PHOTOS: Orange County Theatre Guild Announces 2024 Award Winners

The spirit of live theater was once again honored on Monday night, May 13, 2024, at the Third Annual OC Theatre Guild Awards ceremony held at the Samueli Theater at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. The venue was packed to capacity with artists hailing from all corners of the county.

This year, a total of 20 categories were recognized, an increase of two from the previous year. Among these, four gender-neutral acting categories were featured, with two deserving recipients acknowledged in each, bringing the grand tally of OCTG Awards bestowed throughout the evening to 24 recipients.

Breaking it down by theater company, Chance Theater emerged with nine awards for their productions of THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, RIDE THE CYCLONE, and MATINICUS: THE STORY OF ABIGAIL BURGESS. Following closely, Curtis Theatre secured seven awards for their rendition of A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER, while Costa Mesa Playhouse clinched five awards for CLYBOURNE PARK. Ophelia’s Jump Productions earned recognition with two awards for NEVERMORE, and American Coast Theater Company received one award for FOREVER PLAID.

2024 OC Theatre Guild Awards recipients were:

Outstanding Production of a Play

CLYBOURNE PARK, Costa Mesa Playhouse 

Outstanding Production of a Musical

NEVERMORE, Ophelia’s Jump Productions 

Outstanding Direction of a Play

Darryl B. Hovis, THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, Chance Theater 

Outstanding Direction of a Musical

Jonathan Infante & Tara Pitt, A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER, Curtis Theatre 

Outstanding New Play

Jenny Connell Davis, MATINICUS: THE STORY OF ABIGAIL BURGESS, Chance Theater, Playwright 

Outstanding Ensemble of a Play

CLYBOURNE PARK, Costa Mesa Playhouse 

Outstanding Ensemble of a Musical

A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER, Curtis Theatre

Outstanding Lead Performance in Play (two recipients)

Aaron Lipp, THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, Chance Theater 

Cody Hanify, CLYBOURNE PARK, Costa Mesa Playhouse

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical (two recipients)

Chris Russo, A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER, Curtis Theatre 

Paul Zelhart, A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER, Curtis Theatre

Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Play (two recipients)

Peter Hilton, CLYBOURNE PARK, Costa Mesa Playhouse 

Taj Young, CLYBOURNE PARK, Costa Mesa Playhouse

Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Musical (two recipients)

Em Flosi, RIDE THE CYCLONE, Chance Theater 

Wyatt Hatfield, RIDE THE CYCLONE, Chance Theater

Outstanding Scenic Design

Antonio Beach & Bradley Kaye, RIDE THE CYCLONE, Chance Theater 

Outstanding Costume Design

Michael Mullen, NEVERMORE, Ophelia’s Jump Productions 

Outstanding Lighting Design

Andrea Heilman, THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, Chance Theater 

Outstanding Sound Design

Darryl B. Hovis, THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, Chance Theater 

Outstanding Choreography

Hannah Simmons & Susan K. Berkompas, FOREVER PLAID, American Coast Theater Company 

Outstanding Music Direction

Stephen Hulsey, A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER, Curtis Theatre 

Outstanding Projection Design

Nick Santiago, RIDE THE CYCLONE, Chance Theater 

Outstanding Wig Design

Susan Gonzales & Laarnie Barcelon, A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER, Curtis Theatre

Outstanding Properties Design

Kerri Hellmuth & Cari Noel, A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER, Curtis Theatre

The ceremony was directed by Shinshin Tsai and, once again, featured Brooke Aston Harper as the host and Kim Le as the musical director and pianist. OCTG Theatre Awards Program Managers are Katie Chidester and Kristin Campbell Coyne. OCTG President is Amanda DeMaio. Projection design was by Kristin Campbell. Production stage manager was Bebe Herrera.

The event featured musical performances and insights from members of the nominated musicals and plays. Presenters and speakers included Kelsie Blackwell, Jocelyn Brown, Matt Caballero, Kristin Campbell, Beatrice Casagran, Katie Chidester, Jenny Connell Davis, Shelly Day, Amanda DeMaio, Andrea Freeman, Jon Gaw, Kalinda Gray, Amanda Hallman, Brooke Aston Harper, Ron Hastings, Darryl Hovis, Jenny Jacobs, Mia Josimovic, Scott Keister, Yong Kim, Darri Kristin, Lizzy McCabe, Aung Khine Min, Austin Nation, Rob Salas, Michael Serna, Christopher Spencer, Nicholas Thurkettle, Craig Tryl, Shinshin Tsai, Amanda Zarr, & Stephen Zygo.

 The OC Theatre Guild was founded in 2015 and officially organized in 2019 as a not-for-profit 501(c)3 to serve Orange County’s vital artistic community with a mission to nurture, support and promote live theatre in greater Orange County. That stated goal is supported by the long-held beliefs of the guild’s founders and leaders that theatre and the performing arts are an essential part of what creates a healthy, passionate, and multicultural society that enriches communities while providing opportunities for personal growth and fulfillment. Through the last several years, the guild has made a commitment to answer the question “What can we do together that we cannot do on our own?

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For more information on the Orange County Theatre Guild and their member theaters, visit their website at www.octheatreguild.org.

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