The San Diego Theatre Critics Circle handed out 30 awards Monday night for the top achievements in 2025 theater at its 22nd Craig Noel Awards ceremony.
Named after National Medal of Arts winner Craig Noel — who was the founding director of the Old Globe and helped develop San Diego’s professional theater community over five decades — the awards are presented each year to professional theater productions, directors, actors and designers. This year’s ceremony was held at the Joan B. Kroc Theatre in San Diego before an audience of nearly 400 people.
Because San Diego is one of the biggest creators of new plays and musicals in the United States, the new musical and play categories were the highlights of the evening.
The Old Globe’s world premiere musical comedy “Regency Girls,” a “Bridgerton”-style feminist comedy about women’s reproductive rights in 1810 England, won the top prize for Outstanding New Musical.
Valerie Vega, left and Lester Isariuz in OnStage Playhouse’s “Fragment/o/s of Air/e.” (Daren Scott)
The Outstanding New Play award went to San Diego playwright Carla Navarro for “Fragment/o/s of Air/e,” a psychological drama about a Chilean refugee who is still haunted by the torture she endured under Pinochet’s regime. It premiered last July at OnStage Playhouse in Chula Vista.
And the Alice and Doug Diamond Outstanding Small Theatre Award went to TuYo Theatre. Founded in San Diego in 2017, the company co-founded by Daniel Jáquez, Patrice Amon, Crystal Mercado, Bernardo Mazón, Peter Cirino and Evelyn Diaz Cruz presents original Latinx musicals, plays and events. In 2025, TuYo staged local playwright Mabelle Reynoso’s immersive production “La Llorona on the Blue Line” on a vintage train car.
La Llorona on the Blue Line is a immersive play that unfolds aboard San Diego’s Blue Line trolley, interweaving haunting stories across three eras: 1920, 1946, and 1982. Each story is set aboard vintage trains at the National City Depot, inviting audiences to experience how the past lingers in unexpected ways. Photo from preview night in National City on 06.04.25, in San Diego, California. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Other top awards include Cygnet Theatre’s “Follies,” which won the award for Outstanding Resident Musical, and Backyard Renaissance Theatre’s reimagined staging of Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire” won the award for Outstanding Dramatic Production.
The top performance prizes, 2025 Actor of the Year, went to two versatile actors who each performed in several shows throughout the county. Eli Wood appeared in productions at Diversionary Theatre, Cygnet Theatre, Moonlight Stage Productions and San Diego Musical Theatre, and Lena Ceja appeared at New Village Arts, Moonlight Stage Productions and La Jolla Playhouse.
The awards were chosen by an all-volunteer group of San Diego County newspaper, magazine and online critics, including myself.
Here’s the full list of 2025 award winners.
Outstanding New Musical: “Regency Girls” – The Old Globe
Outstanding New Play: “Fragment/o/s of Air/e” by Carla Navarro – OnStage Playhouse
Outstanding Dramatic Production: “A Streetcar Named Desire” – Backyard Renaissance Theatre Company
Outstanding Resident Musical: “Follies” – Cygnet Theatre
Alice and Doug Diamond Outstanding Small Theatre Award: TuYo Theatre
2025 Actors of the Year: Eli Wood and Lena Ceja
La Llorona on the Blue Line is a immersive play that unfolds aboard San Diego’s Blue Line trolley, interweaving haunting stories across three eras: 1920, 1946, and 1982. Each story is set aboard vintage trains at the National City Depot, inviting audiences to experience how the past lingers in unexpected ways. Photo from preview night in National City on 06.04.25, in San Diego, California. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Audience Choice Award: “La Llorona on the Blue Line” – by Mabelle Reynoso – TuYo Theatre
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical: Richard Bermudez – “Jekyll & Hyde” – San Diego Musical Theatre; Karole Foreman – “Follies” – Cygnet Theatre
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play: Marti Gobel – “Beauty’s Daughter” – OnWord Theatre; Valeria Vega – “Fragment/o/s of Air/e” – OnStage Playhouse
Marti Gobel as one of six characters she plays in OnWord Theatre’s “Beauty’s Daughter.” (Bernadette Johnston / Narrative Images)
Outstanding Youth Performance: Iris Manter
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play: Katie MacNichol – “The Waverly Gallery” – Backyard Renaissance Theatre; Jocorey Mitchell – “The Hot Wing King” – Cygnet Theatre
Rondrell McCormick as Cordell, left, Jocorey Mitchell as Everett and Tristan J Shuler as Dwayne in Cygnet Theatre’s “Hot Wing King.” (Karli Cadel)
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical: Jacob Caltrider – “Oklahoma!” – Cygnet Theatre; Carmen Cusack – “3 Summers of Lincoln” – La Jolla Playhouse
Outstanding Direction of a Musical: Sean Murray – “Follies” – Cygnet Theatre
Outstanding Direction of a Play: Francis Gercke – “The Waverly Gallery” – Backyard Renaissance Theatre Company
Eric Anderson, Noah Rivera, Johnathan Tanner and Evan Ruggiero in La Jolla Playhouse’s world-premiere musical “3 Summers of Lincoln,” directed by Christopher Ashley. (Rich Soublet II)
Outstanding Choreography: Jon Rua and Daniel J. Watts – “3 Summers of Lincoln” – La Jolla Playhouse
Outstanding Music Direction: Patrick Sulken – “Regency Girls” – The Old Globe
Outstanding Scenic Design: Mathys Herbert – “To My Girls” – Diversionary Theatre
Outstanding Sound Design: Gareth Owen – “The Heart” – La Jolla Playhouse
Outstanding Lighting Design: Sammy Webster – “The Strangers” – Chalk Circle Collective
Outstanding Costume Design: David I. Reynoso – “Regency Girls” – The Old Globe
Outstanding Projection Design: Michael Wogulis – “The Mountaintop” – New Village Arts
Broadway San Diego presents the Reviewers of Tomorrow: Josiah Briggs, Ava Cherry, Devina Keswani