The San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle is pleased to announce the nominees for for their 47th Excellence in Theatre Awards for 2023.
Productions that opened between January 1 and December 31, 2023 that were attended by a minimum of three SFBATCC members were eligible for nomination.
A minimum of two qualified nominees were required to activate a category.
Every effort has been made to ensure proper name spelling and production attribution.
Should an edit need to be made, send a correction to harry.duke@criticscircle.org
PLEASE include the nomination category and house size with the requested edit/correction.
| Choreography | ||
| in a house with fewer than 100 seats | ||
| Allison Rae Baker | Stones in His Pockets | Spreckels Theatre Company |
| Katherine Cooper | The People vs. Mona | Masquers Playhouse |
| Sara K. Dean & Lysander Abadia | Elf | Los Altos Stage Company |
| Marilyn Izdebski | The Addams Family - A New Musical Comedy | Novato Theater Company |
| in a house with 100 to 300 seats | ||
| Christopher Childers | The Producers | Hillbarn Theatre |
| Nicole Helfer | A Chorus Line | San Francisco Playhouse |
| Nicole Helfer | Guys and Dolls | San Francisco Playhouse |
| Robyn Tribuzi | Anything Goes | 42nd Street Moon |
| Leslie Waggoner | Assassins | Hillbarn Theatre |
| in a house with more than 300 seats | ||
| Camille A. Brown | Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical | American Conservatory Theater |
| Emily Cornelius, Karen Miles, Ensemble | Tuck Everlasting | Spreckels Theatre Company |
| Jill Jacobs | Spring Awakening | Ray of Light |
| Lee Ann Payne | The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee | TheatreWorks Silicon Valley |
| Sam Pinkleton | The Wizard of Oz | American Conservatory Theater |
| Costume Design | ||
| in a house with fewer than 100 seats | ||
| Tammy Berlin | Mondragola | Central Works |
| Jody Branham | Shakespeare in Love | Novato Theater Company |
| Adriana Gutierrez | Pride and Prejudice - the Musical | Ross Valley Players |
| Mara Plankers Norleen | The People vs. Mona | Masquers Playhouse |
| Tracy Bell Redig | The Addams Family - A New Musical Comedy | Novato Theater Company |
| in a house with 100 to 300 seats | ||
| Ulises Alcala | Crowns | Center REP |
| Brooke Jennings | Merrily We Roll Along | 42nd Street Moon |
| Brooke Jennings | Hurricane Diane | Aurora Theatre Company |
| Y. Sharon Peng | The Producers | Hillbarn Theatre |
| Jasmine Milan Williams | Nollywood Dreams | San Francisco Playhouse |
| in a house with more than 300 seats | ||
| Dede Ayite | Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical | American Conservatory Theater |
| Cathleen Edwards | Mrs. Christie | TheatreWorks Silicon Valley |
| Courtney Flores-Kerrigan | The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee | TheatreWorks Silicon Valley |
| Amie Schow | Into the Woods | The Mountain Play |
| David Zinn | The Wizard of Oz | American Conservatory Theater |
| Lighting Design | ||
| in a house with fewer than 100 seats | ||
| Gary Graves | Mondragola | Central Works |
| Kurt Landisman | The Road to Mecca | Weathervane Productions/Z Below |
| Kevin Myrick | Mahābhārata | Oakland Theater Project/Z Space |
| Michele Samuels | The Glass Menagerie | Ross Valley Players |
| Frank Sarubbi | Native Gardens | Ross Valley Players |
| in a house with 100 to 300 seats | ||
| Pamila Z. Grey | The Producers | Hillbarn Theatre |
| Wen-Ling Liao | Chinglish | San Francisco Playhouse |
| Kevin Myrick | Nollywood Dreams | San Francisco Playhouse |
| Maurice Vercoutere | Satchmo at the Waldorf | San Jose Stage Company |
| Yi Zhao | Poor Yella Rednecks: Vietgone 2 | American Conservatory Theater |
| in a house with more than 300 seats | ||
| Stacey Derosier | The Wizard of Oz | American Conservatory Theater |
| Pamila Z. Gray | A Distinct Society | TheatreWorks Silicon Valley |
| Wen-Ling Liao | The Headlands | American Conservatory Theater |
| Jen Schriever | Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical | American Conservatory Theater |
| Chahine Yavroyan | Let the Right One In | Berkeley Repertory Theatre |
| Set Design | ||
| in a house with fewer than 100 seats | ||
| Carlos Aceves | Gary: A Sequel To Titus Andronicus | Oakland Theater Project |
| Erik Flatmo | The Road to Mecca | Weathervane Productions/Z Below |
| John Hull | The People vs. Mona | Masquers Playhouse |
| Malcolm Rodgers | Native Gardens | Ross Valley Players |
| Louis Stone-Collonge | Noises Off | Pear Theater |
| in a house with 100 to 300 seats | ||
| Kevin Davies | The Producers | Hillbarn Theatre |
| Bill English | Nollywood Dreams | San Francisco Playhouse |
| Christopher Fitzer | Assassins | Hillbarn Theatre |
| Heather Kenyon | Guys and Dolls | San Francisco Playhouse |
| Tanya Orellana | Cashed Out | San Francisco Playhouse |
| in a house with more than 300 seats | ||
| Wilson Chin | Clyde's | Berkeley Repertory Theatre |
| Alexander V. Nichols | The Headlands | American Conservatory Theater |
| Jason Sherwood | Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical | American Conservatory Theater |
| Jo Winiarski | A Distinct Society | TheatreWorks Silicon Valley/Pioneer Theatre |
| David Zinn | The Wizard of Oz | American Conservatory Theater |
| Sound Design | ||
| in a house with fewer than 100 seats | ||
| Ray Archie | Gary: A Sequel To Titus Andronicus | Oakland Theater Project |
| Billie Cox | The Glass Menagerie | Ross Valley Players |
| Gregory Sharpen | Mondragola | Central Works |
| Ken Sonkin | Open | Main Stage West |
| Ian Walker | The Umbrella Play | Multi-Ethnic Theatre |
| in a house with 100 to 300 seats | ||
| Jules Indelicato | Assassins | Hillbarn Theatre |
| Lana Palmer | Hurricane Diane | Aurora Theatre Company |
| George Psarras | Blithe Spirit | City Lights Theater Company |
| Sheraj Ragoobeer | The Producers | Hillbarn Theatre |
| Steve Schoenbeck | Grand Horizons | San Jose Stage Company |
| in a house with more than 300 seats | ||
| Jonathan Deans | Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical | American Conservatory Theater |
| Gareth Fry | Let the Right One In | Berkeley Repertory Theatre |
| Palmer Hefferan | POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass… | Berkeley Repertory Theatre |
| Ursula Kwong-Brown and Danny Erdberg | The Wizard of Oz | American Conservatory Theater |
| Gregory Robinson | Fannie: The Music & Life of Fannie Lou Hamer | TheatreWorks Silicon Valley |
| Projection Design | ||
| Spense Matubang | Chinglish | San Francisco Playhouse |
| Sarah Phykitt | Nollywood Dreams | San Francisco Playhouse |
| Alexander V. Nichols | The Headlands | American Conservatory Theater |
| Aaron Rhyne | Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical | American Conservatory Theater |
| Chris Schloemp | Tuck Everlasting | Spreckels Theatre Company |
| Specialties | ||
| Jeremy Chernick - Special Effects | Let the Right One In | Berkeley Repertory Theatre |
| Edris Cooper-Anifowoshe - Dialect Coach | Nollywood Dreams | San Francisco Playhouse |
| Megan Ellis - Hair/Wig/Makeup Design | Clyde's | Berkeley Repertory Theatre |
| James Ortiz - Puppet Design/Direction | Poor Yella Rednecks: Vietgone 2 | American Conservatory Theater |
| Amanda Villalobos - Puppet Design | The Wizard of Oz | American Conservatory Theater |
| Original Script | ||
| Luis Alfaro | The Travelers | Magic Theatre/Campo Santo |
| Kareem Fahmy | A Distinct Society | TheatreWorks Silicon Valley/Pioneer Theatre |
| Claude Jackson, Jr. | Cashed Out | San Francisco Playhouse |
| Dominique Morisseau | Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical | American Conservatory Theater |
| Marc Anthony Thompson | The Ni¿¿er Lovers | Magic Theatre |
| Original Music | ||
| Masi Asare | Odyssey | Marin Theatre Company |
| Sebastian Gutierrez | Yerma | Shotgun Players |
| Min Kahng | Cymbeline | San Francisco Shakespeare |
| Marc Anthony Thompson | The Ni¿¿er Lovers | Magic Theatre |
| David Warner | Twelfth Night | Marin Shakespeare Company |
| Music Direction | ||
| in a house with fewer than 100 seats | ||
| Rita Abrams, Jack Prendergast | Pride and Prejudice - the Musical | Ross Valley Players |
| Enrico Banson | The People vs. Mona | Masquers Playhouse |
| Justin Pyne | The Great American Trailer Park Musical | Lucky Penny Productions |
| Judy Wiesen | The Addams Family - A New Musical Comedy | Novato Theater Company |
| in a house with 100 to 300 seats | ||
| Jad Bernardo | Assassins | Hillbarn Theatre |
| Dave Dobrusky | A Chorus Line | San Francisco Playhouse |
| Tania Johnson | Merrily We Roll Along | 42nd Street Moon |
| Carl Pantle | Kinky Boots the Musical | 142 Throckmorton |
| Rick Reynolds | The Producers | Hillbarn Theatre |
| in a house with more than 300 seats | ||
| Daniel Alley | Into the Woods | The Mountain Play |
| Sean Kana | Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical | American Conservatory Theater |
| Amanda Ku | Matilda the Musical | Palo Alto Players |
| William Liberatore | The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee | TheatreWorks Silicon Valley |
| David Möschler | The Wizard of Oz | American Conservatory Theater |
| Stage Direction | ||
| in a house with fewer than 100 seats | ||
| David Abrams | The Glass Menagerie | Ross Valley Players |
| Enrico Banson | The People vs. Mona | Masquers Playhouse |
| Marilyn Izdebski | The Addams Family - A New Musical Comedy | Novato Theater Company |
| Sheri Lee Miller | Stones in His Pockets | Spreckels Theatre Company |
| Timothy Near | The Road to Mecca | Weathervane Productions/Z Below |
| in a house with 100 to 300 seats | ||
| Catherine Castellanos | The Travelers | Magic Theatre/Campo Santo |
| Jaime Castaneda | Poor Yella Rednecks: Vietgone 2 | American Conservatory Theater |
| Bill English | A Chorus Line | San Francisco Playhouse |
| Margo Hall | Nollywood Dreams | San Francisco Playhouse |
| Erica Wyman-Abrahamson | The Producers | Hillbarn Theatre |
| in a house with more than 300 seats | ||
| Kamilah Forbes | Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical | American Conservatory Theater |
| Pam MacKinnon | The Headlands | American Conservatory Theater |
| Sam Pinkleton | The Wizard of Oz | American Conservatory Theater |
| Taylor Reynolds | Clyde's | Berkeley Repertory Theatre |
| Giovanna Sardelli | A Distinct Society | TheatreWorks Silicon Valley/Pioneer Theatre |
| Solo | ||
| L. Peter Callender | Satchmo at the Waldorf | San Jose Stage Company |
| Satya Chávez | Where Did We Sit on the Bus? | Marin Theatre Company |
| Josh Kornbluth | Citizen Brain | The Marsh |
| Sara Porkalob | Dragon Lady | Marin Theatre Company |
| Ari’el Stachel | Out of Character | Berkeley Repertory Theatre |
| Ensemble | ||
| Comedy | ||
| Chinglish | San Francisco Playhouse | |
| Clyde's | Berkeley Repertory Theatre | |
| Nollywood Dreams | San Francisco Playhouse | |
| Poor Yella Rednecks: Vietgone 2 | American Conservatory Theater | |
| Twelfth Night | Marin Shakespeare Company | |
| Drama | ||
| Born with Teeth | Aurora Theatre Company | |
| Bulrusher | Berkeley Repertory Theatre | |
| Dinner with Friends | Sonoma Arts Live | |
| Paradise Blue | Aurora Theatre Company | |
| The Travelers | Magic Theatre/Campo Santo | |
| Musical | ||
| Assassins | Hillbarn Theatre | |
| A Chorus Line | San Francisco Playhouse | |
| Guys and Dolls | San Francisco Playhouse | |
| The Producers | Hillbarn Theatre | |
| The Wizard of Oz | American Conservatory Theater | |
| Featured Performance - Comedy | ||
| in a house with fewer than 100 seats | ||
| Ken Boswell | Noises Off | Pear Theater |
| Thomas Gough | Picasso at the Lapin Agile | Los Altos Stage Company |
| Steve Ortiz | Mondragola | Central Works |
| Brandon Silberstein | Noises Off | Pear Theater |
| in a house with 100 to 300 seats | ||
| Tanika Baptiste | Nollywood Dreams | San Francisco Playhouse |
| Judith Miller | Grand Horizons | San Jose Stage Company |
| Sharon Shao | Chinglish | San Francisco Playhouse |
| Jomar Tagatac | Poor Yella Rednecks: Vietgone 2 | American Conservatory Theater |
| Ted Zoldan | Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery | Hillbarn Theatre |
| in a house with more than 300 seats | ||
| Wesley Guimarães | Clyde's | Berkeley Repertory Theatre |
| Steve Price | Twelfth Night | Marin Shakespeare Company |
| Harold Surratt | Clyde's | Berkeley Repertory Theatre |
| Featured Performance - Drama | ||
| in a house with fewer than 100 seats | ||
| LC Arisman | Silent Sky | Lucky Penny Productions |
| Ixtlán | Citizen | Word for Word/Z Space |
| Jesse Lumb | The Glass Menagerie | Ross Valley Players |
| Anthony Rollins-Mullins | Is God Is | Oakland Theater Project |
| Victor Talmadge | The Road to Mecca | Weathervane Productions/Z Below |
| in a house with 100 to 300 seats | ||
| Linda Amayo-Hassan | Yerma | Shotgun Players |
| David Bryant | 1984 | Aurora Theatre Company |
| Ron Campbell | Cyrano | Aurora Theatre Company |
| Judith Miller | Othello | San Jose Stage Company |
| Kenny Scott | Paradise Blue | Aurora Theatre Company |
| in a house with more than 300 seats | ||
| Lucinda Hitchcock Cone | Mrs. Christie | TheatreWorks Silicon Valley |
| William Thomas Hodgson | Mrs. Christie | TheatreWorks Silicon Valley |
| Rob Kellogg | Bulrusher | Berkeley Repertory Theatre |
| Charles Shaw Robinson | The Headlands | American Conservatory Theater |
| Jomar Tagatac | The Headlands | American Conservatory Theater |
| Featured Performance - Musical | ||
| in a house with fewer than 100 seats | ||
| Steve Alesch | The People vs. Mona | Masquers Playhouse |
| Harrison Alter | The People vs. Mona | Masquers Playhouse |
| Julianne Bradbury | The Great American Trailer Park Musical | Lucky Penny Productions |
| Kamaria McKinney | The People vs. Mona | Masquers Playhouse |
| Kayla Gold | The Addams Family - A New Musical Comedy | Novato Theater Company |
| in a house with 100 to 300 seats | ||
| Benjamin Ball | Assassins | Hillbarn Theatre |
| Christine Capsuto-Shulman | Merrily We Roll Along | 42nd Street Moon |
| Chachi Delgado | A Chorus Line | San Francisco Playhouse |
| Heather Orth | Anything Goes | 42nd Street Moon |
| Keith Pinto | The Producers | Hillbarn Theatre |
| in a house with more than 300 seats | ||
| El Beh | The Wizard of Oz | American Conservatory Theater |
| Sidney DuPont | Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical | American Conservatory Theater |
| Darryl V. Jones | The Wizard of Oz | American Conservatory Theater |
| Cathleen Ridley | The Wizard of Oz | American Conservatory Theater |
| Chase Thompson | Tuck Everlasting | Spreckels Theatre Company |
| Principal Performance - Comedy | ||
| in a house with fewer than 100 seats | ||
| Ellen Brooks | Native Gardens | Ross Valley Players |
| Janelly Calmell | Native Gardens | Ross Valley Players |
| Sam Coughlin | Stones in His Pockets | Spreckels Theatre Company |
| Jimmy Gagarin | Stones in His Pockets | Spreckels Theatre Company |
| Steve Price | Native Gardens | Ross Valley Players |
| in a house with 100 to 300 seats | ||
| Angel Adedokun | Nollywood Dreams | San Francisco Playhouse |
| Michael Barrett Austin | Chinglish | San Francisco Playhouse |
| Lucinda Hitchcock Cone | Grand Horizons | San Jose Stage Company |
| Jenny Nguyen Nelson | Poor Yella Rednecks: Vietgone 2 | American Conservatory Theater |
| Nicole Tung | Chinglish | San Francisco Playhouse |
| in a house with more than 300 seats | ||
| Cyndii Johnson | Clyde's | Berkeley Repertory Theatre |
| Charisse Loriaux | Twelfth Night | Marin Shakespeare Company |
|
Louis
Reyes McWilliams
|
Clyde's
|
Berkeley Repertory Theatre |
| April Nixon | Clyde's | Berkeley Repertory Theatre |
| Jasmine Milan Williams | Steel Magnolias | TheatreWorks Silicon Valley |
| Principal Performance - Drama | ||
| in a house with fewer than 100 seats | ||
| Tamar Cohn | The Glass Menagerie | Ross Valley Players |
| Devin A. Cunningham | we are continuous | New Conservatory Theatre Center |
| Wendy vanden Heuvel | The Road to Mecca | Weathervane Productions/Z Below |
| Sierra Marcks | The Dignity Circle | Central Works |
| Charles Shaw Robinson | Poetic Justice | The Marsh |
| in a house with 100 to 300 seats | ||
| Aldo Billingslea | Othello | San Jose Stage Company |
| Dean Linnard | Born with Teeth | Aurora Theatre Company |
| Brady Morales-Woolery | Born with Teeth | Aurora Theatre Company |
| Regina Morones | Yerma | Shotgun Players |
| Anna Marie Sharpe | Paradise Blue | Aurora Theatre Company |
| in a house with more than 300 seats | ||
| Daniel Allitt | A Distinct Society | TheatreWorks Silicon Valley |
| Noah Lamanna | Let the Right One In | Berkeley Repertory Theatre |
| Diego Lucano | Let the Right One In | Berkeley Repertory Theatre |
| Carrie Paff | A Distinct Society | TheatreWorks Silicon Valley |
| Phil Wong | The Headlands | American Conservatory Theater |
| Principal Performance - Musical | ||
| in a house with fewer than 100 seats | ||
| Nelson Brown | The People vs. Mona | Masquers Playhouse |
| HarriettePearl Fugitt | The Addams Family - A New Musical Comedy | Novato Theater Company |
| Shay Oglesby-Smith | The People vs. Mona | Masquers Playhouse |
| Jill Wagoner | Pride and Prejudice, the Musical | Ross Valley Players |
| Bruce Vieira | The Addams Family - A New Musical Comedy | Novato Theater Company |
| in a house with 100 to 300 seats | ||
| Andre Amarotico | Assassins | Hillbarn Theatre |
| David Toshiro Crane | Guys and Dolls | San Francisco Playhouse |
| Edward Hightower | The Producers | Hillbarn Theatre |
| James M. Jones | The Producers | Hillbarn Theatre |
| Jenny Veilleux | Guys and Dolls | Sonoma Arts Live |
| in a house with more than 300 seats | ||
| Molly Bell | The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee | TheatreWorks Silicon Valley |
| Quentin Earl Darrington | Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical | American Conservatory Theater |
| Molly Belle Hart | Tuck Everlasting | Spreckels Theatre Company |
| Amber Iman | Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical | American Conservatory Theater |
| Chanel Tilghman | The Wizard of Oz | American Conservatory Theater |
| Entire Production - EB | ||
| in a house with fewer than 100 seats | ||
| Citizen Brain | The Marsh | |
| The Dignity Circle | Central Works | |
| Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus | Oakland Theater Project | |
| Is God Is | Oakland Theater Project | |
| The People vs. Mona | Masquers Playhouse | |
| in a house with 100 to 300 seats | ||
| Born with Teeth | Aurora Theatre Company | |
| Hurricane Diane | Aurora Theatre Company | |
| Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley | Altarena Playhouse | |
| Paradise Blue | Aurora Theatre Company | |
| The Triumph of Love | Shotgun Players | |
| in a house with more than 300 seats | ||
| Bulrusher | Berkeley Repertory Theatre | |
| Clyde's | Berkeley Repertory Theatre | |
| Let the Right One In | Berkeley Repertory Theatre | |
| Out of Character | Berkeley Repertory Theatre | |
| POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass… | Berkeley Repertory Theatre | |
| Entire Production - NB | ||
| in a house with fewer than 100 seats | ||
| The Addams Family - A New Musical Comedy | Novato Theater Company | |
| The Glass Menagerie | Ross Valley Players | |
| It's a Wonderful Life - A Live Radio Play | Ross Valley Players | |
| Native Gardens | Ross Valley Players | |
| Stones in His Pockets | Spreckels Theatre Company | |
| in a house with 100 to 300 seats | ||
| Dragon Lady | Marin Theatre Company | |
| Kinky Boots the Musical | 142 Throckmorton | |
| Side by Side by Sondheim | Sonoma Arts Live | |
| Something Rotten! | 6th Street Playhouse | |
| Where Did We Sit on the Bus? | Marin Theatre Company | |
| in a house with more than 300 seats | ||
| The Beat Goes On | Transcendence Theatre Company | |
| Into the Woods | The Mountain Play | |
| A Little Night Music | Spreckels Theatre Company | |
| Tuck Everlasting | Spreckels Theatre Company | |
| Twelfth Night | Marin Shakespeare Company | |
| Entire Production - SF | ||
| in a house with fewer than 100 seats | ||
| Citizen | Word for Word | |
| Poetic Justice | The Marsh | |
| The Road to Mecca | Weathervane Productions/Z Below | |
| we are continuous | New Conservatory Theatre Center | |
| in a house with 100 to 300 seats | ||
| A Chorus Line | San Francisco Playhouse | |
| Chinglish | San Francisco Playhouse | |
| Nollywood Dreams | San Francisco Playhouse | |
| Poor Yella Rednecks: Vietgone 2 | American Conservatory Theater | |
| The Travelers | Magic Theatre | |
| in a house with more than 300 seats | ||
| The Headlands | American Conservatory Theater | |
| Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical | American Conservatory Theater | |
| The Wizard of Oz | American Conservatory Theater | |
| Entire Production - SP | ||
| in a house with 100 to 300 seats | ||
| Assassins | Hillbarn Theatre | |
| Blithe Spirit | City Lights Theater Company | |
| Grand Horizons | San Jose Stage Company | |
| Kinky Boots | City Lights Theater Company | |
| The Producers | Hillbarn Theatre | |
| in a house with more than 300 seats | ||
| A Distinct Society | TheatreWorks Silicon Valley | |
| Fannie: The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer | TheatreWorks Silicon Valley | |
| The Play That Goes Wrong | Palo Alto Players | |
| Steel Magnolias | TheatreWorks Silicon Valley | |
| The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee | TheatreWorks Silicon Valley |
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