Dramatic Results

The Big Easy Foundation has announced nominees for theater awards for performances in 2008. Winners will be announced at the Big Easy Theatre Awards Gala at Harrah's New Orleans Casino on Monday, March 30. Writer and theater critic Al Shea will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Theatre Person of the Year and Ambassador of Entertainment honors will also be announced. The gala includes performances from some of the nominated shows.

  The event is sponsored by The Gambit, Harrah's New Orleans Casino and Hotel, John Jay and Coleman E. Adler & Sons. For reservations, contact the Big Easy Foundation at 483-3129.

2009 BIG EASY THEATRE AWARDS

Lifetime Achievement Award
Al Shea

Theatre Entertainer of the Year
Bryan Batt

Theater Award Nominations

Best Musical

Assassins
The NOLA Project

Cabaret
Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carré

Rent
Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carré

Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story
Marigny Theatre and To Do Productions

Best Drama

Coyote on a Fence
InSideOut Productions

The History Boys
FourFront Theatre/Southern Rep

Side Man
The NOLA Project and InSideOut Productions

A Soldier's Play
Anthony Bean Community Theatre

Best Comedy

The Clean House
Southern Rep

A Place in the Sun
Running With Scissors

The Seafarer
Southern Rep

Speech and Debate
Southern Rep

Best Director of a Comedy

Aimée Hayes
Speech and Debate

Sean Patterson
As You Like It

The Shakespeare Festival at Tulane
Richard Read
A Place in the Sun

Mark Routhier
The Seafarer

Best Director of a Drama

Mike Harkins
Side Man

Fred Nuccio
The History Boys

René J.F. Piazza
Rabbit Hole

Actor's Theatre of New Orleans
Ashley Ricord
Coyote on a Fence

Best Director of a Musical

A.J. Allegra
Assassins

Roland "Butch" Caire Jr.
Miss Saigon
Rivertown Repertory Theatre

Derek Franklin and Sonny Borey
Cabaret

Derek Franklin and Sonny Borey
Rent

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy

Maria Helan
The Clean House

Tari Hohn Lagasse
The Clean House

Angela Papale
Private Eyes

Golden Eagle Theatre Company/Southern Rep City Series
Dorian Rush

Die! Mommy! Die!
Running With Scissors

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy

Bob Edes Jr.
Die! Mommy! Die!

Jim Fitzmorris
The Seafarer

Sean Knapp
Speech and Debate

Michael P. Sullivan
Over the River and Through the Woods
Rivertown Repertory Theatre

Best Actress in a Comedy

Trina Beck
As You Like It

Natalie Boyd
Speech and Debate

Leslie Castay
The Clean House

Rebecca Frank
The Taming of the Shrew
The Shakespeare Festival at Tulane

Best Actor in a Comedy

Mark McLaughlin
The Seafarer

Frederick Mead
Out Comes Butch

Brian Peterson
Die! Mommy! Die!

Jamie Wax
Goin' to Jackson
All Kinds of Theatre

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama

Lisa Davis
Gertrude Stein and a Companion

To Do Productions
Gwendolyne Foxworth

Radio Golf
Anthony Bean Community Theatre

Angie Joachim
Coyote on a Fence

Beverly Trask
The History Boys

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama

James Bartelle
Side Man

Harold X. Evans
A Soldier's Play

Dui Jarrod
A Soldier's Play

Jason Kirkpatrick
Coyote on a Fence

Best Actress in a Drama

Chelle Ambrose
Rabbit Hole

Lara Grice
Macbeth at the Gates

Dem Boys Productions
Kathy Randels

I Take Your Hand in Mine
Moscow Nights, Inc.

Ashley Ricord
Side Man

Best Actor in a Drama

Lucas Harms
The History Boys

David W. Hoover
The History Boys

Keith Launey
Erik the Fourteenth

Cripple Creek Theatre Company
Michael Aaron Santos
Coyote on a Fence

Best Actress in a Musical

Elizabeth Argus
Pal Joey
Summer Lyric Theater at Tulane University

Idella Johnson
Rent

Meredith Long
Ruthless! The Musical

Jefferson Performing Arts Society
Jessie Terrebonne
Cabaret

Best Actor in a Musical

Roy Haylock
Cabaret

Vatican Lokey
Miss Saigon

Rivertown Repertory Theatre
Joshua Peterson

Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story
Christopher Woods
Rent

Best Supporting Actor in a Musical

Ricky Graham
Assassins

Mat Grau III
Li'l Abner

Summer Lyric Theatre at Tulane University
Jimmy Murphy
Assassins

Richard Alexander Pomes
Assassins

Best Supporting Actress in a Musical

Becky Allen
Annie

Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carré
Leslie Limberg
Rent

Lisa Picone
Assassins

Beverly Trask
Cabaret

Best Evening of Cabaret

"He Loves and She Loves: The Gershwin Music We Love"
Le Chat Noir

The Renew Revue
Le Chat Noir

Varla Jean Merman Loves a Foreign Tongue
Le Chat Noir

Best Original Work of Theater

Flight
Lisa D'Amour and Lisa Shattuck, writers
Jeff Becker and J Hammons, directors
ArtSpot Productions and Mondo Bizarro

Story Circle
John Grimsley, writer
John O'Neal, director
Ashé Cultural Arts Center and The Contemporary Arts Center

Unplugged
Anthony Bean, writer/director
Anthony Bean Community Theater

What, Has This Thing Appeared Again Tonight?
Jim Fitzmorris, writer/director
The Shakespeare Festival at Tulane and the NOLA Project

Best Choreography

Karen Hebert
Cabaret

Leo Jones, Wanda Rouzan and Beverly Trask
Where the Girls Were

Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carré
Edmond Kresley
Li'l Abner

Matthew Neff
Oklahoma
Summer Lyric Theatre at Tulane University

Best Musical Director

Jonne Dendinger
Where the Girls Were

Derek Franklin
Rent

Jefferson Turner
Assassins

Jim Walpole
Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story

Best Set Design

Jeff Becker
Flight

Geoffrey Hall
The Clean House

Cameron MacDonell
The Great American Trailer Park Musical
Jefferson Performing Arts Society

Shannon R. Miller
Return to the Forbidden Planet
Jefferson Performing Arts Society

Best Lighting Design

James Clotfelter
The Seafarer

William Liotta
The Clean House

Scott Sauber
Cabaret

Scott Sauber and Nancy Macko
Rent

Best Costume Design

Linda Fried
Oklahoma

Roy Haylock
Cabaret

Kate Jensen
Die! Mommy! Die!

Charlotte Lang
Where the Girls Were

Best University Production

The Bug
Benjamin Clement, director
Loyola University

The Frogs
Timothy K. Baker, director
Delgado Community College

Metamorphoses
David Hoover, director
University of New Orleans

Spinning into Butter
Laura Hope, director
Loyola University

Best Performance by a Child

Alex Lemonier
The History Boys
Madison Kerth

Annie
Dylan Young
Rabbit Hole

The Seafarer collected many nominations including Best Comedy.

The History Boys is nominated for Best Drama.

Varla Jean Merman’s Varla Jean Merman Loves a Foreign Tongue is nominated for Best Evening of Cabaret.

Bryan Batt will receive the Theatre Entertainer of the Year Award.

A Place in the Sun is nominated for Best Comedy.

Madison Kerth is nominated for Best Performance by a Child for her lead role in Annie.

Flight is nominated for Best Original Work of Theater.

Harold X. Evans is nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama for his role in A Soldier’s Play.

Lara Grice is nominated for Best Actress for her role in Macbeth at the Gates.

Rene J.F. Piazza is nominated for Best Director of a Drama for Rabbit Hole at Actor’s Theatre of New Orleans.