63rd Annual Theatre World Award Winners Announced

The 63rd annual Theatre World Award winners for Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut performances during the 2006-2007 theatrical season are:

Fantasia Barrino, The Color Purple
Eve Best, A Moon for the Misbegotten
Mary Birdsong, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me
Erin Davie, Grey Gardens
Xanthe Elbrick, Coram Boy
Johnny Galecki, The Little Dog Laughed
Jonathan Groff, Spring Awakening
Gavin Lee, Mary Poppins
Lin-Manuel Miranda, In the Heights
Bill Nighy, The Vertical Hour
Stark Sands, Journey's End
Nilaja Sun, No Child…

A special award will also be presented to The Actors' Fund, in honor of the nonprofit organization's 125th anniversary.

The Theatre World Awards presentation will be held at New World Stages, 340 West 50th Street, in an invitation-only ceremony hosted by Peter Filichia, Tuesday, June 5, 2007 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Barry Keating directs, and Kati Meister and Scott Denny are the event's producers. Theatre World Awards founder John Willis will also be in attendance. 

Press releases state, "First presented in 1945, the prestigious Theatre World Awards are the oldest awards given for Broadway and Off-Broadway debut performances, and are among the oldest honors given to stage performers.  The Theatre World Award winners have been chosen by the Theatre World Awards committee, currently comprised of Peter Filichia (TheaterMania), Harry Haun (Playbill), Matthew Murray (Talkin' Broadway), Frank Scheck (New York Post), Michael Sommers (Newhouse Newspapers), Doug Watt (Critic Emeritus, New York Daily News), and Linda Winer (New York Newsday)."

For more information about the Theatre World Awards, including a listing of past recipients, visit theatreworldawards.org.

Photo of Erin Davie by Joan Marcus