CLYDE 'N BONNIE Leads in 2012 Suzi Bass Awards Nominations!

The Suzi Bass Awards, Inc. announced nominations for the 2011-2012 Atlanta professional theatrical season this evening to an enthusiastic crowd of patrons and theatre industry artists. The Suzi Nomination Party, which rotates venues, was hosted this year by the Aurora Theatre in Lawrenceville, GA. The spacious lobby allowed guests to enjoy drinks, hors d'ouevres and the chance to congratulate their colleagues. Guest announcers, Atlanta's own funny men Bryan Brendle, Bart Hansard, Tony Larkin, Aurora Theatre artistic director Tony Rodriguez and Scott Warren shared the list of nominees while playfully riffing on the 2011/2012 Atlanta theatre season.

Nationally-recognized artists working in Atlanta were among this year's nominees. Broadway director Lonny Price and Josh Rhodes received nominations for Direction and Choreography of the World Premiere of Hunter Foster and Rick Crom's musical Clyde 'n Bonnie: A Folktale at Aurora Theatre. The show received 15 Nominations, the most of any show this season. In addition, Broadway producer GFour garnered an Ensemble – Musical nomination with their all-local Atlanta cast of Motherhood the Musical.

Other Atlanta resident artists fared well in all categories. Bethany Anne Lind received two acting nominations for her supporting work in Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company's World Premiere of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? and in Georgia Shakespeare's The Glass Menagerie. Local sound designers Clay Benning and Bobby Johnston each scored three nominations for their work on different productions. In addition, identical twin designers Isabel A. and Moriah Curley-Clay continue their three season streak of multiple nominations with three more this season in two categories.

Although the ALLIANCE THEATRE lead the nomination tally with a total of twenty-two (22), Atlanta Lyric Theatre received eighteen (18) in Musical categories and Aurora Theatre also pulled in eighteen (18) total nominations in play and musical categories. Even with large groups of nominations going to the above, a wide distribution of Atlanta area theatres were recognized, with multiple nominations also going to Theatrical Outfit, Actor's Express, Georgia Shakespeare, Horizon Theatre, Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre, Georgia Ensemble Theatre and Serenbe Playhouse.

Companies newly participating with the Suzi Awards got first nods from the Judging Panels as well, with Nominations for Stage Door Player's Lend Me a Tenor, Fabrefaction's Sweeney Todd, and JibJam's Faith Healer. In addition to the Suzi Performance Awards, the organization presents the Lifetime Achievement Award, the Gene-Gabriel Moore Playwriting Award to an Atlanta playwright, the Spirit of Suzi Award, the Volunteer of the Year Award, and the publicly-voted Audience Choice Award for Outstanding Season.

Final Ballot voting for the Suzi Awards begins this week and culminates in the presentation of Suzi star statues at the 8th Annual Suzi Awards Ceremony on Monday, November 5, 2012 at the Porter Sanford Performing Arts Center in DeKalb County. Members of the Suzi Awards may also vote the final ballot, and the results of Member voting will be tallied in as a percentage of the panel judge votes. The Suzi Awards, Inc. is a member non-profit organization, and anyone may join by paying annual dues of $25.

For further information on the awards process, becoming a Member of the Suzi Bass Awards, or taking out business or congratulation ads in the Awards Event Program, please go to www.SuziAwards.org or email info@suziawards.org.

2012 Suzi Bass Award Nominations - Atlanta

Outstanding Production of a Musical
Ain't Misbehavin' at Atlanta Lyric Theatre
Clyde 'n Bonnie: A Folktale at Aurora Theatre
Gypsy at Atlanta Lyric Theatre
Spring Awakening at Actor's Express
Thoroughly Modern Millie at Atlanta Lyric Theatre

Outstanding Director of a Musical
Alexander Greenfield for Sweeney Todd at Fabrefaction Theatre
Dustin Lewis for Gypsy at Atlanta Lyric Theatre
Freddie Ashley for Spring Awakening at Actor's Express
Lonny Price for Clyde 'n Bonnie: A Folktale at Aurora Theatre
Ricardo Aponte for Ain't Misbehavin' at Atlanta Lyric Theatre

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical
Claci Miller-Juday for Thoroughly Modern Millie at Atlanta Lyric Theatre
Courtney Patterson for Illyria: A Twelfth Night Musical at Georgia Shakespeare
Ingrid Cole for Gypsy at Atlanta Lyric Theatre
Kylie Brown for Spring Awakening at Actor's Express
Laura Floyd for Clyde 'n Bonnie: A Folktale at Aurora Theatre

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical
Clint Thornton for Sweeney Todd at Fabrefaction Theatre
J.C. Long for Clyde 'n Bonnie: A Folktale at Aurora Theatre
Jordan Craig for Spring Awakening at Actor's Express
Michael Stiggers for Pippin at Legacy Theatre
Stephen Mitchell Brown for Jane Eyre: The Musical at Legacy Theatre

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Anna Kimmell for Illyria: A Twelfth Night Musical at Georgia Shakespeare
Caitlin Smith for Clyde 'n Bonnie: A Folktale at Aurora Theatre
Jill Ginsberg for Gypsy at Atlanta Lyric Theatre
Karen Howell for Clyde 'n Bonnie: A Folktale at Aurora Theatre
Marcie Millard for Thoroughly Modern Millie at Atlanta Lyric Theatre

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Alan Kilpatrick for Gypsy at Atlanta Lyric Theatre
Bart Hansard for Clyde 'n Bonnie: A Folktale at Aurora Theatre
Bryant Smith for Clyde 'n Bonnie: A Folktale at Aurora Theatre
Greg Bosworth for Spring Awakening at Actor's Express
Travis Smith for Ghost Brothers of Darkland County at ALLIANCE THEATRE

Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical
Ain't Misbehavin' at Atlanta Lyric Theatre
Kayce Grogan-Wallace, Kenya Hamilton, Eric Moore, Jevares C. Myrick, and D. Woods
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Legacy Theatre
Amy Alford, Mac Clark, Eean Cochran, Clint Diaz, Dave Dorrell, Patrick Dyer, Michael Ferraro, Alejandro Gutierrez, Dylan Hauek, Jeremiah Hobbs, Taylor Hunt, Danielle Johnson, Nathan Lubeck, Mandy Mitchell, Victoria Norman, Allysa O'Donnell, Rachel Shaw, Mark Smith, Justin Thompson, Kyle Whitaker, Kyle Williams
Motherhood the Musical at GFOUR Productions
Ingrid Cole, Mary Kathryn Kaye, Jewel Lucien, and Lisa Manuli

Outstanding Costume Design of a Musical
Erik Teague for Spring Awakening at Actor's Express
Joanna Schmink for Clyde 'n Bonnie: A Folktale at Aurora Theatre
Lex Liang for Into the Woods at ALLIANCE THEATRE
Lindsey G. Paris for Gypsy at Atlanta Lyric Theatre
Patricia M. Wesp for Illyria: A Twelfth Night Musical at Georgia Shakespeare

Outstanding Lighting Design of a Musical
Bradley Bergeron for Clyde 'n Bonnie: A Folktale at Aurora Theatre
Jeff Martin for Sweeney Todd at Fabrefaction Theatre
Joseph P. Monaghan, III for Spring Awakening at Actor's Express
Ken Yunker for Into the Woods at ALLIANCE THEATRE
Robert Wierzel and Adam Larsen for Ghost Brothers of Darkland County at ALLIANCE THEATRE

Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musical
J. David Blatt for Illyria: A Twelfth Night Musical at Georgia Shakespeare
Phillip Male for Clyde 'n Bonnie: A Folktale at Aurora Theatre
Seamus M. Bourne for Spring Awakening at Actor's Express
Todd Rosenthal for Ghost Brothers of Darkland County at ALLIANCE THEATRE
Todd Rosenthal for Into the Woods at ALLIANCE THEATRE

Outstanding Sound Design of a Musical
Bobby Johnston for Ain't Misbehavin' at Atlanta Lyric Theatre
Bobby Johnston for Clyde 'n Bonnie: A Folktale at Aurora Theatre
Bobby Johnston for Thoroughly Modern Millie at Atlanta Lyric Theatre
Clay Benning for Ghost Brothers of Darkland County at ALLIANCE THEATRE
Clay Benning for Into the Woods at ALLIANCE THEATRE

Outstanding Music Direction of a Musical
Ann-Carol Pence for A Chorus Line at Aurora Theatre
Ann-Carol Pence for Clyde 'n Bonnie: A Folktale at Aurora Theatre
Brandt Blocker for Thoroughly Modern Millie at Atlanta Lyric Theatre
Michael Fauss for Gypsy at Atlanta Lyric Theatre
Seth Davis for Spring Awakening at Actor's Express

Outstanding Choreography of a Musical
Bethany Hayes-Smith for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Legacy Theatre
Josh Rhodes for Clyde 'n Bonnie: A Folktale at Aurora Theatre
Karen Hebert for Thoroughly Modern Millie at Atlanta Lyric Theatre
Ricardo Aponte for Ain't Misbehavin' at Atlanta Lyric Theatre
Sarah Turner for Spring Awakening at Actor's Express

Outstanding Production of a Play
Broke at ALLIANCE THEATRE
I Just Stopped By to See the Man at ALLIANCE THEATRE
Red at Theatrical Outfit
Shipwrecked: An Entertainment at Serenbe Playhouse
Tree at Horizon Theatre

Outstanding Director of a Play
Brian Clowdus for Shipwrecked: An Entertainment at Serenbe Playhouse
David de Vries for Red at Theatrical Outfit
Jason Loewith for Broke at ALLIANCE THEATRE
Lisa Adler for Tree at Horizon Theatre
Richard Garner for Much Ado About Nothing at Georgia Shakespeare

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play
Donna Biscoe for Tree at Horizon Theatre
Elisa Carlson for Ghost-Writer at Theatre in the Square
Mary Lynn Owen for The Glass Menagerie at Georgia Shakespeare
Tess Malis Kincaid for Broke at ALLIANCE THEATRE
Wendy Melkonian for Becky's New Car at Georgia Ensemble Theatre

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play
David de Vries for Freud's Last Session at Theatrical Outfit
Mark Kincaid for Shipwrecked: An Entertainment at Serenbe Playhouse
Mississippi Charles Level for I Just Stopped By to See the Man at ALLIANCE THEATRE
Steve Coulter for Underneath the Lintel at Aurora Theatre
Tom Key for Red at Theatrical Outfit

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Andrea Frye for Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? at Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company
Bethany Anne Lind for Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? at Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company
Bethany Anne Lind for The Glass Menagerie at Georgia Shakespeare
Elisabeth Omilami for Broke at ALLIANCE THEATRE
Minka Wiltz for Shipwrecked: An Entertainment at Serenbe Playhouse

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Barry Stewart Mann for The Green Book at Theatrical Outfit
DieteRich Gray for I Just Stopped By to See the Man at ALLIANCE THEATRE
Jimi Kocina for Red at Theatrical Outfit
Luis R. Hernandez for The Motherfucker with the Hat at Actor's Express
Theo Harness for Faith Healer at JibJam Productions

Outstanding Ensemble in a Play
A Wrinkle in Time at Theatrical Outfit
Lowrey Brown, Mark Cabus, Andrew Crigler, Kate Donadio, Marianne Fraulo and Emma Jackson
Fox on the Fairway at Aurora Theatre
Robin Bloodworth, Suehyla El-Attar, Jenny Holden, Courtney Patterson, Dan Triandiflou and Jacob York
Lend Me a Tenor at Stage Door Players
Charlie Bradshaw, Mark Gray, Megan Hayes, Eliana Marianes, John Markowski, Larry Ruth, Kelly Chapin Schmidt, and Karen Whitaker
The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls at ALLIANCE THEATRE
Kate Goehring, Alexandra Henrikson, Judy Leavell, Diany Rodriguez, Bree Dawn Shannon, and Sarah Elizabeth Wallis

Outstanding Ensemble in a Play (cont'd)
The Foreigner at Georgia Ensemble Theatre
Hugh Adams, Nita Hardy, Jonathan MacQueen, Bryan Mercer, Tracy Vaden Moore, John Stephens and Scott Warren

Outstanding Costume Design of a Play
Christine Turbitt for The Importance of Being Earnest at Georgia Shakespeare
Isabel A. Curley-Clay and Moriah Curley-Clay for The Waffle Palace: Smothered, Covered & Scattered at
Horizon Theatre
Ivan Ingermann for The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls at ALLIANCE THEATRE
Jim Alford for Lend Me a Tenor at Stage Door Players
Jonida Beqo for In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play at Synchronicity

Outstanding Lighting Design of a Play
Andrew Carson for Shipwrecked: An Entertainment at Serenbe Playhouse
Chris Whittle for A Wrinkle in Time at Theatrical Outfit
Howell Binkley for The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls at ALLIANCE THEATRE
Joseph A. Futral for Red at Theatrical Outfit
Mike Post for The Glass Menagerie at Georgia Shakespeare

Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play
Collette Pollard for The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls at ALLIANCE THEATRE
Isabel A. Curley-Clay and Moriah Curley-Clay for The Waffle Palace: Smothered, Covered & Scattered at
Horizon Theatre
Isabel A. Curley-Clay and Moriah Curley-Clay for Tree at Horizon Theatre
Kat Conley for The Glass Menagerie at Georgia Shakespeare
Lee Maples for Red at Theatrical Outfit

Outstanding Sound Design of a Play
Clay Benning for The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls at ALLIANCE THEATRE
Kendall Simpson for Red at Theatrical Outfit
Kendall Simpson & Adair Mallory for I Just Stopped By to See the Man at ALLIANCE THEATRE
Thom Jenkins for Sheddin' at Horizon Theatre
Thom Jenkins for Tree at Horizon Theatre

Outstanding World Premiere Production
Broke at ALLIANCE THEATRE
Clyde 'n Bonnie: A Folktale at Aurora Theatre
Sheddin' at Horizon Theatre
The Green Book at Theatrical Outfit
The Waffle Palace: Smothered, Covered & Scattered at Horizon Theatre