The awards ceremony is set to feature selections from the winning NYMF shows including Academy, Cross That River, Fat Camp, F#@KING UP EVERYTHING, Hurricane and Judas & Me.

Also announced to perform are Tony winner Alice Ripley (Next to Normal, Side Show); Tony winner Tom Kitt (Next to Normal, High Fidelity); Tony nominees Gavin Creel (Hair, Mary Poppins); Jonathan Groff (Spring Awakening, The Singing Forest); and Kelli O'Hara (South Pacific, The Light in the Piazza); Sherie Renee Scott (Everyday Rapture, The Little Mermaid); musician Greg Naughton; and [title of show] cast members Jeff Bowen, Hunter Bell, Susan Blackwell and Heidi Blickenstaff.

The 2009 "Best of the Fest" NYMF Awards in Excellence winners follow:

Outstanding New Musical: My Scary Girl by Kyoung-Ae Kang and Will Aronson; with honorable mention to Academy by John Mercurio; and Judas & Me by Chad Beguelin and Matthew Sklar.

"Best of the Fest" Audience Prize: Fat Camp by Randy Blair, Timothy Michael Drucker and Matthew roi Berger; with Runner Up: Fantasy Football by David Ingber.

Theater for the American Musical Prize: Under Fire by Barry Harman and Grant Sturiale.

Excellence in Writing: Music: John Mercurio, Academy; with honorable mention to Allan Harris, Cross That River; Michael Holland, Hurricane; and Will Aronson, My Scary Girl.

Excellence in Writing: Lyrics Chad Beguelin, Judas & Me; with honorable mention to John Mercurio, Academy; David Eric Davis, F#@king Up Everything; and David Lefort Nugent, Open The Dark Door.

Excellence in Writing: Book: Sam Forman and David Eric Davis, F#@king Up Everything; with honorable mention to Chad Beguelin, Judas & Me; Kyoung-Ae Kang, My Scary Girl; and Barry Harman, Under Fire.

Excellence in Direction: Michael Bush, Hurricane; with honorable mention to John Carrafa, Academy; Alex Timbers, Fat Camp; and Jung Joo Byun, My Scary Girl.

Excellence in Choreography: Connor Gallagher, Fat Camp; with honorable mention to Daryl Gray, Darren Lee and Shea Sullivan, Andy Warhol Was Right; and Michael Blevins, Count To Ten.

Outstanding Overall Design: Hurricane (Christopher Akerlind, sets and lighting; David Margolin Lawson, sound; Karen Ann Ledger, costumes; Edward J. Wilson, hair and wigs); with honorable mention to Judas & Me (Susan Barras, sets; Michael Gottlieb, lighting; David A. Arnold, sound; Bobby Pearce, costumes); Max Understood (Caleb Wertenbaker, sets; Justin Townsend, lighting; Michael Rasbury, sound; Clint Ramos, costumes); and Seeing Stars (Michael P. Kramer, sets; Martin E. Vreeland, lights; Stephen Kunken, sound; David Toser, costumes).

Outstanding Ensemble Performance: Academy (Steven Kane, Corey Boardman, Wilson Bridges, Antonio Addeo, Jason Edward Cook, F. Michael Haynie, Lyle Colby Mackston, Joseph Medeiros, and Gabriel Violett); with honorable mention to the casts of F#@king Up Everything; Marrying Meg; and My Scary Girl.

Outstanding Individual Performance: Jin Ui Bang (My Scary Girl), Valerie Kimani (Mo Faya), Cale Krise (Fat Camp), Leslie Kritzer (Judas & Me), Liesl Lar (Anjou), Paul Louis Lessard (Open The Dark Door), Soara-Joye Ross (Cross That River), Marlon Sherman (Max Understood), Mary Testa (All Fall Down), Barbara Walsh (Judas & Me) and Noah Weisberg (F#@king Up Everything).

The gala evening begins with cocktails at 6:30 PM, followed by dinner at 7:30 PM and the 8:30 PM awards presentation. A VIP after party follows the event at 10 PM.

For tickets phone (212) 664-0979 ext. 12 or e-mail Gala@NYMF.org