Harry Groener

The nominations for the 2009-2010 Ovation Awards have been announced. The prizes will be presented in a ceremony to be held on January 17 at 7:30pm at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza (Bank of America Performing Arts Center).

The Center Theater Group’s production of Alfred Uhry and Jason Robert Brown’s Parade has received 12 nominations, the most of any production, including one for Best Production of a Musical (large theatre). Other nominations for the piece have gone to Rob Ashford, who received nods in both direction and choreography categories; and Tom Murray for music direction, as well as performers T.R. Knight, Lara Pulver, Michael Berresse, David St. Lewis, and Deirdre Henry.

The other nominees in the Best Production of a Musical (large theatre) category are Reprise Theatre Company’s Carousel, Rubicon Theatre Company’s Daddy Long Legs; Musical Theatre West’s The Marvelous Wonderettes, and Troubadour Theatre Company’s Oedipus The King, Mama!.

The Geffen Playhouse’s production of Bill Cain’s Equivocation received eight nominations, including Best Production of a Play (large theatre) as well as ones for director David Esbjornson and performers Patrick J. Adams, Harry Groener, Brian Henderson and Connor Trinneer, all of whom are competing in the Featured Actor in a Play Category.

The other nominees for Best Production of a Play (large theatre) Award are A Noise Within’s Awake and Sing!, Rubicon Theatre Company’s Doubt, The Colony Theatre Company’s Grace & Glorie, and Geffen Playhouse’s Through the Night, which garnered nominations for director Charles Randolph-Wright and performer Daniel Beaty.

The works which have been nominated in the Best Playwriting for an Original Play category include Donald Freed, 1951-2006; Jeffrey Hatcher, Cousin Bette; David Schulner, Forgiveness; L. Trey Wilson, Something Happened; and Del Shores, Yellow, as well as Tom Jacobson, The Twentieth Century Way.

This latter production debuted at The Theatre @ Boston Court, which received the most nominations — 17 — of any theater, including one for Best Season. Twentieth Century Way also picked up another 4 nominations, including one for director Michael Michetti and ones for performers Will Bradley and Robert Mammana.

Other Ovation Award nominees include Neil Austin, John Caird, Jeff Croiter, Beth Grant, Josh Grisetti, Paul Gordon, Roxanne Hart, David Korins, Norman Large, Vicki Lewis, Dakin Matthews, Deirdre O’Connell, Christopher Oram, Alexandra Silber, Danielle Skraastad, and Sally Struthers.