CT Critics Circle gives Primary Trust and Ragtime top honors at 33rd Awards Ceremony

TheaterWorks Hartford Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero accepting the Best Play Award for their production of Primary Trust. Photo by Stuart Brown.

The Pulitzer Prize winning play, Primary Trust, a moving, bittersweet drama about loneliness and friendship, which played at TheaterWorks Hartford, and a powerful, emotionally stirring production of Ragtime at Goodspeed Musicals took top honors at the 33rd annual Connecticut Critics Circle Awards (ctcritics.org) held on Monday, June 23.

The event, which celebrates the work from the state’s professional theaters during the 2024 – 2025 season, was held at the Event Center, Housatonic Community College, in downtown Bridgeport. The ceremony was emceed by Stuart Brown, president of the CT Critics Circle.

Ragtime was also honored for Best Director of a Musical (Christopher D. Betts) and Best Actor in a Musical (Michael Wordly). Rashidra Scott from Goodspeed Musical’s A Christmas Story received Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

Primary Trust also garnered a Best Featured Actor in a Play for Samuel Stricklen.

The chilling, highly theatrical production of Hartford Stage’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde received the most overall awards on Monday night, primarily in the creative categories. The show was recognized for Costume Design (An-lin Dauber), Lighting (Evan C. Anderson), and Sound Design (Jane Shaw). Nathan Darrow, as the tormented Dr. Jekyll, received Best Actor in a Play. Melia Bensussen, the artistic director of Hartford Stage, received Best Director of a Play for Romeo & Juliet.

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CT Critics Circle gives Primary Trust and Ragtime top honors at 33rd Awards Ceremony