40th Anniversary Elliot Norton Award Recipients - Boston Theater Critics Association
Boston Theater Critics Association
Announces the
40th Anniversary Elliot Norton Awards
This season's Elliot Norton Award recipients were announced at a gala event held at the Huntington Theatre in Boston on May 8th, 2023.
The most notable recipient of the night was for the collaboration by Huntington and Front Porch Arts Collective and their visually stunning "K-I-S-S-I-N-G" which walked away with awards in eight major categories including Outstanding Play, Large Theater, along with wins for Director Dawn M. Simmons and actors Regan Sims and Ivan Cecil Walks.
Outstanding Leading Performance in a Musical went to Neil A. Casey for “A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER” at the Lyric Stage Company of Boston; and Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical went to Anthony Pires, Jr. for “AIN'T MISBEHAVIN’” from The Front Porch Arts Collective, The Nora @ Central Square Theater and Greater Boston Stage Company.
The Elliot Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence was presented to Bobbie Steinbach.
Front Porch also won for its production of "CHICKEN AND BISCUITS."
Additional wins came for the high stepping "AIN'T MISBEHAVIN'" including Outstanding Musical Direction by David Freeman Coleman and Dan Rodriguez and Outstanding Musical.
Greater Boston Stage Company would also pick up an additional win for Outstanding Solo Performance by Paul Melendy in his brilliant one-man show, "THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW."
Other night's accolades came for the gripping August Wilson "SEVEN GUITARS," from Actors’ Shakespeare Project (including a Directorial win for Maurice Emmanuel Parent and a Performance win for Anthony T. Goss); Huntingon Theatre Company's comedy-drama "CLYDE'S" in production with Berkeley Repertory Theatre; and the powerful epic "THE INHERITANCE" by SpeakEasy Stage Company (including a Performance win for Mishka Yarovoy).
"Visiting" Boston performance awards were presented to "THE ORCHARD," "ON BECKETT," "BURGERZ" (with a Performance win by Travis Alabanza) and "INTO THE WOODS" (with a Performance win for actor Gavin Creel).
Rounding off the list of the nights winners includes:
“DON'T EAT THE MANGOS” (with a Directorial win for Mariela López-Ponce) from Apollinaire Theatre Company and Teatro Chelsea; “BLACK SUPER HERO MAGIC MAMA” (with a Performance win by Ramona Lisa Alexander) from Company One Theatre, presented in collaboration with American Repertory Theater, Boston Public Library and Boston Comics in Color Festival; “CAN I TOUCH IT?” (with a Performance win by Schanaya Barrows) by Company One Theatre, produced in partnership with the City of Boston’s Office of Arts and Culture; “THE CHINESE LADY” by Central Square Theater in partnership with CHUANG Stage; “LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREE SHOP OF HORRORS" by Gold Dust Orphans.
Below is a complete listing of all recipients courtesy of the Boston Theater Critics Association.
METRMag congratulates all the winners.
Elliot Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence Bobbie Steinbach
Outstanding Visiting Play “On Beckett,” a production by Octopus Theatricals presented by ArtsEmerson
Outstanding Visiting Musical “Into the Woods,” presented by Emerson Colonial Theatre
Outstanding Visiting Design “The Orchard,” produced by Groundswell Theatricals, Arlekin Players Theatre and (zero-G) Virtual Theatre Lab in association with the Cherry Orchard Festival, ShowOne Productions, Valentine Talland & Nagesh Mahapantha, Jenny and David Jadow, Leah Michalos & Jessica Sporn
Outstanding Visiting Performance in a Play Travis Alabanza, “Burgerz,” presented by ArtsEmerson
Outstanding Visiting Performance in a Musical Gavin Creel, “Into the Woods,” presented by Emerson Colonial Theatre
Outstanding Play, Large Theater “K-I-S-S-I-N-G,” The Huntington and The Front Porch Arts Collective
Outstanding Play, Midsize Theater “The Inheritance,” SpeakEasy Stage Company
Outstanding Play, Small Theater “Chicken & Biscuits,” The Front Porch Arts Collective
Outstanding Musical “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” The Front Porch Arts Collective, The Nora @ Central Square Theater, and Greater Boston Stage Company
Outstanding Leading Performance, Large Theater Regan Sims, “K-I-S-S-I-N-G,” The Huntington and The Front Porch Arts Collective
Outstanding Featured Performance, Large Theater Ivan Cecil Walks, “K-I-S-S-I-N-G,” The Huntington and The Front Porch Arts Collective
Outstanding Leading Performance, Midsize Theater Anthony T Goss, “Seven Guitars,” Actors’ Shakespeare Project
Outstanding Featured Performance, Midsize Theater Mishka Yarovoy, “The Inheritance,” SpeakEasy Stage Company
Outstanding Leading Performance, Small Theater Ramona Lisa Alexander, “Black Super Hero Magic Mama,” Company One Theatre, presented in collaboration with American Repertory Theater, Boston Public Library and Boston Comics in Color Festival
Outstanding Featured Performance, Small Theater Schanaya Barrows, “can i touch it?,” Company One Theatre, produced in partnership with the City of Boston’s Office of Arts and Culture
Outstanding Leading Performance in a Musical Neil A. Casey, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” Lyric Stage Company of Boston
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical Anthony Pires, Jr., “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” The Front Porch Arts Collective, The Nora @ Central Square Theater and Greater Boston Stage Company
Outstanding Musical Direction David Freeman Coleman and Dan Rodriguez, “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” The Front Porch Arts Collective, The Nora @ Central Square Theater and Greater Boston Stage Company
Outstanding Choreography Misha Shields, “K-I-S-S-I-N-G,” The Huntington and The Front Porch Arts Collective
Outstanding Director, Large Theater Dawn M. Simmons, “K-I-S-S-I-N-G,” The Huntington and The Front Porch Arts Collective
Outstanding Director, Midsize Theater Maurice Emmanuel Parent, “Seven Guitars,” Actors’ Shakespeare Project
Outstanding Director, Small Theater Mariela López-Ponce, “Don’t Eat the Mangos,” Apollinaire Theatre Company and Teatro Chelsea
Outstanding Scenic Design, Large Theater Wilson Chin, “Clyde’s,” The Huntington in a co-production with Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Outstanding Scenic Design, Midsize or Small Theater Jon Savage, “Seven Guitars,” Actors’ Shakespeare Project
Outstanding Lighting Design, Large Theater Jorge Arroyo, “K-I-S-S-I-N-G,” The Huntington and The Front Porch Arts Collective
Outstanding Lighting Design, Midsize or Small Theater Kat C. Zhou, “The Chinese Lady,” Central Square Theater in partnership with CHUANG Stage
Outstanding Costume Design, Large Theater Karen Perry, “Clyde’s,” The Huntington in a co-production with Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Outstanding Costume Design, Midsize or Small Theater Scott Martino, “Little Christmas Tree Shop of Horrors,” Gold Dust Orphans
Outstanding Sound Design, Large Theater Anna Drummond, “K-I-S-S-I-N-G,” The Huntington and The Front Porch Arts Collective
Outstanding Sound Design, Midsize or Small Theater Abe Joyner-Meyers (soundscape) and Dewey Dellay (music), “Seven Guitars,” Actors’ Shakespeare Project
Outstanding Solo Performance Paul Melendy, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” Greater Boston Stage Company
Outstanding New Script Lenelle Moïse, “K-I-S-S-I-N-G,” The Huntington and The Front Porch Arts Collective
Outstanding Ensemble “The Inheritance,” SpeakEasy Stage Company.
Kevin T. Baldwin is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA)
@MetrmagReviews
@Theatre_Critics
ABOUT THE BOSTON THEATER CRITICS ASSOCIATION
THE BOSTON THEATER CRITICS ASSOCIATION is a non-profit organization of Boston theater critics affiliated with area newspapers, websites, and TV outlets. Each season, we bestow the annual Elliot Norton Awards which honor the outstanding achievements of the Boston theater community.
THE BOSTON THEATER CRITICS ASSOCIATION is committed to the fullest possible coverage of this theater community. In light of historically entrenched, systemic inequities, we are dedicated to widening the lens through which we explore the work before us. We are building on efforts we have already initiated to reach out to a more diverse group of critics. We welcome input as we pursue these efforts going forward.
