The awards ceremony for the 24th Annual Washington Area Theatre Community Honors (WATCH) Awards took place on Sunday, March 22, 2026 at The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA. Ninety-four productions (37 musicals, 57 plays) were adjudicated in 2025.  Twenty-eight community theater companies particip ated in WATCH adjudication. – Aldersgate Church Community Theater– Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre– Bowie Community Theatre– City of Fairfax Theatre Company– Castaways Theatre– Colonial Players of Annapolis– Damascus Theatre Company– Dominion Stage– Fauquier Community Theatre– Greenbelt Arts Center– Hard Bargain Players– Kentland Community Players– Laurel Mill Playhouse– Little Theatre of Alexandria– Montgomery Playhouse– Port Tobacco Players– Prince William Little Theatre– Providence Players of Fairfax– Reston Community Players– Rockville Little Theatre– Rockville Musical Theatre– 2nd Star Productions– St. Mark’s Players– Silver Spring Stage– Silhouette Stages– Sterling Playmakers– The Arlington Players– Vienna Theatre Company In each of the thirty-six categories, five nominees were selected based on the average scores of eight judges. In some categories, due to score ties, more than five nominees are announced. Nominations are provided in alphabetical order by nominee. The nominations are provided by category. The winners are marked in bold. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners! Nominations for outstanding technical achievements: Outstanding Costume Design in a Musical (5)Lori Crockett Lisa Leary – The Producers – Reston Community Players*Seth Fallon, Leon Nguyen, Thomas Allen, Julie Mimms, Jeremy Goldman, Ande Kolp, and   Debbie Mobley – Kinky Boots – Silhouette StagesRiley Leonhardt – Hairspray – Prince William Little TheatreLourdes Turnblom – The Rocky Horror Show – Reston Community PlayersTina Weich – Urinetown – Rockville Musical Theatre Outstanding Costume Design in a Play (6)Maggie Balacki – An Ideal Husband – Colonial Players of AnnapolisJeaneo Binney – for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf – 2nd Star ProductionsFarrell Hartigan – The Mousetrap – Providence Players of FairfaxJennifer Morrissey – The Playboy of the Western World – Silver Spring Stage*Ainsley Steger – The Metromaniacs – St. Mark’s PlayersZen Tabligan – The Crucible – Silhouette Stages Outstanding Hair Design in a Musical (5)Kyle Chua – Hairspray – Prince William Little TheatreRyan DeVoe – Kinky Boots – Silhouette StagesCandace J. Foreman – Urinetown – Rockville Musical Theatre*Ryan Kincade – The Rocky Horror Show – Reston Community PlayersSue Pinkman – The Producers – Reston Community Players Outstanding Hair Design in a Play (6)Jan Blome – An Ideal Husband – Colonial Players of Annapolis*Mary Frances Dini – The Metromaniacs – St. Mark’s PlayersEmily Lagana – It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play – Prince William Little TheatreShemika Renee – for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf –   2nd Star ProductionsMaureen Roult – Blithe Spirit – Dominion StageDanielle Ward – Airness – Port Tobacco Players Outstanding Lighting Design in a Musical (5)*Kim Crago Jeff Auerbach – The Rocky Horror Show – Reston Community PlayersKen Patty Crowley – Hairspray – Prince William Little TheatreJake Gunter – Urinetown – Rockville Musical TheatreTJ Lukacsina – Seussical the Musical – Silhouette StagesJohn Purnell – Disaster – Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre Outstanding Lighting Design in a Play (5)Jeffrey Auerbach Kimberly Crago – Much Ado About Nothing – The Little Theatre of AlexandriaKen Crowley Patti Crowley – The Woman in Black – Prince William Little Theatre*Ari McSherry – Lost in Yonkers – The Little Theatre of AlexandriaTommy Scott – Othello – Port Tobacco PlayersDon Slater – The Playboy of the Western World – Silver Spring Stage Outstanding Makeup Design in a Musical (5)Kyle Chua – Hairspray – Prince William Little Theatre*Seth Fallon, Leon Nguyen, Thomas Allen, Julie Mimms – Kinky Boots – Silhouette StagesCandace J. Foreman – Urinetown – Rockville Musical TheatreMichael Barret Jones – The Rocky Horror Show – Reston Community PlayersMcKenna G. Kelly – Company – Silver Spring Stage Outstanding Makeup Design in a Play (7)Jan Blome – An Ideal Husband – Colonial Players of AnnapolisMary Frances Dini – The Metromaniacs – St. Mark’s PlayersJennifer Finn – Much Ado About Nothing – The Little Theatre of AlexandriaMeredith Fletcher – Lost in Yonkers – The Little Theatre of AlexandriaEmily Lagana – It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play – Prince William Little Theatre*Maureen Roult – Blithe Spirit – Dominion StageDanielle Ward – Airness – Port Tobacco Players Outstanding Properties in a Musical (5)Natalie Foley – The Rocky Horror Show – Reston Community PlayersMary Jo Ford – The Producers – Reston Community PlayersJessie Krupkin – Kinky Boots – Silhouette StagesMel McCleerey – Hairspray – Prince William Little Theatre*Lillian McKinley Carolyn Eby – A Year with Frog and Toad – Rockville Musical Theatre Outstanding Properties in a Play (5)*Norma Andrews – The Playboy of the Western World – Silver Spring StageHelen Bard-Sobola – Much Ado About Nothing – The Little Theatre of AlexandriaErin Branigan, Emma Bowers, Katherine Offutt-Ross – The Play That Goes Wrong –   The Arlington PlayersKira Hogan Joanne Tompkins – The Play That Goes Wrong – The Little Theatre of AlexandriaBob Thompson – It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play – Prince William Little Theatre Outstanding Set Construction in a Musical (6)Bill Dunbar – Urinetown – Rockville Musical Theatre*Peter Marsh James Maxted – Hairspray – Prince William Little TheatreTony Muller Shah Choudhury – Legally Blonde – The Arlington PlayersNeal Townsend Chris Mobley – Kinky Boots – Silhouette StagesGene Valendo – Into the Woods – 2nd Star Productions*Dan Widerski – The Producers – Reston Community Players Outstanding Set Construction in a Play (5)Douglas Becker – The Playboy of the Western World – Silver Spring Stage*Jim Hutzler – The Play That Goes Wrong – The Little Theatre of AlexandriaDan Lavanga – Web of Murder – Bowie Community TheatreTom O’Reilly – The Play That Goes Wrong – The Arlington PlayersDavid Whitehead – The Mousetrap – Providence Players of Fairfax Outstanding Set Decoration and Set Dressing in a Musical (5)Natalie Foley – The Rocky Horror Show – Reston Community PlayersMel McCleerey Becky Gould-Levine – Hairspray – Prince William Little Theatre*Alecia Nault – The Producers – Reston Community PlayersUrinetown – Rockville Musical Theatre*Angie Townsend Jessie Krupkin – Kinky Boots – Silhouette Stages Outstanding Set Decoration and Set Dressing in a Play (6)Helen Bard-Sobola Stacey Becker – Much Ado About Nothing – The Little Theatre of AlexandriaErin Branigan, Emma Bowers, Katherine Offutt-Ross – The Play That Goes Wrong –   The Arlington PlayersMargaret Chapman, Diana Selman, Eleanore Tapscott – Lost in Yonkers – The Little Theatre   of AlexandriaRoy Hammond – Web of Murder – Bowie Community Theatre*McKenna Kelly – The Playboy of the Western World – Silver Spring StageMatt Liptak – The Mousetrap – Providence Players of Fairfax Outstanding Set Design in a Musical (7)Matthew Bannister – Company – Silver Spring StageNoah Beye – Urinetown – Rockville Musical TheatreSammy Jungwirth – Kinky Boots – Silhouette StagesKim Leone – Legally Blonde – The Arlington PlayersPeter Marsh James Maxted – Hairspray – Prince William Little TheatreAnna Mintz – The Rocky Horror Show – Reston Community Players*Dan Sheila Widerski – The Producers – Reston Community Players Outstanding Set Design in a Play (5)Dan Deisz Dan Remmers – The Play That Goes Wrong – The Little Theatre of AlexandriaJulie Fischer – Much Ado About Nothing – The Little Theatre of AlexandriaSkip Gresko – The Play That Goes Wrong – The Arlington PlayersDan Lavanga – Web of Murder – Bowie Community Theatre*Maggie Modig – The Playboy of the Western World – Silver Spring Stage Outstanding Set Painting in a Musical (5)Makayla Davis – Into the Woods – 2nd Star Productions*Bridget Egan – Urinetown – Rockville Musical TheatreMel McCleery Becky Gould-Levine – Hairspray – Prince William Little TheatreCathy Rieder – The Producers – Reston Community PlayersCathy Rieder – The Rocky Horror Show – Reston Community Players Outstanding Set Painting in a Play (5)Stacey Becker – Much Ado About Nothing – The Little Theatre of AlexandriaKimberly Leone – The Play That Goes Wrong – The Arlington Players*Maggie Modig – The Playboy of the Western World – Silver Spring StageDeirdre Nicholson-Lamb – The Play That Goes Wrong – The Little Theatre of AlexandriaBrian O’Connor, Beth Whitehead, David Whitehead – The Mousetrap – Providence Players of Fairfax Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical (5)Andi Matten – The Rocky Horror Show – Reston Community PlayersTim McCleerey Wil Taft – Hairspray – Prince William Little Theatre*Elizabeth Shaher – The Producers – Reston Community PlayersNick Smith – Kinky Boots – Silhouette StagesHayden Van Wormer – Disaster – Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre Outstanding Sound Design in a Play (5)*Jeff Miller – The Playboy of the Western World – Silver Spring StageMatthew Scarborough – The Woman in Black – Prince William Little TheatreAaron Skolnik – The Woman in Black – Rockville Little TheatreKenneth L. Waters, Jr. – Othello – Port Tobacco PlayersDudley Whitney – Dracula – Colonial Players of Annapolis Outstanding Special Effects (5)Ken Patti Crowley, Myke Taister, Russell M. Wyland – The Play That Goes Wrong –   The Little Theatre of AlexandriaSkip Gresko – The Play That Goes Wrong – The Arlington PlayersEric Hufford Wes Bedsworth – Dracula – Colonial Players of Annapolis*Dan Foster – The Playboy of the Western World – Silver Spring StageAdam Reesa, Allison Gray Mendes, Julie Fischer – Blithe Spirit – Dominion Stage Nominations for outstanding performances by an actor or actress: Outstanding Cameo in a Musical (5)Henry Cyr as “Harry/Richard Bailey” – Kinky Boots – Silhouette StagesSteven Fuentes-Interiano as “Nikos” – Legally Blonde – 2nd Star ProductionsRachael Howell as “Gloria Rasputin” – Bye Bye Birdie – Port Tobacco Players*Scott Pierce as “Ezekiel Foster” – White Christmas – Fauquier Community TheatreGarrett Rinker as “Teen Angel” – Grease – The Little Theatre of Alexandria Outstanding Cameo in a Play (5)Tom Byrne as “You Tube Guy” – Bump – Colonial Players of AnnapolisRobert Heinly as “George Mallonee” – The City of Conversation – Dominion StageGayle Nichols-Grimes as “Carolyn Mallonee” – The City of Conversation – Dominion StageJenn Robinson as “Woman in Black” – The Woman in Black – Prince William Little Theatre*Kevin Sockwell as “Malomo” – The Playboy of the Western World – Silver Spring Stage Outstanding Featured Performer in a Musical (10)AnnaBelle Auguste as “Cinderella” – Into the Woods – 2nd Star Productions*Lauren Baker as “Motormouth Maybelle” – Hairspray – Prince William Little Theatre*Zach Burgess as “Leaf Coneybear” – The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee –   Sterling PlaymakersSteve Cairns as “Franz Liebkind” – The Producers – Reston Community PlayersImani Corbin as “Little Red Ridinghood” – Into the Woods – 2nd Star ProductionsMaddie Ervin/Cera Baker as “Lauren” – Kinky Boots – Silhouette StagesSamantha Mcewen Deininger as “Terry/Delores” – Working – Colonial Players of AnnapolisMcKinley Seale as “Olive Ostrovsky” – The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee –   Sterling PlaymakersJessi Shull as “Rona Lisa Peretti” – The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – Sterling Playmakers Faith Wang as “Little Sally” – Urinetown – Rockville Musical Theatre Outstanding Featured Performer in a Play (12)*Sally Cusenza as “Grandma” – Lost in Yonkers – The Little Theatre of AlexandriaGary Bernard DiNardo as “Eric” – Everything is Wonderful – Dominion StageErin Galilee as “Esther” – Everything is Wonderful – Dominion StageScott Graham as “E. K. Hornbeck” – Inherit the Wind – Fauquier Community TheatreBill Hurlbut as “Michael” – The Playboy of the Western World – Silver Spring StageBrian Jimenez as “Louie” – Lost in Yonkers – The Little Theatre of AlexandriaJohn Jennings as “Max Bennett” – The Play That Goes Wrong – The Arlington PlayersKatherine Leiden as “Widow Quin” – The Playboy of the Western World – Silver Spring Stage*Joshua Mutterperl as “Christopher Wren” – The Mousetrap – Providence Players of FairfaxBruce Alan Rauscher as “Sgt. Trotter” – The Mousetrap – Providence Players of FairfaxJess Rawls as “Miri” – Everything is Wonderful – Dominion StageChristopher Smith as “Robert Grove” – The Play That Goes Wrong – The Arlington Players Outstanding Lead Performer in a Musical (5)Lindsey Anstead as “Elle Woods” – Legally Blonde – The Arlington PlayersIris DeWitt as “Rose Alvarez” – Bye Bye Birdie – Port Tobacco Players*Joshua Franklin as “Lola/Simon” – Kinky Boots – Silhouette StagesClayton Alex James as “Simon/Lola” – Kinky Boots – The Little Theatre of AlexandriaEric Morris as “Dr. Frank N. Furter” – The Rocky Horror Show – Reston Community PlayersNoah Mutterperl as “Jamie Wellerstein” – The Last Five Years – Sterling PlaymakersRyan Power as “The Baker” – Into the Woods – 2nd Star ProductionsLindsey Nicole Steinberg as “Tracey Turnblad” – Hairspray – Prince William Little TheatreNick Villacorte as “Tommy DeVito” – Jersey Boys – Fauquier Community TheatreMatt Wetzel as “Cat in the Hat” – Seussical the Musical – Silhouette Stages Outstanding Lead Performer in a Play (11)*Sarah Cusenza as “Bella” – Lost in Yonkers – The Little Theatre of AlexandriaCainan Asher Grier as “Guy” – Blues for an Alabama Sky – Silver Spring StageScott Heine as “Kip” – The Woman in Black – Prince William Little TheatreJaylen Reginald Henderson as “Othello” – Othello – Port Tobacco Players*Jay Hunt as “Iago” – Othello – Port Tobacco PlayersJustin Oratokhari as “Christopher” – The Playboy of the Western World – Silver Spring StageTristan Poje as “Lord Goring” – An Ideal Husband – Colonial Players of AnnapolisTristan Poje as “Charlie Baker” – Foreigner – Rockville Little TheatreSeth Rue as “Benedick” – Much Ado About Nothing – The Little Theatre of AlexandriaYael Schoenbaum as “Pegeen” – The Playboy of the Western World – Silver Spring StageAparna Sri as “Mrs. Cheveley” – An Ideal Husband – Colonial Players of Annapolis Leta Hall Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical (5)The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – Sterling PlaymakersHairspray – Prince William Little TheatreKinky Boots – Silhouette StagesThe Rocky Horror Show – Reston Community Players*Urinetown – Rockville Musical Theatre Leta Hall Outstanding Ensemble in a Play (6)*Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors – Colonial Players of AnnapolisEverything is Wonderful – Dominion StageThe Mousetrap – Providence Players of Fairfax*The Play That Goes Wrong – The Little Theatre of Alexandria*The Play That Goes Wrong – The Arlington PlayersThe Playboy of the Western World – Silver Spring Stage Nominations for outstanding achievement in overall production: Outstanding Stage Combat Choreography (6)Emmiline Winter Chang – The Playboy of the Western World – Silver Spring StageAdian Chapman – The Rocky Horror Show – Reston Community PlayersIan Claar – The Play That Goes Wrong – The Little Theatre of AlexandriaCasey Kaleba – Othello – Port Tobacco PlayersJillian Riti – The Play That Goes Wrong – The Arlington Players*Jehan Silva – Urinetown – Rockville Musical Theatre Outstanding Choreography (5)Abby Chaumont – White Christmas – Fauquier Community Theatre*Kristina Friedgen – Urinetown – Rockville Musical TheatreVictoria Jungck – Legally Blonde – The Arlington Players*Phillip Smith-Cobbs – Hairspray – Prince William Little TheatreJolene Vettese – The Producers – Reston Community Players Outstanding Music Direction (6)*Jim Bowen-Collinson – The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – Sterling PlaymakersMatthew Dohm – Company – Silver Spring StageNancy Huddleston – Hairspray – Prince William Little TheatreCate Murray/Cathy Drummond – Jersey Boys – Fauquier Community TheatreOwen Posnett – A Year with Frog and Toad – Rockville Musical TheatreDavid Weinraub – The Rocky Horror Show – Reston Community Players Outstanding Direction of a Musical (5)Kyle Chua – The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – Sterling PlaymakersLiz Colandene – The Rocky Horror Show – Reston Community Players*Kristina Friedgen – Urinetown – Rockville Musical TheatreMel McCleerey – Hairspray – Prince William Little TheatreChad Rabago – A Year with Frog and Toad – Rockville Musical Theatre Outstanding Direction of a Play (5)*Henry Cyr – The Crucible – Silhouette StagesSeth Ghitelman – The Playboy of the Western World – Silver Spring StageFrank D. Shutts, II – The Play That Goes Wrong – The Little Theatre of Alexandria*Eleanore Tapscott – The Mousetrap – Providence Players of FairfaxRachel Wallace – Othello – Port Tobacco Players Outstanding Musical (5)Hairspray – Prince William Little TheatreKinky Boots – Silhouette StagesThe Producers – Reston Community Players*Urinetown – Rockville Musical TheatreA Year with Frog and Toad – Rockville Musical Theatre Outstanding Play (7)*The Crucible – Silhouette StagesThe Mousetrap – Providence Players of Fairfax*Othello – Port Tobacco Players*The Play That Goes Wrong – The Little Theatre of AlexandriaThe Play That Goes Wrong – The Arlington PlayersThe Playboy of the Western World – Silver Spring StageIt’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play – Prince William Little Theatre ABOUT THE WATCH AWARDS The Washington Area Theatre Community Honors (WATCH) is an organization founded for the adjudication and presentation of annual awards recognizing artistic and technical excellence in community theater throughout the metropolitan Washington DC area. These honors will: Foster and encourage the growth of community theater; Promote and enhance the image of community theater; and Educate and inform the general public about the theatrical opportunities provided by the member theaters. ...read more read less