Toronto Theatre Critics' Awards 2012 – winners

Last night, the Toronto Theatre Critics Association announced the winners for their 2nd annual Toronto Theatre Critics' Awards.

Topping the awards were Carole Fréchette's The Small Room at the Top of the Stairs, and the musicals Ride the Cyclone by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell, and Caroline, or Change by Tony Kushner. They each picked up three awards.

This year, the Best New Play category was divided into Best Canadian Play and Best International Play and both awards went to Asian-themed plays. The Canadian Play award went to Ins Choi's Kim’s Convenience which was a huge Fringe Festival hit before being picked up by Soulpepper. The play is set in a Korean variety store and stars Paul Sun-Hyung Lee who won took the honours for Best Actor in a play. The popular play has been extended yet again for another run from June 27 to July 4.

The International Play prize went to Roland Schimmelpfennig's The Golden Dragon, an intricately woven ensemble piece set in a Chinese-Vietnamese-Thai restaurant.

A Special Citation was awarded to actor Eric Peterson, who appeared in The Company Theatre's The Test, Soulpepper's You Can't Take It With You and the Crow's Theatre/Porte Parole's Seeds.

Toronto plays from May 2011 to May 2012 were eligible for consideration. The awards were selected by critics from J. Kelly Nestruck of The Globe and Mail), Richard Ouzounian of the Toronto Star, Robert Cushman of National Post, Martin Morrow of The Grid and Glenn Sumi of NOW Magazine.

The awards will be presented to the winners at an upcoming ceremony.

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Complete list of winners for the 2nd annual Toronto Theatre Critics' Awards

Best Canadian Play
Kim’s Convenience by Ins Choi (Soulpepper Theatre)

Best International Play
The Golden Dragon by Roland Schimmelpfennig (Tarragon Theatre)

Best Production of a Play
The Small Room at the Top of the Stairs, Tarragon Theatre

Best Director of a Play
Weyni Mengesha, The Small Room at the Top of the Stairs

Best Design
War Horse creative team (National Theatre/Mirvish Productions)

Best Actress in a Play
Nicole Underhay, The Small Room at the Top of the Stairs

Best Actor in a Play
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Kim’s Convenience

Best Supporting Actress in a Play
Kelli Fox, The Penelopiad (Nightwood Theatre)

Best Supporting Actor in a Play
Philip Riccio, The Test (The Company Theatre and Canadian Stage)

Best New Musical
Ride the Cyclone by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell (An Atomic Vaudeville production presented by Theatre Passe Muraille in association with Acting Up Stage Company)

Best Production of a Musical
Caroline, or Change (Acting Up Stage Company in association with Obsidian)

Best Director of a Musical
Britt Small and Jacob Richmond, Ride the Cyclone

Best Actress in a Musical
Arlene Duncan, Caroline, or Change

Best Actor in a Musical
Sahr Ngaujah, Fela! (Presented by Mirvish Productions)

Best Supporting Actress in a Musical
Deborah Hay, Caroline, or Change

Best Supporting Actor in a Musical
Elliott Loran, Ride the Cyclone

Special Citation
Eric Peterson