Fresh faces and local legends alike walked away with awards from the Dallas-Fort Worth Critics Forum, as this year's eight critics gathered to debate and vote for their onstage favorites from the newly closed previous season.
Newcomers included Zander Pryor for a remarkable performance in Stage West's Hir; Imprint Theatreworks and its strong inaugural season; and SMU graduate student Amelia Baransky, who earned two nods for her set design.
It was also a strong year for new works, with plays tackling issues both local and national and even a homegrown musical popping up on the list.
Not everyone's picks made it through the voting process, which needed either more than 50 percent of the votes or a unanimous decision if only two or three critics had seen the production. Look for personal favorites not included here to pop up in critics' end-of-year lists.
Without further ado, here are the awards:
Outstanding Direction:
- Christopher Carlos, The Royale, Kitchen Dog Theater
- Cameron Cobb, Pompeii!!, Kitchen Dog Theater
- Kevin Moriarty, Hair, Dallas Theater Center
- Pam Myers-Morgan, Ruined, Echo Theatre and Denise Lee Onstage
- Jason O’Connell, Cyrano, Amphibian Stage Productions
- Joanie Schultz, Hand to God, WaterTower Theatre
- Garret Storms, Hir, Stage West
- Christie Vela, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Theatre Three; Don’t Dress for Dinner, Stage West; Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again., Second Thought Theatre
- Ashley H. White, Glengarry Glen Ross and Murder Ballad, Imprint Theatreworks
- Ashley H. White and Joe Messina, The Revolutionists, Imprint Theatreworks
Outstanding New Play or Musical:
- Babel by Cry Havoc Theater Company Ensemble, Cry Havoc Theater Company
- Bread by Regina Taylor, WaterTower Theatre
- Cedar Springs or Big Scary Animals by Matt Lyle, Theatre Three
- Cyrano by Jason O’Connell and Brenda Withers, Amphibian Stage Productions
- In the Tall Grass by Paul Kalburgi, Bishop Arts Theatre Center
- Pompeii!! by Cameron Cobb, Michael Federico, and Max Hartman, Kitchen Dog Theater
Outstanding Performance by an Actor:
- Tyrees Allen, Ruined, Echo Theatre and Denise Lee Onstage
- Parker Gray, Hand to God, WaterTower Theatre
- Max Hartman, Ironbound, Kitchen Dog Theater; Pompeii!!, Kitchen Dog Theater; Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again., Second Thought Theatre
- John-Michael Marrs, Cyrano, Amphibian Stage Productions
- Mark Oristano, Glengarry Glen Ross, Imprint Theatreworks
- Zander Pryor, Hir, Stage West
- Chris Ramirez, Hair, Dallas Theater Center; Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue, WaterTower Theatre; Empathitrax, Second Thought Theatre
- Jamal Gibran Sterling, The Royale, Kitchen Dog Theater
Outstanding Performance by an Actress:
- Jessica Cavanagh, Self Injurious Behavior, Theatre Three
- Stormi Demerson, Hillary and Clinton, Second Thought Theatre; Bread, WaterTower Theatre
- Kate Hamill, Cyrano, Amphibian Stage Productions
- Jenny Ledel, Pride & Prejudice, WaterTower Theatre; Empathitrax, Second Thought Theatre; Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again., Second Thought Theatre
- Shannon McGrann, Hand to God, WaterTower Theatre
- Denise Lee, Ruined, Echo Theatre and Denise Lee Onstage; Bread, WaterTower Theatre
- Elly Lindsay, John, Undermain Theatre
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast:
- Cyrano, Amphibian Stage Productions
- The Great Distance Home, WaterTower Theatre
- Hair, Dallas Theater Center
- Pompeii!!, Kitchen Dog Theater
- The Revolutionists, Imprint Theatreworks
- The Royale, Kitchen Dog Theater
- Three Sisters, Undermain Theatre
Outstanding Touring Production:
- The Color Purple, Dallas Summer Musicals
- Cry Havoc!, Amphibian Stage Productions
- Fun Home, AT&T Performing Arts Center
- The King and I, AT&T Performing Arts Center
- The Humans, AT&T Performing Arts Center
- Waitress, Dallas Summer Musicals and Performing Arts Fort Worth
Outstanding Design or Creative Contribution:
- John Arnone, scenic design, so go the ghosts of méxico, part 2, and Three Sisters, Undermain Theatre
- Amelia Bransky, scenic design for Frankenstein, Dallas Theater Center and Empathitrax, Second Thought Theatre
- Cameron Cobb, Michael Federico, and Max Hartman, music and lyrics, Pompeii!!, Kitchen Dog Theater
- Design Team, Hair, Dallas Theater Center
- Jeremy Dumont, choreography, A Chorus Line, Uptown Players
- Ensemble, music and lyrics, Original Man, Ochre House
- Kelsey Leigh Ervi and Ensemble, movement, The Great Distance Home, WaterTower Theatre
- Sam Lao, music, and Brian McDonald, sound, Bread, WaterTower Theatre
- Justin Locklear and Carla Parker, music and lyrics, Mousey, Ochre House
- Bart McGeehon, set and projection design, Babel, Cry Havoc Theater Company
- Korey Parker, properties design, A History of Everything, Cry Havoc Theater Company
- Ryan Rumery, original music and sound design, Frankenstein, Dallas Theater Center
- Jessie Wallace, costume design, The Revolutionists, Imprint Theatreworks
- Ashley H. White, fight choreography and intimacy direction, Murder Ballad, Imprint Theatreworks
Special Citations:
- Mara Richards Bim, the founder of Cry Havoc Theater Company, and her teen ensemble, for conducting thorough research and creating compelling verbatim drama, including this year's Babel, about gun violence.
- Amphibian Stage Productions for its Comedy Series, curated by Baron Vaughn, for giving stand-up comics a place to workshop new material in a week-long residency.
- Trinity Shakespeare Festival, for a decade of indelible performances, glorious sets and costumes, evocative sound and lighting, and penetrating directorial insight.
Participating Critics:
- Lindsey Wilson, CultureMap
- Nancy Churnin, Dallas Morning News
- Janice L. Franklin, TheaterJones.com
- Jan Farrington, TheaterJones.com
- Martha Heimberg, TheaterJones.com and Dallas Weekly
- Arnold Wayne Jones, Dallas Voice
- Mark Lowry, TheaterJones.com
- Jill Sweeney, TheaterJones.com
Dallas-Fort Worth Theater Critics Forum is an organization of professional, paid critics that recognizes outstanding theatrical contributions in North Texas. Members see 45 or more productions per season (Sept. 1-Aug. 31) and are not practicing theater artists.
Kevin Moriarty's immersive Hair at Dallas Theater Center won several awards.
Allan Steele will debut new cello concerto. Photo courtesy of Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra 
Pink Martini returns to the Fort Worth stage. Photo courtesy of Pink Martini 
Joyce DiDonato will be the featured artist at the FWSO Gala. Photo courtesy of The Dallas Opera 