The Colorado Theatre Guild’s 2023-24 Henry Award nominations can be summed up in one word: “Beautiful.”

Three Colorado companies have staged “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” over the past year, garnering 14 combined total nominations. And all three women who played Carole King – Suzanna Champion for the Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre in Grand Lake, Julia Knitel for Theatre Aspen, and Emily Van Fleet for the Arvada Center – are nominated for best actress in a musical. (Knitel previously played the role on Broadway.)

The Colorado Theatre Guild’s always celebratory, always controversial awards honor achievements by its member companies over the past season. This year, the lion’s share of nominations are again split between the Arvada Center with 27 and the DCPA Theatre Company with 26. What’s boggling about the Arvada Center’s haul is that for the second straight year, all of its nominations went to its musicals – not a single one went to its widely praised plays. That’s 46 Arvada Center nominations since its last nod for a play.

Next up is Lakewood’s Performance Now, whose 14 nominations include an astonishing six for six different actors in its production of “The Music Man.”

This year’s nominations could be the most widely spread in the Henry Awards’ colorful, roller-coaster 18 years. The Guild’s wide array of judges adjudicated 159 different productions representing 52 different companies, resulting in nominations for 59 productions by 32 companies. That bodes well for a more wide-open affair than usual when the awards are doled out July 29 at the Lone Tree Arts Center.

The most-honored musicals of the year are the Arvada Center’s “Beautiful” and Performance Now’s “The Music Man,” with 12 nominations each. The other best-musical nominees are the Arvada Center’s  “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812” (11 nominations) and “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella” (4), along with the DCPA Theatre Company’s “A Little Night Music” (9).

Among plays, four stagings lead all others with six nominations each: The DCPA Theatre Company’s “The Lehman Trilogy,” Miners Alley Playhouse’s “Misery,” Thunder River Theatre Company of Carbondale’s “Endgame” and the underdog champion of them all, “Clink, Clink” a new play written by Two Cent Theatre Company co-founder Kevin Douglas.

Every year, the Henry Awards tend to bring an upstart company into the fore for the first time, and this year, that is undoubtedly Two Cent Lion, which was launched in 2022 by three University of Denver graduates to focus on LGBTQ+ issues. “Clink, Clink,” a queer love story spanning 28 years, was not nominated for best play or best new play, but there it is with a lead-tying six nominations.

Also nominated for best play are the Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company’s “Coal Country” (5) and Curious Theatre Company’s “The Minutes” (2).

It’s worth noting that seven of the 10 nominated directors of plays or musicals are women in a field so normally dominated by men, only four of the previous 21 nominees went to women. Arvada Center Artistic Director Lynne Collins was honored for both “Beautiful” and “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812.” Kelly Van Oosbree is the only three-time nominee in this year’s field. She’s nominated for both directing and choreographing “The Music Man,” and for choreographing “Beautiful.” On top of that, her additional direction of “Man of La Mancha” for the Platte Valley Players in Brighton earned nominations for five individual actors.

Take that in: Van Oosbree directed two musicals that garnered 11 nominations for 11 individual actors. That kind of thing is only made possible by the Guild’s decision last year to split the acting categories into two tiers based on the size of each company’s budget. And while that doubles the number of acting nominees each year, still – 11 nominees. That’s an accomplishment no other director will ever touch.

What else jumps out from the nominee list?

• Jeffrey Parker, who starred for Van Oosbree in both “The Music Man” and “Man of La Mancha” is competing against himself (and three others) for best actor in a musical. Also competing against herself is Hannah Duggan, a comic genius who is nominated as a supporting actress for her work in both “125 NOs” and “Best Town,” the latest offerings by the remarkable Buntport Theater, which produces only its own original plays and received eight noms.

• All three members of Miners Alley Playhouse’s “Misery” are nominated for acting awards – but not all for “Misery.” Emma Messenger and dirty bird Torsten Hillhouse are nominated for that production, but doomed Colorado cop Mark Collins’ nomination instead comes for his work as a miner in the Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company’s “Coal Country.”

• The Breckenridge Backstage Theatre, once an annual darling of the Henry Awards, is back in a big way with eight nominations.

• Veteran actors Billie McBride and Anne Oberbroeckling are both honored for their work as best friends in their twilight years in Cherry Creek Theatre’s “The Heartbeat of the Sun.” Joining them are a pair of other castmates: Izzy Chern and Gracie Jacobson of Two Cent Lion’s “Clink, Clink.”

• Jessica Hindsley is up for her second straight choreography award, for the Arvada Center’s “Cinderella.” Her competition again will include Christopher Page-Sanders, who is nominated for both “Dreamgirls” at the Lone Tree Arts Center and “Raisin” at the Town Hall Arts Center.

• The ever-versatile Wayne Kennedy earned one nomination for sound design (for the Arvada Center’s “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812”) and another for leading actor in his final turn as Tevye in BDT Stage’s powerhouse closing production of “Fiddler on the Roof” (which was otherwise inconceivably shut out).

• Costume designer Nicole Harrison joins the list of double nominees for her work in Performance Now’s “The Music Man” and “Seussical.”

• Last year, the Guild finally added a category honoring outstanding younger actors, and the field of six is seriously stacked. Easily the most snubbed production of the season was the Town Hall Arts Center’s “Matilda: The Musical,” but the judges got it right by including young Ellie Plenk or her uncanny work in the title role.

Speaking of snubs … there aren’t as many immediately evident as usual. But that list starts with Satya Chávez’s warm hug of a solo performance in the DCPA Theatre Company’s “Where Did We Sit on the Bus.” And any list of the five best plays that does not include the DCPA’s “Clyde’s” strains credulity.

Perhaps Miners Alley Playhouse made blue-collar humor look too easy in the charming “Avenue Q” and “The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical.” The judges also missed the boat on Town Hall Arts Center’s “Urinetown” – specifically the letter-perfect satire delivered by Jake Bell and Anne Terze Schwarz. The Arvada Center delivered perhaps the most impactful play of the year with its wrenching staging of “The Laramie Project” to mark the 25th anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s murder. But, nothing.

After a strong five-show slate, there is no accounting for the Colorado Shakespeare Festival being almost completely ignored, notably with Ellen McLaughlin leading a powerful, female-centered ensemble in “King Lear.”

Phamaly, Denver’s disability-affirmative theater company, has not received a Henry Award nomination since 2020. Su Teatro, Denver’s 50-year-old Chicano theater, has never received one. Candlelight Dinner Playhouse in Johnstown and Theatre SilCo in Silverthorne again chose not to participate. Sending the now-closed BDT Stage out with just one nomination was an affront. Colorado Springs seems well-represented with four companies receiving nominations, but that only amounted to nine nominations, which is not reflective of the swath of excellent work there this year, especially at TheatreWorks. Marisa Hebert’s True West Award-winning performance in “Steel Magnolias” is a particularly glaring omission.

There’s sure to be some notice that Aurora’s Vintage Theatre, which produces more plays and musicals than any other company in the state, received no nominations. But CTG officials say the company only entered its two summer 2023 productions for consideration – not “Fun Home,” “The Glass Menagerie,” “Cabaret” or Deborah Persoff’s one-women “Eleanor,” or others.

Tickets to the July 29 awards ceremony will be available starting Tuesday at lonetreeartscenter.org/events.

18TH ANNUAL HENRY AWARD NOMINATIONS

Outstanding Play

• “Coal Country,” BETC
• “The Minutes,” Curious Theatre Company
• “The Lehman Trilogy,” DCPA Theatre Company
• “Misery,” Miners Alley Playhouse
• “Endgame,” Thunder River Theatre Company

Outstanding Musical

• “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Arvada Center
• “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812,” Arvada Center
• “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” Arvada Center
• “A Little Night Music,” DCPA Theatre Company
• “The Music Man,” Performance Now

Director of a Play

• Margot Bordelon, “The Lehman Trilogy,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Meredith McDonough, “Emma,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Christy Montour-Larson, “Truth Be Told,” Curious Theatre Company
• Renee Prince, “Endgame,” Thunder River Theatre Company
• Kevin Rich, “Much Ado About Nothing,” Colorado Shakespeare Festival

Director of a Musical

• Chris Coleman, “A Little Night Music,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Lynne Collins, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Arvada Center
• Lynne Collins, “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812,” Arvada Center
• Kenny Moten, “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” Arvada Center
• Kelly Van Oosbree, “The Music Man,” Performance Now

Musical Direction

• Trent Hines, “Raisin,” Town Hall Arts Center
• Joe Jung, “Coal Country,” BETC
• David Nehls, “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812,” Arvada Center
• Michael Querio, “Pirates of Penzance,” Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre
• Angela Steiner, “A Little Night Music,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Alec Steinhorn, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Arvada Center

Lead Actor in a Play (large companies)

• Tasso Feldman, “The Lehman Trilogy,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Torsten Hillhouse, “Misery,” Miners Alley Playhouse
• Brian Landis Folkins, “Endgame,” Thunder River Theatre Company
• David Ledingham, “Endgame,” Thunder River Theatre Company
• K.P. Powell, “Much Ado About Nothing,” Colorado Shakespeare Festival

Lead Actor in a Play (small companies)

• Erik Edborg, “Naughty Bits,” Buntport Theater
• Kent-Jameson Ehrman, “Inventing Van Gogh,” Breckenridge Backstage Theatre
• Steve Emily, “Annapurna,” Springs Ensemble Theatre
• Joey Folsom, “Inventing Van Gogh,” Breckenridge Backstage Theatre
• Jacob Offen, “The Book of Will,” OpenStage Theatre & Company

Lead Actress in a Play (large companies)

• Kate Berry, “Mountain Octopus,” Creede Repertory Theatre
• Emma Messenger, “Misery,” Miners Alley Playhouse
• Amelia Pedlow, “Emma,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Jessica Robblee, “What the Constitution Means to Me,” BETC
• Karen Slack, “Truth Be Told,” Curious Theatre Company

Lead Actress in a Play (small companies)

• Izzy Chern, “Clink, Clink,” Two Cent  Lion Theatre Company
• Gracie Jacobson, “Clink, Clink,” Two Cent Lion Theatre Company
• Magally Luna, “Guadalupe in the Guest Room,” Firehouse Theater Company
• Billie McBride, “The Heartbeat of the Sun,” Cherry Creek Theatre
• Anne Oberbroeckling, “The Heartbeat of the Sun,” Cherry Creek Theatre

Lead Actor in a Musical (large companies)

• Brett Ambler, “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812,” Arvada Center
• Brian L. Boyd, “Dreamgirls,” Lone Tree Arts Center
• Seth Dhonau, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Arvada Center
• Wayne Kennedy, “Fiddler on the Roof,” BDT Stage
• Edward Staudenmayer, “A Little Night Music,” DCPA Theatre Company

Lead Actor in a Musical (small companies)

• Brandon Bill, “Murder for Two,” Give 5 Productions
• Scott Hurst, “Big Fish,” OpenStage Theatre & Company
• Jeffrey Parker, “Man of La Mancha,” Platte Valley Players
• Jeffrey Parker, “The Music Man,” Performance Now
• Keith J. Warren, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” Breckenridge Backstage Theatre

Lead Actress in a Musical (large companies)

• Suzanna Champion, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre
• Julia Knitel, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Theatre Aspen
• Mary Louise Lee, “Raisin,” Town Hall Arts Center
• Soara-Joye Ross, “A Little Night Music,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Emily Van Fleet, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Arvada Center

Lead Actress in a Musical (small companies)

• Lindsey Falduto, “Man of La Mancha,” Platte Valley Players
• Brikaih Flore, “Big Fish,” OpenStage Theatre & Company
• Carolyn Lohr, “The Music Man,” Performance Now
• Amy Sheff, “Sweeney Todd,” The Arts HUB
• Monica Joyce Slabach, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” Breckenridge Backstage Theatre

Supporting Actor in a Play (large companies)

• Mark Collins, “Coal Country,” BETC
• Bob Moore, “Endgame,” Thunder River Theatre Company
• Colton Pratt, “The Little Prince,” TheatreWorks
• Matthew Schneck, “Art,” Aurora Fox Arts Center
• Andrew Uhlenhopp, “Art,” Aurora Fox Arts Center

Supporting Actor in a Play (small companies)

• David Austin-Gröen, “The Book of Will,” OpenStage Theatre & Company
• Bobby Bennett, “You Enjoy Myself,” Local Theater Company
• Brian Colonna, “125 “‘NO’s”,” Buntport Theater
• David Hastings, “The Seafarer,” Springs Ensemble Theatre
• Felix Mayes, “Inventing Van Gogh,” Breckenridge Backstage Theatre

Supporting Actress in a Play (large companies)

• Kaley Corinaldi, “The Little Prince,” TheatreWorks
• Anastasia Davidson, “Coal Country,” BETC
• Birgitta De Pree, “Taming of the Shrew,” TheatreWorks
• Kate Forbes, “Rubicon,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Katherine George, “Clyde’s,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Lindsey Pierce, “Coal Country,” BETC

Supporting Actor in a Play (small companies)

• Iliana Lucero Barron, “You Enjoy Myself,” Local Theater Company
• Colette Brown, “The Nacirema Society …,” Firehouse Theater Company
• Hannah Duggan, “125 NOs,” Buntport Theater
• Hannah Duggan, “Best Town,” Buntport Theater
• Erin Rollman, “125 NOs,” Buntport Theater

Supporting Actor in a Musical (large companies)

• EJ Dohring, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Arvada Center
• Lawrence Flowers, “Dreamgirls,” Lone Tree Arts Center
• Zachary James, “A Little Night of Music,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Michael E. Martin, “Something Rotten!,” Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre
• Brian Watson, “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812,” Arvada Center

Supporting Actor in a Musical (small companies)

• Chris Boeckx, “The Music Man,” Performance Now
• Adam Luhrs, “Man of La Mancha,” Platte Valley Players
• Vern Moody, “Man of La Mancha,” Platte Valley Players
• David Novinger, “The Music Man,” Performance Now
• George Zamarripa, “Man of La Mancha,” Platte Valley Players

Supporting Actress in a Musical (large companies)

• Alexis Gordon, “A Little Night Music,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Cate Hayman, “A Little Night Music,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Adriane Leigh Robinson, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Arvada Center
• Aynsley Upton, “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812,” Arvada Center
• Aléna Watters, “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” Arvada Center

Supporting Actress in a Musical (small companies)

• Brekken Baker, “Seussical,” Performance Now
• Jennifer Burnett, “The Music Man,” Performance Now
• Isabella Maria Falber, “We Will Rock You,” Funky Little Theater Company
• Karen Krause, “The Music Man,” Performance Now
• Marin Stumpft, “Big Fish,” OpenStage Theatre & Company

Ensemble

• “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Arvada Center
• “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812,” Arvada Center
• “The Minutes,” Curious Theatre Company
• “The Lehman Trilogy,” DCPA Theatre Company
• “A Jukebox for the Algonquin,” Miners Alley Playhouse
• “Misery,” Miners Alley Playhouse

Choreography

• Jessica Hindsley, “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” Arvada Center
• Christopher Page-Sanders, “Dreamgirls,” Lone Tree Arts Center
• Christopher Page-Sanders, “Raisin,” Town Hall Arts Center
• Grady Soapes, “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812,” Arvada Center
• Kelly Van Oosbree, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Arvada Center
• Kelly Van Oosbree, “The Music Man,” Performance Now

New Play or Musical

• “Stonewall,” Developed by Benchmark Theatre, Benchmark Theatre
• “125 NOs,” Written by the Buntport Theater , Buntport Theater
• “Mountain Octopus,” Written by Beth Kander, Creede Repertory Theatre
• “Truth Be Told,” Written by William Cameron, Curious Theatre Company
• “Rubicon,” Written by Kristen Potter, DCPA Theatre Company

Costume Design (large companies)

• Janice Benning Lacek, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Arvada Center
• Kevin Copenhaver, “A Little Night of Music,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Lex Liang, “Emma,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Sarah M. Stark, “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812,” Arvada Center
• Emily Valley, “Dreamgirls,” Lone Tree Arts Center

Costume Design (small companies)

• Izzy Chern, “Clink, Clink,” 2¢  Lion Theatre Company
• Nealy Drew, “Nevermore,” Evergreen Players
• Rebecca Evans, “The Book of Will,” OpenStage Theatre & Company
• Nicole Harrison, “The Music Man,” Performance Now
• Nicole Harrison, “Seussical,” Performance Now

Lighting Design (large companies)

• Jiyoun Chang, “The Lehman Trilogy,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Jon Dunkle, “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812,” Arvada Center
• Jackie Fox and Paul Toben, “Emma,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Charles R. MacLeod, PhD, “Rubicon,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Vance McKenzie, “Misery,” Miners Alley Playhouse
• Shannon McKinney, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Arvada Center

Lighting Design (small companies)

• Benchmark Theatre, “Stonewall,” Benchmark Theatre
• Buntport Theater, “125 ‘NOs,” Buntport Theater
• Sean Mallary, “Acts of Faith,” Local Theater Company
• Brett Maughan, “The Music Man,” Performance Now
• Maxwell O’Neill, “Clink, Clink,” 2¢  Lion Theatre Company

Scenic Design (large companies)

• Isabel and Moriah Curley-Clay, “Clyde’s,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Lex Liang, “Emma,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Kevin Nelson, “The Mousetrap,” Lone Tree Arts Center
• Christopher L. Sheley, “Misery,” Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College
• Colin Tugwell, “Endgame,” Thunder River Theatre Company

Scenic Design (small companies)

• Tania Barrenechea, “Inventing Van Gogh,” Breckenridge Backstage Theatre
• Susan Crabtree, “You Enjoy Myself,” Local Theater Company
• Caleb Gilbert, “The Book of Will,” OpenStage Theatre & Company
• Drew Mitchell, “Clink, Clink,” 2¢  Lion Theatre Company
• Kitty Robbins, “Annapurna,” Springs Ensemble Theatre

Sound Design (large companies)

• Alex Billman, “Where Did We Sit on the Bus?,” DCPA Theatre Company
• John Hauser, “Misery,” Miners Alley Playhouse
• Palmer Hefferan, “The Lehman Trilogy,” DCPA Theatre Company
• Wayne Kennedy, “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812,” Arvada Center
• Max Silverman, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Arvada Center

Sound Design (small companies)

• Buntport Theater, “125 NOs,” Buntport Theater
• Kevin Douglas and Taelor Hanson, “Clink, Clink,” 2¢ Lion Theatre Company
• Jeffrey Levin, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” Breckenridge Backstage Theatre
• Max Silverman, “Acts of Faith,” Local Theater Company
• Marc Stith, “Jeremiah,” Benchmark Theatre
• Victoria Villalobos, “The Book of Will,” OpenStage Theatre & Company

Youth Performer

• Grayson Allensworth, “The Full Monty,” Miners Alley Playhouse
• Hayley Ballard, “Elf the Musical,” Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College
• Bridget Brown, “Into the Woods,” Ovation West
• Ethan Hershman, “The Music Man,” Performance Now
• Ellie Plenk, “Matilda: The Musical,” Town Hall Arts Center
• Nicole Siegler, “All Shook Up,” Town Hall Arts Center