Each year the IRNE Awards recognize the wealth of talent in the Boston theatre community, from fringe companies to large-scale visiting productions. IRNE Awards are presented to actors, directors, choreographers, design disciplines, and theatre companies in 54 categories across the full spectrum of large, mid-size, and small/fringe theatre companies.
The Scottsboro Boys was the big winner for the evening, with the John Kander and Fred Ebb musical taking home 11 awards.
The IRNE Committee also presented a Special Recognition Award to Derek Wolcott, the Nobel laureate in literature, poet and founder of the Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, who passed away in March at the age of 87. Newcomer Jalani Dottin-Coye, who made his professional debut in 2016 with Zeitgeist Stage in Exit Strategy, received the 4th Annual Bob Jolly Award, given to the actor in the Greater Boston Theatre Community that best exemplifies the charisma, creativity, spirit, wit, and dedication to the theatre and to the craft of acting which Bob Jolly demonstrated throughout his professional career.
The complete list of winners follows:
LARGE STAGE
New Play
Milk Like Sugar – Kirsten Greenidge, Huntington Theatre Company
Set Design
Paul Tate dePoo III – Show Boat, Fiddlehead Theatre Company
Costume Design
Stacey Stephens – Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Fiddlehead
Lighting Design
Christopher Akerlind – Sunday in the Park with George
Sound Design
Jon Weston – Sunday in the Park with George, Huntington
Projection Design
David Gallo – How I Learned What I Learned, Huntington
Choreography
Rachel Bertone – Carousel, Reagle Music Theatre
Solo Performance
Eugene Lee – How I Learned What I Learned, Huntington
Ensemble
Show Boat – Fiddlehead
Supporting Actress-Musical
Michelle Alves – West Side Story, NSMT
Supporting Actor-Musical
Joe Wilson Jr. – Oklahoma!, Trinity Rep
Actress-Musical
Shoshana Bean – Funny Girl, NSMT
Actor-Musical
Larry Daggett – Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Fiddlehead
Supporting Actress-Play
Shazi Raja – Milk Like Sugar, Huntington
Supporting Actor-Play
Nael Nacer – Bedroom Farce, Huntington
Actress-Play
Tracee Chimo – Fingersmith
Actor-Play
Mark Rylance – Nice Fish, A.R.T.
Music Director
Charles Peltz – Show Boat, Fiddlehead
Visiting Play
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder – Boch Center
Visiting Actress
Adrienne Barbeau – Pippin, Broadway in Boston
Visiting Actor
John Rapson – A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Boch Center
Director-Musical
Stacey Stephens and Meg Fofonoff – Show Boat, Fiddlehead
Director-Play
Bill Rauch – Fingersmith, A.R.T.
Musical
Show Boat – Fiddlehead
Play
Disgraced – Huntington
Promising Young Performer
Jake Ryan Flynn – Mary Poppins, NSMT
SMALL STAGE
Best Set Design
Eric Levenson - The Scottsboro Boys, SpeakEasy Stage Company
Costume Design
Miranda Kau Giurleo - The Scottsboro Boys, Speakeasy Stage
Best Lighting Design
Daisy Long - The Scottsboro Boys, Speakeasy Stage
Best Projection Design
Seaghan McKay - Sondheim On Sondheim, Lyric Stage Company
Best Sound Design
David Remedios - The Scottsboro Boys, Speakeasy Stage
Choreography
Ilyse Robbins - The Scottsboro Boys, SpeakEasy
Best Solo Performance
Obehi Janice - We’re Gonna Die, Company One
Ensemble
The Scottsboro Boys – SpeakEasy
Supporting Actress-Play-Fringe
Deb Martin - Mud Blue Sky, Bridge Rep
Supporting Actor-Play-Fringe
Bill Mootos - Blood on the Snow, The Bostonian Society and National Park Service
Best Actress-Play-Fringe
Liz Adams - Wit, Hub
Best Actor-Play-Fringe
Matthew Zahnzinger – Amadeus, Moonbox
Supporting Actress-Play-Midsize
Celeste Oliva – Arcadia, Nora
Best Supporting Actor-Play-Midsize
Eddie Shields – Significant Other, SpeakEasy
Best Actress-Play-Midsize
Adobuere Ebiama – The Convert, Underground Railway
Best Actor-Play-Midsize
Maurice Emmanuel Parent - The Convert, Underground Railway
Best Supporting Actress-Musical-Midsize
Abby Goldfarb - Fiddler on the Roof, New Rep
Best Supporting Actor-Musical-Midsize
Isaiah Reynolds – The Scottsboro Boys, Speakeasy
Best Actress-Musical- Midsize & Fringe
Alison McCartan - Violet, SpeakEasy
Best Actor-Musical – Midsize & Fringe
De’Lon Grant - The Scottsboro Boys, SpeakEasy
Music Director
Matthew Stern - The Scottsboro Boys, SpeakEasy
Best Director-Play-Fringe
John Geoffrion – Wit, Hub
Best Director-Play-Midsize
Megan Sandberg-Zakian -The Convert, Underground Railway
Visiting Production
Bedlam’s Twelfth Night and What You Will – Nora
Best Director-Musical
Paul Daigneault- The Scottsboro Boys, SpeakEasy
Best Musical-Fringe
The Wild Party – Moonbox
Best New Play, Small Stage
Israel Horovitz - Man in Snow, Gloucester Stage Company
Best Musical-Midsize
The Scottsboro Boys- SpeakEasy
Play-Fringe
Wit- Hub Theatre
Play-Midsize
The Convert- Underground Railway
Promising Young Performer
Audree Hedequist - Violet, SpeakEasy
