Okay, so maybe the International Emmy Awards are more a television story than a theatre story, but several theatre notables turned up for the big November ceremony, and on Jan. 25 (7 PM EST) PBS will televise excerpts from the event.

Peter Ustinov hosted the invitation-only gala at the NY Hilton, with celebrity presenters including Marilu Henner (Chicago), Michael Nouri (Victor/Victoria) and Roddy McDowall (A Christmas Carol at MSG).

Also lending a theatrical flavor to the event was a special Founder's award to Jac Venza, Director of Cultural and Arts Programs. Venza's best known for producing the 25-year-old Great Performances series, which has staged dozens of plays and concerts.

Theatregoers' eyes are likely to be glued to Great Performances tonight, Jan. 21, 9 PM (EST), when the new musical Ragtime is profiled. Livent and WNET are co-producing this look at the Toronto/L.A. sensation that just opened on Broadway. E.L. Doctorow, author of the original novel, is featured prominently in the documentary, as are creators Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens and director Frank Galati. Director of the documentary, Sandy Pearl, says, "What we are going for in this film is the full realization of a modern-day producer's [Garth Drabinsky's] quest to create a definitive musical while simultaneously creating the theatre of his dreams."

-- By David Lefkowitz