I'd Like to Thank ...

On Monday, June 5, the Austin Critics Table handed out its annual awards for outstanding achievements in the Austin arts in a ceremony at the Cap City Comedy Club. This year's honors, the 14th such presented by this informal association of local arts writers, began with the induction of Ada Anderson, Robert DeSimone, Jessie Otto Hite, Rodolfo Mendez, Charles Moore, David Nancarrow, and Ken Webster into the Austin Arts Hall of Fame.

In the awards themselves, the Zachary Scott Theatre Center's production of Urinetown: The Musical took top honors, with six awards, including Production of a Musical. The rest of the awards were very evenly distributed among shows and exhibitions, with Match-Play, the Rude Mechanicals' theatrical take on Deborah Hay's dance The Match, the only other show to capture more than two awards.

Critics participating in this year's awards, covering the period from May 1, 2005, to April 30, 2006, were the Austin American-Statesman's Michael Barnes (arts), Jamie Smith Cantara (theatre/music), Clare Croft (dance), Randy Harriman (music), Erin Keever (visual art), Sondra Lomax (dance), David Mead (music), Tommy O'Malley (theatre), Joey Seiler (theatre), Jeanne Claire van Ryzin (arts), and Holly Williams (dance); and the Chronicle's Elizabeth Cobbe (theatre), Heather Barfield Cole (theatre), Patricia Hadad (theatre), Rachel Koper (visual art), Nikki Moore (visual art), Barry Pineo (theatre), and Robert Faires (arts). Obligatory ethical note: Critics refrained from nominating themselves or members of their families for any awards and refrained from voting in any category in which the critic or a family member was nominated.

Production, Drama

Where Are They Now? Shrewd Productions

Director, Drama

Dustin Wills, Cymbeline

Actress, Drama

Kelsey Kling, The Glory of Living

Actor, Drama

Brent Werzner, Static

Supporting Actress, Drama

Anne Hulsman, Where Are They Now?

Supporting Actor, Drama

Matthew Radford, Richard III

Production, Comedy

Match-Play, Rude Mechanicals

Director, Comedy

Shawn Sides, Match-Play/Decameron Day 7: REVENGE

Actress, Comedy

Lee Eddy, The Intergalactic Nemesis: Twin Infinity/The Santaland Diaries

Actor, Comedy

Scott Tesh, The Playboy of the Western World/The Beard of Avon

Supporting Actress, Comedy

Nikki Zook, Appointment with Death/Twelfth Night (Onstage)

Supporting Actor, Comedy

Robert Matney, The Rivals

Production, Musical

Urinetown: The Musical, Zachary Scott Theatre Center

Director, Musical

Matt Hislope and Josh Meyers, Holes Before Bedtime

Actress, Musical

Laura Powell, Annie Get Your Gun

Actor, Musical

Tyler Rhodes, Batboy: The Musical

Supporting Actress, Musical

Meredith McCall, Urinetown: The Musical

Supporting Actor, Musical (tie)

Marc Pouhé, Urinetown: The Musical

Cole Wimpee, Holes Before Bedtime

Ensemble Performance

The Three Cuckolds, Tongue and Groove Theatre

David Mark Cohen New Play Award

American Fiesta, Steven Tomlinson

Original Script, Adaptation

Match-Play, Kirk Lynn

Musical Direction

Content Love Knowles, Bent

Movement

Robin Lewis, Urinetown: The Musical

Scenic Design

Michael Raiford, Keepin' It Weird/Urinetown: The Musical

Costume Design

Sheila Hargett, The Rover

Lighting Design

Jason Amato, Whispers of Heaven/Keepin' It Weird/Vampyress/Urinetown: The Musical/Dark Goddess 2006/The Exonerated

Sound Design

Buzz Moran, Static

Cabaret or Theatrical Concert

Sandra Reeves-Phillips, Austin Cabaret Theatre

Touring Show, Theatre

Kathy Griffin, Paramount Theatre

Touring Show, Dance

Vincent Mantsoe, Dance Umbrella

Dance Concert

Season Finale, Sharir + Bustamante Danceworks

Choreographer

José Luis Bustamante, "Night of Four Moons"/"Court Dance"/"Snake Rock"

Dancer, Female

Inga Lujerenko, Swan Lake

Dancer, Male

Eric Midgley, Carmina Burana/"InsideOut"/

"Desire/Three Movements"

Symphonic Performance

Rautavaara: Cantus Arcticus, Austin Symphony

Chamber Performance

Jupiter String Quartet, Austin Chamber Music Festival

Choral Concert

Monteverdi: Vespers of the Blessed Virgin, 1610, Schola Cantorum, Texas Early Music Project

Opera

Dialogues of the Carmelites, UT Opera Theatre

Singer, Female

Keely Rhodes, Dialogues of the Carmelites

Singer, Male

Nathan Berg, Don Giovanni

Original Composition

Dan Welcher: Symphony No. 4 ("American Visionary"), UT Wind Ensemble

Museum Exhibition

"New Art in Austin: 22 to Watch," Austin Museum of Art

Solo Gallery Exhibition

"Nathan Green: Farewell to the Endless," Art Palace

Group Gallery Exhibition

"Migration Uno," Gallery Shoal Creek

Gallery, Body of Work

Art Palace

Artist, Female

Deborah Roberts

Artist, Male

Bale Creek Allen

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SPECIAL CITATIONS

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W.H. "Deacon" Crain Award for Outstanding Student Work

Jaclyn Pryor, UT Department of Theatre & Dance

John Bustin Award for Conspicuous Versatility

Laura Cannon

Arts Advocate Extraordinaire Award

Anne Elizabeth Wynn

Outstanding Debut

Nina Revering and Conspirare Children's Choir

Outstanding Body of Work

Conspirare, Shadow and Light/Carmina Burana/Perpetual Light/Christmas at the Carillon/Wondrous Journey

Raising the Bar (and Baton) Award

Richard Buckley, Austin Lyric Opera

Grandest EGO Trip Award

The Blanton Museum of Art's Extremely Grand Opening

Hometown Portrait Award

Keepin' It Weird, Zachary Scott Theatre Center

Video Feast Award

Michael Mergen, Decameron Day 7: REVENGE!