Culture Class

On Monday, June 7, the Austin Critics Table handed out its annual awards for outstanding achievements in the Austin arts in a ceremony at Cap City Comedy Club. This year's ceremony, the 18th such presented by this informal association of local arts writers, began with the induction of JoAnne Christian, James Dick, Alan Pogue, and Maria Salinas into the Austin Arts Hall of Fame.

In the awards themselves, this was not a year for sweeps. The most honored works were Forklift Danceworks' The Trash Project, which won three awards and a special citation, and Tutto Theatre Company's Black Snow, which was honored in four categories. Nine other productions or works received two awards each. Overall, 41 productions, exhibitions, or works were recognized.

Critics participating in this year's awards, covering the period from May 3, 2009, to May 2, 2010, were the Austin American-Statesman's Michael Barnes (arts), Claire Canavan (theatre), Clare Croft (dance), and Jeanne Claire van Ryzin (arts); ... might be good's Claire Ruud (visual arts); and the Chronicle's Elizabeth Cobbe (theatre), Jonelle Seitz (dance), Avimaan Syam (theatre), and Robert Faires (arts). Obligatory ethical note: Critics refrained from voting in any category in which the critic or a family member was nominated.

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THEATRE

Production, Drama

Dionysus in 69, Rude Mechanicals

Production, Comedy

Killer Joe, Capital T Theatre

Production, Musical

John & Jen, Penfold Theatre Company

Direction

Beth Burns, The Taming of the Shrew

Mark Pickell, Killer Joe

Acting in a Leading Role

Pamela Christian, Mary Stuart

Ryan Crowder, The Taming of the Shrew

Joey Hood, The Atheist

Gabriel Luna, Black Snow/Orestes/Endgame

Acting in a Supporting Role

Michael Amendola, Our Town (Zach Theatre)

Smaranda Ciceu, Black Snow

Sean Martin, Mary Stuart/Three Days of Rain

Jose Villarreal, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

David Mark Cohen New Play Award

House of Several Stories, A. John Boulanger

Ensemble Performance

Black Snow, Tutto Theatre Company

bobrauschenbergamerica, Mary Moody Northen Theatre

Music Direction

Lyn Koenning, The Difficulty of Crossing a Field

Movement

Madge Darlington/Shawn Sides, Dionysus in 69

Touring Show, Theatre

Paved Paradise Redux, Fusebox Festival

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DESIGN

Scenic Design

Lisa Laratta, Murder Ballad Murder Mystery/Black Snow

Costume Design

Alison Heryer, The Trojan Women/ The Difficulty of Crossing a Field

Lighting Design

Stephen Pruitt, bobrauschenbergamerica/ The Trash Project/Ears Wide Open

Sound Design

William Meadows, Impermanence/The Trash Project

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DANCE

Dance Concert

The Trash Project, Forklift Danceworks

Short Work

"Angel of My Nature," Truth & Beauty: The Bach Project

Choreographer

Deborah Hay, No Time to Fly

Dancer

Masa Kolar, "Your Provision"

Jaime Lynn Witts, Truth & Beauty: The Bach Project

Ensemble Performance

Ears Wide Open, Tapestry Dance Company

Touring Show, Dance

Black Grace, Texas Performing Arts

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CLASSICAL MUSIC

Symphonic Performance

Symphony VI, Golden Hornet Project

Chamber Performance

Ellen Fullman & the Long String Instrument, New Music Co-op

Choral Performance

Ode to Common Things, Conspirare Symphonic Choir with Austin Symphony

Opera

A View From the Bridge, UT Butler Opera Center

Singer

Cristina Caldas, A View From the Bridge

Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, The Star

Brad Raymond, Albert Herring

Instrumentalist

Douglas Harvey, cello, Don Quixote

Original Composition/Score

"Two Cautionary Tales," Steve Snowden

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VISUAL ARTS

Museum Exhibition

"Desire," Blanton Museum of Art,

curator: Annette DiMeo Carlozzi

Group Gallery Exhibition

"Polymict," Okay Mountain, curator: Nathan Green

Solo Gallery Exhibition

"Beili Liu: Bound," D Berman Gallery

Work of Art: Independent or Public Project

The 24 Hour Roman Reconstruction Project, Liz Glynn, Arthouse

Work of Art: One of A Kind

Halliburton Archiving Solutions (II), 1987, Adam Schreiber, "ONE on ONE on ONE," Art Palace

Work of Art: Installation

Camp Base Camp: Everest Friends, Peter Reichardt, Mary Rothlisberger, and Kristyn Weaver, "Ideas of Mountains," Creative Research Laboratory

Artist

Okay Mountain

Touring Show, Art

"The Lining of Forgetting: Internal and External Memory in Art," Austin Museum of Art

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SPECIAL CITATIONS

John Bustin Award for Conspicuous Versatility

Graham Reynolds

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

La Tasha Stephens, UT Department of Theatre & Dance

Jacob Trussell, St. Edward's University

Graced in the Machine Award

Don Anderson, "The Crane Dance," The Trash Project

Get Up, Up, and Away Award

Shannon McCormick & Shana Merlin

Time Out of Mind Award

The Hideout's 40-Hour Improv Marathon