Throughout the year I assign “Critic’s Picks” to noteworthy theatrical productions. As 2012 draws to a close, it seems like a good time to take a look back at some shows that made the grade.   

Daniel Beaty spent his first 18 years in Dayton. He considers that a blessing. “I’m a native Ohioan,” he said in a recent phone interview, as he prepares to bring his one-man show, Through the Night, to the Cincinnati Playhouse, where it begins a four-week run on Thursday.