SPECIAL AWARD WINNERS
In addition to the 60+ performance award categories for excellence in Bay Area productions, the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle also presents four Special
Awards.
These are our prior award winners:
The Paine Knickerbocker Award is named for the former theatre critic of The San Francisco Chronicle and presented to an organization that has made a continuing contribution
to Bay Area theatre.
(1978 to Present)
1978 Edwin Lester, Founder, San Francisco Civic Light Opera
1979 Julius Irving, Co-founder, The Actor's Workshop
1980 Lamplighters Musical Theatre
1981 Cyril Magnin, Philanthropist
1982 Nora B. Vaughn, Executive Director, Black Repertory Group
1983 Michael Leibert, Founder and Artistic Director, Berkeley Repertory Theatre
1984 Steve Silver, Creator of Beach Blanket Babylon
1985 Marrian Walters, Actor
1986 William Paterson, Actor
1987 Edward Hastings, Artistic Director, American Conservatory Theater
1988 Charles H. Duggan, Actor
1990 Jonathan Reinis, Producer
1991 Carole Shorenstein Hays, Producer
1992 William Ball, Founder, American Conservatory Theater (awarded posthumously)
1993 Jean Shelton, Founder, Jean Shelton Actors Lab
1994 San Francisco Performing Arts Library and Museum
1995 Berkeley Repertory Theatre & TheatreWorks for community outreach programs
1996 California Shakespeare Company & San Jose Repertory Theatre for community outreach programs
1997 Sharon Ott, Artistic Director, Berkeley Repertory Theatre
1998 Theatre Bay Area
1999 Z Space Studio
2000 John Lion, founder of the Magic Theatre (awarded posthumously)
2001 Theatre Bay Area's Mary Mason Lemonade Fund
2002 Eugene Price, SFBATCC and Mayor Shirley Dean & City of Berkeley
2003 Robert Kelley, TheatreWorks
2004 A.C.T.'s Young Conservatory
2005 Jo Schuman Silver, Beach Blanket Babylon's 30th anniversary
2006 Lee Sankowich
2007 New Conservatory Theatre Center and A Traveling Jewish Theatre
2008 Lorraine Hansberry Theatre
2009 Robert Cole, Cal Performances (20 years)
2010 PlayGround
2011 Central Works
2013 Exit Theatre
2014 The African-American Shakespeare Company
2015 Pear Avenue Theatre
2016 Custom Made Theatre Company
2017 Ray of Light Theatre
2018 San Jose Stage Company
2019 Shotgun Players
2020 Carla Befera & Co.
2021 No Award given
2022 No Award given
2023 The Playwrights' Center of San Francisco
2024 No Award given
***
The Jerry Friedman Award is named for the KGO Radio theatre critic who served as SFBATCC president for 22 years. This is a lifetime achievement award given to an individual who has
furthered the creativity and growth of theater in the Bay Area throughout his/her career. (This award was known as the Barbara Bladen Porter award through 2010.)
(1996 to Present)
1996 Barbara Oliver, Actor and Director
1997 Joy Carlin, Actor and Director
1998 John B. Wilson, Set Designer
1999 Berle Davis, Choreographer
2000 Ken Ruta, Actor
2001 Beaver Bauer, Costume Designer
2002 Patrick Dooley, Artistic Director, Actor and Director with Shotgun Players
2003 Charles Dean, Actor
2004 Liebe Wetzel, Artistic Director, Lunatique Fantastique, found objects puppetry
2005 Fumiko Bielefeldt, Costume Designer
2006 Carla Befera, Publicist
2007 Kim Taylor, Publicist
2008 James Carpenter
2009 Dan Hiatt
2010 Octavio Solis
2011 Jerry Friedman
2012 James Dunn
2013 James Carpenter, Actor
2014 Elly Lichenstein, Cinnabar Theater
2015 Margie Belrose, Belrose Theatre
2016 Robert and Lesley Currier
2017 Robert Kelley
2018 Margo Hall
2019 Meredith Hagedorn
2020 Carl Jordan
2021 No Award given.
2022 No Award given
2023 Ed Decker
2024 No Award given
***
The Gene Price Award is named for the former arts editor and long-time theatre critic of the San Francisco Bay Times and honors a person who embodies
superlative professionalism and passion for Bay Area theatre.
(1977 to Present)
1977 Paine Knickerbocker, Theatre Critic;
Beach Blanket Babylon Goes Bananas, Bullshot Crummond, and Evolution of the Blues for contributions to Bay Area
theater.
1978 Fred Geick, House Manager, Geary Theater; Ina Claire, Actor
1979 San Francisco Mime Troupe
1980 Gene Angell, Architect for the new Berkeley Repertory Theatre
1981 Richard Reineccius, Artistic Director, Julian Theatre
1982 None awarded
1983 Russell Hartley, Founder, Archives of the Performing Arts (awarded posthumously);
Playwrights Unlimited for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival
1984 College of Marin Drama Department; Theater Rhinoceros for The AIDS Show
1985 Danny Glover, Actor; One Act Theater Company
1986 Stephen Fritsch-Rudser, Performance Signer for the Deaf
1987 Berkeley Repertory Theatre, for its marking of the Eugene O'Neill Centennial; Hanns Kolmar, Publicist
1988 Tale Spinners Theatre: The Oral History Project; Don Johnson & Gary Menger, In Memory of Friends
1990 Val Diamond, Actor; Joegh Bullock, Founder, Climate Theater
1991 The Ensemble Theatre Company; The Mountain Play Association
1992 Jim & Harriet Schlader, Producers, Woodminster Summer Musicals; Stephanie Weisman, AD The Marsh
1993 James Haire, Stage Manager, A. C. T.; Ken Holamon, Scenic Designer (awarded posthumously)
1994 Genevieve Hustead, Theater Usher; Climate Theatre for the Solo Mio Festival
1995 Chanticleer for staging Benjamin Britten's Curlew River; Barbara Bladen, Theatre Critic/Circle member
1996 42nd Street Moon
1997 Christina Augello and Richard Livingston, Artistic Directors, EXIT Theatre and SF Fringe Festival
1998 Word for Word; Children's Theatre Association of San Francisco
1999 East Bay Children's Theatre; Afro Solo Festival
2000 Rhodessa Jones, Founder/ AD, The Medea Project: Theater for Incarcerated Women
2001 Albert Takazauckas, Director and Actor (awarded posthumously)
2002 S.F. Shakespeare Festival
2003 James Dunn, Mountain Play director
2004 Theater of Yugen and The Lysistrata Project
2005 Lee Sankowich and The Dominican Players
2006 Jay Manley
2007 Cal Performances and Ross Valley Players
2008 David Hyry, publicist
2009 Debbie Chinn, Executive Director Cal Shakes, and Charles Zukow, publicist
2010 San Francisco Playhouse
2011 Mike Ward
2012 Tom Kelly
2013 Kim Taylor, Publicist
2014 Bill English, Susi Damilano, San Francisco Playhouse
2015 Marga Gomez
2016 Melissa Hillman
2017 Jasson Minadakis
2018 Eric Chazankin
2019 Richard Connema
2020 Loretta Greco
2021 No Award given
2022 No Award given
2023 Lily Janiak
2024 No Award given
***
The Annette Lust Award is named for the late Dominican University professor and longtime Critics Circle member. In keeping with Dr. Lust's enthusiasm for new plays and her lifelong
encouragement of fledgling playwrights through her "Fringe of Marin" festival, the Annette Lust Award is given to a promising new theatrical talent or organization.
2015 Dezi Gallegos
2016 Ubuntu Theatre Project (renamed Oakland Theater Project)
2017 3Girls Theatre
2018 FaultLine Theater
2019 Bay Area Musicals
2020 Indra's Net Theater Co.
2021 No Award given
2022 No Award given
2023 No Award given
2024 No Award given