The Big Easy Foundation has announced nominees for its awards for best performances in 2009. Le Petit Theatre's production of Aida drew the most Big Easy Awards nominations with seven, and the theater had three musicals from its fall season draw at least six nominations. Shows receiving six nominations included Damn Yankees, Valley of the Dolls, The Little Dog Laughed and Irving Berlin's White Christmas. Bob Edes Jr. was nominated for Best Actor in a Drama for his work in I Am My Own Wife, Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy for Valley of the Dolls, and he will be honored as Theater Person of the Year. On the 10th anniversary of his theater company's founding, Anthony Bean serves as the theater awards' Honorary Theatre Chairperson.

  Winners will be announced at the Big Easy Awards on April 19 at Mardi Gras World. The event is sponsored by Gambit, the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism and Coleman E. Adler & Sons. Proceeds support the Big Easy Foundation. Tickets are $100. Call 483-3129 for reservations or click here.

2010 Big Easy Theater Awards

Theater Person of the Year

Bob Edes Jr.

2010 Theater NominationsBEST COMEDY

The Comedy of Errors

The Shakespeare Festival at Tulane

The Little Dog Laughed

Le Petit Theatre Du Vieux Carre

Mr. Marmalade

NOLA Project

Valley of the Dolls

Running with Scissors

BEST DRAMA

Dying City

Southern Rep

I Am My Own Wife

All Kinds of Theatre and Southern Rep

Loup Garou

ArtSpot Productions and Mondo Bizarro

Opus

Southern Rep

BEST MUSICAL

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

FourFront Theatre

Damn Yankees

Le Petit Theatre Du Vieux Carre

Irving Berlin's White Christmas

Le Petit Theatre Du Vieux Carre

Oliver!

Summer Lyric Theatre at Tulane University

BEST DIRECTOR OF A COMEDY

Lorenzo Gonzalez

The Comedy of Errors

Heidi P. Junius

The Little Dog Laughed

Richard Read

Valley of the Dolls

Raymond Vrazel Jr.

We Won't Pay! We Won't Pay!

Cripple Creek Theatre Company

BEST DIRECTOR OF A DRAMA

Kathy Randels

Loup Garou

Mark Routhier

Opus

Michael Aaron Santos

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot

Theatre UNO and InSideOut Productions

Carl Walker

I Am My Own Wife

BEST DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL

A.J. Allegra

Damn Yankees

Brandt Blocker

Irving Berlin's White Christmas

David W. Hoover

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Gary Rucker and Kelly Fouchi

Altar Boyz

FourFront Theatre

BEST MUSICAL DIRECTOR

Brandt Blocker

Irving Berlin's White Christmas

James Kelley

Aida

Le Petit Theatre Du Vieux Carre

C. Leonard Raybon

Oliver!

Jefferson Turner

Altar Boyz

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

Carrie Black

Damn Yankees

Jaune Buisson

Irving Berlin's White Christmas

Donald Byrd

Aida

Kelly Fouchi

Altar Boyz

BEST SET DESIGN

Jeff Becker

Loup Garou

Rick Paul

Company

David Raphel

I Am My Own Wife

Chris Ward and Eric Porter

Camelot

Rivertown Repertory Theatre

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN

Jonathan Foucheaux

Aida

Earl Lennie

Camelot

Marty Sachs

I Am My Own Wife

Gary Solomon Jr.

Altar Boyz

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Cecile Casey Covert

Damn Yankees

Joan Long

Aida

Brian Peterson and Kate Jensen

Valley of the Dolls

Veronica Russell

Camelot

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

Jessica Lewis

Sick

Southern Rep

Molly E. Maginnis

Flaming Guns of the Purple Sage

Ensemble Arts

Lisa Picone

Valley of the Dolls

Jessie Terrebonne

The Little Dog Laughed

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN COMEDY

A.J. Allegra

Mr. Marmalade

Leon Contavesprie

Flaming Guns of the Purple Sage

Sam Dudley

The Little Dog Laughed

Bob Edes Jr.

Valley of the Dolls

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

Natalie Boyd

Mr. Marmalade

Liann Pattison

Sick

Dorian Rush

Silent Night of the Lambs!

Running with Scissors

Francine Segal

The Little Dog Laughed

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY

Brian Peterson

Valley of the Dolls

Dane Rhodes

Wild Mushrooms

Michael Aaron Santos

The Little Dog Laughed

Andrew Vaught

Major Archibald Swelling's Salvation Salve Medicine Show

Cripple Creek Theatre Company

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA

Samantha Beaulieu

A Raisin in the Sun

Anthony Bean Community Theater

Trina Beck

King Lear

The Shakespeare Festival at Tulane

Liz Mills

The Glass Menagerie

Marigny Theatre and To Do Productions

Lisa Picone

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA

Kenneth Brown Jr.

Shotgun

Southern Rep

Leon Contavesprie

The Glass Menagerie

Mike Harkins

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot

Vatican Lokey

Opus

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA

Donna Duplantier

Shotgun

Pat McGuire Hill

A Raisin in the Sun

Lyla Hay Owen

The Glass Menagerie

Ashley Ricord

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA

Anthony Bean

A Raisin in the Sun

Bob Edes Jr.

I Am My Own Wife

John McConnell

The Kingfish: The Life and Times of Huey P. Long

Bayou Playhouse

Nick Slie

Loup Garou

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Heidi P. Junius

Irving Berlin's White Christmas

Charlotte Lang

South Pacific

Leslie Limberg

Aida

Angela Papale

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Cast of Altar Boyz

Altar Boyz

John Grimsley

Oliver!

Brian Peterson

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Dane Rhodes

Irving Berlin's White Christmas

BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Elizabeth Argus

South Pacific

Idella Johnson

Aida

Chase Kamata

Oliver!

Samantha Smart

Damn Yankees

BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Keith Claverie

Aida

Richard Hutton

Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show

Jefferson Parish Performing Arts Society

Kasey Marino

Company

Jamie Wax

Damn Yankees

BEST ORIGINAL WORK OF THEATRE

Loup Garou

Raymond "Moose" Jackson

"Short Takes: An Evening of Comedies"

Mary Louise Wilson

All Kinds of Theatre

Shotgun

John Biguenet

Taste

Gabrielle Reisman

NOLA Project

BEST UNIVERSITY PRODUCTION

Candide

Delgado Community College

Little Shop of Horrors

Musical Theatre Workshop at Tulane's Music Department

The Scene

Loyola University

Soul of the City

Tulane University

BEST CABARET

Amy Alvarez

"Taking a Chance on Love"

Varla Jean Merman

Varla Jean and the Mushroomheads

Dorian Rush

Livin' Janis

Anais St. John

"A Purrfect Evening ... The Songs of Eartha Kitt"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A CHILD

Elizabeth Donner

Pinkalicious

FourFront Theatre

Thomas Helmers

The Member of the Wedding

Anthony Bean Community Theatre

Alex Lemonier

Shotgun

Aaron Richert

Oliver!