The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle is pleased to have presented its awards for excellence in theater Monday, April 1, at the Colony Theatre to the following recipients:

PRODUCTION
Big River, Deaf West Theatre
Orson's Shadow, Black Dahlia Theatre
They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, Greenway Court Theatre

DIRECTION
Jeff Calhoun, Big River
Rick Sparks, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

MUSICAL DIRECTION
Steven Landau, Big River

WRITING
David Lindsay-Abaire, Kimberly Akimbo, South Coast Repertory
Austin Pendleton, Orson's Shadow

ADAPTATION
Mark Savage, Pinafore! Celebration Theatre
Rick Sparks & Gary Carter, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

MUSICAL SCORE
Richard Rodgers & Stephen Sondheim, Do I Hear a Waltz?

LEAD PERFORMANCE
Gretchen German, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
Robert Machray, Orson's Shadow
Maria O'Brien, Mrs. Feuerstein, 2100 Square Feet
Douglas Sills, Much Ado About Nothing, South Coast Repertory
Jeff Sugarman, Orson's Shadow

FEATURED PERFORMANCE
Clinton Derricks-Carroll, Central Avenue, Fountain Theatre
Kevin Earley, 1776, Freud Playhouse
Leslie Hicks, A Little Night Music, Interact Theatre
Gregory Itzin, The Birthday Party
Eileen T'Kay, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

SCENIC DESIGN
Ray Klausen, Big River
Michael C. Smith, Trelawny of the "Wells"

LIGHTING DESIGN
Kathi O'Donohue, The Night of the Iguana, Fountain Theatre
Robert L. Smith, A Mislaid Heaven, The Road Theatre

COSTUME DESIGN
Gregg Barnes, Flower Drum Song, Mark Taper Forum
Shon LeBlanc, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

SOUND DESIGN
John Epperson, Lypsinka! The Boxed Set, Tiffany Theaters

CHOREOGRAPHY
Jeff Calhoun, Big River
Art Manke, Much Ado About Nothing

MAKEUP/HAIR/WIG DESIGN
Stephen Ratliff, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

The special-award recipients are as follows:

THE MARGARET HARFORD AWARD for sustained excellence in theater
South Coast Repertory

THE ANGSTROM AWARD for lifetime achievement in stage lighting
Funded by Angstrom Lighting
Kim Killingsworth

THE TED SCHMITT AWARD for world premiere of an outstanding new play
Funded by A.S.K. Theatre Projects
Amy Freed, The Beard of Avon, produced by South Coast Repertory

THE BOB Z AWARD for lifetime achievement in set design
Funded by the Fountain Theatre
Dwight Richard Odle

THE NATALIE SCHAFER AWARD for an emerging comic actress
Funded by the Natalie Schafer Trust
Beth Kennedy

THE POLLY WARFIELD AWARD for an excellent season in a small
to mid-size theater
Pacific Resident Theatre

The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle was founded in 1969 and is dedicated to excellence in theatrical criticism and to the encouragement and improvement of theater in greater Los Angeles. Members of the L.A.D.C.C. include: Paul Birchall (LA Weekly, Back Stage West), Dave DePino (Brentwood Media, Showmag.com), Lovell Estell (LA Weekly), Shirle Gottlieb (Press Telegram), Steven Hendrickson (Antelope Valley Press), Martín Hernández (LA Weekly), Hoyt Hilsman (Back Stage West), Wenzel Jones (Back Stage West, KPCC Theater Talk), T.S. Kerrigan (The American Reporter), Dany Margolies (Back Stage West, Showmag.com), Julio Martinez (Daily Variety, Daily News), T.H. McCulloh (Los Angeles Times, Back Stage West, Showmag.com), Ben Miles (The Sun), Jana J. Monji (Los Angeles Times), Terry Morgan (LA Weekly), Tom Provenzano (LA Weekly), Terri Roberts (Back Stage West, LA Weekly, The Sondheim Review), Melinda Schupmann (Showmag.com), Les Spindle (Back Stage West, Frontiers), Rob Stevens (Showmag.com), Debbi Swanson (Showmag.com), Gene Warech (Random Lengths, Laguna Coastline News), Polly Warfield (Back Stage West), and Neal Weaver (LA Weekly).