• Le Petit Theatre's production of Hairspray, which received Big Easy Awards for Best Musical and Best Actor in a Musical (Sean Patterson, right).

Tonight, the Big Easy Foundation handed out its awards for best performances in New Orleans theater in 2010 at a gala event at Harrah's New Orleans Hotel & Casino. This year, there were 27 categories of nominees, along with six special awards, including the new "Standing Ovation" for exemplary contributions behind the scenes.

Actor Bryan Batt served as master of ceremonies for the show, which featured performances by many of the nominees.

The nominees and the winners (marked with an asterisk):

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Jeffery Roberson (aka Varla Jean Merman)

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
John O’Neal

STANDING OVATION AWARD
Su Gonczy

THEATRE CHAIRPERSON
Dennis Assaf

BUSINESS RECOGNITION AWARD
Mystic Krewe of Satyricon

SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD
Fantastic Mr. Fox

BEST MUSICAL 2010
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Theatre 13
Grey Gardens, Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre & Southern Rep
* Hairspray, Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre
The Threepenny Opera, AllWays Lounge & Cripple Creek Theatre Company

BEST DRAMA 2010
Blackbird, The Elm Theatre
Ceremonies in Dark Old Men, Anthony Bean Community Theater
* Frozen, Crescent Theatre Collective
Touch, Jonathan Mares Productions

BEST COMEDY 2010
* 39 Steps, Theatre 13
Auntie Mame, Le Chat Noir
In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play), Southern Rep
Zombie Town, Southern Rep at Le Chat Noir

BEST DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL 2010
A.J. Allegra, Title of Show
Ricky Graham, Hairspray
* Dennis Monn, The Threepenny Opera
Gary Rucker, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

BEST DIRECTOR OF A DRAMA 2010
Laura Hope, Blackbird
* Glenn Meche, Frozen
Rene J. F. Piazza, The Twilight of the Golds
Kristopher Shaw, Touch

BEST DIRECTOR OF A COMEDY 2010
* Ricky Graham, 39 Steps
Aimee Hayes, In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play)
Mark Routhier, Love Child
Emilie Whelan, The Madwoman of Chaillot

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY 2010
Tara Brewer & Carrie Black, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
* Blake Coheley, Hairspray
Alton Geno, The Producers
Jaune Buisson Hebert, Curtains

BEST MUSICAL DIRECTOR 2010
James Kelley, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
* Harry Mayronne & Walter McClements, The Threepenny Opera
Eric Shimelonis, Grey Gardens
Jefferson Turner, Hairspray

BEST SET DESIGN 2010
Martin Andrew, Afterlife: a Ghost Story
* Jeff Becker, Go Ye Therefore …
Rick Paul, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
David Raphel, November

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN 2010
Hannah Adams, Go Ye Therefore …
Su Gonczy, Jewtopia
* Joan Long, In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play)
Dan Zimmer, Mame

BEST COSTUME DESIGN 2010
Adam Alonzo, Petite Rouge
* Cecile Casey Covert, The Mystery of Irma Vep
Linda Fried, Hairspray
Valerie Johnson, When Pigs Fly

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL 2010
* Tracey E. Collins, Curtains
Yvette Hargis, Hairspray
Janet Shea, Grey Gardens
Beverly Trask, Mame

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL 2010
Brooks Braselman, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
* Roland “Butch” Caire Jr., Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Keith Claverie, [Title of Show]
Bob Edes, Jr., The Producers

BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL 2010
Elizabeth Argus, Mame
* Leslie Castay, Grey Gardens
Kristin Witterschein, The Wedding Singer
Dianna Duffy, Hairspray

BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL 2010
Ricky Graham, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way to the Forum
* Sean Patterson, Hairspray
Robert Pavlovich, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Chris Wecklein, The Producers

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA 2010
Gina Abromson, The Twilight of the Golds
Samantha Beaulieu, Ceremonies in Dark Old Men
* Liz Mills, Frozen
Amanda Zirkenbach, Macbeth

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA 2010
* Anthony Bean, Ceremonies in Dark Old Men
Blake Coheley, To Kill A Mockingbird
John Neilser, Afterlife: a Ghost Story
Michael Aaron Santos, The Piano Teacher

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA 2010
Becca Chapman, Blackbird
Karen Shields, The Last Reading of Charlotte Cushman
* Diana Shortes, Frozen
Peggy Walton-Walker, The Piano Teacher

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA 2010
Keith Launey, Frozen
Jonathan Mares, Touch
Garrett Prejean, Blackbird
* Joe Siebert, The Twilight of the Golds

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY 2010
* Kerry Cahill, Zombie Town
Lucy Faust, In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play)
Tari Hohn, Jewtopia
Emilie Whelan, The Madwoman of Chaillot

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY 2010
Leon Contavesprie, November
Bob Edes Jr., Love Child
Sean Patterson, 39 Steps
* Brian Peterson, Love Child

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY 2010
Jennifer Pagan, The Madwoman Of Chaillot
Jessica Podewell, Matt and Ben
Francine Segal, The New Century
* Jessie Terrebonne, 39 Steps

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY 2010
A.J. Allegra, The Santaland Diaries
* Bob Edes Jr., November
Varla Jean Merman, The Mystery of Irma Vep
Shad Willingham, 39 Steps

BEST ORIGINAL WORK OF THEATRE 2010
Jim Fitzmorris, The Everlasting Bonfire
Pete McElligott, With a Bang
* Kathy Randels and Rebecca Mwase, Go Ye Therefore …
Gabriel Reisman, I Want Sex All the Time

BEST UNIVERSITY PRODUCTION 2010
Almost Maine, Loyola University
Fences, Dillard University
* Lend Me A Tenor, Tulane University
The Night Of The Iguana, University of New Orleans

BEST CABARET OF 2010
Forbidden Broadway, Bill Selby (director)
* Lisa Sings Lee, Lisa Picone
Mad About The Movies!, Roland “Butch” Caire Jr.
New Orleans Down The Hatch, Bob Edes Jr., Elizabeth Pearce and Jim Walpole

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A CHILD OF 2010
Joel Chategnier, A Christmas Story
Marrisa Henson, To Kill a Mockingbird
* Ximone Rose, 13
Prinsey Walker, The Wiz

Gambit, Harrah's New Orleans Hotel and Casino and Coleman E. Adler & Sons returned as sponsors of the Theatre Awards Gala.

Proceeds from the Theatre Awards Gala will benefit the Foundation for Entertainment Development and Education, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that gives grants and gifts to projects that nurture performing artists and future talent in our area.