2016 Philadelphia Theater Critic’s Awards — The Nominees
Award time, and the choosing ain’t easy.
Philadelphia actors have become world-class, and excellent, detailed, assured, individualized performances have become the rule. Some performers stun by expanding what looks like a solid technique and role range. Others have breakthroughs of the kind Emilie Krause did in “Funnyman” and Rachel Brodeur did in “Dublin by Lamplight.”
Whether new facets are seen or not, quality is the rule, and that goes for the general level of productions as well. Of the 176 productions seen, more than two thirds could be watched again with pleasure. Nothing appeared this year that embarrassed or made one wonder where a producer’s head was.
Ranking is always a perilous business. How does one distinguish one nuanced performance or production from another? The results are certainly subjective. They are also much-considered as the final five in each category is determined and selected. To give wider perspective, a list of the “Top 40” will accompany the imminent announcement of the recipients.
The nominees for the 2016 Philadelphia Theater Critic’s Awards are:
BEST PRODUCTION
COLD MOUNTAIN, Opera Philadelphia, Philadelphia
DISGRACED, McCarter Theatre, Princeton, N.J.
AN ILIAD, Lantern Theater, Philadelphia
THE PIANO LESSON, McCarter Theatre, Princeton, N.J.
RICHARD III, People’s Light & Theatre Company, Malvern, Pa.
BEST DIRECTOR
LEONARD FOGLIA, Cold Mountain, Opera Philadelphia, Philadelphia
M. CRAIG GETTING, An Iliad, Lantern Theater, Philadelphia
ADAM IMMERWAHR, The Mousetrap, McCarter Theatre, Princeton, N.J.
MARCELA LORCA, Disgraced, McCarter Theatre, Princeton, N.J.
SAMANTHA READING, Richard III, People’s Light & Theatre Company, Malvern, Pa.
BEST ACTOR
PETER DeLAURIER, An Iliad, Lantern Theater, Philadelphia
MABOUD EBRAHIMZADEH, Disgraced, McCarter Theatre, Princeton, N.J. and An Invisible Hand, Theater Exile, Philadelphia
JAMES IJAMES, An Octoroon, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
JARRETT OTT, Cold Mountain, Opera Philadelphia
MATTEO SCAMMELL, The Legend of Georgia McBride, Arden Theatre, Philadelphia
BEST ACTRESS
CARLA BELVER, Driving Miss Daisy, Act II Playhouse, Ambler, Pa.
JANIS DARDARIS, Mother Courage and Her Children, Quintessence Theatre Group, Philadelphia
KIERA DUFFY, Breaking the Waves, Opera Philadelphia, Philadelphia
KITTSON O’NEILL, Grounded, InterAct Theatre, Philadelphia and Or, Hedgerow Theatre, Rose Valley, Pa.
PATRICIA RICHARDSON, Steel Magnolias, Bucks County Playhouse, New Hope, Pa.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
JAKE BLOUCH, See What I Wanna See, 11th Hour, Philadelphia, and Mauritius, Act II Playhouse, Ambler, Pa.
LUKE BRAHDT, 1776, Media Theatre, Media, Pa.
JOHN EARL JELKS, The Piano Lesson, McCarter Theatre, Princeton, N.J.
ANTHONY LAWTON, The Carols, 1812 Productions, Philadelphia
CHRISTOPHER PATRICK MULLEN, Richard III, People’s Light & Theatre Company, Malvern, Pa.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
LORI TAN CHINN, South Pacific, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
JOYCE EL-KHOURY, Turandot, Opera Philadelphia, Philadelphia
EVE GIGLIOTTI, Breaking the Waves, Opera Philadelphia, Philadelphia
CAMPBELL O’HARE, An Octoroon, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia, and Mauritius, Act II Playhouse, Ambler, Pa.
SUSAN SULLIVAN, Steel Magnolias, Bucks County Playhouse, New Hope, Pa.
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