Announcing the 2025 OSCA winners

Check out our new video with the full rundown of winners for this year’s OnStage Colorado Awards for Theatrical Excellence — The OSCAs!

Listen to Alex Miller and Toni Tresca announce the winners of the third annual OnStage Colorado Awards for Theatrical Excellence! This year features a new three-tiered award system (1) Outstanding, 2) Excellent and 3) Notable) across 20+ categories celebrating Colorado’s vibrant theatre community. Check out all of the 2025 nominees by clicking here, then watch the video (or continue reading below) to find out the 2025 OSCA winners.

2025 OSCA Awards Podcast – Chapter Times and Award Winners

[00:00] Introduction & Year in Review

• Changes to the OSCA format for 2025
• Trends in Colorado theatre: strong year for new work, challenges for immersive theatre
• More smaller productions (1-4 person casts) across the state

Design & Technical Awards

[07:35] Scenic Design

• Outstanding: Matthew S. Crane – Mary Poppins (Fine Arts Center)
• Excellent: Brian Mallgrave – Frozen (Arvada Center)
• Notable: Xander Claypool – National Bohemians (Miners Alley)

[09:54] Lighting Design

• Outstanding: Katie Gruenhagen – The Tempest (Colorado Shakespeare Festival)
• Excellent: Brett Maughan – Frankenstein (Platte Valley Theatre Arts)
• Notable: Josh Hemmo – Silent Sky (Theatreworks)

[13:15] Sound Design

• Outstanding: John Hauser – National Bohemians (Miners Alley)
• Excellent: Max Silverman – The Tempest (Colorado Shakespeare Festival)
• Notable: Victoria Villalobos – The 39 Steps (OpenStage Theatre)

[15:22] Costume Design

• Outstanding: Kevin Copenhaver – A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (Arvada Center)
• Excellent: Sarah Zinn – The Tempest (Colorado Shakespeare Festival)
• Notable: Madison Booth – Nice Work if You Can Get It (Lone Tree Arts Center)

[20:10] Choreography

• Outstanding: Bethany Eilean Talley – The Fantasticks (Creede Repertory Theatre)
• Excellent: Jeffry Denman – Mary Poppins (Fine Arts Center)
• Notable: Dallas Slankard – Guys and Dolls (Vintage Theatre)

[22:25] Musical Direction

• Outstanding: Alec Steinhorn – Nice Work if You Can Get It (Lone Tree Arts Center)
• Excellent: Jeejay Maccariella – Ghost Quartet (The Catamounts)
• Notable: Tanner Kelly – Rock of Ages (Parker Arts/Veritas Productions)

[25:15] Intimacy/Fight Direction

• Outstanding: Chrys Duran & Clove Love – Legend of Anne Bonny (Two Cent Lion/Shifted Lens)
• Excellent: Sean Scrutchins – The Tempest & Richard II (Colorado Shakespeare Festival)
• Notable: Samantha Egle – Little Shop of Horrors (Denver Center)

Special Categories

[30:05] Immersive

• Outstanding: A Town Called Harris (The Catamounts)
• Excellent: Wild Oscillation (HOLDTIGHT Company)
• Notable: Phenomenomaly (Meow Wolf Denver)

[35:10] Ensemble

• Outstanding: Steel Magnolias (Theatre SilCo)
• Excellent: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Aurora Fox)
• Notable: TIE — Assassins (Miners Alley) & Mr. Burns (Bas Bleu)

Acting Awards

[38:30] Actor in a Comedy

• Outstanding: Marco Alberto Robinson – Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors (Denver Center)
• Excellent: Tim Fishbaugh – National Bohemians (Miners Alley)
• Notable: Veronica Straight-Lingo – Let Nothing You Dismay (Firehouse Theater)

[41:40] Actor in a Musical

• Outstanding: Jennasea Pearce – Bright Star (Candlelight)
• Excellent: Adriane Leigh Robinson – A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (Arvada Center)
• Notable: TIE — Cooper Kaminsky – The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Parker Arts) & Liza Piccoli – Mary Poppins (Fine Arts Center)

[46:55] Actor in a Play

• Outstanding: Noelia Antweiler – Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (DCPA Theatre Company)
• Excellent: TJ Jackson – A Few Good Men (Upstart Crow)
• Notable: Wendy Ishii – The Trip to Bountiful (Bas Bleu)

Directing Awards

[50:40] Director of a Comedy

• Outstanding: Warren Sherrill – National Bohemians (Miners Alley)
• Excellent: Christy Montour-Larson – Eureka Day (Curious Theatre)
• Notable: Steve Keim – Mr. Burns (Bas Bleu)

[53:30] Director of a Musical

• Outstanding: Kelly Van Oosbree – Mary Poppins (Fine Arts Center)
• Excellent: Chris Coleman – Little Shop of Horrors (Denver Center)
• Notable: Scott RC Levy – Cabaret (Theatreworks)

Director of a Play

• Outstanding: Missy Moore – Steel Magnolias (Theatre SilCo)
• Excellent: Kevin Rich – The Tempest (Colorado Shakespeare Festival)
• Notable: Candace Orrino – Cry It Out (BETC)

Major Production Awards

Best Original Play or Musical

• Outstanding: National Bohemians (Miners Alley Performing Arts Center)
• Excellent: A Case for Black Girls Setting Central Park on Fire (Local Theater Company)
• Notable: The Legend of Anne Bonny (Two Cent Lion/Shifted Lens)

Best Comedy

• Outstanding: Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors (Denver Center)
• Excellent: The 39 Steps (OpenStage Theatre)
• Notable: Mr. Burns (Bas Bleu)

Best Musical

• Outstanding: Bright Star (Candlelight)
• Excellent: Mary Poppins (Fine Arts Center at Colorado College)
• Notable: The Fantasticks (Creede Repertory Theatre)

Best Play

• Outstanding: The Tempest (Colorado Shakespeare Festival)
• Excellent: Steel Magnolias (Theatre SilCo)
• Notable: Perfect Arrangement (Firehouse Theater)

Above & Beyond Special recognition for exceptional achievements, including:

• Best Disco Number in a Hot Boxed Coffee Shop – Stoned Twelfth Night
• Clever Reinvention of the Form on a Budget – Camp Christmas (Revamped)
• Ghostly Magic – The Thin Place (BETC)
• Inventive Take on Dinner and a Show – Wild Oscillation (HOLDTIGHT Company)
• Theatrical Magic – Frozen (Arvada)
• Projections by Topher Blair – Eureka Day (Curious)
• Projections by Brandon Philip Case – Curious Incident (Aurora Fox)
• Shadow Puppet by Myra Su and Music Composition by Jordan Coughtry – The Tempest (CSF)
• Video Design by Ian Vespermann – ArounD the WorlD in 80 ToyS
• Community-Based Theatre Efforts – The Sala Project (Theatre Artibus)
• Athleticism – Marco Alberto Robinson in Gentleman’s Guide (Arvada Center)
• Making Opera Accessible – She Dies For You (Millibo)

Coming Next Week: Alex’s interview with Marco Alberto Robinson and Adriane Leigh Robinson discussing their work together on stage and as a married couple in Colorado theatre.

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