Actors Chris Faith and Greg Wood will host the Oct. 1 gala Barrymore Awards ceremony at the Crystal Tea Room, located in the Wannamaker Building. Vincent Marini will direct the ceremony.

The awards celebrate theatre in the Philadelphia area, including its suburbs, some New Jersey venues and Delaware troupes.

Walnut Street Theatre led the nominated theatres with 22 nominations; followed by Arden Theatre Company and Philadelphia Theatre Company, both with 13 nominations; The Wilma Theater with 12 nominations; People's Light & Theatre Company with eight nominations; 11th Hour Theatre Company, Mum Puppettheatre, and Theatre Exile, all with seven nominations; and Lantern Theater Company with six nominations.

Nerds://A Musical Software Satire from Philadelphia Theatre Company led the musicals category with nine nominations. The Arden's Caroline, or Change followed with eight nominations and Walnut Street's 42nd Street, 11th Hour's The Bomb-itty of Errors, and Mum Puppettheatre's The Fantasticks all received seven nominations.

The Wilma's The Pillowman and Walnut Street's Of Mice and Men led the way for nominations in the straight play category with six nominations each, followed by The Wilma's The Life of Galileo with five nominations, and Theatre Exile's Glengarry Glen Ross, and Lantern Theatre Company's Master Harold…and the boys with four nominations each. Nominations in three special categories and the Lifetime Achievement Award recipient were announced. Carole Haas Gravango will receive the 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award "for her incredible generosity throughout the cultural community." She has provided leadership, vision and inspiration to numerous cultural organizations including, but not limited to, Arden Theatre Company, Arts in Motion, American Symphony Orchestra League, National Liberty Museum, The People's Light & Theatre Company, Pennsylvania's Children's Trust Fund, Philadelphia Orchestra and William Penn Foundation. The F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Philadelphia Theatre Artist, which includes a $10,000 cash prize, is given to a Philadelphia theatre artist "who shows outstanding promise in his or her field and is dedicated to working in the Philadelphia theatre community." The runners-up each receive a $1,000 cash award. The 2007 Emerging Artist Award nominees are Lee Ann Etzold, Millie Hiibel, Jeb Kreager, Matt Pfeiffer and Matt Saunders.

The award for Excellence in Theatre Education and Community Service "promotes the participation of theatres and theatre artists who provide innovative theatre and educational experiences as a vehicle for betterment within the community." The 2007 nominees are 1812 Production's 1812 Outreach, Lantern Theater Company's Illumination, Philadelphia Theatre Company's My Philly Reality and Walnut Street Theater's Adopt-A-School.

The nominees for The Ted and Stevie Wolf Award for New Approaches to Collaborations are Brat Productions & the rock bands: Toothless George, Allison Polans, Danny Mackane, and Devin Greenwood for Three Chord Fiction; InterAct Theatre Company, Mural Arts Program & Art-Reach for The Norris Square Project; and The Vagabond Acting Troupe & University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology for The Trial of Akhenaten.

The 2007 Barrymore Award Nominees

OUTSTANDING OVERALL PRODUCTION OF A PLAY
The Four of Us, 1812 Productions
Master Harold…and the boys, Lantern Theater Company
Glengarry Glen Ross, Theatre Exile
Of Mice and Men, Walnut Street Theatre
The Pillowman, The Wilma Theater

OUTSTANDING OVERALL PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL
The Bomb-itty of Errors, 11th Hour Theatre Company
Caroline, or Change, Arden Theatre
The Fantasticks, Mum Puppettheatre
Nerds://A Musical Software Satire, Philadelphia Theatre Company
42nd Street, Walnut Street Theatre

OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A PLAY
Mark Clements, Of Mice and Men
Terrence J. Nolen, A Prayer for Owen Meany
David O'Connor, Master Harold…and the boys
Matt Pfeiffer, Glengarry Glen Ross
Jiri Zizka, The Pillowman

HAROLD PRINCE AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Charles Abbott, 42nd Street
Aaron Cromie, The Fantasticks
Philip William McKinley, Nerds: //A Musical Software Satire Terrence J. Nolen, Caroline, or Change
Megan Nicole O'Brien, The Bomb-itty of Errors

OUTSTANDING MUSIC DIRECTION
Thomas DelPizzo, Rob McClure, Michael Philip O’Brien, Steve Pacek, & Mark Valenzuela, The Bomb-itty of Errors
Eric Ebbenga, Caroline, or Change
Douglass G. Lutz, Carousel
Mat Wright & Aaron Cromie, The Fantasticks
Mark Yurkanin, Side by Side by Sondheim

OUTSTANDING LEADING ACTOR IN A PLAY
John Campion, The Life of Galileo
Scott Greer, Of Mice and Men
Brent Harris, Orson's Shadow
Matt Pfeiffer, Red Light Winter
Frank X, Master Harold…and the boys

OUTSTANDING LEADING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Louisa Flaningam, Driving Miss Daisy
Erin Clare Hurley, Anne of Green Gables
Christie Parker, Othello
Susan Riley Stevens, Bad Dates
Eunice Wong, Infinite Ache

OUTSTANDING LEADING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Bev Appleton, The Fantasticks
Jeffrey Coon, Carousel
Mark Jacoby, 42nd Street
Rob McClure, The Bomb-itty of Errors
Jim Poulos, Nerds://A Musical Software Satire

OUTSTANDING LEADING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Demetria Joyce Bailey, Ethel Waters, His Eye is On the Sparrow
Kim Carson, The Fantasticks
Cara Cooper, 42nd Street
Joilet F. Harris, Caroline, or Change
Leslie Uggams, Stormy Weather, Imagining Lena Horne

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A PLAY
Jeb Kreager, The Foreigner
Christopher Patrick Mullen, Splittin' the Raft
Ian Merrill Peakes, Red Light Winter
Harry Philibosian, Glengarry Glen Ross
Pete Pryor, The Pillowman

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Rachel Botchan, Orson’s Shadow
Charlotte Ford, Red Light Winter
Meghan Heimbecker, My Children! My Africa!
Charlotte Northeast, Skin in Flames
Susan Wilder, Orson’s Shadow

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Thomas DelPizzo, The Bomb-itty of Errors
Dave Jadico, The Fantasticks
Christopher Patrick Mullen, Robin Hood
Patrick O'Hara, Chicago
David Rossmer, Nerds://A Musical Software Satire

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Susan Cella, 42nd Street
Sherri L. Edelen, Caroline, or Change
Dee Hoty, Stormy Weather, Imagining Lena Horne
Kelly J. Rucker, Caroline, or Change
Chandra Lee Schwartz, Nerds://A Musical Software Satire

OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN
Jorge Cousineau, The Four of Us
Todd Edward Ivins, Of Mice and Men
Mimi Lien, The Life of Galileo
Arthur R. Rotch,Splittin' the Raft
James Wolk, Dex and Julie Sittin' in a Tree

PECO AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN
Jerold R. Forsyth, Dex and Julie Sittin’ in a Tree
Jerold R. Forsyth, The Pillowman
Shelley Hicklin, Of Mice and Men
Tyler Micoleau, The Life of Galileo
Kenton Yeager, A Prayer for Owen Meany

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN
Millie Hiibel, La Ronde
Rosemarie E. McKelvey, Caroline, or Change
Janus Stefanowicz, The Tempest
Janus Stefanowicz, The Life of Galileo
Ellis Tillman, Enchanted April

OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN
Jorge Cousineau, The Giver
Troy Herion, The Life of Galileo
Nick Kourtides, Chekhov Lizardbrain
Bill Moriarty, The Pillowman
Fitz Patton, Nerds://A Musical Software Satire

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL MUSIC
Jorge Cousineau, The Giver
Ben Edwards with Aaron Cromie, Madi Distefano, and Bradford Trojan, EYE-95 Retarred
Hal Goldberg, Nerds://A Musical Software Satire
Tony Macaulay, Windy City
Jim Ryan, This Is The Week That Is: Political Humor for the Holidays

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY/MOVEMENT
Michelle Gaudette, Carousel
Karen Getz, Hair
Mary Jane Houdina, 42nd Street
Jody Anderson Miller, Chicago
Samuel Antonio Reyes, The Bomb-itty of Errors

OUTSTANDING NEW PLAY
Nerds://A Musical Software Satire, book and lyrics by Jordan Allen-Dutton & Erik Weiner, music by Hal Goldberg
Anne of Green Gables adapted by Peter DeLaurier, from the novel by L.M. Montgomery
A House with No Walls by Thomas Gibbons
Dex and Julie Sittin' in a Tree by Bruce Graham
Windy City, music by Tony Macaulay, book and lyrics by Dick Vosburgh with additional material by Tony Macaulay

OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE IN A PLAY
Spring Awakening, EgoPo Productions
Master Harold…and the boys, Lantern Theater Company
Glengarry Glen Ross, Theatre Exile
Of Mice and Men, Walnut Street Theatre
The Pillowman, The Wilma Theater

OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE IN A MUSICAL
The Bomb-itty of Errors, 11th Hour Theatre Company
Caroline, or Change, Arden Theatre Company
The Fantasticks, Mum Puppettheatre
Nerds://A Musical Software Satire, Philadelphia Theatre Company
42nd Street, Walnut Street Theatre

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The Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia "strengthens and leads the region's richly diverse theater community, with more than 100 member organizations and 300 individuals, by promoting awareness and serving as a resource for information, professional development and advocacy."

Tickets for the Barrymore Award Ceremony and more information are available online at www.theatrealliance.org or by calling (215) 413-7150.