Grey Garrett

Second Place: Audra Honaker

Third Place: Dawn Westbrook

Talk about taking a town by storm: In 2012, Grey Garrett was virtually unknown in Richmond. But with bravura performances in two Firehouse Theatre musicals last year, particularly her star turn in "The Wild Party," Garrett lands at the top of the list. The best may be yet to come: The former Columbia University student headlines as Judy Garland in Swift Creek Mill's "Beyond the Rainbow," which runs through June 7. Perennial fave Honaker continues to show incredible versatility, playing roles as varied as a bitter would-be-assassin in "Pop! Or Who Shot Andy Warhol?" and a cultured British society girl in "The Importance of Being Earnest." New to the list but certainly not to Richmond, Westbrook gains recognition for her decades of local commercial work and a recent resurgence on stage, most recently in Cadence's "Good People."