Rice University’s production of “SPILL” has earned major recognition at the 2025 Houston Theater Awards, cementing its place as one of the city’s standout theatrical events of the season. The play, which had its Houston premiere at Rice in April ahead of the 15th anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, took home the award for Best Set Design and was named a finalist in five other categories: Best Lighting, Best Sound, Best Costumes, Best Play/Production and Best Director of a Play.
“Core to directing is getting everyone to find the most exciting choices, to unlock their best creativity and to get everyone to work together in forming a cohesive piece,” said Weston Twardowski, director of the production and associate director of Rice’s Center for Environmental Studies. “Given how technologically complex ‘SPILL’ was, seeing the whole team — our set, lighting, costume and sound designers — all as finalists speaks to how successful that collaborative process was. It’s immensely gratifying to see their brilliant work recognized and the energy of our remarkable actors and stage crew recognized for the production.”
The honors reflect both the technical ambition of “SPILL” and the artistry of its creative team. The set design award in particular underscored the production’s ability to translate a national tragedy into a visually immersive experience, while the multiple finalist nods recognized the show’s cohesive impact across disciplines. “SPILL” demonstrated the wealth of talent at Rice: Kyle Clark, a lecturer in Rice’s Theatre Program, acted in the production and was a finalist for Best Actor for his work in Dirt Dogs Theatre Co.’s “Bug”; and Rice senior Jules Houston earned a Best Lighting finalist nod for their lighting design for “SPILL.”
The Houston Press announcement also spotlighted individuals with close ties to Rice’s Shepherd School of Music. Matt Hune, who will direct the Shepherd School Opera’s production of Verdi’s “Falstaff” this spring, was awarded Best Director of a Musical for his work on Rec Room Arts’ production of “Spring Awakening.” In addition, Olivia Knight, who frequently serves as the Shepherd School’s intimacy and combat coach, won Best Breakthrough for her performance as Una in Dirt Dogs Theatre Co.’s “Blackbird.”
The recognition for “SPILL” along with the achievements of Hune and Knight highlight the breadth of artistry flourishing at Rice — from student productions to the professional excellence of the Shepherd School — and reinforce the university’s role as a leading voice in Houston’s cultural community.