THANK YOU FOR CELEBRating the 7th annual stage Awards with us!
Our seventh annual event took place here in downtown Sioux Falls on Thursday, June 25, 2026, at the Orpheum Theater, hosted by area comic Jacob Womack. Thank you for sharing your warmth, your community and your creativity with us this season — cheers to an incredible 2025-26!
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Featuring Performances by
Best Play
The cast and crew of Monstrous Little Theatre Company’s How I Learned to Drive accept the award for Best Play.
Best Musical
The cast and crew of the Good Night Theatre Collective’s Chicago accepts the award for Best Musical.
Best Leading Actress in a Play
Nancy Tapken accepts the award for Best Leading Actress in a Play for her performance in Theatre Lab’s Mothers and Sons.
Best Leading Actress in a Musical
Whitney Rappana accepts the award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for the Good Night Theatre Collective’s production of Chicago.
Best Leading Actor in a Play
Tom Roberts accepts the award for Best Leading Actor in a Play for his performance in the Premiere Playhouse’s Death of a Salesman.
Best Leading Actor in a Musical
Patrick Simonsen accepts the award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his performance in the Good Night Theatre Collective’s The Rocky Horror Show.
Best Featured Actress in a Play
Valerie Marsh accepts the award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in Monstrous Little Theatre Company’s production of How I Learned to Drive.
Best Featured Actress in a Musical
Mary Ridder accepts the award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance in the Good Night Theatre Collective’s Chicago.
Best Featured Actor in a Play
Tony Falk accepts the award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his work in the Premiere Playhouse’s Death of a Salesman.
Best Featured Actor in a Musical
Soleil Bashale receives the award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance in the Premiere Playhouse’s Hairspray.
Best Ensemble Performer
Tali Curry accepts the first-ever award for Best Ensemble Performer for her work in the Premiere Playhouse’s production of Hairspray.
Best Direction of a Play
Jesse Jensen accepts the award for Best Direction of a Play for the Premiere Playhouse’s production of Noises Off .
Best Direction of a Musical
Whitney Rappana receives the award for Best Direction of a Musical for her work on the Good Night Theatre Collective’s production of White Christmas.
Best Play or Musical (Collegiate)
Alecia Juelfs accepts the award for Best Play or Musical (Collegiate) on behalf of the University of Sioux Falls for its production of Catch Me If You Can.
Best Performer in a Play or Musical (Collegiate)
Nathan Elias receives the award for Best Performer in a Play or Musical (Collegiate) for his work in the University of Sioux Falls’ Catch Me If You Can.
Best Comedy, Variety or Dance Event or Series
The cast and crew of the Good Night Theatre Collective’s Decade Gala accept the award for Best Comedy, Variety or Dance Event or Series.
Best Improv or Standup Comic
Jessica Graeber accepts the award for Best Improv or Standup Comic for her work with local improv comedy troupe, Improv Falls.
Best Dance or Variety Performer
Jess Johannsen accepts the award for Best Dance or Variety Performer for her work in the Good Night Theatre Collective’s Decade Gala.
Best Instrumental or Choral Music Event or Series
Dave Holly accepts the award for Best Instrumental or Choral Music Event or Series on behalf of Fellowship Jazz Center for their event, Evolution of Swing in America.
Best Lighting or Sound Design
Sound designer Scott Spexarth accepts the award for Best Lighting or Sound Design for his work on the Good Night Theatre Collective’s production of White Christmas.
Best Scenic or Prop Design
John Boe accepts the award for Best Scenic or Prop Design for his work on Olde Towne Dinner Theatre’s Not Now, Darling.
Best Costume, Hair or Makeup Design
Kelsey Werpy announces Cindy Bakke as the recipient of the award for Best Costume, Hair or Makeup Design for her work on the Good Night Theatre Collective’s Pride & Prejudice.
Best Choreography
Rebekah Merriman receives the award for Best Choreography for her work on the Good Night Theatre Collective’s production of Chicago.
Special Distinction
Sioux Falls State Theatre
Maddie Titze announces the Sioux Falls State Theatre as this year’s Special Distinction for the organization’s Golden Gala, celebrating 100 years as an institution that featured 20+ hired local artists.
Sioux Falls Stage Award of Excellence
Debra Workman accepts this year’s Sioux Falls Stage Award of Excellence for her work with countless organizations through her career, including Dakota Players, Black Hills Playhouse, the Expanding Stage and Theatre 605, presented by colleagues Jen Luke and Janet Brown.
Debra Workman
Awarded for longstanding excellence and dedication to local performing arts, both in direct participation and in fostering support among community members and peers
Amy Eitemiller Morrison Award
Educator, scenic painter, actor and director Molly Wilson accepts the third Amy Eitemiller Morrison Award for her years of multidisciplinary work with the Sioux Falls School District, Spotlight Theatre Company, the Good Night Theatre Collective, Olde Towne Dinner Theatre and more.
Given in memory of one of the original Sioux Falls Stage Awards panelists, awarded to an artist who is multi-disciplinary and tireless in their pursuit of excellence and inspiring others to be artists themselves — an individual whose dedication to craft has made an impact and who possesses unmistakable talent in more than one artistic specialty.
Eligibility & Criteria
Eligibility period is June 2025 through May 2026. Nominees are voted upon by a growing panel of local performing artists and supporters. New panelists are selected the year prior and tasked with patronizing as much local work as they can. To be eligible to be considered, events must be locally produced within 10 miles of the city limits of Sioux Falls by local companies or organizations headquartered within a 10-mile radius. Only original-run productions are eligible in all play/musical categories. Extended runs or remounts from the same company, with predominantly the same creative team and technical designs, remounted or revived within three eligibility years, are only eligible once. Panelists are precluded from voting for themselves. In the categories of Best Comedy, Variety or Dance Event or Series; Best Instrumental or Choral Music Event or Series; and Best Play or Musical (Collegiate), no more than two of five (or three) nominees may be sourced from a single company. In the categories of Best Play; Best Musical; Best Leading Actress and Actor in a Play or Musical; Best Featured Actress and Actor in a Play or Musical; Best Direction of a Play; Best Direction of a Musical; Best Dance or Variety Performer; Best Lighting or Sound Design; Best Scenic or Prop Design; Best Choreography; Best Costume, Hair or Makeup Design; and Best Performer in a Play or Musical (Collegiate), no more than three of five nominees may be sourced from a single company, unless the eligible field is limited to only two represented companies in a given voting period. No performer or director may be nominated more than once in a single category.