2009-2010 Awards

2009-2010 AWARDS

The New York Drama Critics’ Circle met on April 30, 2010, to determine the winners of its annual awards. The results were as follows:

Best Play: The Orphans’ Home Cycle, by Horton Foote
Special Citation: The Lincoln Center Festival for visionary international programming
Special Citation: Viola Davis for sustained achievement
Emerging Talent Special Citation: Annie Baker for Circle Mirror Transformation and The Aliens

The Orphans’ Home Cycle won a plurality of votes for Best Play on the first ballot, but not the majority needed to clinch the award. After the Circle voted to continue with a field of candidates, the Circle moved to a third, weighted ballot, at which time the play received 26 points—two shy of the 28 needed to win. After voting again to continue with a field of candidates limited to the top five vote-getters in the previous round, The Orphans’ Home Cycle received 33 points, well ahead of runners-up Next Fall and Clybourne Park, both of which received 18 points.

The Circle then moved to the award for Best Foreign Play. Several major contenders split the first ballot. After narrowly agreeing to move to a third ballot, the Circle proved unable to reach a consensus, with Les Éphémères receiving 17 points, followed by The Pride and When the Rain Stops Falling with 14 apiece—all well short of the 25-point threshold. According, the Circle decided not to give a Best Foreign Play award.

No musical attained a majority of votes on the first ballot for Best Musical; Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson led the field with five votes. On the third ballot, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson still led with 21 points, followed closely by The Scottsboro Boys with 20. With neither show able to crack the minimum required level of 25 points, the Circle opted not to give an award.

After lively discussion of many candidates, the Circle decided to give three Special Citations: to the Lincoln Center Festival for its programming, which in this season notably included Les Éphémères and Kalkwerk; to Viola Davis, currently starring in Fences, for sustained achievement; and the Circle’s first Emerging Talent Special Citation to playwright Annie Baker, whose Circle Mirror Transformation and The Aliens were both produced this season.

The awards will be presented at a private ceremony at the Algonquin Hotel on May 10, 2010.

Best Play, first ballot:

Melissa Rose Bernardo: The Orphans’ Home Cycle
David Cote: Clybourne Park
Joe Dziemianowicz: The Orphans’ Home Cycle
Michael Feingold: Circle Mirror Transformation
Robert Feldberg: In the Next Room or the vibrator play
Adam Feldman: Next Fall
David Finkle: The Orphans’ Home Cycle
Elysa Gardner (proxy): In the Next Room or the vibrator play
Michael Kuchwara: Red
David Rooney: The Orphans’ Home Cycle
Frank Scheck: Next Fall
David Sheward: The Orphans’ Home Cycle
John Simon: Red
Alexis Soloski: Circle Mirror Transformation
Terry Teachout: The Orphans’ Home Cycle
Elisabeth Vincentelli: In the Next Room or the vibrator play
Linda Winer: The Starry Messenger
Richard Zoglin (proxy): When the Rain Stops Falling

Best Play, third ballot:

Melissa Rose Bernardo:
The Orphans’ Home Cycle
Clybourne Park
Red

David Cote:
The Orphans’ Home Cycle
Clybourne Park
Lear

Joe Dziemianowicz:
The Orphans’ Home Cycle
Clybourne Park
Circle Mirror Transformation

Michael Feingold:
Circle Mirror Transformation
Time Stands Still
The Orphans’ Home Cycle

Robert Feldberg:
In the Next Room or the vibrator play
Time Stands Still
Enron

Adam Feldman:
Next Fall
Circle Mirror Transformation
Clybourne Park

David Finkle:
The Orphans’ Home Cycle
Les Éphémères
Next Fall

Elysa Gardner (proxy):
In the Next Room or the vibrator play
Enron
The Orphans’ Home Cycle

Michael Kuchwara:
Red
Next Fall
Clybourne Park

David Rooney:
The Orphans’ Home Cycle
Circle Mirror Transformation
The Brother/Sister Plays

Frank Scheck:
Next Fall
The Starry Messenger
In the Next Room or the vibrator play

David Sheward:
The Orphans’ Home Cycle
Next Fall
Clybourne Park

John Simon:
Red
The Orphans’ Home Cycle
Happy Now?

Alexis Soloski:
Circle Mirror Transformation
In the Next Room or the vibrator play
Clybourne Park

Terry Teachout:
The Orphans’ Home Cycle
The Starry Messenger
My Wonderful Day

Elisabeth Vincentelli:
In the Next Room or the vibrator play
Clybourne Park
Enron

Linda Winer:
When the Rain Stops Falling
The Starry Messenger
Brief Encounter

Richard Zoglin (proxy):
When the Rain Stops Falling
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
Clybourne Park

Best Play, fifth ballot:

Melissa Rose Bernardo:
The Orphans’ Home Cycle
Clybourne Park
Next Fall

David Cote:
The Orphans’ Home Cycle
Clybourne Park
Circle Mirror Transformation

Joe Dziemianowicz:
The Orphans’ Home Cycle
Clybourne Park
Circle Mirror Transformation

Michael Feingold:
The Orphans’ Home Cycle
Circle Mirror Transformation
Next Fall

Robert Feldberg:
In the Next Room or the vibrator play
The Orphans’ Home Cycle
Next Fall

Adam Feldman:
Next Fall
Circle Mirror Transformation
Clybourne Park

David Finkle:
The Orphans’ Home Cycle
Next Fall
Clybourne Park

Michael Kuchwara:
Next Fall
Clybourne Park
In the Next Room or the vibrator play

David Rooney:
The Orphans’ Home Cycle
Circle Mirror Transformation
Next Fall

Frank Scheck:
Next Fall
In the Next Room or the vibrator play
Circle Mirror Transformation

David Sheward:
The Orphans' Home Cycle
Next Fall
Cybourne Park

John Simon:
The Orphans’ Home Cycle
In the Next Room or the vibrator play
Next Fall

Alexis Soloski:
Circle Mirror Transformation
Clybourne Park
In the Next Room or the vibrator play

Terry Teachout:
The Orphans’ Home Cycle
Clybourne Park
Circle Mirror Transformation

Elisabeth Vincentelli:
In the Next Room or the vibrator play
Clybourne Park
The Orphans’ Home Cycle

Linda Winer:
The Orphans’ Home Cycle
Circle Mirror Transformation
Clybourne Park

Best Foreign Play, first ballot:

Melissa Rose Bernardo: My Wonderful Day
David Cote: Enron
Joe Dziemianowicz: The Pride
Michael Feingold: Les Éphémères
Robert Feldberg: Enron
Adam Feldman: Les Éphémères
David Finkle: Les Éphémères
Elysa Gardner (proxy): Enron
Michael Kuchwara: When the Rain Stops Falling
David Rooney: When the Rain Stops Falling
Frank Scheck: abstain
David Sheward: abstain
John Simon: Happy Now?
Alexis Soloski: The New Electric Ballroom
Terry Teachout: My Wonderful Day
Elisabeth Vincentelli: Enron
Linda Winer: When the Rain Stops Falling
Richard Zoglin (proxy): When the Rain Stops Falling

Best Foreign Play, third ballot:

Melissa Rose Bernardo:
My Wonderful Day
Brief Encounter
When the Rain Stops Falling

David Cote:
Enron
Les Éphémères
Lipsynch

Joe Dziemianowicz:
The Pride
Les Éphémères
Brief Encounter

Michael Feingold:
Les Éphémères
Kalkwerk
The Pride

Robert Feldberg:
Enron
Brief Encounter
The Pride

Adam Feldman:
Les Éphémères
Lipsynch
Brief Encounter

David Finkle:
Les Éphémères
Lipsynch
Brief Encounter

Michael Kuchwara:
When the Rain Stops Falling
The Pride
Les Éphémères

David Rooney:
When the Rain Stops Falling
The Pride
Les Éphémères

Frank Scheck:
My Wonderful Day
The Pride
The New Electric Ballroom

David Sheward:
The Pride
When the Rain Stops Falling
Happy Now?

John Simon:
Happy Now?
Enron
My Wonderful Day

Alexis Soloski:
The New Electric Ballroom
My Wonderful Day
When the Rain Stops Falling

Terry Teachout:
My Wonderful Day
A Behanding in Spokane
When the Rain Stops Falling

Elisabeth Vincentelli:
Enron
Lipsynch
Brief Encounter

Linda Winer:
When the Rain Stops Falling
Les Éphémères
Brief Encounter

Best Musical, first ballot:

Melissa Rose Bernardo: Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
David Cote: Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
Joe Dziemianowicz: Memphis
Michael Feingold: Coraline
Robert Feldberg: Abstain
Adam Feldman: Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
David Finkle: Abstain
Elysa Gardner (proxy): Sondheim on Sondheim
Michael Kuchwara: Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
David Rooney: American Idiot
Frank Scheck: Memphis
David Sheward: The Scottsboro Boys
John Simon: The Scottsboro Boys
Alexis Soloski: Abstain
Terry Teachout: Coraline
Elisabeth Vincentelli: The Scottsboro Boys
Linda Winer: Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
Richard Zoglin (proxy): Come Fly Away

Best Musical, third ballot:

Melissa Rose Bernardo:
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
Come Fly Away
Million Dollar Quartet

David Cote:
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
Yank!
American Idiot

Joe Dziemianowicz:
Memphis
Yank!
The Scottsboro Boys

Michael Feingold:
Coraline
Sondheim on Sondheim
Yank!

Robert Feldberg:
Come Fly Away
American Idiot
The Scottsboro Boys

Adam Feldman:
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
American Idiot
Yank!

David Finkle:
Yank!
Million Dollar Quartet
Memphis

Elysa Gardner:
Sondheim on Sondheim
The Scottsboro Boys
American Idiot

Michael Kuchwara:
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
Memphis
The Scottsboro Boys

David Rooney:
American Idiot
The Scottsboro Boys
Coraline

Frank Scheck:
Memphis
The Scottsboro Boys
Million Dollar Quartet

David Sheward:
The Scottsboro Boys
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
Yank!

John Simon:
The Scottsboro Boys
Sondheim on Sondheim
Memphis

Alexis Soloski:
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
Coraline
American Idiot

Terry Teachout:
Coraline
Sondheim on Sondheim
Million Dollar Quartet

Elisabeth Vincentelli:
The Scottsboro Boys
Memphis
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

Linda Winer:
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
American Idiot
Come Fly Away

Richard Zoglin:
Come Fly Away
The Scottsboro Boys
American Idiot