2013 Elliot Norton Award Nominees

Chita Rivera To Receive
Lifetime Achievement Award
On May 13

Members of The Boston Theater Critics Association have announced their nominations for the 31st Annual Elliot Norton Awards. The awards, which recognize excellence in Greater Boston theater, will be presented on Monday, May 13, at 7 p.m. at the Paramount Mainstage, 559 Washington Street in Boston.

Broadway legend Chita Rivera (at left) will be the recipient of the 2013 Elliot Norton Lifetime Achievement Award. According to Joyce Kulhawik, President of the BTCA, "We can't wait to honor the dazzling Chita -- everyone loves her drama and warmth! She's larger than life and is especially inspiring to young artists who literally want to follow in her footsteps."

This year's recipient of the Elliot Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence will be Will Lyman. Currently appearing as the nuclear physicist and Nobel Laureate Otto Hahn in the Nora Theatre's production of "Operation Epsilon" at the Central Square Theater in Cambridge, Will has built a diverse career encompassing roles both behind and in front of the camera. In addition to his many stage, film and television roles, he is the exclusive narrator of Public Television's long-running "Frontline" series in addition to narrating documentaries for National Geographic, The History Channel, The Discovery Channel, and The Learning Channel.

The BTCA will award a Special Citation honoring Actors' Equity Association on the occasion of its 100th Birthday. Founded on May 26, 1913, AEA has had an illustrious history intertwined with the growth of the American professional theatre. For many decades, Actors' Equity has sought to improve conditions for actors and stage managers, while also fighting on the forefront of many social issues, such as blacklisting, segregation, arts funding, the battle against AIDs, and marriage equality.

The Elliot Norton Awards are named in honor of the distinguished Boston theater critic Elliot Norton, who for many years served on the selection committee and who remained an engaged supporter of the drama, both locally and nationally, until his death in 2003 at the age of 100. For 48 years Mr. Norton was a drama critic for Boston newspapers; concurrently, from 1958 until his retirement in 1982, he was moderator of "Elliot Norton Reviews" on WGBH television.

••••• 31st Annual Elliot Norton Awards Nominations •••••

Elliot Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence: Will Lyman

Special Citation honoring Actors' Equity Association (AEA) on the occasion of its 100th Birthday.

Outstanding Visiting Production
"War Horse" (Broadway in Boston)
"The Servant of Two Masters" (Yale Repertory Theatre, presented by ArtsEmerson)
"Metamorphosis" (Vesturport Theatre and Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, presented by ArtsEmerson)

Outstanding Production by a Large Resident Theater
"Good People" (Huntington Theatre Company)
"Our Town" (Huntington Theatre Company)
"The Glass Menagerie" (American Repertory Theater)

Outstanding Production by a Midsize Theater
"The Motherf**ker with the Hat" (SpeakEasy Stage Company)
"Chinglish" (Lyric Stage Company of Boston)
"Clybourne Park" (SpeakEasy Stage Company)

Outstanding Production by a Small Theater
"The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity" (Company One)
"Of Mice and Men" (Moonbox Productions)
"Ted Hughes' Tales from Ovid" (Whistler in the Dark, presented by ArtsEmerson)

Outstanding Production by a Fringe Theater
"Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead" (Happy Medium Theatre)
"A Behanding in Spokane" (Theatre on Fire)
"Tigers Be Still" (Zeitgeist Stage Company)

Outstanding Design, Large Theater
"Marie Antoinette" -- scenic design by Riccardo Hernandez, costumes by Gabriel Berry, lighting by Christopher Akerlind, sound by Matt Hubbs, puppet design by Matt Acheson (American Repertory Theater)
"Metamorphosis" -- set design by Borkur Jonsson, lighting by Bjorn Helgason, sound by Nick Manning (Vesturport Theatre and Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, presented by ArtsEmerson)
"A Raisin in the Sun" -- set by Clint Ramos, costumes by Kathleen Geldard, lighting by Lap Chi Chu, original music and sound design by Broken Chord (Huntington Theatre Company)

Outstanding Design, Midsize, Small or Fringe Theater
"The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity" -- set and props by Jason Ries, lighting by Jen Rock, sound by Arshan Gailus, costumes by Kendra Bell, video by Olivia Sebesky (Company One)
"Mildred Fierce" -- sets by Amelia Gossett and Lauren Duffy, costumes by Scott Martino, lighting by Sparrow Provoost, sound by Roger Moore (Gold Dust Orphans)
"Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" -- scenic design by Eric Levenson, costumes by Elisabetta Polito, lighting by Jeff Adelberg, sound by Eric Norris (SpeakEasy Stage Company)

Outstanding Musical Production by a Large Theater
"Billy Elliot The Musical" (Broadway in Boston)
"Fela!" (Shawn Jay-Z Carter, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, Ruth and Stephen Hendel, in association with Edward Tyler Nahem, presented by ArtsEmerson)
"Pippin" (American Repertory Theater)

Outstanding Musical Production by a Midsize, Small or Fringe Company
"Mildred Fierce" (Gold Dust Orphans)
"Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" (SpeakEasy Stage Company)
"Avenue Q" (Lyric Stage Company of Boston)

Outstanding Musical Performance by an Actor
Sahr Ngaujah, "Fela!" (Shawn Jay-Z Carter, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, Ruth and Stephen Hendel, in association with Edward Tyler Nahem, ArtsEmerson)
Gus Curry, "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" (SpeakEasy Stage Company)
John Ambrosino, "Avenue Q" (Lyric Stage Company of Boston)

Outstanding Musical Performance by an Actress
Erica Spyres, "Avenue Q" (Lyric Stage Company of Boston)
Amy Jo Jackson, "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" (SpeakEasy Stage Company)
Andrea Martin, "Pippin" (American Repertory Theater)

Outstanding New Script
"The Last Will" by Robert Brustein (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company and Suffolk University)
"Operation Epsilon" by Alan Brody (Nora Theatre Company and Catalyst Collaborative @ MIT Project)
"Mildred Fierce" by Ryan Landry (Gold Dust Orphans)

Outstanding Solo Performance
Georgia Lyman, "Chesapeake" (New Repertory Theatre)
Seana McKenna, "Shakespeare s Will" (Merrimack Repertory Theatre)
Hershey Felder, "Maestro: Leonard Bernstein" (ArtsEmerson)

Outstanding Director, Large Theater
Maria Aitken, "Private Lives" and "Betrayal" (Huntington Theatre Company)
Rebecca Taichman, "Marie Antoinette" (American Repertory Theater)
John Tiffany, "The Glass Menagerie" (American Repertory Theater)

Outstanding Director, Midsize Theater
David R. Gammons, "The Motherf**ker with the Hat" (SpeakEasy Stage Company)
Spiro Veloudos, "Avenue Q" (Lyric Stage Company of Boston)
Paul Melone, "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" (SpeakEasy Stage Company)

Outstanding Director, Small or Fringe Theater
Shawn LaCount, "The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity" (Company One)
James P. Byrne, "Mary Poppers" and "Mildred Fierce" (Gold Dust Orphans)
Alice Olivia Choate, "Of Mice and Men" (Moonbox Productions)

Outstanding Actor, Large Theater
Steven Epp, "The Servant of Two Masters" (Yale Repertory Theatre, presented by ArtsEmerson)
LeRoy McClain, "A Raisin in the Sun "(Huntington Theatre Company)
Gisli Örn Gardarsson, "Metamorphosis" (Vesturport Theatre and Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, presented by ArtsEmerson)

Outstanding Actress, Large Theater
Brooke Bloom, "Marie Antoinette" (American Repertory Theater)
Bianca Amato, "Private Lives" (Huntington Theatre Company)
Cherry Jones, "The Glass Menagerie" (American Repertory Theater)

Outstanding Actor, Midsize Theater
Will Lyman, "Long Day's Journey into Night "(New Repertory Theatre), "Operation Epsilon" (Nora Theatre Company and Catalyst Collaborative @ MIT Project)
Maurice Emmanuel Parent, "The Motherf**ker with the Hat "(SpeakEasy Stage Company)
Steven Barkhimer, "Round and Round the Garden" (Gloucester Stage Company), "Middletown" (Actors' Shakespeare Project)

Outstanding Actress, Midsize Theater
Evelyn Howe, "The Motherf**ker with the Hat" (SpeakEasy Stage Company)
Marvelyn McFarlane, "Clybourne Park" (SpeakEasy Stage Company)
Celeste Oliva, "Chinglish" (Lyric Stage Company of Boston)

Outstanding Actor, Small or Fringe Theater
Harry McEnerny, "Of Mice and Men" (Moonbox Productions)
Ricardo Engermann, "The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity" (Company One)
Mason Sand, "Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo" (Company One)

Outstanding Actress, Small or Fringe Theater
Becca A. Lewis, "Tigers Be Still" (Zeitgeist Stage Company)
Kiki Samko, "Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead" (Happy Medium Theatre)
Lizette M. Morris, "Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead" (Happy Medium Theatre)

Outstanding Ensemble, Large Theater
"The Servant of Two Masters" (Yale Repertory Theatre, presented by ArtsEmerson)
"The Glass Menagerie" (American Repertory Theater)
"Our Town" (Huntington Theatre Company)

Outstanding Ensemble, Midsize, Small or Fringe Theater
"Avenue Q" (Lyric Stage Company of Boston)
"The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity" (Company One)
"Operation Epsilon" (Nora Theatre Company and Catalyst Collaborative @ MIT Project)

The Boston Theater Critics Association, which presents the Elliot Norton Awards, includes Don Aucoin, Jared Bowen, Terry Byrne, Carolyn Clay, Nick Dussault, Iris Fanger, Joyce Kulhawik, Sandy MacDonald, Robert Nesti, Kilian Melloy, and Ed Siegel. Together with the thriving local theater community, they carry on his legacy.

Tickets are $30 (including post-party) and available by phone at 617-824-8000 or online www.nortonawardsboston.com. (Use NortonSave code to receive $5 off for the month of April only.)

Sponsors for the 2013 awards ceremony include, ArtsEmerson, Actors Equity Association, ArtsBoston, EdgeBoston, Emerson College, TheaterMania, The Boston Globe, WBUR, WERS and WGBH.