2013 Henry Hewes Design Awards Honorees Announced

Four theater artists will be honored by the Henry Hewes Design Awards (HHDA) Committee during the presentation of its 2013 Awards in a luncheon ceremony scheduled for October 21. Mimi Lien (Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812), Ann Roth (The Nance), Jane Cox (The Flick), and Peter Nigrini (Here Lies Love) will be honored with 2013 Henry Hewes Design Awards. Each of the four is receiving his or her first Henry Hewes Design Award. For the 2013 honors, 84 theater artists were nominated for outstanding artistry in 55 productions presented during the 2012-2013 New York theater season. (A complete list of 2013 nominees follows this awards announcement.)

These annual awards honor designers for work in venues on Broadway, Off Broadway, and Off Off Broadway, recognizing not only the traditional categories of Scenic Design, Costume Design, and Lighting Design, but also "Notable Effects," which encompass sound, music, video, puppetry, and other creative elements. All nominated designs must have originated in United States productions. The Hewes Awards Committee considered more than 200 productions when making its nominations.

Peter Nigrini and Clint Ramos led all artists with three nominations each. Fifteen other designers received two nominations each for their work during the 2012-2013 season. Four Off Broadway productions received four nominations each: Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, which premiered at Ars Nova before moving to the Meatpacking District; the Public Theater's Here Lies Love; Lincoln Center Theater's Nikolai and the Others; and Signature Theatre Company's production of Old Hats. Productions receiving three nominations each included A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney, Chaplin, Golden Boy, Jackie, The Flick, The Nance, and The Piano Lesson. Of the 11 most-nominated productions, only three were housed in Broadway theaters. Fifteen other productions received two nominations each.

The HHDA Committee named honorees in four categories: Scenic Design, Costume Design, Lighting Design, and Notable Effects. As of the 2013 awards, the Committee has bestowed 285 honors on 184 artists representing 199 productions.

Originally known as the Maharam Awards at their inception in 1965, the Hewes Awards were later known as the American Theatre Wing Design Awards in honor of the Wing's generous sponsorship. They were renamed in 1999 for noted critic Henry Hewes, who created the awards and served as a board member of the American Theatre Wing until his death in 2006 at age 89.

The Henry Hewes Design Awards Committee includes theater critics Jeffrey Eric Jenkins, chair; Dan Bacalzo; David Barbour; David Cote; Glenda Frank; Mario Fratti; Helen Shaw; Michael Sommers; and Joan Ungaro.

2013 Henry Hewes Design Awards Nominees (honorees in bold):

Scenic Design:
Christopher H. Barreca - The Train Driver
John Lee Beatty - The Nance
Beowulf Boritt - All in the Timing
Beowulf Boritt - If There Is, I Haven't Found it Yet
Michael Carnahan - The Piano Lesson
Andromache Chalfant - Through the Yellow Hour
Marsha Ginsberg - Jackie
Marsha Ginsberg - Nikolai and the Others
Elizabeth Barrett Groth - Pocahontas, and/or America
Rachel Hauck - Slowgirl
Laura Jellinek - Blood Play
David Korins - Here Lies Love
Robert Andrew Kovach - Around the World in 80 Days
Eugene Lee and Edward Pierce - The Other Place
Mimi Lien - Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Mimi Lien - A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney
Santo Loquasto - The Assembled Parties
Scott Pask - I'll Eat You Last
Tom Pye - The Testament of Mary
Clint Ramos - Wild With Happy
David Rockwell - Kinky Boots
Matt Saunders - Good Person of Szechwan
Mark Wendland - Murder Ballad
Michael Yeargan - Golden Boy
David Zinn - The Flick

Costume Design:
Gregg Barnes - Kinky Boots
Elizabeth Hope Clancy - A Christmas Story
Amy Clark/Martin Pakledinaz - Chaplin
Jane Greenwood - Nikolai and the Others
Elizabeth Barrett Groth - Pocahontas, and/or America
Michael Krass - Medieval Play
Dominique Lemieux - Pippin
William Ivey Long - Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Chris March - The Butt-Cracker Suite! A Trailer Park Ballet
G.W. Mercier - Old Hats
Jessica Pabst - The Whale
Karen Perry - The Piano Lesson
Tristan Raines - The House of Von Macrame
Clint Ramos - Good Person of Szechwan
Clint Ramos - Volpone
Emily Rebholz - Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Ann Roth - The Nance
Anita Yavich - All in the Timing
Anita Yavich - Golden Child
Paloma Young - Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Catherine Zuber - The Big Knife
Catherine Zuber - Golden Boy

Lighting Design:
Ken Billington - Chaplin
Ken Billington - Nikolai and the Others
Howell Binkley - A Christmas Story
Jane Cox - The Flick
Jeff Croiter - The Last Five Years
Les Dickert - Isaac's Eye
Les Dickert - Women of Will
Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer - Lucky Guy
Matt Frey - A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay about the Death of Walt Disney
Paul Gallo - Dogfight
Donald Holder - Golden Boy
Peter Kaczorowski - Old Hats
Natasha Katz - Motown the Musical
Natasha Katz - Scandalous
Bradley King - Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Peter Nigrini - Life and Times: Episodes 1-4
Keith Parham - Through the Yellow Hour
Kenneth Posner - Pippin
Kenneth Posner - Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella
Mike Riggs - Blood Play
Rui Rita - The Piano Lesson
Rui Rita - Talley's Folly
Brian H. Scott - Jackie
Ben Stanton - Murder Ballad
Steven Strawbridge - The Train Driver
Justin Townsend - Here Lies Love
Japhy Weideman - Cyrano de Bergerac
Japhy Weideman - The Nance
Scott Zielinski - Civil War Christmas

Notable Effects:
Mark Bruckner (Sound Design) - The Service Road
Jon Driscoll (Video Design) - Chaplin
M.L. Dogg and Cody Spencer (Sound Design) - Here Lies Love
Katie Down (Sound Design) - The Golden Dragon
Lydia Fine, Bart Cortright, and PigPen Theatre Co. (Production Design) - The Old Man and the Old Moon
Leah Gelpe (Sound Design) - Slowgirl
Wendall K. Harrington (Projection Design) - Old Hats
Wendall K. Harrington and Steve Cuiffo (Projection and Magic Design) - Old Hats
Matt Hubbs (Sound Design) - Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Daniel Kluger (Sound Design) - Nikolai and the Others
Mel Mercier (Sound Design) - The Testament of Mary
Peter Nigrini (Projection Design) - Here Lies Love
Peter Nigrini (Production Design) - Life and Times: Episodes 1-4
Jessica Pabst (Costume Design, fat suit) - The Whale
Bray Poor (Sound Design) - The Flick
Dan Moses Schreier (Sound Design) - Passion
Jane Shaw (Sound Design) - Jackie
Jeff Sugg (Media Design) - Bring It On
Matt Tierney (Sound Design) - Detroit
Matt Tierney (Sound Design) - A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney