Kirk Douglas to be honored by L.A. Drama Critics Circle

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The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle will honor actor Kirk Douglas with a special award for lifetime contribution to L.A. theater at its March 22 ceremony at the Colony Theatre in Burbank.

Douglas, who returned to the stage last year in his one-man show ‘Before I Forget,’ will be one of a number of honorees at the annual theater awards ceremony, said the organization. Also set to receive trophies are directors Richard Israel, Jason Robert Brown and playwright Julie Marie Myatt.

Danny Hoch will receive an award for his solo performance in ‘Taking Over’ at the Kirk Douglas Theatre.

The Rubicon Theatre in Ventura and the Celebration Theatre in L.A. will receive special awards for sustained excellence and an excellent season, respectively.

The organization also announced its nominees for the 2009 season in L.A. and Orange counties.

The nominees for best production are ‘Life Could Be a Dream’ (Hudson Mainstage), ‘Munched’ (Buzzworks Theater Company / El Centro Theatre), ‘No Man’s Land’ (Odyssey Theatre Ensemble), ‘Parade’ (Mark Taper Forum), ‘Stick Fly’ (Matrix Theatre), ‘The Happy Ones’ (South Coast Repertory) and ‘The Pain and the Itch’ (Theatre @ Boston Court).

The nominees for revival production are ‘Equus’ (the Production Company / Chandler Studio Theatre), ‘Hair’ (Chance Theater) and ‘The Browning Version’ (Pacific Resident Theatre).

Playwrights receiving nominations this year are Julie Hebert (‘Tree’), Bruce Norris (‘The Pain and the Itch’), Kim Porter (‘Munched’) and Brian Christopher Williams (‘Anita Bryant Died for Your Sins’).

Here are some of the other LADCC nominees for 2009:

Lead performance: Sam Anderson (‘The Bird and Mr. Banks’), Johnny Clark (‘Blackbird’), Jade Dornfeld (‘Blackbird’), Bruce French (‘The Browning Version’), Jim Hanna (‘Equus’), Deidrie Henry (‘Coming Home’), William Dennis Hurley (‘Shining City’), Michael Kostroff (‘The Producers’), Alan Mandell (‘No Man’s Land’), Laurie Metcalf (‘Voice Lessons’), Darin Singleton (‘The Unseen’) and Samantha Sloyan (‘Munched’).

Featured performance: Hugo Armstrong (‘Land of the Tigers’), Chuma Gault (‘Tree’), P.J. Griffith (‘Setup and Punch’), Andrea Hutchman (‘Munched’), Heather Lee (‘No Way to Treat a Lady’), Sally Smythe (‘The Browning Version’), Greg Watanabe (‘The Happy Ones’) and Jacqueline Wright (‘Tree’).

-- David Ng