Lamb’s Players Theatre was the big winner at the Craig Noel Awards Monday night, taking home the most awards for an ambitious production of "Les Misérables."
The Old Globe and the La Jolla Playhouse usually run away with a lot of awards because they can afford high production values and top national talent.
Pam Kragen, president of the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle, the group that gives out the awards, said this year was different.
"We had an incredible amount of great work being done at the small theaters and they are dominating," Kragen said.
Smaller companies like Intrepid Shakespeare Company, New Fortune Theatre, Moxie Theatre and ion theatre company all took home awards.
There was also a new crop of winning actors.
"Pretty much every single person who won an acting award this year has never won a critics circle award before," Kragen said.
The La Jolla Playhouse shared the best new play award with San Diego Repertory Theatre for the inventive "El Henry," which was staged outdoors and written by Herbert Siguenza, a founding member of the pioneering Chicano theater group Culture Clash.
There are 10 members of the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle. They met monthly throughout the year to assemble a list of winning performers and productions.
The full list of winners is below:
Don Braunagel Award for Outstanding Work by a Small Theater Company: Intrepid Shakespeare Company
Producer of the Year: Steve Glaudini, producing artistic director for Moonlight Stage Productions
Actors of the Year: Tom Stephenson & Dana Hooley
Outstanding Young Actor: Lindsay Joan, for her work in San Diego Musical Theatre’s “Next to Normal”
Outstanding Musical Direction: G. Scott Lacy – “Les Misérables,” Lamb’s Players Theatre
Outstanding Choreography: Karl Warden – “Catch Me If You Can,” Moonlight Stage Productions
Outstanding Original Score: Bruno Louchouarn, “El Henry,” La Jolla Playhouse and San Diego Repertory Theatre
Outstanding Ensemble: “All My Sons,” Intrepid Shakespeare Company and “Les Misérables,” Lamb’s Players Theatre
Outstanding Solo Performance: Mona Golabek – “The Pianist of Willesden Lane,” San Diego Repertory Theatre
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical, Female: Bets Malone – “Next to Normal,” San Diego Musical Theatre
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical, Male: Brandon Joel Maier – “Les Misérables,” Lamb’s Players Theatre
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical, Female: Kelsey Venter - “Les Misérables,” Lamb’s Players Theatre
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical, Male: Patrick Page - “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” La Jolla Playhouse
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play, Male: Richard Baird – “Henry V,” New Fortune Theatre
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play, Female: Hannah Logan – “Bug,” ion theatre
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play, Female: Jacque Wilke – “Honky,” San Diego Repertory Theatre
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play, Male: Eddie Yaroch - “Enron,” Moxie Theatre
Outstanding Sound Design: Patrick Duffy - “Les Misérables,” Lamb’s Players Theatre
Outstanding Costume Design: Alina Bokovikova – “The School for Lies,” North Coast Repertory Theatre
Outstanding Lighting Design: Howell Binkley – “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” La Jolla Playhouse
Outstanding Scenic Design: Alexander Dodge - “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” La Jolla Playhouse
Outstanding New Play: Herbert Siguenza - “El Henry,” La Jolla Playhouse and San Diego Repertory Theatre
Outstanding Touring Production: “Into the Woods,” Fiasco Theatre at the Old Globe
Outstanding Direction of a Musical: Robert Smyth – “Les Misérables,” Lamb’s Players Theatre
Outstanding Resident Musical: “Les Misérables,” Lamb’s Players Theatre
Outstanding Direction of a Play: Sam Woodhouse – “El Henry,” La Jolla Playhouse and San Diego Repertory Theatre and Richard Baird & Matthew Henerson – “Henry V,” New Fortune Theatre
Outstanding Dramatic Production: “All My Sons,” Intrepid Shakespeare Company
