The 14th annual BTAA's will be presented during a black-tie gala to be held at Chicago's Fairmont Hotel Sept. 29 at 7 PM.

Dance Theatre of Harlem founder and artistic director Arthur Mitchell will also be presented with the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award. The BTAA's were founded in 1995 by Vincent Williams, who serves as president of the organization.

A list of selected theatre nominees follows:

Best Play (Drama or Comedy)
Checkmates, eta Creative Arts Foundation
She Calls Up The Sun, MPAACT
The Talented Tenth, Congo Square Theatre Company

Best Play (Musical or Revue)
I Am Who I Am - The Story of Teddy Pendergrass, Black Ensemble Theater
Nefertiti – A Concert of Music and Dance, Deeply Rooted Productions
Sounds So Good Makes You Wanna Holler – Old School vs. Nu Skool, Black Ensemble Theater Best Revival of a Play
Get Ready, eta Creative Arts Foundation
Good Black, eta Creative Arts Foundation
MiLK, MPAACT

Best Writing of a Play (The Lorraine Hansberry Award)
Ifa Bayeza, The Ballad of Emmett Till, Goodman Theatre
Dawn Bless and Rueben Echoles, Sounds So Good Makes You Wanna Holler…, Black Ensemble
Addae Moon, She Calls Up The Sun, MPAACT
Nilaja Sun, No Child…, Lookingglass
Jackie Taylor, I Am Who I Am – The Story of Teddy Pendergrass, Black Ensemble Theater

Best Ensemble
Gee's Bend, Northlight Theatre
Get Ready, eta Creative Arts Foundation
Jitney, Pegasus Players
Sounds So Good Makes You Wanna Holler – Old School vs. Nu Skool, Black Ensemble Theater
The Talented Tenth, Congo Square Theatre Company

Best Direction of a Play (Drama or Comedy)
Aaron Todd Douglas, The Talented Tenth, Congo Square Theatre Company
Ron OJ Parson, Bourbon At The Border, eclipse theatre company
Edward D. Richardson, Good Black, eta Creative Arts Foundation
Chuck Smith, Gee's Bend, Northlight Theatre
Jonathan Wilson, Jitney, Pegasus Players

Best Direction of a Play (Musical or Revue)
Rueben Echoles, Sounds So Good Makes You Wanna Holler…, Black Ensemble Theater
Kevin Iega Jeff, Nefertiti – A Concert of Music and Dance, Deeply Rooted Productions
Jackie Taylor, I Am Who I Am – The Story of Teddy Pendergrass, Black Ensemble Theater

Most Promising Actor
Phillip James Brannon
Brandon Jackson
Kelvin Rolston, Jr.
Demond Stylz
Austin Talley

Most Promising Actress
Cynthia Chambers
Kristy Johnson
Dawn Pryor
Symphony Sanders
Ebony Wimbs

Best Solo Performance in a Play
Inda Craig Galvan, Neat, Illinois Theatre Center
Capathia Jenkins, (mis)Understanding Mammy: The Hattie McDaniel Story, Chicago Humanities Festival
Nilaja Sun, No Child…, Lookingglass
Reggie Watts, Disinformation, Museum of Contemporary Art

Best Leading Actor in a Play (Musical or Revue)
Donald Barnes, This Far By Faith, eta Creative Arts Foundation
Parrish Collier, Ain't Misbehavin, Goodman Theatre
John Steven Crowley, Ain't Misbehavin, Goodman Theatre
Kalind Haynes, Black Nativity, Congo Square Theatre Company
Kevin McIlvaine, I Am Who I Am – The Story of Teddy Pendergrass, Black Ensemble Theater

Best Leading Actress In a Play (Musical or Revue)
E. Faye Butler, Ain't Misbehavin, Goodman Theatre
E. Faye Butler, Ella, Northlight
Lina Kernan, Ain't Misbehavin, Goodman Theatre
Rhonda Preston, I Am Who I Am – The Story of Teddy Pendergrass, Black Ensemble Theater
Alexis Rogers, Ain't Misbehavin, Goodman Theatre

Best Leading Actor in a Play (Drama or Comedy)
Anthony Fleming lll, A Big Blue Nail, Victory Gardens Theater
Anthony Irons, Elmina's Kitchen, Congo Square Theatre Company
Osiris Khepera, Defiance, Next Theatre Company
James Vincent Meredith, The Crucible, Steppenwolf
Sean Nix, This Is How It Goes, Profiles Theatre
Keir Thirus, Checkmates, eta Creative Arts Foundation

Best Leading Actress in A Play (Drama or Comedy)
Karen Aldridge, The Cook, Goodman Theatre
Pat Bowie, The First Breeze of Summer, Court Theatre
Lynette Mance, Bourbon At The Border, eclipse theatre company
Shadana Patterson, Creole, Infusion Theatre Company
Tamberla Perry, She Calls Up The Sun, MPAACT
Regina Whitehead-Mays, Good Black, eta Creative Arts Foundation

For a complete list of Black Theater Alliance/Ira Aldridge Award nominations, visit BTAAwards.