"See What I Wanna See"

We excitedly announce the 2011 Garland Awards, voted on by the Los Angeles theater critics of Back Stage. On this page you'll find the 53 recipients selected from among the hundreds of possibilities our critics saw last year.

For those of you wondering, under our voting system each Garland winner was named on at least three critics' "Best of 2010" lists. Each critic listed up to five nominees for each category except performance, up to 10 nominees for performance in musical productions and 10 for straight plays. Here are the critics' lists, minus the winners.

The critics who voted are Jeff Favre, Hoyt Hilsman, Travis Holder, Eric Marchese, Dany Margolies, Dink O'Neal, Melinda Schupmann, Madeleine Shaner, Les Spindle, Neal Weaver, and Jennie Webb. Back Stage thanks them, as we hope you will when you see them this year, for their perpetual devotion to Southland theater large and small.

If your name appears on this list of 53 recipients, and if you are interested in receiving a statuette commemorating your award, please contact us at dmargolies@backstage.com ("Garlands" in the subject line) and provide us with your preferred mailing address.

Congratulations to the recipients. To leave us with a lasting memory of the excellence of your work is a huge triumph, considering the vastness of the local theater scene.

And, as always, to all other theatermakers in the Southland, we hope to see your names on these lists next year. Now get to work!

Dany Margolies, Executive Editor


Production:

"Cousin Bette," The Antaeus Company at Deaf West Theatre

"Four Places," Rogue Machine Theatre at Theatre/Theater

"Opus," The Fountain Theatre

"South Pacific," Center Theatre Group and the Lincoln Center Theater at the Ahmanson Theatre

"The Ballad of Emmett Till," The Fountain Theatre

"The Language Archive," South Coast Repertory in association with Roundabout Theatre Company at South Coast Repertory

"Yellow," JD3atrical Productions at the Coast Playhouse

Playwriting:

Ifa Bayeza, "The Ballad of Emmett Till," The Fountain Theatre

Julia Cho, "The Language Archive," South Coast Repertory in association with Roundabout Theatre Company at South Coast Repertory

Joel Drake Johnson, "Four Places," Rogue Machine Theatre at Theatre/Theater

Del Shores, "Yellow," JD3atrical Productions at the Coast Playhouse

Adaptation:

Jeffrey Hatcher, "Cousin Bette," The Antaeus Company at Deaf West Theatre

Musical Score:

Michael John LaChiusa, "See What I Wanna See," The Blank Theatre Company at 2nd Stage Theatre

Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes, "In the Heights," Broadway/LA at the Pantages Theatre

Direction:

Gordon Edelstein, "The Glass Menagerie," Long Wharf Theatre and Center Theatre Group at the Mark Taper Forum

Shirley Jo Finney, "The Ballad of Emmett Till," The Fountain Theatre

Jeanie Hackett, "Cousin Bette," The Antaeus Company at Deaf West Theatre

Robin Larsen, "Four Places," Rogue Machine Theatre at Theatre/Theater

Simon Levy, "Opus," The Fountain Theatre

Bartlett Sher, "South Pacific," Center Theatre Group and the Lincoln Center Theater at the Ahmanson Theatre

Del Shores, "Yellow," JD3atrical Productions at the Coast Playhouse

Choreography:

Allison Bibicoff, "The Who's Tommy," Chance Theater

Ayana Cahrr, "Neighbors," The Matrix Theatre

Christopher Gattelli, "South Pacific," Center Theatre Group and the Lincoln Center Theater at the Ahmanson Theatre

Marcia Milgrom Dodge, "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," Reprise Theatre Company at the UCLA Freud Playhouse

Music Direction:

David O, "See What I Wanna See," The Blank Theatre Company at 2nd Stage Theatre

Ted Sperling, "South Pacific," Center Theatre Group and the Lincoln Center Theater at the Ahmanson Theatre

Scenic Design:

Tom Buderwitz, "The Autumn Garden," The Antaeus Company at Deaf West Theatre

Laura Fine Hawkes, "The Lieutenant of Inishmore," Center Theatre Group at the Mark Taper Forum

Neil Patel, "The Language Archive," South Coast Repertory in association with Roundabout Theatre Company at South Coast Repertory

Lighting Design:

Leigh Allen, "Cousin Bette," The Antaeus Company at Deaf West Theatre

Brian Gale, "The Lieutenant of Inishmore," Center Theatre Group at the Mark Taper Forum

KC Wilkerson, "The Who's Tommy," Chance Theater

Costume Design:

Naila Aladdin Sanders, "Neighbors," The Matrix Theatre

Sound Design:

David B. Marling, "The Ballad of Emmett Till," The Fountain Theatre

Performance in a Play:

Lorenz Arnell, "The Ballad of Emmett Till," The Fountain Theatre

Anne Gee Byrd, "Four Places," Rogue Machine Theatre at Theatre/Theater

Joanna Daniels, "Becky's New Car," Pacific Resident Theatre

Nike Doukas, "Cousin Bette," The Antaeus Company at Deaf West Theatre

Eileen Galindo, "The Clean House," International City Theatre

Dakin Matthews, "King Lear," The Antaeus Company at Deaf West Theatre

Matthew Scott Montgomery, "Yellow," JD3atrical Productions at the Coast Playhouse

Agatha Nowicki, "Parasite Drag," Elephant Theatre Company at the Elephant Space

Performance in a Musical:

Carmen Cusack, "South Pacific," Center Theatre Group and the Lincoln Center Theater at the Ahmanson Theatre

Rod Gilfrey, "South Pacific," Center Theatre Group and the Lincoln Center Theater at the Ahmanson Theatre

Steven Glaudini, "1776," Musical Theatre West at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center

Josh Grisetti, "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," Reprise Theatre Company at the UCLA Freud Playhouse

Keala Settle, "South Pacific," Center Theatre Group and the Lincoln Center Theater at the Ahmanson Theatre

Ensemble Performance:

"Four Places," Rogue Machine Theatre at Theatre/Theater: Tim Bagley, Anne Gee Byrd, Roxanne Hart, and Lisa Rothschiller

"Neighbors," The Matrix Theatre: Keith Arthur Bolden, Leith Burke, Julia Campbell, Baadja-Lyne, James Edward Shippy, Rachae Thomas, Daniele Watts, and Derek Webster

"The Ballad of Emmett Till," The Fountain Theatre: Bernard Addison, Rico E. Anderson, Lorenz Arnell, Adenrele Ojo, and Karen Malina White

Yellow, JD3atrical Productions at the Coast Playhouse: David Cowgill, Susan Leslie, Kristen McCullough, Luke McClure, Matthew Scott Montgomery, and Evie Louise Thompson