I am, by nature, a list maker and an evaluator.
From the time I began going to the theater and saw my first professional show, “Funny Girl,” on September 4, 1967, I kept a diary and ranked the productions, performers, and directors I saw. I rarely announced or even told people about my lists. They were my silly neurotic pleasure, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned about myself, it’s if I am entertained doing something, I don’t take a great interest in whether others know about it or see it.
Believe me, that is a great fault, one I had to overcome. I can easily be a hermit creating and flourishing in my own world.
Since I began NealsPaper in 2013, I have made my annual awards public. I had done that a few other times in the ’80s and ’90s when publications wanted “Bests” lists, etc. In general, the recipients of the awards have been my business.
Able as I am to see the statistics for NealsPaper, I know awards lists are popular. Why not? In the Qualifiers list, hundreds of people have the gratification, I hope, of knowing their work has been noticed and placed on a general list for ranking. Everyone on the Qualifiers list was at one time considered a possible recipient of an award. The list of Nominees only has 30 names including the playwrights of the nominated productions. The Recipients list narrows the ranking to a specific individual winner but cites 29 others in each category. I consider the names on the citation lists to be a “thank you” and hope people realize their name on a list is as important as a ranking.
The Philadelphia Theater Critic’s Award is conferred in January because of habit. I made my first lists at the end of a calendar year, and I confined the rankings to shows I’d seen in the Philadelphia area. Distant memory tells me an editor asked for a Top Ten in theater and movies, and I went overboard and ranked everything.
That would be me. Why ever do only enough when it’s so much fun to go over the top?!? (My late sister used to joke we cleaned alike because until we were motivated you would have your average mess, but once we began, the house was a veritable hospital by the time we finished, with Q-Tips in corners and every inch of every millimeter of every surface attended to. Ain’t OCD grand?!?)
I thought people might be curious about who was given awards over time. So, here as I interrupt thoughts about a solidly naturalistic “A Moon for the Misbegotten” at the Walnut and a stunning “The Piano Lesson” at McCarter, is a list of performers who were given the Philadelphia Theater’s Critic Award over the years. One interesting thing is to note when the recipients change from stars in touring productions, Philadelphia’s staple until the mid-’70s to performers, some of whom are stars, in regional shows.
1967-1969
JOSE FERRER, Man of La Mancha, Erlanger Theatre, Philadelphia
CAROL LAWRENCE, Funny Girl, Valley Forge Music Fair, Devon, Pa.
TONY MARTINEZ, Man of La Mancha, Erlanger Theatre, Philadelphia
SYLVIA SYMS, Funny Girl, Valley Forge Music Fair, Devon, Pa.
THE BOYS IN THE BAND by Mart Crowley, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
ROBERT MOORE, The Boys in the Band, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
1970
HUME CRONYN, Hadrian VII, Shubert Theater, Philadelphia
CHITA RIVERA, Zorba!, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
PATRICK HINES, Canterbury Tales, Shubert Theater, Philadelphia
MARSHA TAMAROFF, Zorba!, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF by Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick, and Joseph Stein, Shubert Theater, Philadelphia
JEROME ROBBINS, Fiddler on the Roof, Shubert Theatre, Philadelphia
1971
JAMES WHITMORE, Will Rogers USA, Locust Theatre, Philadelphia
GERALDINE PAGE, Marriage and Money (three Chekhov one-acts), Playhouse in the Park, Philadelphia
DON McHENRY, Hamlet, Locust Theatre, Philadelphia
PATRICIA ELLIOTT, A Doll’s House, Locust Theatre, Philadelphia
THE ME NOBODY KNOWS by Herb Schapiro, Robert H. Livingston, and Stephen M. Joseph, Locust Theatre, Philadelphoa
ROBERT H. LIVINGSTON, The Me Nobody Knows, Locust Theatre
1972
ROBERT SHAW, Old Times, Locust Theatre, Philadelphia
ROSEMARY HARRIS, Old Times, Locust Theatre , Philadelphia and NURIA ESPERT, Yerma, Locust Theatre, Philadelphia
GEORGE S. IRVING, Irene, Shubert Theater, Philadelphia
PATSY KELLY, Irene, Shubert Theater, Philadelphia
YERMA by Federico García Lorca, Locust Theatre, Philadelphia
VICTOR GARCIA, Yerma, Locust Theatre, Philadelphia
1973
BRIAN BEDFORD, Butley, Locust Theatre, Philadelphia
MAUREEN STAPLETON, The Gingerbread Lady, Playhouse in the Park, Philadelphia
LEWIS J. STADLEN, Minnie’s Boys, Playhouse in the Park, Philadelphia
CARA DUFF-McCORMICK, The Sea Gull, McCarter Theatre, Princeton, N.J.
RAISIN by Charlotte Zaltzberg, Robert Nemiroff, Ross Brittan, and Judd Woldin (after Lorraine Hansberry), Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
JULIE BOVASSO, Gloria and Esperanza, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
1974
HENRY FONDA, Clarence Darrow, Locust Theatre, Philadelphia
DEBORAH KERR, Seascape, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
I.M. HOBSON, Twelfth Night, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
DOLORES SUTTON, The Little Foxes, Philadelphia Drama Guild, Walnut Street Theatre
TWELFTH NIGHT by William Shakespeare, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
LOUIS CRISS, Twelfth Night, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
1975
IAN RICHARDSON, Shall I Compare Thee, Richardson Auditorium, Princeton, N.J.
LIV ULLMANN, A Doll House, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
SAM LEVENE, The Royal Family, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
DEBORAH OFFNER, A Grave Undertaking, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
GOOD EVENING by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, Locust Theatre, Philadelphia
MICHAEL KAHN, Mother Courage and Her Children, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
1976
DONALD MADDEN, The Night of the Tribades, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
JULIE HARRIS, The Belle of Amherst, Locust Theatre, Philadelphia
BARRIE RUTTER, The Taming of the Shrew, Philadelphia Drama Guild, Walnut Street Theatre
KATHRYN WALKER, The Night of the Tribades, McCarter Theatre, Philadelphia
PORGY AND BESS by George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, and DuBose Heyward, Houston Opera, Academy of Music, Philadelphia
JACK O’BRIEN, Porgy and Bess, Houston Opera, Academy of Music, Philadelphia
1977
PAXTON WHITEHEAD, Travesties, Philadelphia Drama Guild, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
KATHRYN WALKER, A Touch of the Poet, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
CHARLES KIMBROUGH, Too True to Be Good, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
HERMIONE GINGOLD, A Little Night Music, Valley Forge Music Fair, Devon, Pa.
A CHORUS LINE by James Kirkwood, Nicholas Dante, Marvin Hamlisch, and Edward Kleban, Forrest Theatre Philadelphia
MICHAEL BENNETT, A Chorus Line, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
1978
HUME CRONYN, The Gin Game, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
JESSICA TANDY, The Gin Game, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
DAVID ROUNDS, Saint Joan and Hobson’s Choice, Philadelphia Drama Guild, Walnut Street Theatre
PATRICIA CONOLLY, Twelfth Night, Playhouse in the Park, Philadelphia
VANITIES by Jack Heifner, Stan Hurwitz Production at Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
BRIAN MURRAY, Hobson’s Choice, The Philadelphia Drama Guild, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
1979
BASIL WALLACE, The Blood Knot, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
JEANNE RUSKIN, Heartbreak House, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
EDWARD SEAMON, Buried Child, Playhouse in the Park, Philadelphia
LOUISE HICKEY, Oklahoma!, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
THE BLOOD KNOT by Athol Fugard, Philadelphia Dram Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
THOMAS BULLARD, The Blood Knot, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
1980
GEORGE HEARN, Sweeney Todd, Merriam Theater, Philadelphia
PAT CARROLL, Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
PAXTON WHITEHEAD, Twelfth Night, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
JILL TANNER, The Miser, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
WATCH ON THE RHINE by Lillian Hellman, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
IRENE LEWIS, Watch on the Rhine, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
1981
JAMES BRODERICK, On Golden Pond, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
JANE LAPOTAIRE, Piaf, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
JAY DOYLE, The Night of the Iguana, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
ZOË WANAMAKER, Piaf, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD by Mark Medoff, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
GORDON DAVIDSON, Children of a Lesser God, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
1982
JOSEPH MAHER, Dear Daddy, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
JAN LESLIE HARDING, The Diary of Anne Frank, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
DANNY GLOVER, Master Harold….and the boys, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
CLAUDETTE PETERSON, Candide, The Pennsylvania Opera Theater, Port of History Museum Theatre, Philadelphia
DEAR DADDY by Denis Cannan, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
NAGLE JACKSON, Hamlet, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
1983
RICHARD DREYFUSS, Total Abandon, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
ANGELA LANSBURY, Mame, Academy of Music, Philadelphia
JACOB HARRAN, The Importance of Being Earnest, People’s Light & Theatre Company, Malvern, Pa.
JO HENDERSON, Play Memory, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
ALL MY SONS by Arthur Miller, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
WILLIAM M. WOODMAN, All My Sons, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
1984
CLEAVON LITTLE, The Emperor Jones, American Music Theater Festival, Philadelphia
LOUISE JAMESON, Twelfth Night and Against Two Tides: Women in War, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
TOM STECHSCHULTE, Torch Song Trilogy, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
CAROL CHANNING, Jerry’s Girls, The Playhouse, Wilmington, Delaware
RESTORATION by Edward Bond, Temple Theatres, Philadelphia
PAUL BERMAN, Restoration, Temple Theaters, Philadelphia
1985
MICHAEL KUBALA, On Your Toes, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
SALLY MERCER, A Doll’s House, American Shaw Festival, Mt. Gretna, Pa. and Painting Churches, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
TIMOTHY LANDFIELD, Arsenic and Old Lace, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
PATRICIA KILGARRIFF, Noises Off, The Playhouse, Wilmington
A RAISIN IN THE SUN by Lorraine Hansberry, McCarter Theatre, Princeton and Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
TERRY BURGLER, A Raisin in the Sun, McCarter Theatre, Princeton, and EDMUND J. CAMBRIDGE, A Raisin in the Sun, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
1986
KEENE CURTIS, La Cage Aux Folles, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
SANDRA REAVES-PHILLIPS, The Late, Great Ladies of Blues and Jazz, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
GARY BEACH, Legends, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
CYNTHIA MACE, Eleemosynary, Philadelphia Festival Theatre for New Plays, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
1984 by Pavel Kohout (after George Orwell), Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
JIRI ZIZKA, 1984, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
1987
SIMON BROOKING, Nasty Little Secrets, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
CAROLE SHELLEY, Broadway Bound, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
JONATHAN FRID, Arsenic and Old Lace, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
REGINA RESNIK, Cabaret, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
THE NORMAL HEART by Larry Kramer, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
CHARLIE HENSLEY, The Normal Heart, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
1988
SULLIVAN BROWN, Accidental Death of an Anarchist, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
MARY GORDON MURRAY, Biography, Delaware Theatre Company, Wilmington
BRUCE ADLER, Guys and Dolls, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
CYNTHIA MARTELLS, Tartuffe, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
LES MISÉRABLES by Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schönberg and Herbert Kretzmer, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
NAGLE JACKSON, Tartuffe, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
1989
DAVID HURST, Incommunicado, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
LILY TOMLIN, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
EDMUND DAVYS, Sarcophagus, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
ANN FIRBANK, The Winter’s Tale, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
THE SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE by Jane Wagner, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
NAGLE JACKSON, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
1990
BRUCE GRAY, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
KATHLEEN TURNER, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Playhouse, Wilmington, Delaware
CHARLES DURNING, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Playhouse, Wilmington, Delaware
GLORY CRAMPTON, The Fantasticks, Merriam Theatre, Philadelphia
BENEFACTORS by Michael Frayn, Delaware Theatre Company, Wilmington
CLEVELAND MORRIS, Benefactors, Delaware Theatre Company, Wilmington
1991
ZACH GRENIER, National Anthems, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
EILEEN ATKINS, A Room of One’s Own, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
ALEC MAPA, M. Butterfly, Forrest Theater, Philadelphia
KECIA LEWIS-EVANS, Betsey Brown, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM by William Shakespeare, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
MARY B. ROBINSON, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
1992
B.D. WONG, Herringbone, American Music Theatre Festival, Plays & Players, Philadelphia
JOAN McMURTREY, A Moon for the Misbegotten, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
MARK HAMMER, A Moon for the Misbegotten, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
MARY LOU ROSATO, The Triumph of Love, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
MY CHILDREN! MY AFRICA! By Athol Fugard, People’s Light & Theatre Company, Malvern, Pa.
MARY B. ROBINSON, A Moon for the Misbegotten, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
1993
ROBERT PROSKY, The Matchmaker, Delaware Theatre Company, Wilmington
DOROTHEA HAMMOND, The Trip to Bountiful, Delaware Theatre Company, Wilmington
FLOYD KING, Much Ado About Nothing, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
SUSAN GIOSA, Lost in Yonkers, Forrest Theater, Philadelphia
LA TRAVIATA by Giuseppe Verdi and Francesco Maria Piave, Academy of Vocal Arts, Philadelphia
MATTHEW LATA, La Traviata, Academy of Vocal Arts, Philadelphia
1994
WILLIAM DUFF-GRIFFIN, “2,” Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
ELIZABETH FRANZ, The Matchmaker, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
SIMON COATES, As You Like It. Cheek-by-Jowl Theatre, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
MADELEINE POTTER, The Plough and the Stars, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
AS YOU LIKE IT by William Shakespeare, Cheek-by-Jowl Theatre, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
MICHAEL OCKRENT, Crazy For You, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
1995
PEARCE BUNTING, Road, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
ZOE CALDWELL, Master Class, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
RICHARD TROXELL, Die Fledermaus, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Philadelphia
LISA GAY HAMILTON, Valley Song, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
SALOME by Richard Strauss (after Oscar Wilde), Opera Company of Philadelphia, Philadelphia
ROBERT B. DRIVER, Salome, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Philadelphia
1996
THOM SESMA, Miss Saigon, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
PATRICIA SCHUMAN, Madama Butterfly, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Philadelphia
GEORGE EDE, Philadelphia Here I Come, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
JENNIFER CHILDS, Escape from Happiness, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
MADAMA BUTTERFLY by Giacomo Puccini, Luigi Illica, and Giuseppe Giacosa, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Philadelphia
KAY WALKER CASTALDO, Madama Butterfly, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Philadelphia
1997
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER, Barrymore, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
SUSAN PATTERSON, La Traviata, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Philadelphia
STEVE TAGUE, The Faith Healer, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
MARJORIE JOHNSON, The Skin of Our Teeth, Delaware Theatre Company, Wilmington
SHOWBOAT by Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II, and P.G. Wodehouse (after Edna Ferber), Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
CLEVELAND MORRIS, Molly Sweeney and The Skin of Our Teeth, Delaware Theatre Company, Wilmington
1998
WILLIAM LEACH, Shylock, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
ZOË WANAMAKER, Electra, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
ROBERT CHRISTOPHE, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Arden Theatre, Philadelphia
JILLINE RINGLE, Merrily We Roll Along, Arden Theatre, Philadelphia
ELECTRA by Sophocles, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
DAVID LEVEAUX, Electra, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
1999
JAMES FARMER, Orpheus Descending, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
JANIS DARDARIS, Orpheus Descending, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
BERNARD WURGER, Phantom, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
EVALYN BARON, Hotel Suite, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
GROSS INDECENCY by Moises Kaufman, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
JAMES J. CHRISTY, Gross Indecency, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
2000
HENRY WORONICZ, Macbeth, Delaware Theatre Company, Wilmington
TRAZANA BEVERLEY, Flyin’ West, People’s Light & Theatre Company, Malvern
DANIEL BENZALI, Glengarry Glen Ross, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
JANIS DARDARIS, Sideman, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
THE INVENTION OF LOVE by Tom Stoppard, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
BLANKA ZIZKA, The Invention of Love, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
2001
ARTHUR WOODLEY, Porgy and Bess, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Philadelphia
ANN DUQUESNAY, Cookin’ at the Cookery, Delaware Theatre Company, Wilmington
MARK VIETOR, Lady in the Dark, Prince Music Theater, Philadelphia
ROBIN FOLLMAN, Carmen, Houston Grand Opera, Mann Center of the Performing Arts, Philadelphia
EQUUS by Peter Shaffer, Mum Puppettheatre, Philadelphia
WILLIAM ROUDEBUSH, Equus, Mum Puppettheatre, Philadelphia
2002
PAUL MESHEJIAN, The Merchant of Venice, People’s Light & Theatre Company, Malvern, Pa.
CARLA BELVER, All My Sons, Arden Theatre, Philadelphia
CAMERON FOLMAR, Don Juan, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
STARLA BENFORD, The Vagina Monologues, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
YELLOWMAN by Dael Orlandersmith, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
BLANKA ZIZKA, Yellowman, Wilma Theater, Philadelphiat6
2003
FRANK GORSHIN, Say Goodnight Gracie, The Playhouse, Wilmington
ELAINE STRITCH, At Liberty, Academy of Music, Philadelphia
RON HOLGATE, Urinetown, Academy of Music, Philadelphia
GINA DANIELS, Dracula, Delaware Theatre Company, Wilmington
ELAINE STRITCH AT LIBERTY, Academy of Music, Philadelphia
BLANKA ZIZKA, Red, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
2004
MICHAEL CUMPSTY, My Fair Lady, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
ALENE ROBERTSON, Annie Warbucks, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
DANIEL JENKINS, Big River, Deaf West, Academy of Music, Philadelphia and DuPont Theatre, Wilmington
JAYNE HOUDYSHELL, The Clean House, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
MY FAIR LADY by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
GARY GRIFFIN, My Fair Lady, McCarter Theater, Princeton
2005
TONY BRAITHWAITE and BEN DIBBLE, Big Bang, Kimmel Center, Philadelphia
MARY MARTELLO, Sweeney Todd, Arden Theatre, Philadelphia
KRAIG SWARTZ, Take Me Out, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia’
JANE SUMMERHAYS, Anyone Can Whistle, Prince Music Theater, Philadelphia
TAKE ME OUT by Richard Greenberg, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
JAMES J. CHRISTY, Take Me Out, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
2006
MATT PFEIFFER, Lobby Hero, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
JULIA MURNEY, Wicked, Academy of Music, Philadelphia
RICHARD RUIZ, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Arden Theatre, Philadelphia
MEGHAN HEIMBECKER, My Children! My Africa!, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
INTIMATE APPAREL by Lynn Nottage, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
AARON POSNER, A Murder, A Mystery, and A Marriage, Delaware Theatre Company, Wilmington
2007
SCOTT GREER, Of Mice and Men, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
JOILET HARRIS, Caroline, or Change, Arden Theatre, Philadelphia
ROB McCLURE, The Bomb-itty of Errors, 11th Hour Productions, Philadelphia
SUSAN WILDER, Orson’s Shadow, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
CAROLINE, OR CHANGE by Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori, Arden Theatre, Philadelphia
AARON CROMIE, The Fantasticks, Mum Puppettheatre, Philadelphia
2008
SCOTT GREER, Wittenberg, Arden Theatre, Philadelphia
ANN CRUMB, Souvenir, Media Theatre, Media
ROBERT PROSKY, The Price, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
KATE EASTWOOD NORRIS, Rock ‘N’ Roll, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
WITTENBERG by David Davalos, Arden Theatre, Philadelphia
J.R. SULLIVAN, Wittenberg, Arden Theatre, Philadelphia
2009
LORENZO PISONI, Humor Abuse, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
SUZANNE BERTISH, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
MATTHEW SCOTT, The Light in the Piazza, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
VEANNE COX, Twelfth Night, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA by Craig Lucas and Adam Guettel, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
JOE CALARCO, The Light in the Piazza, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
2010
BENJAMIN LLOYD, Scapin, Lantern Theater, Philadelphia
ANN CRUMB, Master Class, Media Theatre, Media
PETE PRYOR, Any Given Monday, Theatre Exile, Philadelphia
BROOKE BLOOM, Becky Shaw, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
SOUTH PACIFIC by Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, and Joshua Logan, Academy of Music, Philadelphia
BARTLETT SHER, South Pacific, Academy of Music, Philadelphia
2011
JUSTIN GUARINI, Chicago, Media Theatre, Media, Pa.
LAVITA SHAURICE, My Wonderful Day, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
JOHNNIE HOBBS, JR., Whipping Man, Arden Theatre, Philadelphia
KATE CZAJKOWSKI, Our Class, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
MY WONDERFUL DAY by Alan Ayckbourn, Wilma Theatre, Philadelphia
BLANKA ZIZKA, Our Class, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
2012
RODNEY HICKS, The Scottsboro Boys, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
TOVAH FELDSHUH, Gypsy, Bristol Riverside Theatre, Bristol, Pa.
FORREST McCLENDON, The Scottsboro Boys, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
TAMARA ANDERSON, Hairspray, Media Theatre, Media
HAIRSPRAY by Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman, Thomas Meehan, and Mark O’Donnell, Media Theater, Media, Pa.
JEFF WHITING and SUSAN STROMAN, The Scottsboro Boys, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
2013
CHARLIE DelMARCELLE, I Am My Own Wife, Theatre Horizon, Norristown, Pa.
NANCY MORICETTE, The Convert, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
BEN STEINFELD, Into the Woods, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
ZAINAB JAH, The Convert, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
EVERYMAN by Anonymous, Villanova Theatre, Villanova, Pa.
DAVID CREGAN, Everyman, Villanova Theatre, Villanova
2014
BEN DIBBLE, Herringbone, Flashpoint Theatre, Philadelphia
ANN CRUMB, Sunset Boulevard, Media Theatre, Media
DEREK SMITH, The Barber of Seville, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
DEIRDRE MADIGAN, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Phildelphia and Bucks County Playhouse, New Hope, Pa.
THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
STEPHEN WADSWORTH, The Figaro Plays, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
2015
MATTEO SCAMMELL, The Hairy Ape, EgoPo Classic Theatre, Philadelphia
ZAINAB JAH, Hamlet, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
JAKE BLOUCH, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Theatre Exile and Unnecessary Farce, Act II Playhouse, Ambler, Pa.
MARIEKE HEEBINK, After the Rehearsal and Persona, Toneelgroep Amsterdam, Fringe Arts, Philadelphia
WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? By Edward Albee, Theatre Exile, Philadelphia
JOE CANUSO, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Theatre Exile, Philadelphia
2016
PETER DeLAURIER, The Iliad, Lantern Theater, Philadelphia
KITTSON O’NEILL, Grounded, InterAct Theatre, Philadelphia and Or, Hedgerow Theatre, Rose Valley, Pa.
LUKE BRAHDT, 1776, Media Theatre, Media, Pa.
LORI TANN CHINN, South Pacific, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
DISGRACED by Ayad Akhtar, McCarter Theatre Company, Princeton, N.J.
SAMANTHA READING, Richard III, People’s Light & Theatre Company, Malvern, Pa.
2017
AKEEM DAVIS, Marcus/Emma, InterAct Theatre, Philadelphia; Buzzer, Theater Exile, Philadelphia: and Shitheads, Azuka Theatre, Philadelphia
LESLI MARGHERITA, Guys and Dolls, Bucks County Playhouse, New Hope, Pa.
JOSEPH GAINES, Elizabeth Cree, Opera Philadelphia, Philadelphia
SULI HOLUM, Cabaret, Arden Theatre, Philadelphia; Company, 11th Hour Productions, Philadelphia; and Happy Birthday, 1812 Productions, Philadelphia
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, Bristol Riverside Theatre, Bristol, Pa.
KEITH BAKER, Jesus Christ Superstar, Bristol Riverside Theatre
2018
DANNY RUTIGLIANO, The Producers, Bristol Riverside Theatre, Bristol Pa.
KRISSY FRAELICH, Next to Normal, Media Theatre, Media, Pa.
GREG WOOD, Twelfth Night, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Center Valley, Pa., The Humans, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia and Noises Off, Walnut Street Theatre
REBECCA ROBBINS, The Triumph of Love, Bristol Riverside Theatre, Bristol, Pa.
PASSING STRANGE by Stew and Heidi Rodewald, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
TEA ALAGIC, Passing Strange, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
2019
WALTER BRIGGS, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, McCarter Theatre, Princeton, N.J.
CORDELIA DEWDNEY, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, McCarter Theatre, Princeton, N.J.
ALLEN LEWIS RICKMAN, The Sunshine Boys, Bristol Riverside Theatre, Bristol, Pa..
ZUHAIRAH, Dot, People’s Light & Theatre Company, Malvern, Pa. and Gem of the Ocean, Arden Theatre, Philadelphia
MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKENSTEIN, Lookingglass Theatre at McCarter Theatre, Princeton, N.J.
DAVID CATLIN, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, McCarter Theatre, Princeton, N.J.
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