Over 150 members of the North Bay theater community gathered at The California in Santa Rosa on Sunday night for the Marquee Theater Journalists Association/North Bay Bohemian 2026 Norbay Theater Awards.
The MTJA presented awards for outstanding work in 18 production, performance, and technical categories. Sonoma and Napa County productions in the 2025-2026 season that were attended by MTJA members Harry Duke, Cari Lynn Pace, Caitlin Strom-Martin, Beulah Vega, and Barry Willis qualified for awards consideration.
Nominations for those categories were submitted by MTJA members for productions they certified attending and the award recipients determined by rounds of ranked-choice voting.
The event began at 6:00 pm and after an hour of meeting and greeting the MTJA members took the stage and announced the nominees and recipients of the awards.
Here is the complete listing of the nominees and recipients of the 2026 MTJA Norbay Theater Awards with the recipients noted in bold blue:
Outstanding Costume Design
Donnie Frank, My Fair Lady, Cinnabar Theater
Donnie Frank, Into the Woods, Spreckels Theatre Company
Adriana Gutierrez, It’s a Wonderful Life, Spreckels Theatre Company
Mae Heagerty-Matos, Bad Seed, 6th Street Playhouse
Barbara McFadden, Peter & Alice, Lucky Penny Productions
Outstanding Lighting Design
Robin DeLuca, A Night with Janis Joplin, Sonoma Arts Live
April George, The Secret Garden, Cinnabar Theater
Eddy Hansen, Into the Woods, Spreckels Theatre Company
Noah Hewitt, Marjorie Prime, 6th Street Playhouse
Missy Weaver, Woody Guthrie’s American Song, Mercury Theater
Outstanding Scenic Design
Peter Crompton, The Secret Garden, Cinnabar Theater
Eddy Hansen, Into the Woods, Spreckels Theatre Company
Eddy Hansen, It’s a Wonderful Life, Spreckels Theatre Company
Bruce Lackovic, Bad Seed, 6th Street Playhouse
Barry Martin, Peter & Alice, Lucky Penny Productions
Outstanding Sound Design
Rob Broadhurst, Revenge of the Rebobs!, Lucky Penny Productions
Jessica Johnson, Featherbaby, Spreckels Theatre Company
Jessica Johnson, Into the Woods, Spreckels Theatre Company
Thomas Luekens, A Night with Janis Joplin, Sonoma Arts Live
Marisa Whitmore, My Children! My Africa!, The 222
Outstanding Musical Direction
Rob Broadhurst, Revenge of the Rebobs!, Lucky Penny Productions
Craig Burdette, The Drowsy Chaperone, Lucky Penny Productions
Aja Gianola, A Night with Janis Joplin, Sonoma Arts Live
Lucas Sherman, Into the Woods, Spreckels Theatre Company
Brett Strader, My Fair Lady, Cinnabar Theater
Outstanding Choreography
Malia Abayon, A Christmas Story, 6th Street Playhouse
Christian Arteaga, My Fair Lady, Cinnabar Theater
Alex Gomez, The Drowsy Chaperone, Lucky Penny Productions
Alex Gomez, Godspell, Lucky Penny Productions
Karen Miles, Into the Woods, Spreckels Theatre Company
Outstanding Collegiate Production
The Comedy of Hamlet, Santa Rosa Junior College
Stage Direction by Reed Martin / Stage Management by Kai Clark
Hello, Dolly!, Santa Rosa Junior College
Stage Direction by Gina Alvarado / Stage Management by Dianne Harrison
Into The Woods, Napa Valley College
Stage Direction by Tia Madison / Stage Management by Jennifer Ruygt
Ride the Cyclone, Santa Rosa Junior College
Stage Direction by Sarah Wintermeyer / Stage Management by Marsh Jackson
Outstanding Specialty Production
All in Favor, Montgomery High School Student Production
Stage Direction by Chris Schloemp / Stage Management by Ethan Magers
La rondine, Mercury Theater Opera
Stage Direction by Ellie Lichenstein / Stage Management by Ingrid Emming
Shirley Valentine, Sonoma Arts Live Solo Production
Stage Direction by Sharon Winegar / Stage Management by Loryn Hatten
X, SRJC Theater Student Production
Stage Direction by Jaden “Moose” Frank / Stage Management by Marsh Jackson
Outstanding Ensemble
The Christians, Cinnabar Theater
The Homecoming, Roustabout Theater
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Mercury Theater
Ride the Cyclone, Santa Rosa Junior College
We are proud to present…, Left Edge Theatre
Outstanding Supporting Performance / Drama
John Craven, Bad Seed, 6th Street Playhouse
Rosie Frater, It’s a Wonderful Life, Spreckels Theatre Company
Jonathan Graham, The Outgoing Tide, Cloverdale Performing Arts Center
Mary Gannon Graham, Bad Seed, 6th Street Playhouse
Tanya Marie, Laundry and Bourbon, The 222
Outstanding Lead Performance / Drama
Tamar Cohn, Marjorie Prime, 6th Street Playhouse
Sandra Ish, Bad Seed, 6th Street Playhouse
Nic Moore, It’s a Wonderful Life, Spreckels Theatre Company
Andrew Patton, The Christians, Cinnabar Theater
Marty Pistone, The Lifespan of a Fact, 6th Street Playhouse
Outstanding Drama Production
Bad Seed, 6th Street Playhouse
Stage Direction by David Lear / Stage Management by April George
The Christians, Cinnabar Theater
Stage Direction by Nathan Cummings / Stage Management by Elise Clark
The Lifespan of a Fact, 6th Street Playhouse
Stage Direction by Libby Oberlin / Stage Management by Areya Rowan
Marjorie Prime, 6th Street Playhouse
Stage Direction by John Browning / Stage Management by Kasey Vannoy
My Children! My Africa!, The 222
Stage Direction by Robert Parsons / Stage Management by Sheila Devitt
Outstanding Supporting Performance / Comedy
Dana Hunt, Bootycandy, Left Edge Theatre
Lexus Fletcher, Bootycandy, Left Edge Theatre
Sheila Lichirie, Home, I’m Darling, Sonoma Arts Live
Mercedes Murphy, Featherbaby, Spreckels Theatre Company
Tim Setzer, Sherwood, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Cinnabar Theater
Outstanding Lead Performance / Comedy
Gina Alvarado/Matt Cadigan, Featherbaby, Spreckels Theatre Company
Chelsea Jennings Bell, Eureka Day, Raven Players
Jonathen Blue, Bootycandy, Left Edge Theatre
Kevin Bordi, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Mercury Theater
Isiah Carter, We Are Proud to Present…, Left Edge Theatre
David Yen, Sherwood, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Cinnabar Theater
Outstanding Comedy Production
Bootycandy, Left Edge Theatre
Stage Direction by Serena Elize Flores / Stage Management by Lindsay John
Eureka Day, Raven Players
Stage Direction by Steven David Martin / Stage Management by Jenna Vera Dolcini
Featherbaby, Spreckels Theatre Company
Stage Direction by Skylar Evans / Stage Management by Cecelia Hamilton-Lee
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Mercury Theater
Stage Direction by Keith Baker / Stage Management by Cecelia Hamilton-Lee
We are proud to present…, Left Edge Theatre
Stage Direction by Skylar Evans / Stage Management by Shanay Howell
Outstanding Supporting Performance / Musical
Sam Coughlin, Into the Woods, Spreckels Theatre Company
HarriettePearl Fugitt, A Christmas Story, 6th Street Playhouse
Beckett Hepp, The Secret Garden, Cinnabar Theater
Nora Summers, A Christmas Story, 6th Street Playhouse
Tim Setzer, My Fair Lady, Cinnabar Theater
Outstanding Lead Performance / Musical
Daniela Innocenti Beem, Into the Woods, Spreckels Theatre Company
Serena Elize Flores, Hands on a Hardbody, Spreckels Theatre Company
Libby Oberlin, A Night with Janis Joplin, Sonoma Arts Live
DC Scarpelli, The Drowsy Chaperone, Lucky Penny Productions
Violet Spears, The Secret Garden, Cinnabar Theater
Outstanding Musical Production
The Drowsy Chaperone, Lucky Penny Productions
Stage Direction by Daren A.C. Carollo / Stage Management by Jeff Arriaga
Into the Woods, Spreckels Theatre Company
Stage Direction by Sheri Lee Miller / Stage Management by Maggie Davis
A Night with Janis Joplin, Sonoma Arts Live
Stage Direction by Carl Jordan / Stage Management by Loryn Hatten
Revenge of the Rebobs!, Lucky Penny Productions
Stage Direction by Barry Martin / Stage Management by Jeff Arriaga
The Secret Garden, Cinnabar Theater
Stage Direction by Jane Erwin / Stage Management by Elise Clark
This Association sends their congratulations to all the nominees and recipients and to the entire Sonoma/Napa theater community for continuing to entertain, inform, and challenge our audiences.
