This year marks the 12th year that the Richmond Theatre Critics Circle has sponsored the Richmond Theatre Critics Circle (RTCC) Awards, or “Artsies,” the community’s recognition of excellence in Richmond-area theater. The theme of this year’s event – “All the World’s a Stage” – highlights the freedom many professional theater artists have to travel between theater markets. Richmond’s theater community boasts remarkable talent for its size, and the Artsies event celebrates the skills and experience Richmond’s professional theater artists bring to their craft, wherever they were gained.
This year’s celebration will be held at the November Theatre at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 27th, and will be hosted by two popular Richmond actors with years of noteworthy experience in different markets, Bianca Bryan and Jerold Solomon.
Bryan made an indelible impression on Richmond audiences from her first appearance here. Already sporting a long résumé of successful appearances in New York, she commuted to Richmond for her Artsy-nominated role in Barksdale Theatre’s 2008 production of “A Clean House.” Since then, she’s become a beloved regular on local stages, scoring an Artsy for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in Firehouse Theatre’s “Wings” during the 2017-18 season. She was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for her role in the Quill Theatre production of “Assassins” and Best Actress in a Play for her performance in TheatreLAB’s production of “Grounded” during the 2016-17 season. She was last seen this spring playing Mrs. Lovett in TheatreLAB’s production of “Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”
Solomon had racked up numerous roles both in Richmond and on national tours before landing a spot in the cast of the Tony Award-winning 2008 Broadway revival of “South Pacific,” which ran until 2010. He returned to Richmond and won an Artsy for Best Actor in a Play for his role in Virginia Repertory Theatre’s (Virginia Rep) production of “The Whipping Man” during the 2014-15 season. Solomon also was nominated for the 2015-16 season Artsies in the categories of Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in Virginia Rep’s production of “Dreamgirls” and Best Actor in a Play for his role in “The Mountaintop,” produced by Cadence Theatre in partnership with Virginia Rep. Solomon currently appears on stage in the title role of the Virginia Rep production of “The Wiz.”
All proceeds from Artsies ticket sales support the Theatre Artist Fund of Greater Richmond.
The members of the RTCC include Claire Boswell (Style Weekly), Tony Farrell (Richmond Times-Dispatch), Rich Griset (Style Weekly), Julinda Lewis (RVArt Review), and Jerry Williams (Sifter/WRIR-FM). RTCC members and Theatre Alliance Panelists must have seen at least two-thirds of the locally-produced shows during the season in order to vote in the award nomination process.
Formal attire is encouraged for the awards ceremony, which is open to the public. Tickets for the event are $20 for orchestra seating and $25 for balcony seating and will go on sale September 1 through Virginia Rep at va-rep.org or (804) 282-2620. The event afterparty will once again be sponsored by University of Richmond’s Modlin Center for the Arts and will be hosted by Bar Solita. Additional event details will be released later this summer.
