok Theatre Company at the Hudson Backstage Theatre

Costume Design
Shigeru Yaji, An Italian Straw Hat: A Vaudeville, South Coast Repertory

Sound Design
Ken Rich, The Common Air, SoulArt and Elephant C.A.F.E at Theatre Asylum

Solo Performance
Nilaja Sun, No Child…, Center Theatre Group at the Kirk Douglas Theatre

CGI/Video
Brian White, The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch, Rogue Artists Ensemble at Bootleg Theater

Puppet and Mask Design
Joyce Hutter and Patrick Rubio, The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch, Rogue Artists Ensemble at Bootleg Theater

Fight Choreography
Ned Mochel, On An Average Day, VS. Theatre Company at the Elephant Theatre Lab

The Ted Schmitt Award
honoring the world premiere of an outstanding new play
EM Lewis, Song of Extinction

The Polly Warfield Award
for an excellent season in a small to mid-size theater
Sacred Fools Theater Company.

The Angstrom Award
for career achievement in lighting design
Lisa D. Katz

The Margaret Harford Award
for sustained excellence in theater
Los Angeles Women’s Shakespeare Company

The Joel Hirschhorn Award
for outstanding achievement in musical theater
Nick DeGruccio