The secret is out! Over the last year, a number of theater enthusiasts, critics/reviewers, and writers, with many thanks to Sharron at ATXTheatre for organizing, have been meeting and emailing about our favorite theater performances in the Austin area. Now, we’re excited to share who we all agree are the best of the best! Winners will be announced live on June 9th at the O4 Center on S. Lamar at 7pm. Reserve your free tickets online, and see you then!

Eligible performances/shows for these awards ran from May 1, 2024 to May 1, 2025.

The 2025 Austin Theatre Critics Award Nominees are:

• Nominees for Outstanding Costume Design:
  • Cecelia Gay, The Three Musketeers, The Archive Theater
  • Dawn Allee, King Lear, The Baron’s Men
  • Renee Osborn, All For One, The Baron’s Men
  • Bert Flanagan, The Cover of Life, City Theatre Austin
  • Maddy Lamb, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, The Filigree Theatre
  • Teresa Carson, The Little Mermaid, Summer Stock Austin
• Nominees for Outstanding Scenic Design:
  • Robyn Conner, Exit Strategy, Beyond August Productions
  • Theada Haining, Company, Roustabout and The Little Mermaid, Summer Stock Austin
  • Michelle Ney, Bob & Jean: A Love Story and Jersey Boys, ZACH Theatre 
  • Cody Arn, Trash Planet, Bottle Alley Theatre Company
  • Ann Marie Gordon, Sunny Days and Rabbits and Mother Tree, The VORTEX
  • Sotirios Livaditis, The Lehman Trilogy, ZACH Theatre
• Nominees for Outstanding Lighting Design:
  • Lucinda Culver, The Normal Heart, Austin Rainbow Theatre
  • Gavin Kenter, Trash Planet, Bottle Alley Theatre Company
  • Patrick Anthony, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, The Filigree Theatre and Falsettos, Ground Floor Theatre
  • Kathryn Eader, Company, Roustabout
  • Amy Lewis, Feast, Shrewd Productions
  • Benjamin Gantose, The Lehman Trilogy, ZACH Theatre
• Nominees for Outstanding Sound Design:
  • Robert S. Fisher, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Austin Playhouse
  • Allen Robertson, Bob & Jean: A Love Story, ZACH Theatre
  • Michael Kiley, The Lehman Trilogy, ZACH Theatre
  • Louie Espinoza, Nunsense: The Mega Musical, Mary Moody Northen Theatre
  • Austin Brion, Company, Roustabout
  • Johann Solo, Rabbits, The VORTEX
• Nominees for Outstanding Movement Direction:
  • Kelly Hasandras, King of Hearts, The Alchemy Theatre
  • Sadé M. Jones, The Black Feminist Guide to the Human Body, The VORTEX
  • Richard Cerato, Falsettos, Ground Floor Theatre
  • Chris Shin, Anything Goes, TexARTS
  • Ginger Morris, Noah Wood, Lena Owens, and Kristie Copeland, Guys and Dolls, Summer Stock Austin
  • Ellenor Riley-Condit, A Beautiful Day in November on the Banks of the Greatest of the Great Lakes, UT Austin Department of Theatre & Dance
• Nominees for Outstanding Musical Direction:
  • Adam Roberts, Company, Roustabout
  • Marita Stryker & Adam Roberts, Guys and Dolls, Summer Stock Austin
  • Michael Morse, Jane Eyre, Austin Shakespeare
  • Allen Robertson, A Christmas Carol, ZACH Theatre
  • Lyn Koenning, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Austin Playhouse; Legally Blonde, Zilker Theatre Productions; and Nunsense: The Mega Musical, Mary Moody Northen Theatre
• Nominees for Outstanding Director of a Play:
  • Molly Fonseca, Hungry Teenage Track Stars, Broad Theatre
  • Dr. Brian Cheslik, Tiny Beautiful Things, Deaf Austin Theatre
  • Shawn Sides, Our Town, Rude Mechs
  • Melissa McKnight, Feast, Shrewd Productions
  • Dave Steakley, The Lehman Trilogy, ZACH Theatre
  • Elizabeth V. Newman, Suddenly Last Summer, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde and The Illusionary Games of Edward Rye, The Filigree Theatre
• Nominees for Outstanding Director of a Musical:
  • Michael Cooper, King of Hearts, The Alchemy Theatre
  • Liz Fisher, The Yeomen of the Guard, Gilbert & Sullivan Austin
  • Cassie Abate, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, ZACH Theatre
  • Adam Roberts, Company, Roustabout
  • Trace Turner, Falsettos, Ground Floor Theatre
• Nominations for Outstanding Ensemble:
  • King of Hearts, The Alchemy Theatre
  • The Three Musketeers, The Archive Theater
  • The Cover of Life, City Theatre Austin
  • Company, Roustabout
  • A Beautiful Day in November on the Banks of the Greatest of the Great Lakes, UT Austin Department of Theatre & Dance
• Nominees for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play:
  • Andrea Osborn in Arcadia, Austin Playhouse
  • Sarah Zeringue in Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, Austin Playhouse
  • Bethany Borsotti in Tiny Beautiful Things, Deaf Austin Theatre
  • Linda Nenno in Suddenly Last Summer, The Filigree Theatre
  • Janelle Buchanan in My H-E-B, Hyde Park Theatre
  • Christina Little-Manley in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, The Stage Austin
• Nominees for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play:
  • A.Y. Oza in Jane Eyre, Austin Shakespeare
  • Tobie Minor in Arcadia, Austin Playhouse
  • N.R. Oglesby in Trash Planet, Bottle Alley Theatre Company
  • Mike Ooi in Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, The Filigree Theatre
  • Mike Ooi in Dial M for Murder, Jarrott Productions
  • Matt Hislope in Waiting for Godot, Hyde Park Theatre
  • Scot Friedman in Copenhagen, The Stage Austin
• Nominees for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical:
  • Amber Quick in Nunsense: The Mega Musical, Mary Moody Northen Theatre
  • Gabrielle North in Nunsense: The Mega Musical, Mary Moody Northen Theatre
  • Laura Huffman Powell in Company, Roustabout
  • Mariel Ardila in Company, Roustabout
  • Jude Thurman in Guys and Dolls, Summer Stock Austin
  • Sarah Burke in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, ZACH Theatre
  • Kylie Brunngraber in Legally Blonde, Zilker Theatre Productions
• Nominees for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical:
  • Trey Deason in The Yeomen of the Guard, Gilbert & Sullivan Austin
  • Jacob Rosenbaum in Sweeney Todd, Georgetown Palace
  • Jacob Rosenbaum in Falsettos, Ground Floor Theatre
  • Quincy Kuykendall in Company, Roustabout
  • Noah Wood in Guys and Dolls, Summer Stock Austin
  • Logan Foster in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, ZACH Theatre
  • Sebastian Vitale in King of Hearts, The Alchemy Theatre
• Nominees for Outstanding Actress in a Play:
  • Lucky Cantu in 26 Miles, Different Stages
  • Maddie Scanlan in Suddenly Last Summer, The Filigree Theatre
  • Katherine Catmull in Feast, Shrewd Productions
  • Kathleen Fletcher in Rabbits, The VORTEX
  • Stephanie Crugnola in Hamlet, Walking Shadow Shakespeare
  • Nisi Sturgis in What the Constitution Means to Me, ZACH Theatre
• Nominees for Outstanding Actor in a Play:
  • Andy Bond in King Lear, The Baron’s Men
  • Aaron Alexander in Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, Austin Playhouse
  • Will Gibson Douglas in The Shark is Broken, Jarrott Productions
  • Rick Felkins in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, The Stage Austin
  • Peter Frechette in The Lehman Trilogy, ZACH Theatre
  • Ryan Bradley in Rabbits, The VORTEX
• Nominees for Outstanding Actress in a Musical:
  • Megan Hudson in Legally Blonde, Zilker Theatre Productions
  • Leslie McDonel in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, ZACH Theatre
  • Gabrielle North in The Little Mermaid, Summer Stock Austin
  • Megan DeYoung in Falsettos, Ground Floor Theatre
  • Kristin Bilodeau in The Yeomen of the Guard, Gilbert & Sullivan Austin
  • Sarah Fleming Walker in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Austin Playhouse
• Nominees for Outstanding Actor in a Musical:
  • Patrick Regner in King of Hearts, The Alchemy Theatre
  • Andrew Cannata in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Austin Playhouse
  • Sam Johnson in TheYeomen of the Guard, Gilbert & Sullivan Austin
  • Seth David Mitchell in Company, Roustabout
  • Jordan Williams in Guys and Dolls, Summer Stock Austin
  • Nick Anastasia in Jersey Boys, ZACH Theatre
• Nominations for Outstanding Original Script:
  • Bob & Jean: A Love Story by Robert Schenkkan, ZACH Theatre
  • The Black Feminist Guide to the Human Body by Lisa B. Thompson, The VORTEX
  • Rabbits by Sarah Saltwick, The VORTEX
  • Aurora by Chris Fontanes, Bottle Alley Theatre Company
  • Hungry Teenage Track Stars by Anikka Lekven, Broad Theatre
  • Wanna Play by Christine Hoang, Color Arc Productions
  • The Illusionary Games of Edward Rye by Ashley Griffin, The Filigree Theatre
• Nominations for Outstanding Production of a Play:
  • Feast, Shrewd Productions
  • The Lehman Trilogy, ZACH Theatre
  • Our Town, Rude Mechs
  • Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, The Filigree Theatre
  • Hungry Teenage Track Stars, Broad Theatre
  • Waiting for Godot, Hyde Park Theatre
• Nominations for Outstanding Production of a Musical:
  • King of Hearts, The Alchemy Theatre
  • Company, Roustabout
  • Guys and Dolls, Summer Stock Austin
  • Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, ZACH Theatre
  • Jersey Boys, ZACH Theatre
  • Falsettos, Ground Floor Theatre
• Nominations for Outstanding Touring Show:
  • MJ, the Musical ~ Texas Performing Arts, Broadway in Austin
  • Frozen ~ Texas Performing Arts, Broadway in Austin
  • Come From Away ~ Texas Performing Arts, Broadway in Austin
  • Girl From The North Country ~ Texas Performing Arts, Broadway in Austin
  • Funny Girl ~ Texas Performing Arts, Broadway in Austin
  • Hamlet ~ Actors from the London Stage

See you in a few weeks!