The Alliance Theatre nabbed 30 nominations for the 2010-11 Suzi Bass Awards, Atlanta's version of the Tonys, with Atlanta Lyric Theatre scoring 21.
Three Alliance shows helped Atlanta's largest stage pile up the nominations for the seventh annual honors: "August: Osage County" (including best play, two best actress choices, for Brenda Bynum and Tess Malis Kincaid, and a best director for Susan V. Booth) and "Bring It On: The Musical" each took eight. David Mitchell Robinson's "Carapace" (produced as part of the theater's Kendeda Graduate Playwriting Competition for emerging writers) also drew six.
Horizon Theatre received 19 Suzi nominations and Aurora Theatre had 16.
While there were Tony winners (Andy Blankenbuehler, Judith Ivey) and a Tony nominee (Debbie Allen) on the 25-category Suzi list, the nominations, as usual, focused on metro Atlanta talent. Jeff McKerley received two acting nominations as well as one for best choreographer. Leslie Bellair and Carolyn Cook received two acting nominations each. The scenic/costume designer duo Isabel and Moriah Curley-Clay and sound designer Thom Jenkins garnered three nominations each. Heidi Cline McKerley was nominated twice for best musical director.
Best play production nominees are: "August: Osage County," Alliance Theatre; "Carapace," Alliance Theatre; "Superior Donuts," Horizon Theatre; "The Little Foxes," Theatre in the Square; and "The Nacirema Society Requests ... ," Alliance Theatre.
Vying for best musical production are: "Avenue Q," Horizon Theatre; "Bring It On: The Musical," Alliance Theatre; "Gut Bucket Blues," Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company; "Rent," Atlanta Lyric Theatre; and "Singin' in the Rain," Aurora Theatre.
Final voting begins this week for the Suzi star-shaped statues, which will be handed out during a Nov. 7 ceremony at Oglethorpe University's Conant Performing Arts Center.
Full list: www.suziawards.org.
