Long Beach theater tops nominee list

International City Theatre is the leader in the competition for the 35th annual Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards.

The Long Beach company won eight nods, the most for a single company, for three productions. Its nominations include five for a revival of “Agnes of God,” two for the musical “Raisin” and one for “Visiting Mr. Green.”

The “Agnes” honors tied the Odyssey Theatre’s “Among the Thugs” for most nominations for a single production.

The musicals “Jesus’ Kid Brother” at the Hudson Theatre and “The Shaggs: Philosophy of the World” each won four nominations.

Up for outstanding production are “Agnes of God,” “Jesus’ Kid Brother,” Pacific Resident Theatre’s “Orpheus Descending,” “Raisin,” “The Shaggs,” Colony Theatre’s “Toys in the Attic” and “The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife” at the Zephyr Theatre.

The winners will be announced April 4 at the Coronet Theatre.

Six special awards also will be presented: the Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence to director Jessica Kubzansky; the Ted Schmitt Award for a world premiere to Del Shores for “The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife”; the Polly Warfield Award for an excellent season in a small or midsized theater to A Noise Within; the Bob Z Award for lifetime achievement in set design to Desma Murphy; the Natalie Schafer Award for an emerging comic actress to Rebecca O’Brien; and a lifetime achievement award to retiring Center Theatre Group artistic director Gordon Davidson.

The 21 circle members are drawn mostly from the ranks of weekly publications, trade newspapers and websites. A list of all nominees is at www.ladrama criticscircle.com.