The fabulous Julie White (pictured above) won this year’s Tony award for Best Actress in a Play for her magnificently cynical performance in Douglas Carter Beane’s comedy The Little Dog Laughed, which was also nominated for Best Play. White plays a fierce agent who is trying to keep one of her clients, a gay film actor, in the closet. White originated the role in the off Broadway production at Second Stage Theatre, winning an Obie Award for her performance.

Speaking of Obie Awards, congratulations to Buffalo’s Roslyn Ruff, who won an Obie Award this year for her performance in August Wilson’s Seven Guitars.

In his recap for the best of the 2006-07 season in New Jersey, Star Ledger critic Peter Filichia named Buffalo’s Adam Zelasko as one of the best five best leading actors in a musical for his performance in the touring production of Thoroughly Modern Millie. Filichia’s article appeared in the Jersey paper last week.

In addition to its annual Play-Rites of Spring, next season Theatre Plus will present Neal LaBute’s Fat Pig and Plus and Beyond, a new play by Frank Canino to be directed by Tom Dooney. By the way, LaBute’s latest offering, In a Dark, Dark House has just been extended in New York at MCC Theatre through July 7th.

The New Phoenix Theatre is planning to present a production Sam Shepard’s Fool for Love, to be directed by Kelli Bocock Natale, starring Richard Lambert, Brian Riggs, Joe Natale and Lisa Ludwig. The company is also considering a remount of Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women.

The Jewish Repertory Theatre will conclude the 2007-08 season with the William Gibson’s one-woman play, Golda’s Balcony, starring Christina Rausa as Golda Meir. The play successfully ran on Broadway, starring Tovah Feldshuh, for over a year, and then embarked on a national tour starring Valerie Harper, who took over for the previously announced Patty Duke. Gibson also wrote The Miracle Worker, in which Duke had made her Broadway debut as Helen Keller in 1959.

Carlos Jones will direct and choreograph MusicalFare’s production of A Brief History of White Music which will star Kelly Krupski, Lee Siegel and Victoria Perez. Featuring music direction by Jason Bravo, the show will run November 7-December 9.

Bill Schmidt’s Don’t Hate the Messsenger is one of the eight Subversive Shorts that the Subversive Theatre Collective will present June 14-30 at Rust Belt Books. The roster of directors includes Lara Haberberger, Katie White, Diane Cammarata, Virginia Brannon, John Reich and Kurt Schneiderman.

Lewis J. Stadlen, who was last seen locally in the touring production of The Producers, will return to Buffalo and to Studio Arena in the theater’s season opener, the world premiere of Tom Dudzick’s Don’t Talk to the Actors. Stadlen appeared at Studio back in 1977 in the world premiere of Semmelweiss, co-starring with Kathy Bates and Kim Hunter.

There will be a Bizarre Bazaar fundraiser for the Buffalo Infringement Festival June 16 at 8pm at Soundlab, 110 Pearl Street, with music, short films, videos, live performances, Chinese auction and an indoor garage sale.

The new touring stage adaptation of Disney’s High School Musical will play Shea’s September 25-30. Tickets go on sale June 23.

After charming audiences singing and dancing as the lead character, Bobby Child, in Crazy for You at North Shore Music Theatre last April, the multi-talented Jeffry Denman (pictured below) will reprise the part in the upcoming Ogunquit Playhouse (Maine) production July 3-14. This time Denman will share the stage with Golden Girl Rue McClanahan, who will play his mother.

Stagefright will go on hiatus until the start of the fall season.