2024 Suzi Bass Awards Nominations
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2024 Suzi Bass Awards Nominations for the 2023-2024 Season
Full list of nominations and tally breakdown at the end of this release
Atlanta, GA—August 26, 2024:
The Suzi Bass Awards revealed nominees for twenty-nine (29) categories of Awards last night at the new home of Georgia Ensemble Theatre. (More information about this November’s Suzi Awards will be announced soon.) Nominations for our five Special Awards are now open via the Suzi website www.thesuzis.org.
These awards are:
The Spirit of Suzi Awards, Volunteer of the Year, The Callboard Award, Lifetime Achievement and the Gene-Gabriel Moore Playwrighting Award.
NOMINEES BY THE NUMBERS
Actor’s Express received twenty-seven (27) nominations.
Theatrical Outfit received twenty-five (25) nominations.
Aurora Theatre received twenty-four (24) nominations.
Alliance Theatre received twenty-three (23) nominations.
Productions with the highest number of nominations include:
Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 (Horizon Theatre) received fifteen (15) nominations.
Passing Strange (Theatrical Outfit) received eleven (11) nominations.
Beautiful: A Carole King Musical (Aurora Theatre) received ten (10) nominations
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (Actor’s Express with Oglethorpe University) received ten (10) nominations.
Sister Act (Aurora Theatre) received ten (10) nominations.
ABOUT THE SUZI BASS AWARDS
The Suzi Bass Awards were founded in 2003 by Gene-Gabriel Moore and a small group of industry
professionals to celebrate outstanding work in live theatre and the artists who produce it. This season, The
Suzi Bass Awards volunteer judges chose nominees and recipients in thirty-two performance categories.
In addition, the annual Spirit of Suzi Award honors a person or organization for their long-time dedication
to Atlanta theatre; the Gene-Gabriel Moore Playwriting Award recognizes Atlanta’s talented local
playwrights through special notice of a recently produced play; the Audience Choice Award recognizes
one theatre’s entire season through voting by the general public; and the Volunteer of the Year Award
recognizes an individual or group with long-time volunteer contributions to a particular theatre.
Eligibility
Please read through the summary of the updated Suzi Eligibility Requirements, which now include the new Suzi EDI Eligibility standards.
The Annual Suzi Bass Awards Ceremony
The Annual Suzi Bass Awards Ceremony brings professionals and patrons of the Atlanta theatre community together to celebrate the theatre season. Theaters participate in a year-long judging process that results in outstanding nominees in 32 categories of plays, musicals, and theatre for young audiences and the winners are honored on the night of the
event.
2023 Suzi Bass Awards
MUSICALS
Choreography:
Jesse Robb+ & Shana Carroll – Water for Elephants – Alliance Theatre
Costume Design:
Alice Neff – Mary Poppins – Aurora Theatre
Direction:
Jessica Stone+ – Water for Elephants – Alliance Theatre
Ensemble
Jasmine Renee Ellis*, Christina Leidel*, Jessica De Maria*, Megan Zhang*
Lizzie – Actor’s Express
Featured performer (2 awards):
Lawrence Flowers as James “Thunder” Early
Dreamgirls – Dominion Entertainment
Jacob Ryan Smith as Gabe
Next to Normal – Jennie T. Anderson Theatre & Atlanta Lyric Theatre
Lighting Design:
Bradley King^ – Water for Elephants – Alliance Theatre
Music Direction:
John-Michael D’Haviland & Holt McCarley
Next to Normal – Jennie T. Anderson Theatre & Atlanta Lyric Theatre
Principal Performer (2 awards):
Mary Nye Bennett as Diana
Next to Normal – Jennie T. Anderson Theatre & Atlanta Lyric Theatre
Ryan Vasquez* as Jacob
Water for Elephants – Alliance Theatre
Projection Design:
David Bengali^ Water for Elephants – Alliance Theatre
Scenic Design:
Takeshi Kata^ – Water for Elephants – Alliance Theatre
Sound Design:
Jessica Paz^ – Water for Elephants – Alliance Theatre
PLAYS
Costume Design:
Jennifer Schottstaedt – Tesla vs. Edison – Center for Puppetry Arts
Direction:
Jason Hines – Tesla vs. Edison – Center for Puppetry Arts
Ensemble:
Marcello Audino*, Skyler Brown, Caleb Clark*, Arianna Hardaway, Chris Hecke, Jeff McKerley*, Candy McLellan*, Anthony Rodriguez
The Play That Goes Wrong – Aurora Theatre
Featured performer (2 awards):
Jeremy Aggers* as Doug – The Many Wondrous Realities of Jasmine Starr-Kidd – Alliance Theatre
Cara Mantella as Mary Jane – Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train – Actor’s Express
Lighting Design:
Liz Lee^ – Tesla vs. Edison – Center for Puppetry Arts
Principal Performer:
Carolyn Cook as Marcelle – Prayer for the French Republic – Actor’s Express
Projection Design:
Sekou Laidlow* as Lucius – Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train – Actor’s Express
Scenic Design:
Caite Hevner^ – The Many Wondrous Realities of Jasmine Starr-Kidd – Alliance Theatre
Sound Design:
Isabel & Moriah Curley-Clay^ – The Play That Goes Wrong – Aurora Theatre
THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES
Performance:
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters – Synchronicity Theatre
Jonathan Bryant, Brandin Jay, Kendra Johnson, Brittani Minnieweather, Anthony Nash, Ja’Siah Young
Design:
The Boy Who Kissed the Sky – Alliance Theatre – Alan Yeong^ (costumes), Connie Yun^ (lighting), Miko Simmons (projections), Carey Wong^ (scenic), Chris Lane (sound)
Direction:
The Boy Who Kissed the Sky – Alliance Theatre – Tim Bond+ (director), Eugene H. Russell IV (music director), Sonia Dawkins (choreographer)
New Work:
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters – Synchronicity Theatre – Karen Abbott (book), LeRell Ross (music), Taryn Janelle (lyrics)
PRODUCTIONS
Outstanding Production of a Musical
Water for Elephants – Alliance Theatre
Outstanding Production of a Play
Prayer for the French Republic – Actor’s Express
Outstanding World Premiere Production
Water for Elephants by Rick Elice (book), Pigpen Theatre Co. (music and lyrics), based on the novel by Sara Gruen – Alliance Theatre
Outstanding Social Justice Production
Shirley Chisholm: Unbossed & Unbowed – Out of Hand Theater
Outstanding Theatre for Young Audiences:
The Boy Who Kissed the Sky – Alliance Theatre
TOTAL AWARDS BY PRODUCTION:
SPECIALTY AWARDS
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Wendall Johnson, Theatrical Outfit
CALLBOARD AWARD
LaWanda Green, Operations Manager Horizon Theatre Company
VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARD
Julianne Taft, Board Chair Synchronicity Theatre
SPIRIT OF SUZI AWARD
The Overture Series at the Jennie T. Anderson Theatre under the direction of Jono Davis
GENE-GABRIEL MOORE PLAYWRITING AWARD
TOTAL AWARDS BY THEATRE:
Alliance Theatre – 15
Actor’s Express – 5
Aurora Theatre – 3
Center for Puppetry Arts – 3
Dominion Entertainment – 1
Jennie T. Anderson Theatre & Atlanta Lyric Theatre – 3
Synchronicity Theatre – 2
Out of Hand – 1
* Member, Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
+ Member, Stage Directors and Choreographers Society
^ Member, IATSE United Scenic Artists Gene-Gabriel Moore Playwriting Award
Special Nominations
Nominees and Award recipients
Our congratulations to our 2021-2022 Suzi Bass Awards Nominees.
Thank you to all of the Atlanta-area participating theatres, professional artists and theatre-makers, and the Suzi Bass Awards judges for their talent, hard work, and, most of all, patience and perseverance this last year.
