Finn was honored as an artist "who for a quarter century has powerfully extended the musical theater into new realms." Spiro Veloudos received the Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence "for helping to transform the local theatre community with his invigorating work at the Lyric Stage Company of Boston and the Publick Theatre." And the Boston Conservatory was awarded a Special Citation "for training musical theatre stars of tomorrow and presenting them in outstanding productions that enchant Boston audiences."
The Elliot Norton Awards, named for the late Boston-area theatre critic, recognizes "excellence in Greater Boston theater." The ceremony was held at the Cutler Majestic Theatre with a reception following.
The nominees for the 2006 Elliot Norton Awards (*with winners in bold) are:
Outstanding Actor, Large Company
*Bill Camp, Olly's Prison (American Repertory Theatre) Jeremiah Kissel, Hamlet (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company), The Sisters Rosensweig (Huntington Theatre Company) Will Lyman, Hamlet (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company)
Outstanding Actress, Large Company
Leslie Lyles, The Hopper Collection (Huntington Theatre Company) *Karen McDonald, Olly's Prison; No Exit (American Repertory Theatre) Molly Ward, Three Sisters (American Repertory Theatre) Outstanding Actor, Midsized Company
*Allyn Burrows, The Homecoming (Merrimack Repertory Theatre), King Lear (Actors’ Shakespeare Project), Five by Tenn (SpeakEasy Stage Company) Alvin Epstein, King Lear (Actors’ Shakespeare Project) Jonathan Epstein & Tony Molina, Othello (Boston Theatre Works) Outstanding Actress, Midsized Company
Veronica J. Kuehn, Into the Woods (New Repertory Theatre), Urinetown (Lyric Stage Company) Paula Plum, The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? (Lyric Stage Company) *Sandra Shipley, Long Day's Journey Into Night (Gloucester Stage Company) Outstanding Solo Performance
Billy Crystal, 700 Sundays (Broadway in Boston) Aidan Dooley, Tom Cream, Antarctic Explorer (Súgán Theatre Company) *Jefferson Mays, I Am My Own Wife (Broadway in Boston) Outstanding Production by a Local Fringe Company
My Heart and My Flesh (Coyote Theatre) *P.S. Page Me Later (Alarm Clock Theatre Company) The Possibilities (Whistler in the Dark) Outstanding Production by a Large Resident Company
Hamlet (Trinity Repertory Company) No Exit (American Repertory Theatre) *Olly's Prison (American Repertory Theatre) Outstanding Production by a Midsized Resident Company
*Five By Tenn (SpeakEasy Stage Company) The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? (Lyric Stage Company) King Lear (Actors' Shakespeare Project) Outstanding Production by a Small Resident Company
*Arcadia (Publick Theatre) Gargarin Way (Súgán Theatre Company) Othello (Boston Theatre Works) Outstanding Visiting Production
Forbidden Broadway: Special Victims Unit (Huntington Theatre Company) *Monty Python's Spamalot (Broadway in Boston) 700 Sundays (Broadway in Boston) Outstanding Musical Production
Falsettos (Huntington Theatre Company) *On the Twentieth Century (Overture Productions) Urinetown (Lyric Stage Company) Outstanding Director, Large Company
*Brian McEleney, Hamlet (Trinity Repertory Company) Jerry Mouawad, No Exit (American Repertory Theatre) Robert Woodruff, Olly's Prison (American Repertory Theatre) Outstanding Director, Small/Midsized Company
Diego Arciniegas, Arcadia (Publick Theatre) *Scott Edmiston, Five by Tenn (SpeakEasy Stage Company) Spiro Veloudos, The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?; A Number; Urinetown (Lyric Stage Company) Outstanding Design
*Janie E. Howland, Urinetown and Talley's Folly (Lyric Stage Company), True West (New Repertory Theatre), Five By Tenn (SpeakEasy Stage Company) Eric Levenson, Take Me Out (SpeakEasy and Boston Theatre Works) Adam Stockhausen, The Hopper Collection (Huntington Theatre Company)
