Seventeen metro theater companies are nominated for 2014 Suzi Bass awards (Atlanta’s version of Broadway’s Tonys). The Alliance Theatre, which produces on two stages, leads the pack with 35 nominations, followed by Actor’s Express with 23.
Serenbe Playhouse’s Oklahoma! is the single most-nominated production with 11 nominations in nine categories. Georgia Shakespeare, which late last week announced that it might have to cease production, earned six nominations.
The awards are named for the late Suzi Bass, a force of nature who appeared on stages all over town from the late 1970s until her death in 2002.
This year’s winners will be announced Nov. 3 at the 10th annual awards ceremony, one of the biggest parties in town. They’ll again be held at the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts Center in Decatur.
Here’s a complete list of nominees:
BEST MUSICAL
- Chicago, Legacy Theatre
- Harmony, Alliance Theatre
- Mary Poppins, Aurora Theatre
- Oklahoma!, Serenbe Playhouse
- The Rocky Horror Show, Actor’s Express
BEST PLAY
- Choir Boy, Alliance Theatre
- End of the Rainbow, Actor’s Express
- The Geller Girls, Alliance Theatre
- One Man, Two Guvnors, Georgia Shakespeare
- Race, True Colors Theatre Company
- Venus in Fur, Actor’s Express
OUTSTANDING WORLD PREMIERE
- The Geller Girls by Janece Shaffer, Alliance Theatre
- Pluto by Steve Yockey, Actor’s Express
- Ravens & Seagulls by Karla Jennings, Essential Theatre
- The Tall Girls by Meg Miroshnik, Alliance Theatre
- Third Country by Suehyla El-Attar, Horizon Theatre
THEATER FOR YOUTH PRODUCTION
- 1001 Nights: A Love Story About Loving Stories, Center for Puppetry Arts
- And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank, Georgia Ensemble Theatre
- Shrek the Musical, Alliance Theatre
- Weather Rocks, Center for Puppetry Arts
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Serenbe Playhouse
DIRECTOR / MUSICAL
- Brian Clowdus for Oklahoma!, Serenbe Playhouse
- Freddie Ashley for The Rocky Horror Show, Actor’s Express
- Heidi Cline McKerley for Urinetown, Fabrefaction Theatre
- Justin Anderson for Mary Poppins, Aurora Theatre
- Tony Speciale for Harmony, Alliance Theatre
LEAD ACTRESS / MUSICAL
- Christy Baggett for Cowgirls, Horizon Theatre
- Galen Crawley for Mary Poppins, Aurora Theatre
- Mary Nye Bennett for Spamalot, Atlanta Lyric Theatre
- Randi Garza for The Rocky Horror Show, Actor’s Express
- Sarah Charles Lewis for Annie, Atlanta Lyric Theatre
LEAD ACTOR / MUSICAL
- Alan Kilpatrick for The Producers, Atlanta Lyric Theatre
- Andy Meeks for Mary Poppins, Aurora Theatre
- Bart Hansard for Spamalot, Atlanta Lyric Theatre
- Craig Waldrip for The Rocky Horror Show, Actor’s Express
- Logan Denninghoff for Guys and Dolls, Atlanta Lyric Theatre
FEATURED ACTRESS / MUSICAL
- Diany Rodriguez for The Rocky Horror Show, Actor’s Express
- Jessica Miesel for Oklahoma!, Serenbe Playhouse
- Lala Cochran for Oklahoma!, Serenbe Playhouse
- Lisa Manuli for Guys and Dolls, Atlanta Lyric Theatre
- Marcie Millard for Annie, Atlanta Lyric Theatre
FEATURED ACTOR / MUSICAL
- Austin Tijerina for Oklahoma!, Serenbe Playhouse
- Austin Tijerina for Spamalot, Atlanta Lyric Theatre
- Bryant Smith for Oklahoma!, Serenbe Playhouse
- Glenn Rainey for Guys and Dolls, Atlanta Lyric Theatre
- Jeremiah Parker Hobbs for The Rocky Horror Show, Actor’s Express
ENSEMBLE / MUSICAL
- Godspell, Stage Door Players (with Daniel Burns, Laura Floyd, Dan Ford, Randi Garza, Courtney Godwin, Jeremiah Parker Hobbs, Robert Mitchel Owenby, Caitlin Smith, Daniel Pino, Tierra Porter).
- Harmony, Alliance Theatre (with Will Blum, Liberty Cogen, Hannah Corneau, Chris Dwan, Bryan Thomas Hunt, Greg Kamp, Shayne Kennon, Leigh Ann Larkin, Chad Lindsey, Lindsay Moore, Brandon O’Dell, Patrick O’Neill, Charles Osborne, Kim Sava, Dave Schoonover, Lauren Elaine Taylor, Will Taylor, Douglas Williams, and Tony Yazbeck).
- Sophisticated Ladies, Atlanta Lyric Theatre (with Cassandra Alvarado, Reverie Berger, Aaron Carter, Priscilla Curtis, George Deavours, Fenner Eaddy, Zack Everhart, Kayce Grogan-Wallace, Bonnie Harris, Chauncey Jenkins, Jewel Lucien, Tre McClendon, Jevares Myrick, J. Koby Parker, Michael Persson, Becca Potter, Krystle Simmons, Carrie Strothers, and Laura Wright).
- The Unauthorized Biography of Samantha Brown, Aurora Theatre (with Kylie Brown, Chris Damiano, Stephanie Friedman, Jeremiah Parker Hobbs and Wendy Melkonian).
MUSIC DIRECTION
- Ann-Carol Pence for Mary Poppins, Aurora Theatre
- Jason Michael Webb for Choir Boy, Alliance Theatre
- Nick Silvestri for Oklahoma!, Serenbe Playhouse
- Patrick Vaccariello for Harmony, Alliance Theatre
- Robert Strickland for End of the Rainbow, Actor’s Express
CHOREOGRAPHY
- Bethany Hayes Smith for Chicago, Legacy Theatre
- Bubba Carr for Oklahoma!, Serenbe Playhouse
- Jen MacQueen for Mary Poppins, Aurora Theatre
- JoAnn M. Hunter for Harmony, Alliance Theatre
- Karen Hebert for Sophisticated Ladies, Atlanta Lyric Theatre
COSTUME DESIGN / MUSICAL
- Bethany Hayes Smith and Jane Kroessig for Chicago, Legacy Theatre
- Erik Teague for The Rocky Horror Show, Actor’s Express
- Jane Kroessig for Oklahoma!, Serenbe Playhouse
- Lindsey Paris for Sophisticated Ladies, Atlanta Lyric Theatre
- Sydney Roberts for Mary Poppins, Aurora Theatrr
- Tobin Ost for Harmony, Alliance Theatre
LIGHTING DESIGN / MUSICAL
- Jeff Croiter & Darrell Maloney (projections) for Harmony, Alliance Theatre
- Joseph P. Monaghan III for The Rocky Horror Show, Actor’s Express
- Kevin Frazier for Oklahoma!, Serenbe Playhouse
- Kevin Frazier for Urinetown, Fabrefaction Theatre
- Mary Parker for Mary Poppins, Aurora Theatre
SCENIC DESIGN / MUSICAL
- Isabel A. & Moriah Curley-Clay for Urinetown, Fabrefaction Theatre
- Isabel A. & Moriah Curley-Clay for Cowgirls, Horizon Theatre
- Phillip Male for The Rocky Horror Show, Actor’s Express
- Shannon Robert for Mary Poppins, Aurora Theatre
- Tobin Ost for Harmony, Alliance Theatre
SOUND DESIGN / MUSICAL
- Daniel Terry for Mary Poppins, Aurora Theatre
- John Shivers & David Patridge for Harmony, Alliance Theatre
- Jonathan Summers for The Rocky Horror Show, Actor’s Express
- Robert Johnston for Sophisticated Ladies, Atlanta Lyric Theatre
- Robert Johnston for Oklahoma!, Serenbe Playhouse
DIRECTOR / PLAY
- David Crowe for Venus in Fur, Actor’s Express
- Freddie Ashley for End of the Rainbow, Actor’s Express
- John Dillon for Race, True Colors Theatre Company
- Susan V. Booth for The Geller Girls, Alliance Theatre
- Trip Cullman for Choir Boy, Alliance Theatre
LEADING ACTRESS / PLAY
- Carolyn Cook for Lombardi, Aurora Theatre
- Elisabeth Omilami for Best of Enemies, Theatrical Outfit
- Mary Lynn Owen for Six Degrees of Separation, Actor’s Express
- Natasha Drena for End of the Rainbow, Actor’s Express
- Veronika Duerr for Venus in Fur, Actor’s Express
LEADING ACTOR / PLAY
- Aaron Muñoz for One Man, Two Guvnors, Georgia Shakespeare
- Andrew Benator for Race, True Colors Theatre Company
- Bart Hansard for Lombardi, Aurora Theatre
- Bruce Evers for Best of Enemies, Theatrical Outfit
- Joe Knezevich for Hamlet, Georgia Shakespeare
- Neal A. Ghant for Race, True Colors Theatre Company
FEATURED ACTRESS / PLAY
- Courtenay Collins for The Geller Girls, Alliance Theatre
- Courtney Patterson for One Man, Two Guvnors, Georgia Shakespeare
- Kate Donadio for The Only Light in Reno, Georgia Ensemble Theatre
- Lala Cochran for Best of Enemies, Theatrical Outfit
- Stephanie Friedman for Pluto, Actor’s Express
FEATURED ACTOR / PLAY
- Allan Edwards for Hamlet, Georgia Shakespeare
- Chris Moses for Lombardi, Aurora Theater
- Enoch King for Best of Enemies, Theatrical Outfit
- Richard Garner for One Man, Two Guvnors, Georgia Shakespeare
- Tony Larkin for End of the Rainbow, Actor’s Express
OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE / PLAY
- Choir Boy, Alliance Theatre (with Nicholas L. Ashe, Joshua Boone, Caleb Eberhardt, Jeremy Pope, Scott Robertson, John Stewart, Charles E Wallace).
- Dividing the Estate, Theatrical Outfit (with Elizabeth Diane Wells, S. Renee Clark, Rob Cleveland, Danielle Deadwyler, Caroline Freedlund, Marianne Hammock, Bart Hansard, Mark Kincaid, Tess Malis Kincaid, Jessica Miesel, Mary Lynn Owen, Maria Rodriguez-Sager and Scott Warren).
- Miracle on South Division Street, Stage Door Players (with Kara Cantrell, Kelly Criss, Susan Shalhoub Larkin and Tony Larkin).
- Shakespeare’s R&J, Fabrefaction Theatre (with Chase Steven Anderson, Kyle Brumley, Brian Hatch and Justin Walker).
- Third Country, Horizon Theatre (with Cynthia D. Barker, Sam Higgins-King, Tess Malis Kincaid, Eric J. Little, Marcie Millard, William S. Murphey, Thom Thon and Andra Ward).
COSTUME DESIGN / PLAY
- Erik Teague for The Navigator, 7 Stages
- ESOSA for By the Way, Meet Vera Stark, Alliance Theatre
- Lex Liang for In Love and Warcraft, Alliance Theatre
- Linda Roethke for The Geller Girls, Alliance Theatre
- Sydney Roberts for Maple and Vine, Actor’s Express
LIGHTING DESIGN / PLAY
- Ken Yunker for The Geller Girls, Alliance Theatre
- Kevin Frazier for Shakespeare’s R&J, Fabrefaction Theatre
- Mary Parker for Venus in Fur, Actor’s Express
- Mike Post for The Guys, Theatrical Outfit
- Peter Kaczorowski for Choir Boy, Alliance Theatre
SCENIC DESIGN / PLAY
- Chien-Yu Peng for The Tall Girls, Alliance Theatre
- Collette Pollard for The Geller Girls, Alliance Theatre
- David Zinn for Choir Boy, Alliance Theatre
- Isabel A. & Moriah Curley-Clay for Elemeno Pea, Horizon Theatre
- Mimi Lien for Warrior Class, Alliance Theatre
SOUND DESIGN / PLAY
- Clay Benning for The Geller Girls, Alliance Theatre
- Clay Benning for The Tall Girls, Alliance Theatre
- Fitz Patton for Choir Boy, Alliance Theatre
- Kendall Simpson for In Love and Warcraft, Alliance Theatre
- Klimchak for The Navigator, 7 Stages
- Robert Johnston for Spunk, True Colors
DIRECTION / TYA
- 1001 Nights, Center for Puppetry Arts (director Adam Koplan, puppet director Jon Ludwig, music director Robert Strickland, choreographer Ricardo Aponte).
- And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank, Georgia Ensemble Theatre (director Peter Hardy).
- Ramona Quimby, Georgia Ensemble Theatre (director Laurel Crowe).
- Shrek the Musical, Alliance Theatre (director Rosemary Newcott, music director Christopher Cannon, choreographer Henry Scott).
- Weather Rocks, Center for Puppetry Arts (director Spencer G. Stephens, music director Eric Baumgartner, choreographer Reay Kaplan).
DESIGN / TYA
- 1001 Nights, Center for Puppetry Arts (puppet designer Jason von Hinezmeyer, scenic & lighting designer James Aitken, costume designer Erik R. Teague, sound designer Gregory Montague).
- Charlotte’s Web, Center for Puppetry Arts (scenic designer Kat Conley, puppet designer Jason von Hinezmeyer, lighting designer Liz Lee, sound designers Gregory Montague & Mimi Epstein).
- Shrek the Musical, Alliance Theatre (scenic designer Kat Conley, costume designer Sydney Roberts, lighting designer Pete Shinn, sound designer Clay Benning).
- Stan the Lovesick Snowman, Center for Puppetry Arts (puppet designer Chris Brown, scenic designer Roy H. Howington, lighting designer Gregory Montague, sound designers Dolph Amick & Kristin von Hinezmeyer, costume designer Stephanie Kaskel Bogle).
- Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Synchronicity Theatre (scenic, puppet & mask design Mike Hickey, lighting & sound design Kevin Frazier, costume design Jonida Beqo).
PERFORMANCE OR PERFORMANCE ENSEMBLE / TYA
- 1001 Nights, Center for Puppetry Arts (Ally Duncan, Terry Guest, Mary Nye Bennett, Googie Uterhardt, John Wright).
- And Then They Came for Me, Georgia Ensemble Theatre (Chris Schulz, Erin Bushko, Mandi Lee, Kyle Brumley).
- Shrek the Musical, Alliance Theatre (Caleb Clark, Galen Crawley, David de Vries, Danyé Evonne, Monté J. Howell, Jeff McKerley, Marcie Millard, Lyndsay Rickertson, and Jeremy Varner).
- Weather Rocks, Center for Puppetry Arts (Dolph Amick, Jared Brodie, Eliana Marianes, Mandy Mitchell, Eric Baumgartner).
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Serenbe Playhouse (Skylar Nicholson, Lauren Chamblin, Brittany Ellis, Robert Lee Hindsman, Will Skelton, Allie Southwood, Alex Towers).
NOMINATIONS BY THEATER
- Alliance Theatre – 35
- Actor’s Express – 23
- Aurora Theatre – 14
- Atlanta Lyric Theatre – 13
- Serenbe Playhouse – 13
- Center for Puppetry Arts – 9
- Georgia Shakespeare – 6
- Theatrical Outfit – 6
- Fabrefaction Theatre – 5
- Georgia Ensemble Theatre – 5
- Horizon Theatre – 5
- True Colors Theatre Company – 5
- Legacy Theatre – 3
- 7 Stages – 2
- Stage Door Players – 2
- Essential Theatre – 1
- Synchronicity – 1
NOMINATIONS BY SHOW (multiple nominations only)
- Oklahoma! – 11
- Mary Poppins – 10
- The Rocky Horror Show – 10
- Harmony – 9
- The Geller Girls – 8
- Choir Boy – 7
- End of the Rainbow – 5
- Best of Enemies – 4
- One Man, Two Guvnors – 4
- Race – 4
- Sophisticated Ladies – 4
- Venus in Fur – 4
- Chicago – 3
- Guys and Dolls – 3
- Lombardi – 3
- Spamalot – 3
- The Tall Girls – 3
- Urinetown – 3
- Annie – 2
- Cowgirls – 2
- Hamlet – 2
- In Love and Warcraft – 2
- The Navigator – 2
- Pluto – 2
- Shakespeare’s R&J – 2
- Third Country – 2
