CT Critics 32nd Awards Ceremony Winners Announced

By Nancy Sasso Janis

It was an innovative production of Arthur Miller’s “A View From the Bridge” at Long Wharf Theatre and a high-spirited production of “Summer Stock” at Goodspeed Musicals that took top honors at the 32nd annual Connecticut Critics Circle Awards held on June 24.

The event, which celebrated the work from the state’s professional theaters during the 2023–2024 season, was held at the Iseman Theater, part of Yale Repertory Theatre, in downtown New Haven.

As explained in the program for the evening, the purpose of the Awards Program is “to honor the actors, directors, designers, and others who make professional theater in Connecticut so outstanding. The evening is the one time of the year when artists from Connecticut theater, as well as audiences, can gather to celebrate the varied theatrical productions from around the state.”

For the past season, the awards were spread out to many productions throughout the state, with Goodspeed Musicals’ “Summer Stock” and “Private Jones” earning the most honors.

This year I was asked to serve as a presenter at the Awards ceremony. I told the nominees and the theater-lovers who attended the Awards that, as a true theater geek, it was my honor to announce the winners of the technical categories. Kurt Alger came up to accept his award for Outstanding Costume Design for “Kinky Boots” at ACT of CT, Outstanding Lighting design went to Rob Denton for “Lizzie” at TheaterWorks Hartford, and Outstanding Set Design was awarded to You-Shin Chen for “A View from the Bridge” produced by Long Wharf Theatre.

Outstanding Sound Design was awarded to Jay Hilton for Goodspeed Musicals’ production of “Private Jones” and Outstanding Projections went to Hana S. Kim for “The Far Country” at Yale Repertory Theatre.

David Shih (pronounced “Shee”) gratefully accepted his award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play in Yale Repertory Theatre’s “The Far Country” and Outstanding Featured Actress was awarded to Anne Scurria for the Hartford Stage production of “Pride and Prejudice.”

The Outstanding Featured Actress award in a musical was gratefully accepted by LaDonna Burns for her work in Music Theatre of Connecticut’s production of “Ghost.” Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical honors went to Nickolaus Colón for A Contemporary Theatre’s “Kinky Boots.”
Awards for Outstanding Actor and Actress in a Play were awarded to Michael Gatson and Marsha Mason for Hartford Stage’s production of Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons.”

The award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical went to Andrea Fleming for Ivoryton Playhouse’s “The Color Purple” and Outstanding Actor in a Musical was earned by Corbin Bleu for his work in “Summer Stock” at Goodspeed Musicals.

The Goodspeed production of “Private Jones” received Best Director of a Musical for Marshall Pailet and the Long Wharf Theatre’s staging of “A View From the Bridge” earned the award for Best Director of a Play to James Dean Palmer.

The Outstanding Ensemble award went to the cast of Theaterworks Hartford’s “Clyde’s,” which included Ayanna Bria Bakari, Michael Chenevert, Samuel María Gómez, David T. Patterson, and Latonia Phipps.

The award for Outstanding Choreography went to Donna Feore for “Summer Stock” at Goodspeed Musicals.

The award for Outstanding Play went to Long Wharf’s “A View From the Bridge” and Outstanding Musical was awarded to “Summer Stock” at Goodspeed.

During the Awards ceremony, Jacques Lamarre was honored with the Tom Killen Award for lifetime service to the theater. He was introduced with plenty of humor by longtime Connecticut Critics Circle member Frank Rizzo.

A long-time Connecticut arts supporter, Lamarre has worked with many of the top theater companies in the state. He is a renowned playwright and marketing specialist who focuses on arts and culture. He currently is the Chief Creative Officer for BuzzEngine and serves on the board of Connecticut Humanities and The Hartt School at the University of Hartford.

Also helping to present the awards were my Connecticut Critics Circle colleagues Karen Isaacs and Tim Leininger.

Dr. Stuart Brown, the organization’s president, expressed his thanks to those who attended the ceremony and the members of the Yale Repertory Theatre who were instrumental in making the evening happen.

The Connecticut Critics Circle (ctcritics.org) was founded in 1990 and currently has 17 members and two mentor program participants. The statewide organization is comprised of reviewers, writers, and broadcasters that cover the professional theaters throughout the entire state.

Links to current reviews written by members of the Connecticut Critics Circle are posted at ctcritics.org and on the Facebook page facebook.com/ctcriticscircle/.

Connecticut Critics Circle member Karen Isaacs presenting awards at the annual 32nd Annual CCC Awards Ceremony. Photo by Meredith Longo.