August 17, 2026
Congratulations to FCT's 2026 Lofty Award Winners and Nominees
Fauquier Community Theatre celebrated the artists and volunteers who made the 2025–2026 season shine at the annual Lofty Awards on August 16, 2026. The ceremony honored outstanding work on stage and behind the scenes across Dirty Work at the Crossroads, Calendar Girls, Bright Star, White Christmas, and Tales of the Artisan.
Congratulations to every winner and nominee, and thank you to the entire FCT community for another memorable season. Winners are listed first and marked below.
Technical Awards
Most Outstanding Set Design
Winner: Peter Marsh — Tales of the Artisan
Nominees: Doug Barylski — Dirty Work at the Crossroads; Maggie Swan — Bright Star
Most Outstanding Set Construction
Winner: Peter Marsh — Tales of the Artisan
Nominee: Steve Cooper — Bright Star
Most Outstanding Set Decoration
Winner: Maggie Swan — Bright Star
Nominees: Heather Rittiner — Calendar Girls; Stacy King — Tales of the Artisan
Most Outstanding Properties Design
Winner: Linda Correll — Tales of the Artisan
Nominees: Jay Wells — White Christmas; Pat Jannell — Calendar Girls
Most Outstanding Lighting Design
Winner: Stacy King — Tales of the Artisan
Nominees: Stacy King — Bright Star and White Christmas
Most Outstanding Sound Design
Winner: Ben Jacobeen — Tales of the Artisan
Nominee: Brian Altmiller — Bright Star
Most Outstanding Special Effects
Winner: Matt Moore — Tales of the Artisan
Most Outstanding Costume Design
Winner: Ruth Williamson — White Christmas
Nominees: Colleen Corrado — Dirty Work at the Crossroads; Heidi Santschi — Tales of the Artisan
Most Outstanding Makeup Design
Winner: Ryan Kincade — White Christmas
Nominee: Ryan Kincade — Bright Star
Most Outstanding Hair Design
Winner: Ryan Kincade — White Christmas
Nominee: Ryan Kincade — Bright Star
Performance Awards
Most Outstanding Ensemble Member in Bright Star
Winner: Margaret Reeves as Spirit
Most Outstanding Ensemble Member in White Christmas
Winner: Jacqueline Cooksey as featured dancer
Nominees: Camden Gillespie as Sheldrake’s Secretary; Nick Villacorte as dance captain; Veronica Frank as featured dancer
Jacqueline earned the highest recorded score for a featured dancer in Lofty history.
Most Outstanding Ensemble Member in Tales of the Artisan
Winner: Alyssa Luehring as Rosie
Nominee: Connor Dearinger as Fusilier Adams
Best Cameo Performer in a Musical
Winner: Tammy West as County Clerk — Bright Star
Nominee: Anthony Fuller as Dr. Norquist — Bright Star
Best Featured Actor in a Play
Winner: Lloyd Rittiner as John — Calendar Girls
Nominee: Greg Smith as Lawrence — Calendar Girls
Best Featured Actress in a Play
Winner: Kayla Beardsley as Fleurette / Little Nell puppet — Dirty Work at the Crossroads
Nominee: Krista Poole as Elaine — Calendar Girls
Best Featured Actor in a Musical
Winner: Scott Pierce as Ezekial Foster — White Christmas
Nominees: Garrett Tucker as Mike Nulty — White Christmas; Hunter Elliott as Finn — Tales of the Artisan; Weston Weber as Darryl Ames — Bright Star
Best Featured Actress in a Musical
Winner: Kayce Schaffer as Rhoda — White Christmas
Nominees: Mason Campbell as Lucy Grant — Bright Star; Melissa Pieja as Rita — White Christmas; Pam Gordet as Mama Murphy — Bright Star
Best Supporting Actress in a Play
Winner: Leslie Anne Ross as Ruth — Calendar Girls
Nominees: Ellen Tolson as Widow Lovelace / Mrs. Upson Asterbilt — Dirty Work at the Crossroads; Tammy Barboza as Celia — Calendar Girls; Tina Mullins as Jessie — Calendar Girls
Best Supporting Actor in a Musical
Winner: W. Gregory Smith as Mayor Josiah Dobbs — Bright Star
Nominees: Chris Winkler as General Hank Waverly — White Christmas; Ryan L. Schaffer as Ralph Sheldrake — White Christmas; W. Gregory Smith as Captain Fallow — Tales of the Artisan
Best Supporting Actress in a Musical
Winner: Lennox Chen as Susan Waverly — White Christmas
Nominees: Avery Heisey as Siobhan — Tales of the Artisan; Camden Gillespie as Margo Crawford — Bright Star; Dawn D Gaynor as Martha Watson — White Christmas
Best Lead Actor in a Play
Winner: Anthony Fuller as Munro Murgatroyd — Dirty Work at the Crossroads
Best Lead Actress in a Play
Winner: Eileen Marshall as Annie — Calendar Girls
Nominees: Cheryl Bolt as Chris — Calendar Girls; Elizabeth Steimel as Ida Rhinegold — Dirty Work at the Crossroads; Rachel Scott as Nellie Lovelace — Dirty Work at the Crossroads
Best Lead Actor in a Musical
Winners (tie): Michael Pryor as Bob Wallace — White Christmas; Michael Pryor as Jack Spadean — Tales of the Artisan
Nominees: Noah Sarinana as Jimmy Ray Dobbs — Bright Star; Noah Sarinana as Phil Davis — White Christmas
A first in Lofty history: a dead-heat tie for the same performer in two different roles.
Best Lead Actress in a Musical
Winner: Becca Harney as Alice Murphy — Bright Star
Nominees: Jennifer Ayers as Charlotte Ballentine — Tales of the Artisan; Kassidy Miner as Queenie — Tales of the Artisan; Stephanie Blakely as Betty Haynes — White Christmas
Overall & Creative Awards
Most Outstanding Combat Choreography
Winner: Matt Moore — Tales of the Artisan
Most Outstanding Choreography of a Musical
Winner: Abby Chaumont — White Christmas
Nominee: Christie Dubnansky — Tales of the Artisan
Most Outstanding Music Direction
Winner: Cate Murray — Tales of the Artisan
Most Outstanding Direction
Winner: Esther Wells — White Christmas
Nominees: Scott Olson — Bright Star; Matt Moore — Tales of the Artisan
Most Outstanding Stage Management
Winner: Jessie Chen — White Christmas
Nominees: Jill Chen — Dirty Work at the Crossroads; Paul Correll — Tales of the Artisan
Most Outstanding Producer
Winner: Mary Beth Balint — Tales of the Artisan