Connecticut Critics Awards The Best of '23-'24 Season

An innovative production of Arthur Miller’s A View From the Bridge at Long Wharf Theatre and a high-spirited, buoyant production of Summer Stock at Goodspeed Musicals took top honors at the 32nd annual Connecticut Critics Circle Awards (ctcritics.org) held on Monday, June 24.

The event, which celebrates 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.

This year the awards were spread out to many productions throughout the state, with Goodspeed Musicals’ Summer Stock and Private Jones earning the most honors. In addition to Outstanding Musical, Summer Stock took the awards for Outstanding Choreography for Donna Feore and Outstanding Actor in a Musical for Corbin Bleu. Goodspeed's production of Private Jones received Outstanding Director of a Musical for Marshall Pailet and Outstanding Sound for Jay Hilton. Long Wharf Theatre’s staging of A View From the Bridge received the award for Outstanding Director of a Play for James Dean Palmer and Outstanding Set Design for You-Shin Chen.

The award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical went to Andrea Fleming for Ivoryton Playhouse’s for The Color Purple. Awards for Outstanding Actor and Actress in a Play went to Michael Gaston and Marsha Mason for Hartford Stage’s production of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons. Outstanding Ensemble Award went to the cast of TheaterWorks Hartford’s Clyde’s – Ayanna Bria Bakari, Michael Chenevert, Samuel María Gómez, David T. Patterson, Latonia Phipps, and Kashayna Johnson.

The Outstanding Featured Actress Award in a Musical went to LaDonna Burns in Music Theatre of Connecticut’s production of Ghost. Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical honors went to Nicholaus Colón for A Contemporary Theatre’s Kinky Boots. The award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play went to David Shih for Yale Repertory Theatre’s The Far Country and Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play to Anne Scurria for the Hartford Stage production of Pride and Prejudice.

Outstanding Design awards went to Kurt Alger (costumes) for A Contemporary Theatre’s Kinky Boots; Rob Denton (lighting) for TheaterWorks Hartford’s Lizzie; and Hana S. Kim (projections) for Yale Repertory Theatre’s The Far Country.

Jacques Lamarre was honored with the Tom Killen Award for lifetime service to the theater. A long-time Connecticut arts supporter, Lamarre has worked with many of top theater companies in the state. He is a renowned playwright and marketing specialist who focuses on arts and culture.

Helping to present the awards were Connecticut Critic Circle members Karen Isaacs, Nancy Sasso Janis, Frank Rizzo and Tim Leininger.

The Connecticut Critics Circle was founded in 1990. The statewide organization is comprised of reviewers, writers, and broadcasters that cover the professional theaters throughout the entire state. The annual awards honor the actors, directors, designers and others who help make our professional theater so highly regarded in and outside the state.

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