Actor Lavour Addison toyed with us in 2023 like a heavyweight prize fighter who floats like a butterfly and delivers knockout punches at his pleasure.

He ended 2022 with an award-winning performance of a boxing play called “The Royale,” playing a character based on the first Black heavyweight champion. He took on the play again this year in Creede. But this, time he played an entirely different role – as the boxer’s manager.

Because  … why do things the easy way?

Speaking of: Addison ended 2023 playing Jacob Marley in a one-man adaptation of “A Christmas Carol.” In between, he played an old-timey doctor, a professor, a revolutionary, a record agent and, for good measure, Colonel Mustard in a musical adaptation of the board game “Clue.” That’s one heck of a year.

Here’s a closer look at Lavour and six other representative actors – and two remarkable music directors – who had exceptional calendar years on Colorado stages.

Lavour Addison

At a glance: Addison was raised in Freeport Bahamas, graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and earned his master’s degree through the Cleveland Play House MFA Program. He’s performed all over Colorado for the past six years, mostly as a company member at the Arvada Center and Creede Repertory Theatre.

• Mr. Gibbs, “Our Town,” Arvada Center
• Alex, “The Book Club Play,” Arvada Center
• Colonel Mustard, “Clue on Stage,” Creede Repertory Theatre
• Wynton, “The Royale,” Creede Repertory Theatre
• Jean-Michel, “Cinderella,” Creede Repertory Theatre
• Marty, “Dreamgirls,” Lone Tree Arts Center
• Marley, “Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol,” Creede Repertory Theatre

Quotable: “Lavour is the kind of person who likes to keep you guessing. He’s one of the most delightfully spontaneous people I have ever worked with, and he never ceases to surprise me.” – ”Our Town” co-star Emily Van Fleet

Iliana Lucero Barron

At a glance: Barron is a bilingual Latinx performer, director and Denver Center teaching artist who had breakthrough performances in “Alma” for Curious Theatre and the world premiere of “You Enjoy Myself” for Local Theater Company. She went to Denver East High School, is a first-generation college graduate (CU-Denver) and has worked in multiple capacities throughout the Colorado theater community.

• Angel, “Alma,” Curious Theatre Company
• Juliet and 10 others in three plays for Shakespeare in the Parking Lot, DCPA Education
• Performer and teaching artist for “Tiny Tots” (interactive musical experiences for kids 7 and under)
• Swing, “Undone: The Lady M Project,” Local Theater Company
• Lucentia, “The Taming of the Shrew,” Colorado Springs’ Theatreworks
• Isabel, “You Enjoy Myself,” Local Theater Company
• Teaching Artist, “As You Like It,” Shakespeare in the Wild

Quotable: “Iliana is extraordinary. She is a beautiful artist, a creative collaborator and she is deeply committed to both the community and working with students. She has such an incredible heart and generosity in her work.” – Allison Watrous, Denver Center Director of Education

Damon Guerrasio

At a glance: Guerrasio is a versatile comic actor with a proven knack for entertaining children and … well, anyone you would consider “not yet fully mature.” He’s also Denver’s go-to “swinger.” No, not that! Swings learn all sorts of roles and stand at the ready to go on if a designated actor falls ill. He’s from Littleton and graduated from Highlands Ranch High School.

• Jack, “Yesterado,” Arvada Center
• Avery and others, “Charlotte’s Web,” Arvada Center
• Swing, “The Great American Trailer Park Musical,” Miners Alley Playhouse
• Chadd, “Escape to Margaritaville,” Give 5 Productions
• Mal, “Earth History Today,” And Toto Too New Play Crawl
• Jim, “All Shook Up,” Town Hall Arts Center
• Jim, “The Last Session,” Town Hall Arts Center
• Swing, “I Hate Hamlet,” Miners Alley Playhouse
• Jackie, “The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical,” Miners Alley Playhouse
• Drosselmeier, “The Story of the Nutcracker,” Miners Alley Playhouse

Quotable: “Damon is one of the hardest-working people I know. The way he is always jumping from one show to the next without ever complaining is quite wild – and really impressive. His playful spirit is infectious to be around. He has such a childlike wonder that is so necessary when you are playing onstage. With Damon, you know you are in for a good time.” – ‘Trailer Park” Co-star Jenna Moll Reyes

Trent Hines

At a glance: Hines is a music director, pianist and conductor who has worked at theaters all over Denver. He is originally from Dayton, Ohio, graduated from Ohio State and lives in Aurora. He’s included on this list because, as a music director, he performs at most every show – demonstrating musical skills that are just as vital as any actor’s.

• “Memphis,” Town Hall Arts Center
• “Blues in the Night,” Aurora Fox
• “Dreamgirls,” Lone Tree Arts Center
• “Home for the Holidays,” Lone Tree Arts Center

Quotable: “Hines’ work with ‘Blues in the Night’ has garnered first-rate musical performances that fill the space with emotion-packed lyrics.” – Eric Fitzgerald, OnStage Colorado

Josh Kellman

At a glance: Kellman has been summering with Grand Lake’s venerable Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre since 2008, performing in 30 stage productions. 2023 was another huge year spanning the music of Gilbert & Sullivan to Carole King and culminating with his original one-man version of “A Christmas Carol” (with puppets!). For the other three seasons of the year, he is based out of Richmond, Va.

• Don Kirshner, “Beautiful,” (all Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre)
• Major-General Stanley, “The Pirates of Penzance”
• Shylock, “Something Rotten”
• “Josh Kellman’s One-Man A Christmas Carol”

Quotable: “He’s done our summer season so many times now, it’s no surprise to us that he has range and capability. But for a guy who has performed up here in the mountains for 15 years, he really is someone more people should know.” – Executive Artistic Director Michael Querio

Chris Kendall

At a glance: This thoughtful, veteran actor is in many ways the moral conscience of the Denver theater community, playing everyman characters who give voice to the full range of America’s political spectrum. This year, he played a conniving tenant farmer in a Eugene O’Neill classic, a man thoughtfully reconsidering a life devoted to gay conversion therapy, and a retired miner ruminating on the deaths of 29 friends in a mining disaster. Onstage Colorado’s Alex Miller called him “magnificently crusty” in that role.  

• “A Moon for the Misbegotten,” Cherry Creek Theatre
• “A Great Wilderness,” Benchmark Theatre
• “Coal Country,” Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company

Quotable: “A play like this can really open people’s eyes to what we’re still going through in this country in terms of labor and management, in terms of the way that profit and loss weighs on people’s lives.” – Kendall, speaking to Colorado Public Radio’s Eden Lane about “Coal Country”

Jenna Moll Reyes

At a glance: Moll Reyes, a homegrown graduate of Denver School of the Arts and the University of Northern Colorado, is making her mark as an actor, director, teaching artist and indie rocker. She will direct the children’s show “Amelia’s Big Idea” at Miners Alley Playhouse in January.

• Gloria, “Damn Yankees,” Arvada Center
• Pickles, “The Great American Trailer Park Musical,” Miners Alley Playhouse
• Director, “The Enchanted Bookshop,” Northglenn Youth Theatre
• “Weird House Sounds,” cabaret concert with John Hauser, Aurora Fox
• Assistant Director, “Avenue Q,” Miners Alley Playhouse
• Pickles, “The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical,” Miners Alley Playhouse
• Varya, “The Cherry Orchard,” Miners Alley Playhouse

Quotable: “Jenna is a delight because not only does she always bring the goods, but she is also a thoughtful collaborator who is challenging in a way that breeds the best possible work. I’m excited for her to jump into directing because she’s very mindful about her craft, and she really enjoys the work of finding the meaning beyond the text we are given on the page.” – “Trailer Park” director Piper Lindsay Arpan     

David Nehls

At a glance: Nehls, a composer and music director, premiered two original musicals in 2023 – and brought back a popular third – a feat unlikely to be repeated by any composer anywhere. Nehls composed the original “Trailer Park” musical nearly 20 years ago, and Miners Alley Playhouse additionally slated his Christmas sequel to christen its new performing-arts center in Golden. Meanwhile, his new musical tribute to Ruth Brown, starring and co-written by Sheryl McCallum, ran for nearly six months at the Denver Center’s Galleria Theatre.

• Co-creator and music director, “The Great American Trailer Park Musical,” Miners Alley Playhouse
• Music director, “Damn Yankees,” Arvada Center
• Music director, “The Headliners,” Cherry Creek Theatre
• Co-creator and music director, “Miss Rhythm: The Legend of Ruth Brown,” Denver Center for the Performing Arts
• “The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical,” Miners Alley Playhouse

Quotable: “Staging both ‘Trailer Parks’ this year was a win-win for both David and Miners Alley Playhouse because we knew the shows were going to be popular, and it was a great way to work with a local artist who has truly become part of our family. Our whole goal is to bring a lot more new people into the theater, and both of those shows did that.” – Executive Artistic Producer Len Matheo    

Carter Edward Smith

At a glance: The genial Arapahoe High grad has been making his way on area stages for more than a decade. But he took a major step up in esteem this year by playing the White DJ who integrates Black music on the Memphis radio dial. He’s also a teaching artist who will make his directing debut in May with “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” for Vintage Theatre.

• Laurie, “Little Women,” Performance Now
• Man 1, “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” Ovation West
• Huey Calhoun, “Memphis,” Town Hall Arts Center
• Brian, “Avenue Q,” Miners Alley Playhouse
• Ensemble, “Sondheim on Sondheim,” Cherry Creek Theatre
• Swing, “The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical, Miners Alley Playhouse

Quotable: “Smith gives a winning performance as a strong-willed, true believer in the blues. He has a big singing voice that serves him well in an award-winning performance.” – Eric Fitzgerald, OnStage Colorado, on Smith in “Memphis.”

Note: The True West Awards, now in their 23rd year, began as the Denver Post Ovation Awards in 2001. Denver Gazette Senior Arts Journalist John Moore celebrates the Colorado theater community by revisiting 30 good stories from the past year without categories or nominations.