2009 FREDDY Award Nominations Announced, Awards Broadcast Live 5/21

Nominations for the 2009 FREDDY© Awards were announced today, Thursday, May 7th, live on WFMZ Channel 69 during the Noon News broadcast.

The 2009 FREDDY© Awards will be broadcast live from the State Theatre on WFMZ Channel 69 and wfmz.com on Thursday, May 21st at 7 PM.

The list can be found at: http://www.freddyawards.org/pdf/2009FREDDYNomineesList.pdf

Info can also be found at www.freddyaward.org

On May 22, 2003, the State Theatre Center for the Arts made history by becoming the first performing arts center in the country to produce, along with broadcast partner WFMZ Channel 69, a three-hour, live television show to recognize and reward outstanding achievement in local high school musical theater. It was an extraordinary triumph for creator and executive producer Shelley Brown and her dedicated staff. Regional high schools from the Lehigh, Northampton and Warren County, NJ region now had their own TONY®'s - The FREDDY© Awards.

In a society where performing arts are given far less attention then sports and academics, the State Theatre is committed to bringing attention to these talented students and preserving the future of theater. It is estimated that this program directly affects over 2,500 students in our area each year. In addition, hundreds of thousands of people experience the students' hard work and dedication to theater arts by enjoying the FREDDY© Awards Ceremony, which is broadcast live on WFMZ Channel 69.

The broadcast has been honored with a 2005 EMMY Award for Outstanding Performing Arts Program, and has also received 2 additional EMMY Nominations, 5 Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters Awards, including the 2008 Award for Outstanding Television Program Designed for Children, and an Associated Press Award for Public Affairs. The 2008 FREDDY© program was the subject of a feature-length film documentary by Canyon Back Films, Los Angeles, which is expected to be released in 2009.

The FREDDY© Awards are named after J. "Fred" Osterstock, the legendary "Fred the Ghost" of the State Theatre, who managed the company that owned the theatre from 1936 until his death in 1957.

The 2009 FREDDY© Awards Ceremony will take place on Thursday, May 21st - Fred's 125th birthday.