Celia Keenan-Bolger, Ruthie Ann Miles and More to Present at Theatre World Awards

The Theatre World Awards will celebrate the 2019 Theatre World Award Honorees, the 7th Annual John Willis Award for Lifetime Achievement in Theatre Honoree Nathan Lane, and the 11th Annual Dorothy Loudon Award Honoree Hampton Fluker at the landmark 75th Annual Theatre World Awards Ceremony on Monday, June 3, 2019 beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the Neil Simon Theatre (250 West 52nd Street), home of the sensational Broadway hit, The Cher Show. A TWA Island Party reception will follow the ceremony at The Copacabana Rooftop (268 West 47th Street).

Hosted annually by well-known theater journalist, Peter Filichia, the 75th Annual Theatre World Awards ceremony will be produced by Theatre World Awards, Inc. Board of Directors headed by Dale Badway (President) with Tom Lynch (Vice-President), Stephen Wilde (Secretary), Honorable Ilene Zatkin-Butler (Treasurer), and Michael Kostel. Stephen Nachamie is set to direct the evening's activies with music direction by Jono Mainelli and special performances Theatre World Alum Philip Boykin, Linda Eder and Ernestine Jackson.

Theatre World Alum Kristine Nielsen and Julie White (Gary: A Sequel To Titus Andronicus) will bestow the 7th Annual John Willis Award on castmate Nathan Lane, and Lionel Larner will present the 11th Annual Dorothy Loudon Award to Hampton Fluker (All My Sons). Presenters include Theatre World Alum Nicholas Barasch, Justin Bohon, Danielle Brooks, Geneva Carr, Charles Dale, Rosemary Harris, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Elaine Joyce, Rob McClure, Ruthie Ann Miles, and more.

The 2019 Theatre World Award Honorees for Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut Performance are Gbenga Akinnagbe (To Kill A Mockingbird), Tom Glynn-Carney (The Ferryman), Sophia Anne Caruso (Beetlejuice), Paddy Considine (The Ferryman), James Davis (Oklahoma!), Micaela Diamond, (The Cher Show), Bonnie Milligan (Head Over Heels), Simone Missick (Paradise Blue), Jeremy Pope (Choir Boy/Ain't Too Proud), Colton Ryan (Girl from The North Country), Stephanie Styles (Kiss Me, Kate), and Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag).

First presented in 1945, the prestigious Theatre World Awards, founded by John Willis, the Editor-in-Chief of both Theatre World and its companion volume, Screen World, are the oldest awards given for Outstanding Broadway and Off-Broadway Debut Performances. The Theatre World Awards are presented annually at the end of the theatre season to six actors and six actresses for the significant, reviewable, debut performance in a Broadway or Off-Broadway production. The ceremony is a private, invitation-only event followed by a party to celebrate the new honorees and welcome them to the Theatre World "family." In what has become a highly entertaining and often touching tradition, 12 previous winners serve as the presenters, and often relive moments from past ceremonies and share wonderful stories rarely heard at other theatrical awards.

Nathan Lane (Gary: A Sequel To Titus Andronicus) - three-time Tony Award, Drama Desk, Outer Critics, OBIE, Emmy and Drama League Distinguished Performance Award winner - will receive the 7th Annual John Willis Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre given for lifetime achievement in the theatre to honor the man who created and maintained the Theatre World tradition for 67 years, encouraging new talent in an often challenging business. The John Willis Award is presented annually by the Theatre World Awards, Inc. Board of Directors to an individual whose lifetime achievements and personal generosity to the Theatre Community merit special recognition and acknowledgement. Previous recipients of the John Willis Award include Victor Garber, Glenn Close, Bernadette Peters, Alan Alda, Christopher Plummer and Chita Rivera.

Hampton Fluker (All My Sons) will be honored with the 11th Annual Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in the Theater. The Dorothy Loudon Award honors an Outstanding Performance in a Broadway or Off-Broadway production. Dorothy Loudon, who had the unique talent of being able to make audiences laugh and cry, made her Broadway debut in Nowhere to Go But Up for which she received a Theatre World Award for her performance. She received a Tony Award for her incomparable performance as 'Miss Hannigan' in Annie, and went on to triumphs originating roles in Noises Off, Westside Waltz, and Michael Bennett's Ballroom.

The Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence is chosen by the Trustees of The Dorothy Loudon Foundation, Lionel Larner, Executive Director, together with recommendations from the Theatre World Awards Committee. Past recipients include Ben Edelman, Katrina Lenk, Nicholas Barasch, Leanne Cope, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Jonny Orsini, Susan Pourfar, Seth Numrich, Bobby Steggert, and Susan Louise O'Connor.

Tickets to the 75th Annual Theatre World Awards are available @ www.TWAtickets.com

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos

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