Theatre in the Berkshires
Annual Berkies Winners
By: Berkies - Nov 12, 2024
The 2024 Berkshire Theatre Critics Awards, aka The Berkies, were presented on Monday, November 11 in the Zion Lutheran Church Community Room in Pittsfield MA. Presenters included J. Peter Bergman, Paul Sugarman, Mark G. Auerbach, Macey G. Levin, Barbara Waldinger, and Paula Kaplan-Reiss. The ceremony opened this year with a special opening number written and performed by Paula Kaplan-Reiss, with Gary P. Kaplan at the piano. Patrick White, local actor, director, and founder of Harbinger Theatre, announced plans for The Capital Region Festival of Theatre, scheduled for June of 2025.
Once again, Pittsfield-based Barrington Stage Company (BSC) was the big winner of the evening with their productions of Next to Normal, La Cage Aux Folles, Primary Trust, and Boeing, Boeing taking home many top prizes. The Mac-Haydn Theatre, in Chatham, NY, tied with BSC artists in the categories of Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Direction of a Musical, and with artists from the Berkshire Theatre Festival for Outstanding Sound Design.
Easthampton resident Jay Sefton was awarded the Berkie for Outstanding Solor Performance and the Sally and Robert Sugarman Award for World Premiere of a NEW Play for Unreconciled, a one-man play he wrote with Mark Basquill that was presented by the Chester Theatre Company last summer. The Sugarmans' son, Paul, was on hand to present the award to Sefton.
Stage manager Hope Rose Kelly was honored with a special award in memory of Robert J. Bruyr, a stage manager by profession and a founding member of the Berkshire Theatre Critics Association who passed away in April. His widower, J. Peter Bergman, presented the award.
The Larry Murray Award for Community Outreach and Support through Theater was presented to the Sharon Playhouse in Sharon, CT, for their community and education efforts.
Nominated twice in the lighting design category, John Sowle of the Bridge Street Theatre in Catskill, NY, took home that award for his work on The Glass Menagerie. Leigh Strimbeck won Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Play for her performance as Amanda Wingfield in that production.
The Berkshire Opera Festival's production of Faust by Charles Gounod won the Berkie for the Outstanding Production with Fewer Than Six Performances.
Winners and nominees also represented the Ancram Center for the Arts, Capital Repertory Theatre (aka theREP), Dorset Theatre Festival, Ghent Playhouse, Great Barrington PublicTheater, Harbinger Theatre, Hartford Stage, Living Room Theatre, The Majestic Theater, Schenectady Civic Players, and Shakespeare & Company. For a full list of nominees visit berkshireonstage.blog
For the first time Westfield Community Programming livestreamed the awards ceremony. It was broadcast on westfieldtv.org, and is currently posted to YouTube on WSKB Community Radio's platform.
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play:
Kate MacCluggage, Boeing Boeing - Barrington Stage Company
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play:
Kyle Haden, Primary Trust, - Barrington Stage Company
- Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play or Musical:
Christopher and Justin Swader, The Beauty Queen of Leenane - Dorset Theatre Festival
- Outstanding Choreography (TIE)
Paul McGill, La Cage Aux Folles – Barrington Stage Company
Mandy Modic, Something Rotten - Mac-Haydn Theatre
- Outstanding Direction of a Musical (TIE)
Alan Paul, Next to Normal - Barrington Stage Company
John Saunders, The Fantasticks - Mac-Haydn Theatre
- Outstanding Costume Design of a Play or Musical (TIE):
Govane Lohbauer, The Comedy of Errors - Shakespeare and Company
Rodrigo Munoz/Benjamin Weigel, La Cage Aux Folles, Barrington Stage Company
- Outstanding Solo Performance:
Jay Sefton, Unreconciled - Chester Theatre Company
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical:
Madison McBride, Next to Normal - Barrington Stage Company
- Outstanding Lighting Design of a Play or Musical:
John Sowle, The Glass Menagerie – Bridge Street Theatre
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical:
Adante Carter, Next To Normal - Barrington Stage Company
- Outstanding Direction of a Play:
Jennifer Chang, Primary Trust - Barrington Stage Company
- Outstanding Sound Design of a Play or Musical (TIE):
Sean McGinley, West Side Story - Mac-Haydn Theatre
Joanna Lynn Staub, Young Frankenstein - Berkshire Theatre Group
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical:
Natalie Joy Johnson, Next to Normal - Barrington Stage Company
- Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical:
Alex Michaels, La Cage aux Folles - Barrington Stage Company
- Outstanding Ensemble Performance:
Boeing Boeing - Barrington Stage Company
- Outstanding Production with Fewer Than Six Performances:
Gounod’s Faust, Directed by Jonathon Loy - Berkshire Opera Festival
SPECIAL AWARD in memory of Robert J. Bruyr
Stage Manager: Hope Rose Kelly
- Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play:
Justin Weaks, Primary Trust - Barrington Stage Company
- Sally and Robert Sugarman Award for World Premiere of a NEW Play:
Unreconciled by Jay Sefton and Mark Basquill - Chester Theatre Company
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play:
Leigh Strimbeck, The Glass Menagerie – Bridge Street Theatre
- The Larry Murray Award for Community Outreach and Support through Theater was presented to the Sharon Playhouse for their community and education efforts.
- Outstanding Production of a Musical:
Next to Normal, Book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, Music by Tom Kitt. Directed by Alan Paul. Barrington Stage Company
- Outstanding Production of a Play:
Boeing, Boeing, by Marc Camelotti, translated by Beverley Cross & Francis Evans. Directed by Julianne Boyd. Barrington Stage Company