Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle

Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle is an association of professional theater critics in Los Angeles that presents annual awards recognizing excellence in stage productions across Southern California. Founded in 1959, the group has shaped critical discourse about regional theater while intersecting with national institutions, touring companies, and prominent artists. Its awards and votes have influenced careers of playwrights, directors, actors, designers, and producers, and fostered relationships with theaters, festivals, and academic programs.

History

The Circle was established in 1959 amid a flourishing postwar American theater scene influenced by figures such as Elia Kazan, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Harold Clurman, and institutions like the New York Times drama desk traditions and Theater Guild. Early years saw interactions with local companies including Los Angeles Civic Light Opera, Pasadena Playhouse, Ahmanson Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, and East West Players, as well as touring ensembles from Broadway and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Founding critics drew on models from the New York Drama Critics' Circle and the Drama Desk, while adapting practices to the Los Angeles milieu that included film-industry crossover with names like Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, and Orson Welles. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s the Circle engaged with regional developments at South Coast Repertory, The Old Globe, Oregon Shakespeare Festival visitors, and emerging companies such as Cornerstone Theater Company and Latino Theater Company. In subsequent decades critics reviewed avant-garde work at venues like Theatre of NOTE, Company of Angels, Fuse Theatre Ensemble, and collaborations involving artists from Steppenwolf Theatre Company and Berkeley Repertory Theatre. The Circle adapted to trends involving playwrights August Wilson, Tony Kushner, Sarah Ruhl, Suzan-Lori Parks, and collaborations featuring directors such as JoAnne Akalaitis and Robert Wilson.

Membership and Organization

Membership comprises professional critics affiliated with publications and media outlets such as Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Los Angeles Magazine, The New Yorker, NPR, KCRW, KPCC, and specialist theater journals. The Circle's governance model has included elected chairs, committees, and bylaws influenced by precedents set by New York Drama Critics' Circle and the Pulitzer Prize advisory structures; members often represent print, radio, television, and online platforms including outlets like Backstage (magazine), Playbill, American Theatre, and university-affiliated critics from UCLA, USC, and CalArts. Membership rules require active reviewing and engagement with companies such as Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles Philharmonic collaborations, and cultural institutions including Getty Center programming. Board decisions have intersected with labor and equity conversations involving organizations like Actors' Equity Association and advocacy groups such as LA Stage Alliance.

Awards and Categories

The Circle annually bestows awards across categories comparable to honors from the Obie Awards, Tony Award, Helen Hayes Awards, and Drama Desk Awards. Typical categories include Best Production, Best Director, Best Play, Best Musical, Best Performance, Best Adaptation, and design prizes for Scenic Design, Costume Design, Lighting Design, and Sound Design; these echo distinctions found in ceremonies like the Kennedy Center Honors for theater artists. Special citations and lifetime achievement recognitions have been given to figures associated with institutions such as CalArts Theater, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, and major presenters including Broad Stage and Center for Puppetry Arts. The Circle has occasionally created ad hoc awards for community-engaged projects with companies like The Industry (music ensemble) and site-specific works tied to festivals such as LA Pride and DCA (Downtown Center for the Arts).

Notable Recipients and Winners

Winners and honorees have included a wide range of actors, playwrights, directors, and designers who also appear on rosters for Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize for Drama recognition. Prominent names associated with Circle awards include actors and directors such as Lynn Redgrave, Alfred Molina, F. Murray Abraham, Ed Harris, Anna Deavere Smith, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Annette Bening, and John Lithgow; playwrights like Sam Shepard, David Mamet, Edward Albee, Lorraine Hansberry, and Tony Kushner; and designers and directors such as Geoffrey Holder, Julie Taymor, Garry Hynes, Gordon Davidson, and Daniel Sullivan. Regional artists and ensembles recognized include Luis Valdez, Estela Pérez Somarriba, Luis Alfaro, Reza Abdoh, Rosalba Rolón, Steppenwolf Theatre Company guests, and companies such as South Coast Repertory and The Old Globe. Productions that later transferred to Broadway or international tours—works by August Wilson, Arthur Miller, Geraldine Page, and Norman Mailer adaptations—have been singled out. Emerging playwrights and experimental creators like Tony Taccone, Anne Bogart, Suzan-Lori Parks, Sarah Ruhl, and Caryl Churchill have also appeared among recipients.

Influence and Controversies

The Circle's critical pronouncements have influenced programming decisions at institutions including Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, and funding choices by foundations such as the Guggenheim Fellowship panels and the National Endowment for the Arts. Its awards have been cited in publicity for transfers to Broadway and tours involving companies like Royal National Theatre. Controversies have arisen over perceived biases toward commercial presenters versus smaller companies like Dixon Place-scale ensembles, debates echoing discussions surrounding Obie Awards transparency, and disputes involving critics who also served as educators at UCLA or consultants to theaters—raising questions similar to those addressed by New York Drama Critics' Circle controversies. Specific disputes have touched on issues of diversity and representation tied to playwrights from communities represented by Latino Theater Company, East West Players, Black Ensemble Theater, and intersectional artists such as Cherríe Moraga and Ntozake Shange. The Circle has periodically adjusted practices to address criticism, engaging with groups like LA Stage Alliance and media outlets such as Los Angeles Times and LA Weekly in conversations about ethics and access.

Category:Theatre critics associations in the United States