The 2022 Richmond Theatre Critics Circle Awards (“Artsies”), the community’s recognition of excellence in Richmond-area theater, will be hosted by Richmond theatre favorites Maggie Bavolack and Keaton Hillman.
Bavolack has performed in numerous productions in the Richmond area, receiving an Artsy for Best Actress in a Play for her role as Liza in Theatre Lab’s production of Riding the Bull and an Artsy for Best Supporting Actress in a Play for her role as Marie Antoinette in TheatreLAB’s production of The Revolutionists. She also received an Artsy nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Play for her role as Kleonike in Quill Theatre’s production of Lysistrata and an Artsy nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for her role as Tweedle Dum/The Caterpillar in the TheatreLAB/Firehouse Theatre production of ALICE: A New Musical (which also won the Ernie McClintock award for Best Ensemble Acting). She was last seen this spring in The Conciliation Lab’s production of How I Learned to Drive. You can find Bavolack on Instagram @maggersyeah.
Hillman is a Richmond-area actor, dancer, and social advocate. By day, he is a social media specialist for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. In the Richmond theatre community, Hillman’s involvement has ranged from performing on stage to facilitating after-show talkbacks to serving as an usher or house manager. He also served as a Community Board Member with The Conciliation Lab. Hillman’s on-stage work in the area includes performances in The Wiz (Virginia Repertory Theatre), Shakespeare in Love (Virginia Repertory Theatre), Dilemma of Escape (workshop at Firehouse Theatre Project), Choir Boy (Richmond Triangle Players), and 1776 (Virginia Repertory Theatre). Follow Hillman on social media @keatonohkneel.
The Richmond Theatre Critics Circle also has announced the nominees for this year’s Artsies. The 2021-22 nominees are:
Best Musical
A Christmas Kaddish, Richmond Triangle Players (RTP)
Ella and Her Fella Frank, Virginia Repertory Theatre (Virginia Rep)
I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Swift Creek Mill Theatre (Swift Creek Mill)
Mamma Mia!, Virginia Rep
Murder for Two, Swift Creek Mill
Best Direction (Musical)
Happy Mahaney, Mamma Mia!, Virginia Rep
Katrinah Carol Lewis, Ella and Her Fella Frank, Virginia Rep
Lucian Restivo and Nora Ogunleye, A Christmas Kaddish, RTP
Tom Width, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Swift Creek Mill
Tom Width, Murder for Two, Swift Creek Mill
Best Lead Performance (Musical)
Emily Berg-Poff Dandridge, Murder for Two
Claire Bronchick, A Christmas Kaddish
Rachel Marrs, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change
Nicole Morris-Anastasi, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change
Luke Schares, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change
Mark Schenfisch, Murder for Two
Emelie Faith Thompson, Mamma Mia!
Scott Wichmann, Ella and her Fella Frank
Best Supporting Performance (Musical)
Emily Berry, A Christmas Kaddish
Anne Michelle Forbes, Winter Wonderettes, Swift Creek Mill
Grey Garrett, Mamma Mia!
Jianna Hurt, Beehive: The ‘60s Musical, Virginia Rep
Amber Marie Martinez, A Christmas Kaddish
Ian Page, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change
Alexander Sapp, Mamma Mia!
Eddie Webster, A Christmas Kaddish
Best Musical Direction
Larri Branch, Ella and her Fella Frank
Sandy Dacus, Mamma Mia!
Billy Dye, Beehive: The ‘60s Musical
Shellie Johnson, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change
Levi Meerovich, A Christmas Kaddish
Mark Schenfisch, Murder for Two
Best Choreography
Ashleigh King, Mamma Mia!
Nicole Morris-Anastasi, The Bottom Show, Quill Theatre (Quill)
Leslie Owens-Harrington, Beehive: The ‘60s Musical
Tom Width, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change
Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design (Musical)
Sue Griffin and Marcia Miller Hailey, Beehive: The ‘60s Musical
Sue Griffin and Marcia Miller Hailey, Mamma Mia!
Sue Griffin and Keith Walker, Ella and her Fella Frank
Maura Lynch Cravey, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change
Nia Safaar Banks, A Christmas Kaddish
Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Design (Musical)
Joe Doran, Murder For Two
Joe Doran, Mamma Mia!
Austin Harber, A Christmas Kaddish
Lynne M. Hartman, Beehive: The ‘60s Musical
BJ Wilkinson, Ella and her Fella Frank
Outstanding Achievement in Set Design (Musical)
Josafath Reynoso, Mamma Mia!
Josafath Reynoso, Ella and her Fella Frank
Lucian Restivo, A Christmas Kaddish
Mercedes Schaum and Amy Bale, Beehive: The ‘60s Musical
Tom Width, Murder for Two
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design (Musical)
Liz Allmon, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change
Liz Allmon, Murder for Two
Shane Barber, A Christmas Kaddish
Jacob Mishler, Mamma Mia!
Best Play
An Iliad, Quill
Every Brilliant Thing, The Illuminated Stage Theatre Company (Illuminated Stage)
Sugar in Our Wounds, RTP
The Barber of Moville, Firehouse Theatre (Firehouse)
The Bottom Show, Quill
Best Direction (Play)
Chelsea Burke, How I Learned to Drive, The Conciliation Lab
Julie Fulcher-Davis, Every Brilliant Thing
James Ricks, An Iliad
James Ricks, The Bottom Show
Nathaniel Shaw, The Barber of Moville
Best Lead Performance (Play)
Alec Beard, An Iliad
Emily Berry, Twelfth Night, Quill
David Bridgewater, The Barber of Moville
Jamar Jones, Fires in the Mirror, Firehouse
Louise Keeton, Every Brilliant Thing
Katrinah Carol Lewis, A Doll’s House, Part 2, Virginia Rep
Katie McCall, The Barber of Moville
Alan Sader, Krapp’s Last Tape, Firehouse
Best Supporting Performance (Play)
Kasey Britt, Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties, RTP
Jeffrey Cole, How I Learned to Drive
Sydnee Graves, Bonnie and Claire, Virginia Rep
Erica Hughes, The Bottom Show
Todd Patterson, Pipeline, Virginia Rep
Laine Satterfield, Pipeline
Catherine Schaffner, A Doll’s House, Part 2
Joy Williams, Barefoot in the Park, Virginia Rep
Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design (Play)
Anna Biakowski, Twelfth Night
Cora Delbridge, She Stoops to Conquer, Quill
Sue Griffin, It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, Virginia Rep
Margarette Joyner, Fires in the Mirror
Sue Griffin and Marcia Miller Hailey, A Doll’s House, Part 2
Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Design (Play)
Andrew Bonniwell, War in Pieces, Firehouse
Gretta Daughtry, An Iliad
Deryn Gabor, Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties
Austin Harbor, Pink Unicorn, RTP
Steven Koehler, Pipeline
Steven Koehler, Sugar in Our Wounds
Outstanding Achievement in Set Design (Play)
Julie Fulcher-Davis, Every Brilliant Thing
Vinnie Gonzalez, Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks, Illuminated Stage
Emily Hoke-Massie, Small Mouth Sounds, Cadence Theatre in partnership with Virginia Rep (Cadence)
William Luther, Sugar in Our Wounds
Chris Raintree, The Barber of Moville
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design (Play)
Kelsey Cordrey, BootyCandy, TheatreLAB
Kyle Epps, Sugar in Our Wounds
Joey Luck, Everybody, Cadence
Joey Luck, Small Mouth Sounds
James Ricks, An Iliad
Ernie McClintock Best Ensemble Acting
BootyCandy, TheatreLAB
Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties, RTP
How I Learned to Drive, The Conciliation Lab
She Stoops to Conquer, Quill
Small Mouth Sounds, Cadence
Breakout Performance
Mikayla LaShae Bartholomew, The Niceties, TheatreLAB
Emily Berry, The Bottom Show/Twelfth Night/A Christmas Kaddish
Zoe Cotzias, Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties
Emily Berg-Poff Dandridge, Murder for Two
Mahlon Raoufi, How I Learned to Drive
Best Original Work
The Barber of Moville created by Ronan Carr and directed by Nathaniel Shaw, Firehouse
Bonnie and Claire created by Bo Wilson and directed by Jan Powell, Virginia Rep
A Christmas Kaddish conceived, created, and directed by Levi Meerovich, Nora Ogunleye, and Lucian Restivo, RTP
War in Pieces conceived by David Aldridge, Rachel Landsee, Robert Waldruff, and Charles Williamson and directed by Joel Bassin, Todd Labelle, Foster Solomon, and Kerrigan Sullivan, Firehouse
The event will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 2, at Virginia Rep’s November Theatre. Tickets are $20 for orchestra seating and $25 for balcony seating. They will go on sale September 1 and can be purchased by calling the Virginia Rep box office at 804-282-2620. Get your tickets early – ticket prices go up by $5 on September 18. All proceeds from Artsies ticket sales support the Theatre Artist Fund of Greater Richmond.
NOTE: Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, masks will be required for everyone inside the theatre building at all times.
