Chance Theater, Curtis Theatre, and Costa Mesa Playhouse Among Top Honorees 

Orange County’s vibrant theater scene took center stage on Monday night at the 5th Annual OC Theatre Guild Awards octheatreguild.org, held at the Samueli Theater at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Artists, designers, and companies from across the county were recognized for their creativity, dedication, and artistic excellence.

This year, the Guild recognized outstanding work across 22 categories, including four gender-neutral acting categories, with two recipients honored in each by design. A rare tie in both Leading and Supporting Performance in a Play led to three winners receiving awards in each of those categories. In total, 28 awards were presented throughout the evening.

Chance Theater had a strong showing, earning 19 awards for plays and musicals. What the Constitution Means to Me earned Outstanding Production of a Play, while Tick, Tick… Boom! captured Outstanding Production of a Musical. Spring Awakening earned the most of the evening, taking home seven awards, including Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical, choreography, music direction, lighting, sound, and fight direction.

Curtis Theatre earned four awards in total. One for the musical Beautiful: The Carole King Musical in collaboration with Southgate Productions and three for the play August: Osage County in collaboration with STAGES theatre.

Costa Mesa Playhouse earned Outstanding Ensemble in a Play for Sweat, highlighting the theater’s continued excellence in collaborative storytelling.

The ceremony was directed by Amanda DeMaio, with Kim Le returning as musical director and pianist, and Nicholas Thurkettle serving as announcer. Katie Chidester and Kristin Coyne served as OCTG Theatre Awards Program Managers.

2026 OC Theatre Guild Award recipients are:

Outstanding Production of a Play
What the Constitution Means to Me – Chance Theater

Outstanding Production of a Musical
Tick, Tick… Boom! – Chance Theater

Outstanding Ensemble in a Play
Sweat – Costa Mesa Playhouse

Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical
Spring Awakening – Chance Theater

Outstanding Leading Performance in a Play

• Aubrey Saverino – What the Constitution Means to Me, Chance Theater

• Rose London – August: Osage County, STAGEStheatre & Curtis Theatre

• Stacy Castiglione – August: Osage County, STAGEStheatre & Curtis Theatre

Outstanding Leading Performance in a Musical

• Corydon Melgoza – Spring Awakening, Chance Theater

• Danielle Heaton – Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Curtis Theatre & Southgate Productions

Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Play

• Albert Park – The Chinese Lady, Chance Theater

• Frank Bishop – Sweat, Costa Mesa Playhouse

• Juliet Fischer – Such Small Hands, Chance Theater

Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Musical

• Lena Ceja – Tick, Tick… Boom!, Chance Theater

• Mario Houle – Tick, Tick… Boom!, Chance Theater

Outstanding Direction of a Play
Katie Chidester – What the Constitution Means to Me, Chance Theater

Outstanding Direction of a Musical
Jocelyn A. Brown – Spring Awakening, Chance Theater

Outstanding Choreography
Niko Montelibano – Tick, Tick… Boom!, Chance Theater

Outstanding Music Direction
Robyn Manion – Spring Awakening, Chance Theater

Outstanding Costume Design
Haven Hanson – Cinderella, JStage Irvine

Outstanding Lighting Design
Jacqueline Malenke – Spring Awakening, Chance Theater

Outstanding Scenic Design
Ganymede Projects – Such Small Hands, Chance Theater

Outstanding Sound Design
Lia Weed – Spring Awakening, Chance Theater

Outstanding Projection Design
Matthew McCray – Such Small Hands, Chance Theater

Outstanding Properties Design
Amanda DeMaio – August: Osage County, STAGEStheatre & Curtis Theatre

Outstanding Fight Direction
Martin Noyes – Spring Awakening, Chance Theater

Outstanding Wig Design
Cynthia Wilson – Cinderella, JStage Irvine

Outstanding Makeup Design
Sean Arnold – Into the Woods, Alchemy Theatre Company

Outstanding Playwriting (Original Work)
Adam Szymkowicz – Such Small Hands, Chance Theater