The Richmond Theatre Critics Circle has announced the nominees for this year’s Artsies, the community’s recognition of excellence in Richmond-area theater. The event will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 27, at Virginia Rep’s November Theatre. Tickets are $20 for orchestra seating and $25 for balcony seating. They will go on sale September 3 and can be purchased by calling the Virginia Rep box office at 804-282-2620. Get your tickets early – ticket prices go up by $5 on October 13.
The nominees are:
Best Musical
Grey Gardens, Richmond Triangle Players (RTP)
Once, Virginia Repertory Theatre (Virginia Rep)
Sondheim on Sondheim, RTP
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, TheatreLAB
The Wiz, Virginia Rep
Best Direction (Musical)
Kikau Alvaro, The Wiz
Debra Clinton, Grey Gardens
Deejay Gray, Sweeney Todd
Nathaniel Shaw, Once
Tom Width, Bright Star, Swift Creek Mill Theatre
Best Actor (Musical)
Paul Major, Gutenberg! The Musical!, Quill Theatre
Ken Allen Neely, Once
Alexander Sapp, Sweeney Todd
Cooper Sved, Girlfriend, RTP
Robert Throckmorton, Miss Gulch Returns, RTP
Best Actress (Musical)
Bianca Bryan, Sweeney Todd
Felicia Curry, Sister Act, Virginia Rep
Katherine Fried, Once
Desiree Roots, The Wiz
Susan Sanford, Grey Gardens
Best Supporting Actor (Musical)
Trevor Lindley Craft, Once
Dylan Jackson, The Wiz
Brandon LaReau, The Wiz
Matt Polson, Sweeney Todd
Matt Shofner, Sweeney Todd
Best Supporting Actress (Musical)
Kelsey Cordrey, Sister Act
Grey Garrett, Grey Gardens
Audra Honaker, Sweeney Todd
Jessi Johnson, The Wiz
Gwynne Wood, Sister Act
Best Musical Direction
Paul Deiss, Bright Star
JS Fauquet, Sweeney Todd
Starlet Knight, Lizzie the Musical, 5th Wall Theatre (5th Wall)
Anthony Smith, The Wiz
- Michael Zygo, Once
Best Choreography
Kikau Alvaro, The Wiz
Kikau Alvaro, Atlantis, Virginia Rep
Nicole Morris-Anastasi, Dance Nation, TheatreLAB
Nathaniel Shaw, Once
Megan Tatum, Bright Star
Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design (Musical)
Maura Lynch Cravey, Bright Star
Ruth Hedberg, Sweeney Todd
Ruth Hedberg, Grey Gardens
Jeanne Nugent, The Wiz
Alex Valentin, Lizzie
Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Design (Musical)
Paul Black, The Wiz
Erin Barclay, Lizzie
Joe Doran, Once
Michael Jarett, Sweeney Todd
BJ Wilkinson, Atlantis
Outstanding Achievement in Set Design (Musical)
William James Mahoney, Once
Kimberly V. Powers, The Wiz
Chris Raintree, Mr. Popper’s Penguins
Jason Sherwood, Atlantis
Tom Width, 1940s Radio Christmas Carol
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design (Musical)
Derek Dumais, Once
Derek Dumais, Forever Plaid, Virginia Rep
Joey Luck, Sweeney Todd
Joey Luck, Sondheim on Sondheim
Joey Luck, Lizzie
Best Play
Dance Nation, TheatreLAB
Gloria, Cadence Theatre in partnership with Virginia Rep (Cadence)
The Laramie Project, RTP
An Octoroon, TheatreLAB
Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England, RTP
Best Direction (Play)
Chelsey Burke, The Taming of the Shrew, Quill
Anna Senechal Johnson, Gloria
Tawnya Pettiford-Wates, An Octoroon
Carol Piersol, Pretty Fire, 5th Wall
Lucian Restivo, The Laramie Project
Best Actor (Play)
Jamar Jones, An Octoroon
Jamar Jones, Red Velvet, Quill
Michael Manocchio, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Virginia Rep
Matt Polson, Gloria
David Emerson Toney, Between Riverside and Crazy, Cadence
Scott Wichmann, Talk Radio, 5th Wall
Best Actress (Play)
Bianca Bryan, The Taming of the Shrew
Kimberly Jones Clark, Who’s Holiday, RTP
Eva DeVirgilis, In My Chair, Cadence
Katrinah Carol Lewis, A Doll’s House, TheatreLAB
Haliya Roberts, Pretty Fire
Best Supporting Actor (Play)
Jeff Clevenger, Broadway Bound, Virginia Rep
Cole Metz, An Octoroon
Jeremy V. Morris, Oedipus: A Gospel Myth, Firehouse
Stevie Rice, Red Velvet
Adam Turck, The Tempest, Quill
Best Supporting Actress (Play)
Rachel Dilliplane, Red Velvet
Anne Michelle Forbes, Gloria
Amber Marie Martinez, Dance Nation
Donna Marie Miller, The Game’s Afoot: Holmes for the Holidays, Virginia Rep
Jill Bari Steinberg, Broadway Bound
Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design (Play)
Nia Safarr Banks, An Octoroon
Maura Lynch Cravey, Savannah Sipping Society
Cora Delbridge, Red Velvet
Sue Griffin, The Game’s Afoot
Ruth Hedberg, A Doll’s House
Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Design (Play)
Andrew Bonniwell, Songs from Bedlam, Firehouse
Joe Doran, Count Dracula, Swift Creek Mill
Michael Jarett, The Laramie Project
Michael Jarett, Dance Nation
BJ Wilkinson, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Outstanding Achievement in Set Design (Play)
Vinnie Gonzalez, Oedipus: A Gospel Myth
Rich Mason, Gloria
Terrie Powers, Broadway Bound
Chris Raintree, Songs from Bedlam
Lucian Resitvo, The Laramie Project
TJ Spensieri, Talk Radio
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design (Play)
Ryan Dygert, Songs from Bedlam
Derek Dumais, The Game’s Afoot
Robbie Kinter, In My Chair
Joey Luck, Dance Nation
Roger Price, Talk Radio
Ernie McClintock Best Ensemble Acting
Dance Nation, TheatreLAB
Gloria, Cadence
Forever Plaid, Virginia Rep
The Laramie Project, RTP
Once, Virginia Rep
Promising Newcomer
Joel Ashur, Gloria
Lucy Caudle, Atlantis
Annella Kaine, The Laramie Project
Trinitee Pearson, An Octoroon and Dance Nation
Gwynne Wood, Sister Act
Best Original Work
Animal Control by Chandler Hubbard, Firehouse
In My Chair by Eva DeVirgilis, Cadence
Wrong Chopped by Dixon Cashwell and Levi Meerovich, Firehouse
HOSTS AND THEME
This year marks the 12th year that the Richmond Theatre Critics Circle has sponsored the Richmond Theatre Critics Circle (RTCC) Awards, or “Artsies,” the community’s recognition of excellence in Richmond-area theater. The theme of this year’s event – “All the World’s a Stage” – highlights the freedom many professional theater artists have to travel between theater markets. Richmond’s theater community boasts remarkable talent for its size, and the Artsies event celebrates the skills and experience Richmond’s professional theater artists bring to their craft, wherever they were gained.
This year’s celebration will be hosted by two popular Richmond actors with years of noteworthy experience in different markets, Bianca Bryan and Jerold Solomon.
Bryan made an indelible impression on Richmond audiences from her first appearance here. Already sporting a long résumé of successful appearances in New York, she commuted to Richmond for her Artsy-nominated role in Barksdale Theatre’s 2008 production of “A Clean House.” Since then, she’s become a beloved regular on local stages, scoring an Artsy for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in Firehouse Theatre’s “Wings” during the 2017-18 season. She was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for her role in the Quill Theatre production of “Assassins” and Best Actress in a Play for her performance in TheatreLAB’s production of “Grounded” during the 2016-17 season. She was last seen this spring playing Mrs. Lovett in TheatreLAB’s production of “Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”
Solomon had racked up numerous roles both in Richmond and on national tours before landing a spot in the cast of the Tony Award-winning 2008 Broadway revival of “South Pacific,” which ran until 2010. He returned to Richmond and won an Artsy for Best Actor in a Play for his role in Virginia Repertory Theatre’s (Virginia Rep) production of “The Whipping Man” during the 2014-15 season. Solomon also was nominated for the 2015-16 season Artsies in the categories of Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in Virginia Rep’s production of “Dreamgirls” and Best Actor in a Play for his role in “The Mountaintop,” produced by Cadence Theatre in partnership with Virginia Rep. Solomon currently appears on stage in the title role of the Virginia Rep production of “The Wiz.”
All proceeds from Artsies ticket sales support the Theatre Artist Fund of Greater Richmond.
