Artvoice will present Buffalo’s local theater awards, the “Arties,” at the Town Ballroom on Monday evening June 4, 2007. The event will be a benefit for Benedict House, which provides residential and support services for individuals living with AIDS. To be eligible for an Artie, an artist must live and work in the Buffalo area. Likewise, a theater must produce work locally, primarily with local artists. The doors open at 7:30pm and the ceremony begins at 8pm. The event will be hosted by Artvoice Theater Editor Anthony Chase, actor Norm Sham and actress Loraine O’Donnell of WKBW Channel 7’s PM Buffalo.

In addition to the categories listed below, the Arties include the Katharine Cornell Awards, given to visiting artists for outstanding contributions to the theater season. This year’s Katharine Cornell Awards will go to playwright Tom Fontana for his play The Fourth Wise Man at Studio Arena Theatre; to actress Lele Frechette for her performance in Late Night Catechism at Shea’s Smith Theatre; to Gin Hammond for her performance in The Syringa Tree at Studio Arena Theatre; to lyricist Richard Maltby, Jr. and composer David Shire for A Time for Love at Studio Arena Theatre; and to actress Mara Nemanis for her performance in Air Heart at Alleyway Theatre.

In addition, Citations of Excellence will be given to the Buffalo Infringement Festival for supporting a breadth of new performance and independent production in Buffalo and to the Buffalo Central Terminal for welcoming theater, proving that including theater and the arts as part of its renewal plans brings exponential vitality to a renovated site. In addition to the Artie-nominated Terminus, produced by Torn Space Productions at the Central Terminal to spectacular effect, an independent group will soon produce Dürrenmatt’s The Physicists at the site.

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION

OF A PLAY

The Glass Menagerie, Kavinoky Theatre

Love! Valour! Compassion!,

Buffalo United Artists

Observe The Sons Of Ulster...,

Irish Classical Theatre

The Sisters Rosensweig,

Jewish Repertory Theatre

Terminus, Torn Space

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION

OF A MUSICAL

Familiar Strangers, MusicalFare

Junie B. Jones, Theatre of Youth

A Man Of No Importance,

Irish Classical Theatre

Musical Of Musicals,

O’Connell & Company

Reefer Madness, Alleyway Theatre

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A PLAY

Louis Colaiacovo / The Tricky Part

Jimmy Janowski / Die, Mommie, Die

Carl Kowalkowski / Endgame

Gerry Maher / Talking Heads,

A Chip in the Sugar

Brendan Powers /

Observe the Sons of Ulster...

OUTSTANDING DIRECTION

OF A PLAY

Greg Natale, The Sisters Rosensweig

Vincent O’Neill, Endgame

Dan Shanahan, Terminus

Chris Standart, Hurlyburly

Robert Waterhouse, Metamorphosis

OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE

OF A PLAY

The Brazen-Faced Varlets, Double Dyke Drama, Buffalo United Artists

Endgame, Torn Space

Love! Valour! Compassion!,

Buffalo United Artists

Metamorphosis, New Phoenix Theatre

Observe the Sons of Ulster...,

Irish Classical Theatre

OUTSTANDING DIRECTION

OF A MUSICAL

Randall Kramer, Tick Tick Boom

Roger Paolini, Musical of Musicals

Brother Augustine Towey,

A Man of No Importance

Michael Walline, Familiar Strangers

Todd Warfield, Reefer Madness

OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE

OF A MUSICAL

Buffalo Zings! 2, O’Connell & Company

Musical Of Musicals,

O’Connell & Company

Reefer Madness, Alleyway Theatre

Tick, Tick... Boom, MusicalFare

Unholy Trinity, Alleway Theatre

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING

ACTOR IN A PLAY

John Joy, Endgame

Tim Klein, Love! Valour! Compassion!

Ozzie Lumpkin, Mule Bone

Eric Rawski, Love! Valour! Compassion!

Michael Votta, Hurlyburly

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS

IN A PLAY

Jeanne Cairns / Talking Heads,

Waiting for the Telegram

Josephine Hogan, The Birthday Party

Kelli Bocock Natale,

The Sisters Rosensweig

Christina Rausa, The War Room

Kathleen Betsko Yale, The Witches

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING

ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Kelly Beuth, Ramona & Juliet

Caitlin Coleman,

Based on a Totally True Story

Ellen Horst, Enchanted April

Leah Russo, The Birthday Party

Linda Stein, Hurlyburly

OUTSTANDING ACTOR

IN A MUSICAL

Louis Colaiacovo, Tick, Tick... Boom

John Fredo, Rainbow Journey

Chris Handley, Reefer Madness

Brian Riggs, A Man of No Importance

Norm Sham, A Funny Thing Happened...

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS

IN A MUSICAL

Mary Craig,

Wild Women Don’t Get the Blues

Terrie George, Familiar Strangers

Pamela Rose Mangus,

Musical of Musicals

Loraine O’Donnell, Familiar Strangers

Jen Stafford, Musical of Musicals

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING

ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Todd Benzin, Sisters of Swing

Jeff Coyle, A Funny Thing Happened...

Chris Critelli, A Man of No Importance

Tim Newell, A Funny Thing Happened ...

Tom Owen, Lost in Hollywoodland

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING

ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Stephanie Bax, Reefer Madness

Nicole Marale Cimato, Junie B. Jones

Kelli Bocock-Natale,

A Man of No Importance

Colleen Marcello,

Starting Here Starting Now

Kim Piazza, Lost in Hollywoodland

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY

John Fredo, Leader of the Pack

Carlos Jones, Reefer Madness

Michael Walline, Familiar Strangers

Kathy Weese, Tick, Tick... Boom

Doug Weyand, Sisters of Swing

OUTSTANDING NEW PLAY

The Best Woman, Gary Earl Ross

Familiar Strangers, Michael J. Walline

Memory Garden, Rebecca Ritchie

Terminus, Dan Shanahan

The War Room, Darryl Schneider

OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN

David King, The Glass Menagerie

Aaron Miller, Terminus

Neal Radice, Reefer Madness

Chris Schenk, Familiar Strangers

Ken Shaw, The Giver

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN

Brian Cavanagh, The Glass Menagerie

Chris Cavanagh, Familiar Strangers

Melissa Meola, Terminus

Neal Radice, Reefer Madness

Kurt Schneiderman, Metamorphosis

OUTSTANDING COSTUME

DESIGN

Jenipher Gurney, Enchanted April

Tessa Lew, A Man of No Importance

Donna Massimo, Love’s Labours Lost

Ken Shaw, The Giver

Todd Warfield, Reefer Madness