And the L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award nominees are ...

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Hard to believe a year has passed since we last reported the nominees for the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards. But here we go again.

The honorees, for those unfamiliar with the awards, are selected by the16 membersof the LADCC, who write for newspapers, magazines, trade papers and theater websites (two freelance reviewers for Los Angeles Times are members). The group is ‘dedicated to excellence in theatrical criticism and to the encouragement and improvement of theatre in Greater Los Angeles.’

This is, quite possibly, the most welcoming group of critics around, as you’ll see from the nominee list. After all, how many organizations include 10 -- count ‘em, 10 -- nominees in a single category (best lead performance) and regularly present multiple awards in multiple categories. Take that, Golden Globes!

Oh, and while we don’t have any insider info, we’re willing to bet that Ned Mochel is named the winner in his highly competitive category -- fight choreography.

The ceremony will be held March 16 at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood.

But enough already -- on to the nominees. Click on the jump for the list.

--Lisa Fung

Production
• ‘Anything,’ Elephant Theatre Company at the Lillian Theatre
• ‘As U2 Like It,’ Troubadour Theater Company at the Falcon Theatre
• ‘Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist,’ A Noise Within
• ‘Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead,’ Havok Theatre Company at the Hudson Backstage Theatre
• ‘Gem of the Ocean,’ Fountain Theatre
• ‘Long Day’s Journey Into Night,’ Theatricum Botanicum
• ‘Louis & Keely Live at the Sahara,’ Sacred Fools Theater Company at Sacred Fools and at the Matrix Theatre

McCulloh Award for Revival (shows written between 1920 and 1980)
• ‘Fata Morgana,’ Pacific Resident Theatre
• ‘Of Mice and Men,’ Theatre Banshee
• ‘The Time of Your Life,’ Pacific Resident Theatre

Direction
• Jeremy Aldridge, ‘Louis & Keely Live at the Sahara,’ Sacred Fools Theater Company at Sacred Fools and at the Matrix Theatre
• Ben Bradley, ‘Gem of the Ocean,’ Fountain Theatre
• Heidi Helen Davis, ‘Long Day’s Journey Into Night,’ Theatricum Botanicum
• David Fofi, ‘Anything,’ Elephant Theatre Company at the Lillian Theatre
• Ken Sawyer, ‘Lovelace: A Rock Opera,’ Hayworth Theatre

Writing
• Athol Fugard, ‘Victory,’ Fountain Theatre
• Alex Lyras and Robert McCaskill, ‘The Common Air,’ SoulArt and Elephant C.A.F.E at Theatre Asylum
• Tim McNeil, ‘Anything,’ Elephant Theatre Company at the Lillian Theatre

Writing (Adaptation)
• Neil Bartlett, ‘Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist,’ A Noise Within
• Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus, ‘Crime and Punishment,’ Actors Co-op
• Sean T. Cawelti with Miles Taber and the Rogues, ‘The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch,’ Rogue Artists Ensemble at Bootleg Theater

Music Direction
• Andy Einhorn and David Loud, ‘Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street,’ Center Theatre Group at the Ahmanson Theatre
• Dennis Kaye, ‘Louis & Keely Live at the Sahara,’ Sacred Fools Theater Company at Sacred Fools and at the Matrix Theatre
• Michael Paternostro, ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman,’ Havok Theatre Company at Bootleg Theatre

Choreography
• Andy Blankenbuehler, ‘9 to 5: The Musical,’ Center Theatre Group at the Ahmanson Theatre
• Christine Lakin, ‘As U2 Like It,’ Troubadour Theater Company at the Falcon Theatre
• Lee Martino, ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman,’ Havok Theatre Company at Bootleg Theatre
• Lee Martino, ‘All Shook Up,’ Musical Theatre West at the Carpenter Center

Musical Score
• Michael Friedman, ‘Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson,’ Center Theatre Group at the Kirk Douglas Theatre
• Dolly Parton, ‘9 to 5: The Musical,’ Center Theatre Group at the Ahmanson Theatre
• Anna Waronker and Charlotte Caffey, additional lyrics by Jeffery Leonard Bowman, ‘Lovelace: A Rock Opera,’ Hayworth Theatre

Lead Performance
• Chad Borden, ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman,’ Havok Theatre Company at Bootleg Theatre
• Sean Branney, ‘Of Mice and Men,’ Theatre Banshee
• Jake Broder, ‘Louis & Keely Live at the Sahara,’ Sacred Fools Theater Company at Sacred Fools and at the Matrix Theatre
• Joe Egender, ‘He Asked for It,’ Theatre of NOTE
• Ellen Geer, ‘Long Day’s Journey Into Night,’ Theatricum Botanicum
• John Glover, ‘Secrets of the Trade,’ Black Dahlia Theatre
• Louis Jacobs, ‘Anything,’ Elephant Theatre Company at the Lillian Theatre
• Judy Kaye, ‘Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street,’ Center Theatre Group at the Ahmanson Theatre
• Katrina Lenk, ‘Lovelace: A Rock Opera,’ Hayworth Theatre
• Libby West, ‘Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune,’ International City Theatre

Featured Performance
• JD Cullum, ‘Don Juan,’ A Noise Within
• Beth Kennedy, ‘As U2 Like It,’ Troubadour Theater Company at the Falcon Theatre
• Sharon Lawrence, ‘Orson’s Shadow,’ Pasadena Playhouse
• Irene Roseen, ‘Fata Morgana,’ Pacific Resident Theatre
• Joseph Ruskin, ‘The Last Seder,’ Ensemble Studio Theatre-LA and the Greenway Arts Alliance at the Greenway Court Theatre
• Jimmy Swan, ‘Lovelace: A Rock Opera,’ Hayworth Theatre
• Adolphus Ward, ‘Gem of the Ocean,’ Fountain Theatre

Ensemble Performance
• ‘Assassins,’ West Coast Ensemble at El Centro Theatre
• ‘Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead,’ Havok Theatre Company at the Hudson Backstage Theatre
• ‘Gem of the Ocean,’ Fountain Theatre
• ‘The Kentucky Cycle Part II,’ California Repertory Company at the Armory
• ‘Stupid Kids,’ Celebration Theatre

Set Design
• Danny Cistone, ‘On an Average Day,’ VS. Theatre Company at the Elephant Theatre Lab
• Joel Daavid, ‘The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch,’ Rogue Artists Ensemble at Bootleg Theater
• Laura Fine Hawkes, ‘Snake in the Grass,’ Salem K Theatre Company at the Matrix Theatre

Lighting Design
• Christian Epps, ‘Gem of the Ocean,’ Fountain Theatre
• Derrick McDaniel, ‘On an Average Day,’ VS. Theatre Company at the Elephant Theatre Lab
• Steven Young, ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman,’ Havok Theatre Company at the Bootleg Theatre
• Steven Young, ‘Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story,’ Havok Theatre Company at the Hudson Backstage Theatre

Costume Design
• Audrey Eisner, ‘Fata Morgana,’ Pacific Resident Theatre
• Sharon McGunigle, ‘Alice in One-Hit Wonderland 2: Through the Looking Glass,’ Troubadour Theater Company at the Falcon Theatre
• Nailia Aladdin Sanders, ‘Gem of the Ocean,’ Fountain Theatre
• Shigeru Yaji, ‘An Italian Straw Hat: A Vaudeville,’ South Coast Repertory

Sound Design
• David B. Marling, ‘Gem of the Ocean,’ Fountain Theatre
• Ken Rich, ‘The Common Air,’ SoulArt and Elephant C.A.F.E at Theatre Asylum
• Eric Snodgrass, ‘Snake in the Grass,’ Salem K Theatre Company at the Matrix Theatre

Solo Performance
• Alex Lyras, ‘The Common Air,’ SoulArt and Elephant C.A.F.E at Theatre Asylum
• Nilaja Sun, ‘No Child…,’ Center Theatre Group at the Kirk Douglas Theatre
CGI/Video
• Marc Rosenthal, ‘Gem of the Ocean,’ Fountain Theatre
• Brian White, ‘The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch,’ Rogue Artists Ensemble at Bootleg Theater

Puppet and Mask Design
• Joyce Hutter and Patrick Rubio, ‘The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch,’ Rogue Artists Ensemble at Bootleg Theater

Fight Choreography
• Ned Mochel, ‘On an Average Day,’ VS. Theatre Company at the Elephant Theatre Lab

The Ted Schmitt Award for the world premiere of an outstanding new play: EM Lewis for ‘Song of Extinction.’

The Polly Warfield Award for an excellent season in a small to mid-size theater: Sacred Fools Theater Company.

The Angstrom Award for career achievement in lighting design: Lisa D. Katz.

The Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in theater: Los Angeles Women’s Shakespeare Company.

The Joel Hirschhorn Award for outstanding achievement in musical theater: Nick DeGruccio.