"Incorruptible" at Circle Theatre earned Robin Armstrong a directing nod.

"Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type" at Dallas Children's Theater. The critics udderly loved Doug Miller's direction.

Tracey Scott Wilson received a Best New Play mention for "The Good Negro," a co-production of Dallas Theater Center and the Public Theatre.

The critics had their eye on Ed Smith's production of "The Bluest Eye" at Jubilee Theatre.

Cameron Cobb justly won a creative award for his gore and violence design in Kitchen Dog Theater's "Titus Andonicus."

Doug Jackson and Diana Sheehan were 1/3 third of the excellent ensemble in Lyric Stage's "As Thousands Cheer."

A rendering of Trinity Shakespeare Festival's "Twelfth Night" set, by Michael Heil. We loved all the design elements of TSF's first season.

David Coffee, left and Emily Gray, right, were beloved at Trinity Shakespeare Festival.

Rene Moreno's production of "The Seafarer" at Stage West drew raves, as did Jerry Russell's (right) performance.

"The Play About the Coach" was a small tour (seen at WaterTower's Out of the Loop Fringe Festival) that scored with the critics.

"Lost in the Stars" at Theatre Three received several mentions.

Undermain Theatre's "The Black Monk" earned awards for director Katherine Owens and actor Jonathan Brooks (foreround).

The youth cast of "...Scientology Pageant" at Circle Theatre received an outstanding ensemble mention.

Rene Moreno received kudos for his production of "This Is Our Youth" at Upstart Productions.

  

The Dallas-Fort Worth Theater Critics Forum met for its annual confab recently, and the group had no problem deciding on a sizable list of directors, actors, designers and writers whose work we loved.

The Forum doesn't pick one winner per category, but designates several honorees in each, representing the best work seen at North Texas theaters. Eligible shows opened between Sept. 1, 2008, and Aug. 31, 2009.

Work in Fort Worth and Tarrant County fared better this year than in the past—perhaps thanks to a new Cowtown-based reviewer who replaced a former daily critic who has since co-created a pretty cool theater Web site (ahem). Or maybe it was the addition of a new Funkytown organization, Trinity Shakespeare Festival, whose inaugural season the pundits adored.

Overall, Dallas' Theatre Three received the most recognition, with eight awards; and several actors were noted for their work in more than one show, including Diane Casey Box-Worman, Vince McGill, Drew Wall, Emily Gray, Jerry Russell and Kimberly Whalen. Gray really stands out if you consider that one of the shows we chose her for, The Norman Conquests at Stage West, is three plays.

Meanwhile, directors Robin Armstrong, Rene Moreno and T.J. Walsh earned up-snaps for multiple productions. And two directors at Echo Theatre earned raves for the three plays in The Nibroc Trilogy, so in a way that's one-and-a-half nods each for Ellen Locy and Pam Myers-Morgan.

And as for the critics, well, we broke some ground, too. Of the nine participants this year, women outnumbered men five to four (that's a first). You can see who we are and for whom we write below, following the list of our choices for the best work in the 2008-2009 theater season.

Because really, it is all about you guys. Thanks for the great work, and keep it coming.

OUTSTANDING DIRECTION:

• Jac Alder: Lost in the Stars (Theatre Three)
• Robin Armstrong: Incorruptible (Circle Theatre) and Vincent River (Theatre Britain)
• B.J. Cleveland: The House of Blue Leaves (Theatre Arlington)
• Ellen Locy and Pam Myers-Morgan: The Nibroc Trilogy (Echo Theatre)
• Doug Miller: Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type (Dallas Children's Theater)
• Rene Moreno: The Seafarer (Stage West) and This Is Our Youth (Upstart Productions)
• Katherine Owens: The Black Monk (Undermain Theatre)
• Ed Smith: The Bluest Eye (Jubilee Theatre)
• Jonathan Taylor and Christina Vela: The Pillowman (Kitchen Dog Theater)
• T.J. Walsh: Defiance (Theatre Three) and Twelfth Night (Trinity Shakespeare Festival)

OUTSTANDING NEW PLAY/MUSICAL

• Death! The Musical by Scott Eckert (Pocket Sandwich Theatre)
• The Good Negro by Tracey Scott Wilson (Dallas Theater Center)
• Hello Human Female by Matt Lyle (Audacity Theatre Lab)
• Under a Texaco Canopy by Ellsworth Schave (One Thirty Productions)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR

• Jonathan Brooks: The Black Monk (Undermain Theatre)
• David Coffee: Twelfth Night (Trinity Shakespeare Festival)
• Michael Federico: Jihad Jones and the Kalashnikov Babes (Kitchen Dog Theater)
• Vince McGill: A Raisin in the Sun, A Soldier's Play and Seven Guitars (his season at African American Repertory Theater)
• Jerry Russell: The Seafarer (Stage West) and On Golden Pond (Contemporary Theatre of Dallas)
• Lee Trull: The Pillowman (Kitchen Dog Theater)
• Drew Wall: Defiance (Theatre Three); A Skull in Connemara (Second Thought Theatre); and This Is Our Youth (Upstart Productions)
• Ted Wold: The House of Blue Leaves (Theatre Arlington)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS

• Sue Birch: Vincent River (Theatre Britain)
• Diane Casey Box-Worman: Defiance (Theatre Three) and The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? (Kitchen Dog Theater)
• Catherine DuBord: Some Girl(s) (Second Thought Theatre)
• Emily Gray: The Norman Conquests (Stage West); Romeo and Juliet (Trinity Shakespeare Festival); and Seagulls (WingSpan Theatre Company)
• Julie Johnson: Always...Patsy Cline (Casa Mañana)
• Regina Washington: Neat (African American Repertory Theater)
• Wendy Welch: The Light in the Piazza (Theatre Three)
• Kimberly Whalen: The Light in the Piazza (Theatre Three) and West Side Story (Lyric Stage)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE CAST

• As Thousands Cheer (Lyric Stage)
• The Nibroc Trilogy (Echo Theatre)
• Topdog/Underdog (Upstart Productions)
• A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant (Circle Theatre)

OUTSTANDING CREATIVE CONTRIBUTION

• John Arnone for his scenic design in The Black Monk (Undermain Theatre)
• Bruce R. Coleman for his costume designs in Trysts in Toledo (Theatre Three)
• Terry Dobson and Vonda Bowling for their music direction in Lost in the Stars (Theatre Three)
• Bruce DuBose for his music and sound design in The Black Monk (Undermain Theatre)
• Cameron Cobb for his violence and gore design in Titus Andronicus (Kitchen Dog Theater)
• John S. Davies for his makeup design in The Last Meeting of the Knights of the White Magnolia (Contemporary Theatre of Dallas)
• The Design Team for Trinity Shakespeare Festival's season: Romeo and Juliet (Brian Clinnin, scenic and costumes; Michael Skinner, lighting; Richard Frohlich, sound) and Twelfth Night (Michael Heil, scenic; Aaron Patrick Turner, costumes; Tristan Decker, lighting; Richard Frohlich, sound).
• Matthew Posey for his puppetry design in The Coppertone Trilogy (Balanced Almond)
• John de los Santos for his choreography in Altar Boyz (Uptown Players)
• Aaron Patrick Turner for his costume design in The Neverending Story (Dallas Children's Theater)
• Jeffrey Schmidt for his production designs in The Old Woman in the Wood (The Drama Club)

OUTSTANDING TOURING PRODUCTION

• A Chorus Line, presented by Dallas Summer Musicals
• The Play About the Coach, presented by Rocketship Productions at WaterTower Theatre's Out of the Loop Fringe Festival
• Rent, presented by Dallas Summer Musicals

SPECIAL CITATIONS:

• B.J. Cleveland, for his achievements during his 27-year association with Theatre Arlington (15 of those as artistic director) and for his unstoppable energy.
• Irma P. Hall, co-founder of the African American Repertory Theater, for her lifetime contribution to North Texas theater.
• Kevin Moriarty, artistic director of the Dallas Theater Center, for reintroducing a resident acting ensemble to the DTC, and for his spirit of community-building.

 This year's participating critics were:

• Joan Arbery: D Magazine and Renegade Bus
• Alexandra Bonifield: Critical Rant & Rave, The Dallas Examiner, Renegade Bus and THE Magazine
• Martha Heimberg: Turtle Creek News
• Arnold Wayne Jones: Dallas Voice
• Elaine Liner: Dallas Observer and TheaterJones
• Mark Lowry: TheaterJones and THE Magazine
• Punch Shaw: Fort Worth Star-Telegram
• Lawson Taitte: The Dallas Morning News
• Joy Tipping: The Dallas Morning News