Lane, Burstyn, Gummer, Birbiglia Among 2009 Lucille Lortel Award Nominees

Nominations in 14 categories and 2 special awards are announced by the Off-Broadway League for the Lucille Lortel Awards recognizing Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway. This year's
ceremony will benefit The Actors Fund. A list of nominees follows below.

Now in its 24th year, the Lortel Awards will be handed out on Sunday, May 3, 2009 at the Off Broadway Ballroom at the Marriott Marquis. Arrivals / Cocktails begin at 6PM EST and the Awards Ceremony begins at 7PM EST. A cocktail reception honoring all of the nominees will take place on Monday, April 20 at Ruth's Chris Steak House at 5PM EST.

Representatives of the Off-Broadway League, Actors¹ Equity Association, Society of Stage Directors & Choreographers, the Lucille Lortel Foundation in addition to theatre journalists and academics and other Off-Broadway professionals serve on the Voting Committee. The 2009 Voting Committee is comprised of Jeremy Dobrish, John Clinton Eisner, Barrack Evans, Kurt
Everhart, Peter Filichia, David Finkle, Jeffrey Fiske, ElizaBeth Frankel, Melanie Herman, Linda Herring, Matthew Kelty, Walt Kiskaddon, Renée Lasher, Russell Lehrer, Niclas Nagler, Barbara Pasternack, Richard Price, Mark Rossier, David Savran and Barbara Toy.

The Lucille Lortel Awards are produced by the Off-Broadway League by special
arrangement with the Lucille Lortel Foundation. Additional support provided
by Theatre Development Fund. Support also provided by Ketel One Vodka,
Pepper Bridge Winery & Amavi Cellars.

NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2009 Lucille Lortel AWARDS

Outstanding Play:

Animals Out of Paper; Second Stage Theatre, Producer; Rajiv Joseph,
Playwright

Becky Shaw; Second Stage Theatre, Producer; Gina Gionfriddo, Playwright

Ruined; Manhattan Theatre Club and Goodman Theatre, Producer; Lynn Nottage,
Playwright

The Good Negro; The Public Theater in association with Dallas Theater
Center, Producers; Tracey Scott Wilson, Playwright

The Sound and the Fury (April Seventh, 1928); New York Theatre Workshop and
Elevator Repair Service, Producers; Text by William Faulkner, Created by
Elevator Repair Service

Outstanding Musical:

Fela! A New Musical; Ruth and Stephen Hendel and Roy Gabay, Producers; Book
by Jim Lewis and Bill T. Jones, Music and Lyrics by Fela Anikulapo Kuti,
Add'l Music by AaRon Johnson and Jordan McLean, Add'l Lyrics by Jim Lewis.

My Vaudeville Man!; The York Theatre Company and Melanie Herman, Producers;
Book by Jeff Hochhauser, Music by Bob Johnston, Lyrics by Bob Johnston and
Jeff Hochhauser

Road Show; The Public Theater, Producer; Music and Lyrics by Stephen
Sondheim, Book by John Weidman

Saved; Playwrights Horizons in association with Elephant Eye Theatrical,
Producers; Music and Lyrics by Michael Friedman, Book and Lyrics by John
Dempsey and Rinne Groff

This Beautiful City; Vineyard Theatre, Producer; Composer and Lyricist
Michael Friedman, Librettist Steve Cosson and Jim Lewis, Created by The
Civilians

Outstanding Solo Show:

Humor Abuse; Manhattan Theatre Club, Producer; Created by Lorenzo Pisoni and
Erica Schmidt, Performed by Lorenzo Pisoni

Sleepwalk With Me; Eli Gonda, Ryan Scott Warren, Marc Turtletaub, Peter
Saraf, and Nathan Lane, Producers; Written and Performed by Mike Birbiglia

Outstanding Revival:

Enter Laughing, The Musical; The York Theatre Company, Producer; Book by
Joseph Stein, Music and Lyrics by Stan Daniels, Based on the play Enter
Laughing by Joseph Stein, from the novel by Carl Reiner.

Othello; Theatre for a New Audience, Producer; William Shakespeare,
Playwright

Our Town; Scott Morfee, Jean Doumanian, Tom Wirtshafter, Ted Snowdon, Eagle
Productions, Dena Hammerstein/Pam Pariseau, The Weinstein Company, Burnt
Umber Productions, Producers; Thornton Wilder, Playwright

The Cripple of Inishmaan; Atlantic Theater Company and Druid Theatre
Company, Producers; Martin McDonagh, Playwright

The Glass Cage; Mint Theater Company, Producer; J.B. Priestley, Playwright

Outstanding Director:

Arin Arbus, Othello
David Cromer, Our Town
Garry Hynes, The Cripple of Inishmaan
Kate Whoriskey, Ruined
RoBert Woodruff, Chair

Outstanding Choreographer:

Martha Clarke, Garden of Earthly Delights
Bill T. Jones, Fela! A New Musical
Janet Miller, The Marvelous Wonderettes
Lynne Taylor-Corbett and Shonn Wiley, My Vaudeville Man!
Sergio Trujillo, Saved

Outstanding Lead Actor:

Ned Eisenberg, Othello
Brian d'Arcy James, Port Authority
Josh Grisetti, Enter Laughing, The Musical
Sahr Ngaujah, Fela! A New Musical
John Douglas Thompson, Othello

Outstanding Lead Actress:

Ellen Burstyn, The Little Flower of East Orange
Saidah Arrika Ekulona, Ruined
Carmen M. Herlihy, crooked
Kellie Overbey, The Savannah Disputation
Annie Parisse, Becky Shaw

Outstanding Featured Actor:

Utkarsh Ambudkar, Animals Out of Paper
Francois Battiste, The Good Negro
John McMartin, Saturn Returns
Aaron Monaghan, The Cripple of Inishmaan
Thomas Sadoski, Becky Shaw

Outstanding Featured Actress:

Annika Boras, Chair
Kerry Condon, The Cripple of Inishmaan
Lisa Emery, Distracted
Mamie Gummer, Uncle Vanya
Juliet Rylance, Othello

Outstanding Scenic Design:

Beowulf Boritt, Animals Out of Paper
Marina Draghici, Fela! A New Musical
Roger Hanna, The Glass Cage
James Schuette, Wig Out!
David Zinn, Chair

Outstanding Costume Design:

Marina Draghici, Fela! A New Musical
Ann Hould-Ward, Road Show
Toni-Leslie James, Wig Out!
Karen Perry, The First Breeze of Summer
Theresa Squire, Rafta, RaftaŠ

Outstanding Lighting Design:

Christopher Akerlind, Garden of Earthly Delights
Mark Barton, Chair
Lap Chi Chu, The Good Negro
Marcus Doshi, Othello
Jason Lyons, Mourning Becomes Electra

Outstanding Sound Design:

Quentin Chiappetta, Irena's Vow
John Gromada, Shipwrecked! An Entertainment
Robert Kaplowitz, Wig Out!
Jane Shaw, The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd
Matt Tierney, The Sound and the Fury (April Seventh, 1928)

Special Awards:

Edith Oliver Award for Sustained Excellence:

Ira Weitzman

Outstanding Body of Work:

The Lark Play Development Center

Multiple Nominations:Nominations by Show:

Animals Out of Paper 3

Becky Shaw 3

Chair 4

crooked - 1

Distracted 1

Enter Laughing 2

Fela! A New Musical 5

Garden of Earthly Delights 2

Humor Abuse 1

Irena¹s Vow 1

Mourning Becomes Electra 1

My Vaudeville Man! 2

Othello 6

Our Town 2

Port Authority 1

Rafta, Rafta 1

Road Show 2

Ruined 3

Saturn Returns 1

Saved 2

Shipwrecked! An Entertainment 1

Sleepwalk with Me 1

The Cripple of Inishmaan 4

The First Breeze of Summer 1

The Glass Cage 2

The Good Negro 3

The Little Flower of East Orange 1

The Marvelous Wonderettes 1

The Savannah Disputation 1

The Sound and the Fury (April Seventh, 1928) 2

The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd 1

This Beautiful City 1

Uncle Vanya 1

Wig Out! 3

The Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway were created in 1985 by the Off-Broadway League. The Lortel Awards recognize excellence Off-Broadway by honoring the invaluable contribution of artists to the theatre community.

Representatives of the Off-Broadway League, Actors Equity Association, Society of Stage Directors & Choreographers, the Lucille Lortel Foundation in addition to theatre journalists and academics and other Off-Broadway professionals serve on the Voting Committee.

The awards are given in the following categories: Play, Musical, Solo Show,
Revival, Alternative Theatrical Experience, Director, Choreographer, Lead
Actor and Actress, Featured Actor and Actress, Scenic, Costume, Lighting and
Sound Design. The following honorary awards may also be given: Lifetime
Achievement, Body of Work (awarded to an institution), the Edith Oliver
Award for Sustained Excellence and induction onto the Playwrights¹ Sidewalk
in front of the historic Lucille Lortel Theatre in New York City.

For more information, please see www.LortelAward.com

Lucille Lortel Foundation was created by Lucille Lortel to foster excellence and diversity in the theatre, as well as to faithfully preserve the rich history and support the continued prosperity of Off-Broadway. The Foundation has several major programs, including its general operating support program that has provided millions of dollars to small to mid-size theatres in New York City, universities, and theatre service organizations. The Foundation created and maintains the Internet Off-Broadway Data Base (www.lOBDB.com ). For a listing of all of the Foundation programs, previous Lortel Award nominees and recipients, information on the Lucille Lortel Theatre and Playwrights¹ Sidewalk, and much more, please visit www.lortel.org.

Theatre Development Fund (TDF) has played a unique role in strengthening live theatre and dance in New York City for the past 40 years. This not-for-profit service organization's programs have filled 72 million seats at discount prices (with theatre lovers who would normally not be able to attend live performance) and returned over 1.6 billion dollars in revenue to thousands of theatre, dance and music productions. Best known for its TKTS Discount Booths, TDF's membership, voucher, access and education programs as well as its Costume Collection, help to make the unique experience of theatre available to everyone. For more information, go to: www.tdf.org.

The Actors Fund is a national human services organization that helps all
professionals in performing arts and entertainment. The Fund which
provides programs and services for those on stage and on screen and everyone
behind the scenes in theatre, film, TV, music, dance, radio and opera is a
safety net, providing social services and emergency assistance, health
services and health insurance information, employment and training programs
and housing support for those who are in need, crisis or transition. Learn
more about what The Actors Fund does in helping over 10,000 people every
year at www.actorsfund.org.

 

 

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