![This group of actors in Second Thought Theatre\'s \"Red Light Winter\" won an ensemble award; as did director Regan Adair](http://www.theaterjones.com/media/m090045.jpg "This group of actors in Second Thought Theatre\'s \\"Red Light Winter\\" won an ensemble award; as did director Regan Adair")
1 commentIt has been too many years since the Dallas Theater Center won as much praise at the annual meeting of the Dallas-Fort Worth Theater Critics Forum as it did in this latest round. North Texas' major regional theater scored big in the voting, thanks to its two best productions since moving into the Wyly Theatre: Dividing the Estate and Cabaret (almost every show on DTC's season received at least one award).
Several of the smaller-budget theaters fared well too, including Second Thought Theatre, which was re-energized under new leadership; Matthew Posey's provocative Balanced Almond/Ochre House, which really came into its own in its third season; and Fort Worth's Amphibian Stage Productions.
The critics pick several awards in each category, with nothing being singled out as the overall best. In some cases, individuals were recognized for work on multiple productions. For instance, eight directors were responsible for what we voted as the 13 best shows of the season (we have to come to a consensus, and there's a lot of "logrolling" that goes on).
Eligible shows opened between Sept. 1, 2010 and Aug. 31, 2011.
OUTSTANDING DIRECTION
Regan Adair, Red Light Winter, Second Thought Theatre
Jim Covault, Talking Pictures, Stage West
Joel Ferrell, Dividing the Estate and Cabaret, both at Dallas Theater Center
David A. Miller, Wittenberg, Amphibian Stage Productions
René Moreno, Creditors, Broken Gears Project Theatre; No Child..., Amphibian Stage Productions; The Trip to Bountiful, Contemporary Theatre of Dallas
Katherine Owens, The Dog Problem and Easter, Undermain Theatre
Len Pfluger, My Fair Lady, Lyric Stage
Michael Serrecchia, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, ICT Mainstage and Next to Normal, Uptown Players
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS
Tovah Feldshuh, Arsenic and Old Lace, Dallas Theater Center
Whitney Hennen, Victor/Victoria, Uptown Players
Julie Johnson, Cabaret, Dallas Theater Center
Elly Lindsay, The Trip to Bountiful, Contemporary Theatre of Dallas
Rhianna Mack, No Child..., Amphibian Stage Productions
Tina Parker, Charm, Kitchen Dog Theater
Fiona Robberson, Easter, Undermain Theatre
Dana Schultes, Talking Pictures, Stage West
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR
Sydney James Harcourt, The Wiz, Dallas Theater Center and Dallas Black Dance Theatre
Justin Locklear, Morphing, Balanced Almond/Ochre House
Wade McCollum, Cabaret, Dallas Theater Center
Barry Nash, Bob Birdnow's Remarkable Tale of Human Survival and the Transcendence of Self, Second Thought Theatre
Larry Randolph, The Madness of Lady Bright, One Thirty Productions
Max Swarner, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, ICT Mainstage
Lee Trull, Arsenic and Old Lace, Dallas Theater Center
Steven Walters, Thom Pain (based on nothing), Second Thought Theatre and Henry IV, Dallas Theater Center
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE CAST
Dividing the Estate, Dallas Theater Center
My Fair Lady, Lyric Stage
Red Light Winter, Second Thought Theatre
Wittenberg, Amphibian Stage Productions
OUTSTANDING CREATIVE CONTRIBUTION
John Arnone, set design for Dividing the Estate, Dallas Theater Center; and The Dog Problem and Easter at Undermain Theatre
Design team, Cabaret, Dallas Theater Center
Design team, Macbeth, Trinity Shakespeare Festival
Jay Dias, music director, for his 2010-'11 season with Lyric Stage
Christopher Huggins, for his choreography of the Dallas Black Dance Theatre, The Wiz, Dallas Theater Center and Dallas Black Dance Theatre
Justin Locklear, costume design, The Butcher and Morphing, both at Balanced Almond/Ochre House
Anna Louizos, set design, Arsenic and Old Lace, Dallas Theater Center
George Miller, set design, for his 2010-'11 season with Jubilee Theatre
OUTSTANDING NEW PLAY OR MUSICAL
Bob Birdnow's Remarkable Tale of Human Survival and the Transcendence of Self by Eric Steele, Second Thought Theatre
Love Song of the Albanian Sous Chef by Robert Askins, Rite of Passage Theatre Company
Morphing by Matthew Posey, Balanced Almond/Ochre House
OUTSTANDING TOUR
Billy Elliot the Musical, Lexus Broadway Series at AT&T Performing Arts Center
David Lee Nelson...Status Update, WaterTower Theatre's Out of the Loop Fringe Festival
Young Frankenstein, Lexus Broadway Series at AT&T Performing Arts Center
EMERGING ARTIST AWARD
Justin Locklear
SPECIAL CITATIONS
To Matthew Posey and Balanced Almond, for the creativity and originality in producing provocative new plays at the Ochre House.
To the DFW theater community for its cooperation and coordination in mounting the area-wide Foote Festival.
PARTICIPATING CRITICS
- Martha Heimberg (Turtle Creek News, also contributes to TheaterJones)
- Arnold Wayne Jones (Dallas Voice)
- Elaine Liner (Dallas Observer)
- Mark Lowry (TheaterJones and Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
- M. Lance Lusk (D Magazine/FrontRow)
- David Novinski (TheaterJones)
- Punch Shaw (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
- Perry Stewart (TheaterJones)
- Lawson Taitte (Dallas Morning News)
- Lindsey Wilson (D Magazine/FrontRow)
