26th Annual Elliot Norton Award Winners

The Elliot Norton Awards, celebrating their 26th anniversary recognizing excellence in Greater Boston theater, were distributed on May 12 at ceremonies held at Harvard University’s Sanders Theatre in Cambridge. The awards are named in memory of esteemed drama critic, Elliot Norton.

A highlight of this year's ceremony was the presentation (at left) of the 2008 Prize for Sustained Excellence to outgoing Huntington Theatre Artistic Director Nicholas Martin. Introduced by his longtime friend and colleague Tony, Emmy and Drama Desk Award winning actress Andrea Martin, he was recognized “for directing with distinction, developing new venues and playwrights, and leading the Huntington with style into the 21st century.”

Award categories were as listed below; winners are highlighted in blue.

OUTSTANDING VISITING PRODUCTION
"Avenue Q," Broadway Across America
"Lucia’s Chapters of Coming Forth by Day," Mabou Mines / Charlestown Working Theater
"My Fair Lady," Broadway Across America

OUTSTANDING DESIGN, SMALL/MIDSIZE COMPANY
Eric Levenson (set), "Some Men" (SpeakEasy Stage Company)
Windsor Newton and Ryan Landry (set), "Medea" (Gold Dust Orphans)
Cristina Todesco (set), Deb Sullivan (lighting), and Jamie Whoolery (projections), "The Clean House" (New Repertory Theatre)

OUTSTANDING DESIGN, LARGE COMPANY
Kevin Adams (lighting) and Mic Pool (sound), "The 39 Steps" (Huntington Theatre Company)
Alexander Dodge (sets), "Brendan" and "Present Laughter" (Huntington Theatre Company)
Eugene Lee (set), "The Fantasticks" (Trinity Repertory Company)

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY
Patti Colombo, "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" (North Shore Music Theatre)
David Connolly, "Zanna, Don’t! "(SpeakEasy Stage Company)
Kelli Edwards, "The Wild Party" (New Repertory Theatre

OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE
Mike Daisey, "Monopoly" and "Invincible Summer" (American Repertory Theatre)
Kathy St. George, "And Now Ladies and Gentlemen, Miss Judy Garland" (Tony McLean and Backyard Productions)
Nilaja Sun, "No Child ..." (American Repertory Theatre)

OUTSTANDING MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
Edward M. Barker, "Parade" (SpeakEasy Stage Company)
Judy Kaye, "Sweeney Todd" (Broadway Across America)
Will McGarrahan, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood"/"Some Men" (SpeakEasy Stage Company) and "A Marvelous Party: The Noel Coward Celebration" (American Repertory Theatre)
Lisa O’Hare, "My Fair Lady" (Broadway Across America)

OUTSTANDING NEW SCRIPT
Paul Grellong, "Radio Free Emerson" (Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre)
Melinda Lopez, "Gary" (Boston Playwrights’ Theatre)
Ronan Noone, "Brendan" (Huntington Theatre Company)

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR, SMALL/FRINGE COMPANY
Shawn LaCount, "Mr. Marmalade" (Company One)
David J. Miller, "The Kentucky Cycle" (Zeitgeist Stage Company/Way Theatre Artists) and "Valhalla" (Zeitgeist Stage Company)
Jason Southerland and Nancy Curran Willis, "Angels in America" (Boston Theatre Works)

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR, MIDSIZE COMPANY
Paul Daigneault, "Parade," "Some Men," and "Zanna, Don’t!" (SpeakEasy Stage Company)
Rick Lombardo, "A Streetcar Named Desire," "The Wild Party" and "The Clean House" (New Repertory Theatre) and "A Pinter Duet" (Downstage @ New Rep)
Charles Towers, "A Delicate Balance" (Merrimack Repertory Theatre)

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR, LARGE COMPANY
Maria Aitken, "The 39 Steps" (Huntington Theatre Company)
John Doyle, "Sweeney Todd" (Broadway Across America)
David Wheeler, "No Man’s Land" (American Repertory Theatre)

OUTSTANDING ACTOR, SMALL/MIDSIZE COMPANY
Johnny Lee Davenport, "A House with No Walls" (New Repertory Theatre) and "Love’s Labour’s Lost" (Actors’ Shakespeare Project)
Jack Davidson, "A Delicate Balance" (Merrimack Repertory Theatre)
Maurice E. Parent, "Angels in America" (Boston Theatre Works), "The Wild Party" (New Repertory Theatre), and "Some Men" (SpeakEasy Stage Company)

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS, SMALL/MIDSIZE COMPANY
Bree Elrod, "Angels in America (Boston Theatre Works)
Rachel Harker, "A Streetcar Named Desire" (New Repertory Theatre), "A Pinter Duet" (Downstage @ New Rep), and "The Cutting" (Stoneham Theatre)
Georgia Lyman, "The Scene" (Lyric Stage Company)

OUTSTANDING ACTOR, LARGE COMPANY
Victor Garber, "Present Laughter" (Huntington Theatre Company)
John Judd, "Shining City" (Huntington Theatre Company)
Joe Wilson Jr., "All the King’s Men" (Trinity Repertory Company)
Max Wright, "No Man’s Land" (American Repertory Theatre)

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS, LARGE COMPANY
Nancy E. Carroll, "Brendan" and "Present Laughter" (Huntington Theatre Company)
Kelli Sawyer, "Avenue Q" (Broadway Across America)
Anne Scurria, "Memory House," "All the King’s Men," and "Some Things Are Private" (Trinity Repertory Company)

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION BY A FRINGE COMPANY
"The Bluest Eye," Company One
"The Kentucky Cycle," Zeitgeist Stage Company/Way Theatre Artists
"Mr. Marmalade," Company One

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION BY A SMALL COMPANY
"Angels in America," Boston Theatre Works
"Gary," Boston Playwrights’ Theatre
"A Pinter Duet," Downstage @ New Rep

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION BY A MIDSIZE COMPANY
"The Clean House," New Repertory Theatre
"Dear Liar," Gloucester Stage Company
"A Delicate Balance," Merrimack Repertory Theatre

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION BY A LARGE COMPANY
"All the King’s Men," Trinity Repertory Company
"Present Laughter," Huntington Theatre Company
"No Man’s Land," American Repertory Theatre

OUTSTANDING MUSICAL PRODUCTION
"A Marvelous Party: The Noel Coward Celebration," American Repertory Theatre
"Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," North Shore Music Theatre
"Zanna, Don’t!," SpeakEasy Stage Company

-- OnStage Boston