Hannah Yelland Excited to Encounter Her Fellow Tony Nominees

The morning the Tony nominations are announced, phones start ringing off the hook for the happy few who get nods. As usual, Broadway.com is among the callers offering congratulations and getting responses. Here are the first reactions from 2011 Tony nominees. Congrats to all!

Hannah Yelland
Nominated for Best Leading Actress in a Play, Brief Encounter

“It’s a pretty good morning! I’m thrilled. I sort of knew that [Tony nominations] were today, so I had my eye on it. My husband made me watch the live broadcast because I was too nervous. It came to the last name being called and I was absolutely convinced it wasn’t going to be me, and then it was. My husband screamed, 'You did it!' and my jaw really just dropped. We were all so proud of Brief Encounter and loved it so much, so it’s great that our show is being recognized through me. It’s overwhelming really. Being an actor from England you sit at home and you watch [the Tony Awards] and it feels a bit unreal because it’s over the ocean, but I think that any actor dreams about being nominated and going to the ceremony. It’s a huge honor, especially in the company of the people I’ve been nominated against. They’re brilliant actresses and I’m excited to meet them! I’d love to go out to dinner tonight with my husband but I’m coming to New York! I’m sure we’ll celebrate at some point this week and raise a glass and everything. This is once in a lifetime stuff, you know.”