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Thirty categories; one hundred fifty nominations. I thought I was crazy to take on so much. An hour into the teeth-gnashing process, I knew I was indeed crazy, but not for the reason I thought. As it turns out, one hundred fifty is hardly enough.
The 2011 Rogue's Gallery reflects on a season of excellence and wonder, but it is by no means representative. These are not — by a long shot — the only outstanding productions and performances of the 2010–2011 season. What you see is a paltry fraction of a crowded top tier. Moreover, behind these one hundred fifty names and teams and productions stands a bevy of colleagues and costars whose own acknowledged toil and artistry were major contributors to the exemplary work listed herein.
Lauding some and not others is no more fair than it is entirely accurate, but the system is imperfect: Distribution and repetition concerns kept me from naming individual performances already covered in a Best Ensemble nomination. The success of a scenic design is tied in with the lighting scheme, and vice versa; where the set ends and the properties begin is not always evident to the critic. The slippery slope from drama to comedy can be maddening.
Of course, this proud rapscallion would be amiss in failing to recognize her fellow knaves in derring-do. For this purpose, I've instituted the Best Rogue category: five gleefully villainous devils, cads, and scallawags unafraid to demonstrate how very good it is to be bad.
Listed within are nominees from a total of seventy-seven productions by twenty-one theaters and companies. I maintain it wasn't enough — two hundred fifty nominations wouldn't have seemed sufficient. Congratulations to all the 2011 Rogue's Gallery nominees, and sincerest thanks to every single individual who contributed to this outstanding season.