St. Louis Theater Circle Announces 2020 Nominees, Celebrates 8 Years Of Awards

Every year, the St. Louis Theater Circle honors the best of local professional theater, voted on by local critics. The St. Louis Theater Circle released its 2020 award nominees on Friday's St. Louis on the Air for locally produced professional theater in 2019. 

Calvin Wilson, theater critic for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and Tina Farmer, theater reviewer for KDHX, joined host Sarah Fenske to discuss the highlights and the upcoming awards ceremony.

St. Louis Theater Circle asserts that this year's nominations represent the most competitive field in the eight years of the awards.

New Jewish Theatre’s production of Neil Simon’s "Brighton Beach Memoirs," the Muny’s presentation of the Broadway hit "Kinky Boots," and Stages St. Louis’ reprise of the musical "Man of La Mancha" lead the way with 9 nominations. Twelve other locally produced shows picked up at least five nominations each. 

All professional St. Louis productions are eligible; touring shows are not.

The awards will be announced at a gala ceremony March 30 at the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts (130 Edgar Road, Webster Groves, MO 63119). The ceremony begins at 7 p.m. 

Full list of nominations: 

• "Brighton Beach Memoirs," New Jewish Theatre
• "It’s a Wonderful Life," Metro Theater Company 
• "A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur," Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis
• "Love’s Labors Lost," Shakespeare Festival St. Louis
• "The Play That Goes Wrong," Repertory Theatre of St. Louis

• Ka-Ling Cheung, "The Play That Goes Wrong," Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
• Michelle Hand, "Pride and Prejudice," Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
• Julie Layton, "A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur," Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis
• Laurie McConnell, "Brighton Beach Memoirs," New Jewish Theatre
• Kelley Weber, "A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur," Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis

• Patrick Blindauer, "Love’s Labors Lost," Shakespeare Festival St. Louis
• Chuck Brinkley, "Brighton Beach Memoirs," New Jewish Theatre
• Aaron Dodd, "The Motherf**ker with the Hat," R-S Theatrics Michael
• James Reed, "Pride and Prejudice," Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
• Shane Signorino, "Popcorn Falls," The Midnight Company

• Katie Kleiger, "Pride and Prejudice," Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
• Sofia Lidia, "The Motherf**ker with the Hat," R-S Theatrics
• Jane Paradise, "Brighton Beach Memoirs," New Jewish Theatre
• Rachel Tibbetts, "Never Let Go," Equally Represented Arts
• Maggie Wininger, "A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur," Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis

• Will Bonfiglio, "Fully Committed," New Jewish Theatre
• Jacob Flekier, "Brighton Beach Memoirs," New Jewish Theatre
• Adam Flores, "The Motherf**ker with the Hat," R-S Theatrics
• Michael Cassidy Flynn, "Classic Mystery Game," SATE
• Steve Isom, "Wittenberg," Upstream Theater

• Melissa Rain Anderson, "The Play That Goes Wrong," Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
• Kari Ely, "A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur," Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis
• Alan Knoll, "Brighton Beach Memoirs," New Jewish Theatre
• Tom Ridgely, "Love’s Labors Lost," Shakespeare Festival St. Louis
• Ellie Schwetye, "Fully Committed," New Jewish Theatre

• "Brighton Beach Memoirs," New Jewish Theatre
• "Fully Committed," New Jewish Theatre
• "Love’s Labors Lost," Shakespeare Festival St. Louis
• "The Play That Goes Wrong," Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
• "Pride and Prejudice," Repertory Theatre of St. Louis

• "Angels in America," Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
• "District Merchants," New Jewish Theatre
• "Equivocation," West End Players Guild
• "Indecent," Max & Louie Productions
• "Photograph 51," West End Players Guild

• Sophia Brown, "Fefu and Her Friends," Theatre Nuevo
• Michelle Dillard, "Milk Like Sugar," The Black Rep
• Alicen Moser, "Equivocation," West End Players Guild
• Carly Uding, "Translations," Black Mirror Theatre
• Donna Weinsting, "Nonsense and Beauty," Repertory Theatre of St. Louis

• Eric Conners, "Canfield Drive," The Black Rep
• J. Samuel Davis, "District Merchants," New Jewish Theatre
• Ryan Lawson-Maeske, "Photograph 51," West End Players
• Guild Reginald Pierre, "Equivocation," West End Players Guild
• David Ryan Smith, "Angels in America," Repertory Theatre of St. Louis

• Nicole Angeli, "Photograph 51," West End Players Guild
• Zoe Farmingdale, "Indecent," Max & Louie Productions
• Rachel Hanks, "A Model for Matisse," The Midnight Company
• Jeanne Paulsen, "Alabama Story," Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
• Donna Weinsting, "Salt, Root and Roe," Upstream Theater

• Gary Wayne Barker, "District Merchants," New Jewish Theatre
• James Andrew Butz, "The Night of the Iguana," Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis
• Roger Erb, "Equivocation," West End Players Guild
• Barrett Foa, "Angels in America," Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
• Spencer Sickmann, "Farragut North," St. Louis Actors’ Studio

• Joanne Gordon, "Indecent," Max & Louie Productions
• Pamela Reckamp, "The Women of Lockerbie," SATE
• Ellie Schwetye, "Photograph 51," West End Players Guild
• Tony Speciale, "Angels in America," Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
• Jacqueline Thompson, "District Merchants," New Jewish Theatre

• "Angels in America," Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
• "District Merchants," New Jewish Theatre
• "Equivocation," West End Players Guild
• "Indecent," Max & Louie Productions
• "Photograph 51," West End Players Guild

• David Blake, "District Merchants," New Jewish Theatre
• Dunsi Dai, "Indecent," Max & Louie Productions
• Tim Mackabee, "Angels in America," Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
• Margery and Peter Spack, "Brighton Beach Memoirs," New Jewish Theatre
• Margery and Peter Spack, "The Play That Goes Wrong," Repertory Theatre of St. Louis

• Felia Davenport, "District Merchants," New Jewish Theatre
• Dorothy Marshall Englis, "Pride and Prejudice," Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
• Laura Hanson, "Wittenberg," Upstream Theater
• Michele Friedman Siler, "Brighton Beach Memoirs," New Jewish Theatre
• Melissa Trn, "Love's Labors Lost," Shakespeare Festival St. Louis

• Patrick Huber, "Indecent," Max & Louie Productions
• Jason Lynch, "Feeding Beatrice," Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
• Bess Moynihan, "The Women of Lockerbie," SATE
• Xavier Pierce, "Angels in America," Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
• Sean M. Savoie, "District Merchants," New Jewish Theatre

• Broken Chord, "Angels in America," Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
• Kareem Deanes, "Fully Committed," New Jewish Theatre
• Kareem Deanes, "A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur," Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis
• Phillip Evans, "Indecent," Max & Louie Productions
• David Kelepha Samba, "Feeding Beatrice," Repertory Theatre of St. Louis

• Mary Engelbreit and Paige Hathaway, "Matilda," The Muny
• Paige Hathaway, "Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella," The Muny
• Michael Schweikardt, "Kinky Boots," The Muny
• Josh Smith, "The Who’s Tommy," Stray Dog Theatre
• James Wolk, "Man of La Mancha," Stages St. Louis

• Gregg Barnes and Lindsay McWilliams, "Kinky Boots," The Muny
• Leon Dobkowski and Mary Engelbreit, "Matilda," The Muny
• Eileen Engel, "The Who’s Tommy," Stray Dog Theatre
• Brad Musgrove, "Man of La Mancha," Stages St. Louis
• Sarah Porter, "La Cage aux Folles," New Line Theatre

• Rob Denton, "Matilda," The Muny
• Tyler Duenow, "The Who’s Tommy," Stray Dog Theatre
• Sean M. Savoie, "The Boy from Oz," Stages St. Louis
• Sean M. Savoie, "Man of La Mancha," Stages St. Louis
• Nathan W. Scheuer, "Kinky Boots," The Muny

• Jennifer Buchheit, "The Who’s Tommy," Stray Dog Theatre
• Charles Creath, "Don’t Bother Me," I Can’t Cope, The Black Rep
• Ryan Fielding Garrett, "Kinky Boots," The Muny
• Brad Haak, "Guys and Dolls," The Muny
• Nicolas Valdez, "Be More Chill," New Line Theatre

• Kirven Douthit-Boyd, "Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope," The Black Rep
• Jessica Hartman, "Footloose," The Muny
• Lorin Latarro and Patrick O’Neill, "Guys and Dolls," The Muny
• Dexandro Montalvo, "Such Sweet Thunder," Shakespeare Festival St. Louis et al
• Rusty Mowery, "Kinky Boots," The Muny

• "Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope," The Black Rep
• "Guys and Dolls," The Muny
• "Kinky Boots," The Muny
• "Man of La Mancha," Stages St. Louis
• "Matilda," The Muny

• Eleanor Humphrey, "Dreamgirls," Stray Dog Theatre
• Laura Michelle Kelly, "Matilda," The Muny
• Taylor Louderman, "Kinky Boots," The Muny
• Corinne Melancon, "The Boy from Oz," Stages St. Louis
• Michele Ragusa, "The Boy from Oz," Stages St. Louis

• Tielere Cheatem, "La Cage aux Folles," New Line Theatre
• Kevin Corpuz, "Be More Chill," New Line Theatre
• Tristan Davis, "The Who’s Tommy," Stray Dog Theatre
• Eli Mayer, "Footloose," The Muny
• Patrick John Moran, "Man of La Mancha," Stages St. Louis

• Mattea Conforti, "Matilda," The Muny
• Ebony Easter, "Dreamgirls," Stray Dog Theatre
• Kendra Kassebaum, "Guys and Dolls," The Muny
• Amanda Robles, "Man of La Mancha," Stages St. Louis
• Jennifer Theby-Quinn, "Daddy Long Legs," Insight Theatre Company

• David Elder, "The Boy from Oz," Stages St. Louis
• Zachary Allen Farmer, "La Cage aux Folles," New Line Theatre
• J. Harrison Ghee, "Kinky Boots," The Muny
• James Patterson, "Man of La Mancha," Stages St. Louis
• Luke Steingruby, "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," The Q Collective

• Justin Been, "The Who’s Tommy," Stray Dog Theatre
• Mike Dowdy-Windsor & Scott Miller, "Be More Chill," New Line Theatre
• Gordon Greenberg, "Guys and Dolls," The Muny
• Michael Hamilton, "Man of La Mancha," Stages St. Louis
• John Tartaglia, "Matilda," The Muny

• "Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope," The Black Rep
• "Guys and Dolls," The Muny
• "Kinky Boots," The Muny
• "Man of La Mancha," Stages St. Louis
• "Such Sweet Thunder," Shakespeare Festival St. Louis et al

• "Canfield Drive," by Kristen Adele Calhoun & Michael Thomas Walker, The Black Rep
• "Feeding Beatrice," by Kristen Greenidge, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
• "It’s a Wonderful Life," by John Wolbers, Metro Theater Company
• "A Model for Matisse," by Barbara F. Freed and Joe Hanrahan, The Midnight Company
• "Nonsense and Beauty," by Scott C. Sickles, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis

• Terence Blanchard and Kasi Lemmons, "Fire Shut Up in My Bones," Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
• Mark Freiman, "La Boheme," Union Avenue Opera
• Christine Lyons, "Norma," Winter Opera Saint Louis
• Brooklyn Snow, "Candide," Union Avenue Opera
• Roland Wood, "Rigoletto," Opera Theatre of Saint Louis

• "La Boheme," Union Avenue Opera
• "Candide," Union Avenue Opera
• "The Coronation of Poppea," Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
• "Fire Shut Up in My Bones," Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
• "The Marriage of Figaro," Opera Theatre of Saint Louis

• Ken and Nancy Kranzberg

“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by Sarah Fenske and produced by Alex Heuer, Emily Woodbury, Evie Hemphill, Lara Hamdan and Joshua Phelps. The engineer is Aaron Doerr, and production assistance is provided by Charlie McDonald.

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