Playbill News: Theatre World Awards to Feature Bierko, Breaker, Chenoweth, Tartaglia, Callaway

Theatre World Awards to Feature Bierko, Breaker, Chenoweth, Tartaglia, Callaway

By Andrew Gans
May 28, 2009

Among those scheduled to be presenters at the 65th Annual Theatre World Awards — honoring performers making their New York stage debuts on or Off-Broadway — are a host of previous Theatre World Award winners.

Presenters will include Craig Bierko (The Music Man, 2000), Daniel Breaker (Passing Strange, 2008), Kristin Chenoweth (Steel Pier, 1997), Tovah Feldshuh (Yentl, 1976), Susan Kellermann (Last Licks, 1980), Loretta Ables Sayre (South Pacific, 2008) and John Tartaglia (Avenue Q, 2004).

The June 2 ceremony at Broadway's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre will also feature performances by former Theatre World Award winners, including Ann Hampton Callaway (Swing!, 2000), Nellie McKay (The Threepenny Opera, 2006) and Vivian Reed (Bubblin' Brown Sugar, 1976). Henry Aronson will be the musical director.

As previously announced, this year's winners include:

David Alvarez/Trent Kowalik/Kiril Kulish, Billy Elliot, The Musical

Chad L. Coleman, Joe Turner's Come and Gone

Jennifer Grace, Our Town

Josh Grisetti, Enter Laughing, The Musical

Haydn Gwynne, Billy Elliot, The Musical

Colin Hanks, 33 Variations

Marin Ireland, Reasons To be Pretty

Susan Louise O'Connor, Blithe Spirit

Condola Rashad, Ruined

Geoffrey Rush, Exit the King

Josefina Scaglione, West Side Story

Wesley Taylor, Rock of Ages

Special Award to the entire cast of The Norman Conquests: Amelia Bullmore, Jessica Hynes, Stephen Mangan, Ben Miles, Paul Ritter and Amanda Root

Theatre critic-writer Peter Filichia will host the annual event, which will be directed by Barry Keating.

First presented in 1945, the Theatre World Awards are among the oldest theatrical awards. Traditionally, a committee of theatre writers chooses six men and six women. On occasion, the awards bestow a Special Theatre World Award on "performers, casts or others who have made a particularly lasting impression on the New York theatre scene," as stated on the official Theatre World Awards website.

Honorees were chosen by the Theatre World Awards committee, which includes David Cote (Time Out New York and NY1), Peter Filichia (The Star-Ledger and TheaterMania), Harry Haun (Playbill), Matthew Murray (Talkin' Broadway), Frank Scheck (New York Post), Doug Watt (Critic Emeritus, New York Daily News) and Linda Winer (Newsday).

For further information, visit theatreworldawards.org.