Theatre Philadelphia Unveils Epic Lineup of Barrymore Nominees Post-Pandemic: The Excitement Is Back!

PHILADELPHIA, PA —  After a nearly three-year hiatus, and only announcing one cash award last year, the Barrymore Awards, run by Theatre Philadelphia are back to honor the 2022-2023 theatre season, the first full season back for many theatres after the pandemic. The Barrymore Awards recognize professional theatre in the Greater Philadelphia region, honoring local artists and theatre companies while increasing public awareness of the richness and diversity of our city’s thriving theatre community. This year 66 productions were Barrymore recommended by 66 nominators and 30 judges. This year’s nominations honor 43 productions. The ceremony is still being planned and a date and location will be announced soon.

“This year, we aim to continue to make the Barrymores a celebration of community with equity and inclusion in mind,” said Theatre Philadelphia’s new Executive Director Sabriaya Shipley.

“Encouraging the community to share their reflections and recognitions from the previous theatre season will support our hope in continuing to be a hub and overall archive to the continuous growth of theatre in Philadelphia.”

This year People’s Light leads the nominations with 24 nominations. The Wilma Theater follows with 17 nominations and Arden Theatre Company has 15 nominations. In the play category, Kiss from the Wilma garnered eight nominations. The Royale at Lantern Theater Company had seven nominations, along with Clyde’s at Arden Theatre Company. In musicals, Alice in Wonderland: A Musical Panto at People’s Light received 12 Barrymore nominations. Delaware Theatre Company followed with 11 nominations for its production of Man of La Mancha.  New Light Theatre and Alterra Productions are first-time nominees this year.

Five people are nominated for the F. Otto Haas Award for Emerging Artist. The recipient  will receive $15,000 and the finalists receive $2,000. Nominated are: Ang Bey, Anthony Martinez-Briggs, Newton Buchanan, Tanaquil Marquez, and Pax Ressler.

To participate in the Barrymore Awards a theatre needs to be a 501(c)(3) or fiscally-sponsored organization. Organizations have to have their organizational residency and performance venue within a 35-mile radius of City Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. All productions for Barrymore consideration must be submitted at least eight weeks before the first performance. There is a fee of $130 per production that needs to be paid at least four weeks before the first performance. Theatres must provide at least one complimentary ticket (a 2nd ticket as a courtesy is encouraged) to each of eight randomly-selected Barrymore Nominators for initial Barrymore consideration. Theatres must provide at least one complimentary ticket to each of the Barrymore Judges for all productions elevated to Barrymore Recommended status.

Each production submitted for consideration must have a minimum of 12 performances, or must have at least four shows on at least three unique days that begin at least five days after the last Nominator performance, to be considered. Theatres need to meet or exceed the following minimum pay scale: $150 per week for all actors who appear on stage; $500 per production for all credited composers, choreographers, and scenic, costume, lighting, and sound designers; and $750 per production per director.

The adjudication system is tiered.  Eight randomly assigned nominators are sent to each production. An online ballot is submitted by each of these voters where they indicate if the show should move to the second tier for any available category. If a show receives five  “Yes” votes in any single category it moves to Tier 2. In the second tier, Judges are assigned based on which categories gained enough votes from the Nominators. This year, there were four panels of Judges based on these categories: Play + New Works, Musical, Design, and Outdoor.

Nominees and recipients are determined in a series of steps involving the pool of Judges. After the quarterly meetings throughout the season, the notes from the meetings are aggregated for discussion in a meeting to discuss each category and determine the list of nominees. The nominee list is finalized, and then a blind online vote is used to determine the recipients (this ballot contains a weighted scoring system). The Judges are then called for a final meeting to confirm the list of recipients, to be announced at the Barrymore Awards ceremony.

The Barrymore Oversight Committee handles decisions, rule adjustments, and feedback for the Barrymore Awards. This committee is a volunteer group made up of community artists, administrators, and educators from varied disciplines.

The 2022-2023 Barrymore Nominees are:

Outstanding Overall Production of a Play
The Royale – Lantern Theater Company
Clyde’s – Arden Theatre Company
Kiss – Wilma Theater
A Shadow that Broke The Light – Simpatico Theatre
Thurgood – People’s Light
Meet Murasaki Shikibu Followed by Book Signing, and Other Things – Tiny Dynamite
Abandon – Theatre Exile

Outstanding Ensemble in a Play
Clyde’s – Arden Theatre Company
Wolf Play – Theatre Exile
Abandon – Theatre Exile
The Play That Goes Wrong – 1812 Productions
Water by the Spoonful – Eagle Theatre
A View From The Bridge – New Light Theatre
Jane Eyre – The The Philadelphia Artists’ Collective

Outstanding Direction of a Play
Zuhairah McGill – The Royale, Lantern Theater Company
Malika Oyetimein – Clyde’s, Arden Theatre Company
Abigail Adams – Lettie, People’s Light
Megan Bellwoar – A View from the Bridge, New Light Theatre
Kathryn MacMillan – Jane Eyre, The The Philadelphia Artists’ Collective
Cat Ramirez – Meet Murasaki Shikibu Followed by Book Signing, and Other Things, Tiny Dynamite

Outstanding Leading Performance in a Play
Danielle Skraastad – Lettie, People’s Light
Ciera Gardner – Wine in the Wilderness, The Philadelphia Artists’ Collective
Brian Marable – Thurgood, People’s Light
Amel Khalil – American Fast, InterAct Theatre Company
Charlie DelMarcelle – A Shadow That Broke the Light, Simpatico Theatre
Phillip Brown – The Royale, Lantern Theater Company
Charlotte Northeast – Jane Eyre, The Philadelphia Artists’ Collective
Frank X – The Chairs, Quintessence Theatre Group
John Jezior – A View from the Bridge, New Light Theatre
Anthony Martinez-Briggs – Kiss, Wilma Theater
Ang(ela) Bey – The Light, Theatre Exile
Peter DeLaurier – Grand Horizons, People’s Light
Jessica Johnson – a hit dog will holler, Azuka Theatre
Melanye Finister – Abandon, Theatre Exile

Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Play
Anthony Lawton -The  Last Parade, InterAct Theatre Company
Justin Jain – The Play that Goes Wrong, 1812 Productions
Sarah Gliko – Eternal Life Pt. 1, Wilma Theater
Brandon Pierce – Eternal Life Pt. 1, Wilma Theater
David Ingram – Twelfth Night, Lantern Theater Company
Lindsay Smiling – Twelfth Night, Wilma Theater
Walter DeSheilds – Clyde’s, Arden Theatre Company
Michael W. Gaines – Water by the Spoonful, Eagle Theatre
Cassandra Alexander  – Jane Eyre, The Philadelphia Artists’ Collective
Lois Abdelmalek – Kiss, Wilma Theater
Kishia Nixon – Clyde’s, Arden Theatre Company
Karen Peakes – The Play That Goes Wrong, 1812 Productions
Taysha Marie Canales – All My Mothers Dream in Spanish, Azuka Theatre
Tiffany Barrett – Clyde’s, Arden Theatre Company

Outstanding Original Production
All My Mothers Dream in Spanish, Azuka Theatre
School Pictures, Wilma Theater
American Fast, InterAct Theatre Company
Mushroom, People’s Light
The Way of White Folks, EgoPo Classic Theater & Theatre in the X
Abandon, Theatre Exile
Jane Eyre, The Philadelphia Artists’ Collective

Outstanding Choreography/Movement in a Play
Zuhairah McGill – The Royale, Lantern Theater Company
K. O’Rourke & Eli Lynn – Jane Eyre, The Philadelphia Artists’ Collective
Adrienne Maitland – The Chairs, Quintessence Theatre Group
Eli Lynn & Colleen Hughes – The Play That Goes Wrong, 1812 Productions
Ilana Lo & Kaitlin Chin – Poison Garden, Alterra Productions
Terri J McIntyre – The Pillowman, Hedgerow Theatre Company
Ren Williams & Dani Cormier – Wolf Play, Theatre Exile

Outstanding Overall Production of a Musical
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – Arden Theatre Company
Alice in Wonderland: A Musical Panto – People’s Light
Man of La Mancha – Delaware Theatre Company

Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical
Alice in Wonderland: A Musical Panto – People’s Light
Man of La Mancha – Delaware Theatre Company
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – Arden Theatre Company
Head Over Heels – Theatre Horizon

Outstanding Direction of a Musical
Amina Robinson – The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Arden Theatre Company
Matt Silva – Man of La Mancha, Delaware Theatre Company
Bill Fennelly – Alice in Wonderland: A Musical Panto, People’s Light
Rebecca Wright – Head Over Heels, Theatre Horizon

Outstanding Leading Performance in a Musical
Hannah Gaffney – Mary Poppins, Quintessence Theatre Group
Newton Buchanan – RENT, New Light Theatre
Grace Ellis Soloman – Alice in Wonderland: A Musical Panto, People’s Light
Scott Langdon – Man of La Mancha, Delaware Theatre Company
Milo Cramer – School Pictures, Wilma Theatre
Bethany Thomas – Songs for Nobodies, People’s Light
Victor Rodriguez – Man of La Mancha, Delaware Theatre Company
Sydney Banks – Head Over Heels, Theatre Horizon

Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Musical
Justin Yoder – Man of La Mancha, Delaware Theatre Company
Steve Pacek – The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Arden Theatre Company
Ashley Pérez Flanagan – The Tattooed Lady, Philadelphia Theatre Company
Dave Johnson – The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Arden Theatre Company
Trey Lyford – Head Over Heels, Theatre Horizon
Kim Blanck – The Tattooed Lady, Philadelphia Theatre Company
Jessica Money – The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Arden Theatre Company
Danny Wilfred – Alice in Wonderland: A Musical Panto, People’s Light

Outstanding Choreography/Movement in a Musical
Devon Sinclair – Tuck Everlasting, The Centre Theatre
Devon Sinclair – Mary Poppins, Quintessence Theatre Group
Melanie Cotton – Alice in Wonderland: A Musical Panto, People’s Light
Mayte Natalio – The Tattooed Lady, Philadelphia Theatre Company

Outstanding Musical Direction
Ryan Touhey – Man of La Mancha, Delaware Theatre Company
David Barrus – Mary Poppins, Quintessence Theatre Group
Abdul Hamid Royal – Alice in Wonderland: A Musical Panto, People’s Light

Outstanding Lighting Design
Cha See – Mushroom, People’s Light
Mike Inwood – Alice in Wonderland: A Musical Panto, People’s Light
Will Lowry – The Royale, Lantern Theater Company
Reza Behjat – Kiss, Wilma Theatre
Alyssandra Docherty – Man of La Mancha, Delaware Theatre Company
Thom Weaver –  Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Philadelphia Theatre Company
Thom Weaver – August Wilson’s Radio Golf, Arden Theatre Company

Outstanding Scenic Design
Efren Delgadillo Jr. – Mushroom, People’s Light
Stephen Wiseley – a hit dog will holler, Azuka Theatre
Chris Haig – Alice in Wonderland: A Musical Panto, People’s Light
Will Lowry – The Royale, Lantern Theater Company
Jian Jung – Kiss, Wilma Theatre
Chris Haig – Man of La Mancha, Delaware Theatre Company
Kyu Shin – Clyde’s, Arden Theatre Company

Outstanding Costume Design
Kelly Myers – The Chairs, Quintessence Theatre Group
Rebecca Kanach – Alice in Wonderland: A Musical Panto, People’s Light
Ali Turns – The Royale, Lantern Theater Company
Rebecca Kanach – Head Over Heels, Theatre Horizon
LeVonne Lindsay – August Wilson’s Radio Golf, Arden Theatre Company
Azalea Fairley – Eternal Life Pt. 1, Wilma Theater
Constance Case – Man of La Mancha, Delaware Theatre Company

Outstanding Sound Design
Larry Fowler & Adiah Hicks – a hit dog will holler, Azuka Theatre
Damien Figueras – Kiss, Wilma Theatre
Michael Kiley – Head Over Heels, Theatre Horizon
Ryk Lewis – Man of La Mancha, Delaware Theatre Company
Robert Kaplowitz – Alice in Wonderland: A Musical Panto, People’s Light
Jordan McCree – Eternal Life Pt. 1, Wilma Theater
Christopher Colucci – A Shadow That Broke the Light, Simpatico Theatre

Outstanding Media Design
Damien Figueras – a hit dog will holler, Azuka Theatre
Alan Price – Kiss, Wilma Theatre
Alan Price – Eternal Life Pt. 1, Wilma Theater
Yee Eun Nam – Mushroom, People’s Light
Jorge Cousineau – American Fast, InterAct Theatre Company
Michael Long – The Lifespan of a Fact, Lantern Theater Company
Patrick W. Lord – Thurgood, People’s Light

Outstanding Original Music
Broken Chord – Grand Horizons, People’s Light
Alex Bechtel – Alice in Wonderland: A Musical Panto, People’s Light
Damien Figueras – Kiss, Wilma Theatre
Jordan McCree – Eternal Life Pt. 1, Wilma Theater
Larry Fowler & Adiah Hicks – a hit dog will holler, Azuka Theatre
Max Vernon – The Tattooed Lady, Philadelphia Theatre Company
Christopher Colucci – Twelfth Night, Lantern Theater Company

Outstanding Outdoor Production
Dreamgirls – Theatre in the X
The Taming! – Shakespeare in Clark Park

F. Otto Haas Award for Emerging Artist
Ang Bey
Anthony Martinez-Briggs
Newton Buchanan
Tanaquil Marquez
Pax Ressler

Victory Award for Theatre Education
1812 Productions
Lantern Theater Company
Philadelphia Young Playwrights
Theatre Exile
Yes!…And Collaborative Arts

 For more about Theatre Philadelphia, please visit www.theatrephiladelphia.org.

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