CT Critics Circle Awards Announced

Goodspeed's Michael Price with Eli Baker who was in the theater's production of Mame! 

The CT Critics Circle Awards were announced at a ceremony and reception Monday at Westport Country Playhouse. Goodspeed's Executive Director Michael Price, who has produced more than 200 shows (19 of them going on to Broadway) and who will retire at the end of this season, also was honored.

In a moving speech, he said he never didn't want to go to work and never thought of what he did as work, really.

The evening was hosted by actor and Playhouse Board Member Jake Robards. Laurie Wells and Bill the Bard (a.k.a. Steven DeRosa), currently in Sing for Your Shakespeare at Westport Country Playhouse entertained the crowd of critics, nominees and art lovers on hand. Sing's co-conceiver and musical director accompanied.

Special awards were given to Bill Joe Armstrong for his songs written for These Paper Bullets! at Yale Reportory Theatre, A Broken Umbrella Theatre in New Haven and playwright Athol Fugard, who received the Killen Award, for his impact on Connecticut, American and world theater.

Here are the nominees and winners (in bold):

2013-2014 Connecticut Critics Circle Awards

Outstanding Production of a Play

**Tie

Macbeth Hartford Stage
The House That Will Not Stand Yale Repertory Theatre
The Other Place TheaterWorks
These Paper Bullets! Yale Repertory Theatre
Time Stands Still TheaterWorks
Somewhere Hartford Stage

Outstanding Production of a Musical
Dreamgirls Ivoryton Playhouse
Hello, Dolly! Goodspeed
The Drowsy Chaperone Connecticut Repertory Theatre
The Last Five Years Long Wharf
The Most Happy Fella Goodspeed

Outstanding Director of a Play
Kevin Connors - Master Class Music Theatre of CT
Jackson Gay - These Paper Bullets! Yale Repertory Theatre
Patrick McGregor - The House That... Yale Repertory Theatre
Rob Ruggiero - Time Stands Still TheaterWorks
Rob Ruggiero - The Other Place TheaterWorks
Darko Tresnjak - Macbeth Hartford Stage

Outstanding Director of a Musical

Gordon Edelstein - Last Five Years Long Wharf Theatre
Daniel Goldstein - Hello, Dolly! Goodspeed
Rob Ruggiero - The Most Happy Fella Goodspeed

Outstanding Leading Actor in a Play
Julius Ahn - Stuck Elevator New Haven International Festival of Arts andIdeas
David Wilson Barnes - These Paper Bullets! Yale Repertory Theatre
Steven Epp -- ...Anarchist Yale Repertory Theatre
Mark Nelson - Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike Hartford Stage
Matthew Rauch - Macbeth Hartford Stage
Michael Rosen - Somewhere Hartford Stage

Outstanding Leading Actress in a Play
Kate Forbes - Macbeth Hartford Stage
Irene Glezos - Master Class Music Theatre of  CT
Jayne Houdyshell - The Show-Off Westport Country Playhouse
Kate Levy - The Other Place TheaterWorks
Priscilla Lopez - Somewhere Hartford Stage
Debra Jo Rupp - Dr. Ruth TheaterWorks
Jeanine Serralles - These Paper Bullets! Yale Repertory Theatre

Outstanding Leading Actress in a Musical
Klea Blackhurst - Hello, Dolly! Goodspeed
Katie Rose Clarke - Last Five Years Long WharfCarissa Massaro - The Fantasticks Music Theatre of CT
Mamie Parris - The Most Happy Fella Goodspeed

Outstanding Leading Actor in a Musical
Bill Nolte - The Most Happy Fella Goodspeed
Adam Halpin - The Last Five Years Long Wharf
Tony Lawson - The Fantasticks Music Theatre of CT
Stephen Mark Lukas - Damn Yankees Goodspeed

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Didi Conn - The Underpants Hartford Stage/Long Wharf
Mia Dillon - A Song at Twilight Hartford Stage/Westport Country Playhouse
Siobhan Fitzgerald - I Ought to be in Pictures Ivoryton Playhouse
Harriett D. Foy - The House... Yale Repertory Theatre
Stacey Sargeant - Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike Hartford Stage
Caryn West - Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike Hartford Stage

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
**Tie

Robert Eli - Macbeth Hartford Stage
David Gregory - Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike Hartford Stage
David Manis - Loot Westport Country Playhouse
Jared McNeil - Fences Long Wharf
Steve Routman - The Underpants Hartford Stage/Long Wharf
Frank Vlastnik - Room Service Westport Country Playhouse

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Ann Arvia - Damn Yankees Goodspeed
Ashley Brown - Hello, Dolly! Goodspeed
Natalie Hill - The Most Happy Fella Goodspeed
Janelle Robinson - South Pacific Summer Theatre of New Canaan
Kristine Zbornik - Damn Yankees Goodspeed

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Doug Carpenter - The Most Happy Fella Goodspeed
Tony Sheldon - Hello, Dolly! Goodspeed
Kevin Vortmann - The Most Happy Fella Goodspeed
Ron Wisniski - Damn Yankees Goodspeed

Outstanding Ensemble
I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change Ivoryton Playhouse
Sheila E. Coyle
Michael Brian Dunn
Holly Holcombe
Christopher Sutton
Greg Sutton

Love/Sick TheaterWorks
Pascale Arnand
Bruch Reed
Chris Thorn

Laura Woodward

Christmas on the Rocks TheaterWorks
Harry Bouvy
Ronn Carroll
Christine Pedi

Outstanding CT Debut
Sheniqua Denise Trotman - Dreamgirls Ivoryton Playhouse

Outstanding Choreography
Cassia Abate - The Music Man Connecticut Repertory Theatre
Dan DeLange - Hello, Dolly! Goodspeed
Greg Graham - Somewhere Hartford Stage
Doug Shankman - Grease Summer Theatre of New Canaan

Outstanding Set Design
Antje Ellermann - The House That Will Not Stand
Yale Repertory Theatre
Kate Noll -- ...Anarchist Yale Repertory Theatre
Alexander Dodge - The Show-off Westport Country Playhouse
Michael Yeargan - These Paper Bullets! Yale Repertory Theatre
Darko Tresnjak - Macbeth Hartford Stage

Outstanding Costume DesignJessica Ford - These Paper Bullets! Yale Repertory Theatre
Jess Goldstein - The Underpants Hartford Stage/Long Wharf
Wade Laboissonniere - Hello, Dolly! Goodspeed
Katherine O'Neill - The House That Will Not Stand Yale Repertory Theatre
Joshua Peterson - La Dispute Hartford Stage
K. J. Kim - The Fairytale Life of Russian Girls Yale Repertory Theatre

Outstanding Sound Design
Charles Coles/Nathan Roberts --Accidental Death of an Anarchist Yale Repertory Theatre
Broken Chord - These Paper Bullets! Yale Repertory Theatre
Jason Crystal - Somewhere Hartford Stage

Jane Shaw - Macbeth Hartford Stage
Chad Raines - The Fairytale Life of Russian GirlsYale Repertory Theatre

Outstanding Lighting Design
John Lasiter - The Most Happy Fella Goodspeed Opera House
Matthew Richards - Macbeth Hartford Stage
Philip S. Rosenberg - Somewhere Hartford Stage
Ben Stanton - Last Five Years Long Wharf Theatre
Paul Whitaker - These Paper Bullets! Yale Repertory Theatre
Bradley King - The Fairytale Life of Russian GirlsYale Repertory Theatre

With Darko Tresnjak and Susan Granger

With The Hartford Courant's Frank Rizzo, who wrote the script for the evening.

Host Jake Robards

With fellow critic Bonnie Goldberg, right, and friend Marie Reynolds, one of the producers for Shakespeare on the Sound.