2008 Tony Nominees React to the Big News, Part 2

Kerry Butler
Best Actress in a Musical Nominee for Xanadu
"I feel really excited and surprised and relieved! I did feel a lot of pressure because people thought I was going to be nominated, and because it's important for a show to get nominations. I've never been the big lead of a show before, so I was putting pressure on myself to do right by the show and all the people involved. Now I feel so much more relaxed! I was actually doing an interview on CW11 this morning to promote my new album and was on my way home when I got a text message telling me 'congratulations.' And I was like, 'How can it be out yet? What if it's a mistake?! Don't call me until it's official! As soon as I got home, I turned on the TV just as they announced my name! It's great to be nominated, because it acknowledges all the hard work that went into it. It's the hardest show I've personally ever had to do, so I hope that [Xanadu's nominations] give us credibility—despite the great reviews, there's still a lot of doubters. I grew up going into the city to see Broadway shows, watching the Tonys every year and imagining myself up there, so for me, it's just a dream come true!”

Bartlett Sher
Best Director of a Musical Nominee for South Pacific
"We're very thrilled. I'm just relieved that everybody's covered. I've been flying back and forth between Seattle and New York more often than I would like to. I'd just gotten in yesterday. I was completely exhausted this morning. So it was a nice, big relief to see the nominations. In past years, I've been on the West Coast for it, and you'd get all these calls at, like, 5:30 in the morning. So it's nice to be up later. I was especially happy for Loretta [Ables Sayre] and Paulo [Szot]. It's always nice when a cast that works as hard as ours does comes together like this. What's weird now is how [the reactions are] all just a world of text messages. Back and forth and back and forth and back and forth and back and forth. You don't actually talk to anybody. You just get these little bursts of 'Congratulations!' over and over again. But it's been a great day."

Loretta Ables Sayre
Best Featured Actress in a Musical Nominee for South Pacific
"I can't believe this! I'm just dreaming. I'm absolutely totally crazy-wild-happy out of my mind. What an unbelievable honor! I didn't think that anybody here even knew who I was. And then to wake up this morning with two phones ringing and having Bart [Sher, the director] scream, 'You got nominated! You got nominated!' I thought the announcements were gonna be on Thursday, and I was just coming out of a deep sleep, so I was totally in shock. I still am. I hadn't even had a cup of coffee yet. This is too wild to spend even a few minutes at the coffee machine! I'm going to bring a bottle of champagne with me to work because this definitely deserves a toast. I feel like one of the luckiest women in the world. I mean, just the honor of being nominated—I'm going start crying on you. See? This happens!"

Conor McPherson
Best Play and Best Director of a Play Nominee for The Seafarer
"I was in New York this past weekend because the Atlantic Theater is doing my play Port Authority, and like an idiot, I flew back to Dublin this morning, just before the Tonys! I'm in Dublin now, and I was asleep; my wife got a call [from the show's publicist] and she woke me up and said, 'You got four nominations.' I said, 'Are you kidding me?' It was like a dream. I thought Jim Norton had a good chance of being nominated and I thought the play had a chance, but I didn't think that we'd get four nominations, so it's amazing. I was absolutely thrilled when I heard that Conleth [Hill] got one, because Jim and Conleth were both in Seafarer from the beginning, in 2006. I am surprised [at the Best Director nomination] because when you write a play, people think it's very easy for you to direct it. To be nominated for that is particularly gratifying. [The Tonys] are such a huge thing; it's the Oscars of the theater world, there's no other way of saying it. To be nominated raises the profile of a play; you realize that a lot more people will come and see my next thing. That's a beautiful feeling!"

Mary McCormack
Best Featured Actress in a Play Nominee for Boeing-Boeing
"My Blackberry is next to my bed because it's also my alarm. And I have two little kids, so I set it early. But it started buzzing. [Director] Joe Mantello, an old friend of mine, buzzed me first, saying 'Congrats!' I guess it was online before it was on TV. I texted back and then went to the TV. It's the most exciting news in the world. And I'm thrilled for our play: We got six [nominations]. Gretchen is such a silly, silly part, and I have so much fun doing it and working with these actors. Honestly, sharing the stage with Mark Rylance—sometimes I have to tell myself to concentrate because I can't believe I'm there with him. So, to get recognized on top of it is wonderful. I'm from New Jersey and I grew up seeing plays, so this is honestly like a dream come true. It's unbelievable to even get to go [to the Tonys], much less be nominated. Honestly, I think I'm in shock. You know what I'm doing tonight? I'm having a drink with our stage manager, the brilliant Billy Barnes. We have a date. It's been on the books for a while. So yeah, I'll celebrate with Billy."

David Javerbaum
Best Original Score of a Musical Nominee for Cry-Baby
"I'm trying to executive produce The Daily Show today! My sister actually called after looking at the [Tony Awards] website and said to look, and it was funny and exciting once I did. I was well aware that we were not predicted to be nominated for this show, so I was pleasantly surprised to see we were. There's been a lot of ups and downs with this, obviously, so this was a bit of vindication. We think it's a really great show and we worked very hard. But the one thing I've learned throughout this whole process is that hard work goes into every project. This is a difficult process for any show, nominated or not, so anyone who dips their toe into this incredibly deep pool is to be commended, especially when there are people standing around the pool throwing rocks at you. But I have no idea or expectation of what's next. I understand there's a lot of luncheons and events like that. I'm looking forward to eating lunch. I've never had lunch before."

Kelli O'Hara
Best Actress in a Musical Nominee for South Pacific
"In past years, I've gone out of town, trying to pretend like all this wasn't happening. This time, I knew I didn't want to get up and watch the announcements myself—I wanted somebody to call me. So I had my phone with me, and thought, 'I'll just sleep and if I get a call from my manager or my agent, that'll be good.' But I'd gone to an event last night and turned off my phone, and—I'm serious about this—I forgot to turn it back on. So when I finally did wake up after nine and hadn't gotten a call, I was like, 'Oh no!' But I looked and I had five voice messages, so I was relieved. You never know. You can never plan on anything. You just hope. I'd love to go out and celebrate, but I'm going to rehearsal for a reading of a new musical, and I've got the show tonight. I'm basically celebrating by doing more work, which is good."

Alan Menken
Best Score of a Musical Nominee for The Little Mermaid
"I was getting ready to leave my home in upper Weschester for rehearsal. We're doing a workshop for Leap of Faith, which is coming in next season, and Tom Schumacher gave me a call from London, saying, 'Well, you're nominated!' I was like, 'What? Oh, OK. That beats a stick in the eye.' [Laughs] No, it really brightened my day, and it's wonderful to get the acknowledgement of my peers. I wasn't even looking, to be honest. I've been prepared for quite a while for the idea of The Little Mermaid not to get any nominations. And to me, The Little Mermaid has already won. It's an enormous hit at the box office. Audiences love it. Everything I wanted to achieve with it, we've achieved, and I'm really thrilled with the show. It's wonderful to get the acknowledgement of my peers. I'm being inducted into the songwriter Hall of Fame next month, too. So June'll be a very nice month for me!"

Kate Fleetwood
Best Leading Actress in a Play Nominee for Macbeth
"It's a great thrill. Patrick [Stewart] rang me [to give the news of the nomination] and people from Great Britain texted me. And of course, because I have a little one [two-and-a-half-year-old son Raphael], I don't really have time to be looking on the Internet in the morning. I still can't believe it. I've never been to New York before! I'm really honored, and I'm feeling quite proud of the show. My little boy watches me working so hard, away from home all the time, so that's what feels lovely—a kind of a pat on the back for all the hard work my little boy and I have put in over this past year. Sorry to sound sweet about it, but that's how I feel [laughs]. It's such an honor because [the Tonys] are the Oscars of theater, and I'm a real creature of the theater. It means a lot to me."

Anna D. Shapiro
Best Director of Play Nominee for August: Osage County
"I woke up really early, like a little kid, and tried not to look. Then my partner went on the internet to a site that didn't list the director [nominees] and started screaming at the computer. He finally found it, and he told me. I was actually relieved, because I felt like everybody else was expecting it and I didn't want to disappoint anyone. I wasn't expecting it. I never expect anything! I spent the first day being relieved, and now I'm moving into excited. I am! I'm excited that I get to wear a great dress and be in a room with a bunch of really amazing theater artists. I'm looking forward to it."

Quiara Alegria Hudes
Best Book of a Musical Nominee for In the Heights
"I was one of the many In the Heights people in Times Square [for a taping of Good Morning America] when the yellow piece of paper [listing nominees] started being passed around. My heart was racing. There aren't too many moments like that where you're nervous and scared and then happy and excited. I was shaking and jumping up and down; it was unforgettable! To be honest, I was shocked [at the show's 13 nominations]. I had a sense that we would get some recognition, but it was all a surprise too. I was getting text messages from my mom and my husband; everyone was surprised and excited. The Tonys mean glamour to me. They mean a Cinderella day, and that's very different than my normal workday, sitting home in my pajamas writing on a laptop. It's a day when we can celebrate everyone else's work, and sometimes, once in a blue moon, it's really nice to celebrate my own work."

Ben Daniels
Best Actor in a Play Nominee for Les Liaisons Dangereuses
"God, it just gets better and better! I was smiling when I stepped off the plane [from London to start rehearsing], and then to have so much fun playing it, and then get great reviews, and then be given a nomination, it's just completely joyful. It's always thrilling to be nominated for an award, but here there's such a frenzy about them. We have no comparison in our country—it was amazing even watching the TV coverage of [the Tonys] this morning. People take their theater seriously in this city, and as a theater lover I find it so great. But I never went into this career thinking about awards. It was my job! So personally, I…[laughs] oh god, I'm being so English about the whole thing aren't I? I'm just thrilled that people have responded to what I'm doing in a positive way. I've always said that it's roles that win awards; there are parts that make you laugh, make you cry, terrify you, and it's those extreme characters that get nominated, especially in my category. I'm just over the moon."

Raul Esparza
Best Featured Actor in a Play Nominee for The Homecoming
"I just finished a run-through of a workshop of [the new musical] Leap of Faith, so I've been working today. My manager called me and woke me up [with news of the nomination], and I said, 'You're kidding!' I really didn't expect this one. With some [nominations], you kind of feel it in the water; I didn't feel that with this one. When a show's closed, it's 'out of sight, out of mind,' I always figure. But I'm overjoyed. I actually dreamt I hadn't gotten nominated. You try not to care about it too much, but that's ridiculous because it's a really big deal. Company was truly a dream come true, and then I followed that with The Homecoming, which may be the happiest professional experience I've had in New York. It was the kind of show where you went to work and you just felt a peace; there was a real sense of doing a job and doing it well. It's a show where my performance and [nominee] Eve [Best's] performance were entirely supported by, colored by and shaped by the other actors onstage. I've never felt so much like a member of an ensemble in New York where each actor onstage always had your back. It was very special to me."

Douglas Carter Beane
Best Play Nominee for Xanadu
"It's a crazy, hilarious day in Xanadu! It's such a surreal moment just to see David Hyde Pierce say the words 'Best Musical, Xanadu.' You're like 'Whaaaaat?' It's like a comment on a comment on a comment. I don't even know what to do with it. I have to tell you, the first e-mail I got was from the original screenwriter of the movie. He sent me an e-mail that said: 'I never thought!' It was very, very sweet of him. It was my second year running [after a Best Play nomination for The Little Dog Laughed], so I got up, the kids had breakfast, and we all gathered around the TV set with a big bottle of Martinelli's organic apple cider because it's like champagne; we sipped Martinelli's together and cheered! It's so funny, even with the unbelievable reviews we've gotten, there's still [disbelief]. Roma Torre on NY1 was talking, and every time she said the name 'Xanadu,' she'd do a half laugh and roll her eyes. But Kerry [Butler] and Cheyenne [Jackson] came in and rescued this show, Cheyenne swinging in after our leading man was injured, and it's just been amazing. Now we've got people who have seen the show 150 times! Seriously!"

Robin De Jesús
Best Featured Actor in a Musical Nominee for In the Heights
"I found out about [the nomination] in one of those comedic, godly moments. We performed on Good Morning, America this morning, and right before we went on, someone said ‘Oh my god, there's a list of the nominations!' And so I ran to the list, my heart pounding ridiculously fast. And I saw my name and I screamed! And the craziest thing about it is we were literally filming 20 feet across from Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, which was the restaurant where I waited tables and was miserable with my career. I literally left the city afterwards to go to college. So it was so weird to find out across the street from this place where I was so unhappy at one point. Words alone can't express how much this show means to me. It's like, ‘Thank god this finally happened!' I was so tired of [auditioning] for gang-bangers, and this was so different from what I usually played but so close to who I really am. And this nomination? I was the kid who watched the Tonys growing up, and talked at school the next day about how amazing Kristin Chenoweth's quick-change was between performing and getting her award! And now I'll be there!"

Click to Keep Reading! Maria Aitken
Best Director of a Play Nominee for The 39 Steps
"This is all absolutely amazing! I ignored a good deal of morning phone calls today [in London], thinking, ‘Who in the hell is ringing me up at this hour?' Eventually my husband stumbled out of bed and answered one, and knew enough not to wake me up with the news. So I actually didn't catch up until a few hours ago! But this show has been like ‘the little train that could', or would, or should, if you know what I mean! When it won the Olivier Award for Best New Play in London, this noise came out of my throat, like a scream of joy, and I thought somebody else had made this terrible sound! And of course Broadway is Broadway, so it's absolutely breathtaking. What's astonishing about these [other nominated directors] is that they're not just my peers—I'm probably older than all of them put together—because I was an actor for many years. So to be associated with these directors at all is just wonderful. I do think [audiences] are well-exposed to trillion-dollar sets and plays, so to see wonderful actors doing all the work is fun for people. My whole creative team has been nominated, and I'm very proud; I only wish all the actors had been, too, because they're such a part of this great collaboration."

Jim Norton
Best Featured Actor in a Play Nominee for The Seafarer
"It's a nice way to start the day! I was just waking up; luckily my wife was up earlier and she came rushing in and said, 'It's just come online.' Then my phone started ringing and hasn't stopped since. [Fellow nominee] Conleth [Hill] was the first call I got because we've worked together a number of times and we're very good friends. I'm in previews now with another play by Conor McPherson, Port Authority, at the Atlantic Theater Company, so my mind is in two places at once, but this is very exciting. Four nominations is just amazing! You know, our opening night was postponed twice [because of the stagehands strike]; at one point, we thought, 'This is never going to happen.' But I'm so pleased; it's such a fabulous play and a fabulous part, and this is the icing on the cake. I've won an Obie and an Olivier Award, but the Tony is what it's all about. It's the Holy Grail!"

Laura Benanti
Best Featured Actress in a Musical Nominee for Gypsy
"My husband [actor Steven Pasquale] and I turned on NY 1 and were getting ready to watch [the announcement of the nominees], and I got a text message from a friend saying 'Congratulations!' I was like, 'What are you talking about? They haven't announced them yet.' And he said, 'They're online.' So my husband and I decided to pretend like we didn't know and just watch. I wasn't expecting [to be nominated] because I've learned my lesson before, but I didn't want to let anybody down. I think that's the biggest thing I felt—I know that other people were expecting it for me, I didn't want them to feel disappointed. I was really grateful when they announced my name. [Receiving seven nominations] is exciting because our production is bare bones; it's about the story and the relationships between the characters, and I'm so excited that that's being recognized as a good thing. I've already talked to my mom and my grandma and my manager, but I haven't talked to Patti [LuPone] or Boyd [Gaines] yet. I don't want to call too early, because knowing Patti, she's probably still sleeping! But I'm thrilled for all of us. I really feel so blessed."

Daniel Evans
Best Actor in a Musical Nominee for Sunday in the Park with George
"I am just delighted! It's unbelievable, but a complete circus, these American awards. Here all the awards are out in just one month and a half—we tend to spread them out a bit back home to reduce the pressure! But it is lovely to be a part of. You know, I woke up at about 4AM today. Every fifteen minutes I was waking up to check the clock! At about 8:25, a dear friend of mine and I put on NY 1, and someone mentioned the results were already posted on the [Tony Awards] Web site. So I rushed to the computer of course and started scrolling! But it was really nice to hear it being read out. And completely surreal! You have David Hyde Pierce, who just four months ago I was watching in Curtains and have been watching on Fraiser for years, saying your name&#*212;it's like an out-of-body experience. But don't get me wrong, it's an honor. We started in London in 2005 at the equivalent of an off-off-off-OFF Broadway venue playing to 150 people, and were paid almost no money and had no resources. Then we transferred to the West End and then crossed the pond to Broadway. So when I see today that we've got nine Tony nominations? Just the journey of where we began and where we've ended up is an amazing story, and one that means so very much to me."

Patrick Stewart
Best Actor in a Play Nominee for Macbeth
"I'm giddy with excitement. I was watching TV [when the nominations were announced], drinking a cup of tea and feeling very nervous. Because my name begins with an ST, it always comes at the last so you think they're going to run out of nominations before they get to you. Another S came before me, the wonderful Rufus Sewell, and that was the moment I thought, 'That's it, it's gone.' I had lost count that there was still one more name to come. This is my first Tony nomination. It's been a long time waiting, but I'm so proud of this production and proud of the people I work with. I'm thrilled that my co-star Kate Fleetwood is nominated—that is the most satisfying thing about this morning. And the rest of the creative team, our lighting designer, set designer and sound designer are all nominated too. I'm disappointed [that Rupert Goold was not nominated for Best Director], but we were nominated for Best Revival and that's Rupert's award. Did you know that no actor who has played Macbeth has ever been nominated before? It's generally thought of as an unlucky play, so I am absolutely thrilled. I have people seeing the show tonight who booked weeks ago; he's a winemaker from Napa Valley and I think he's bringing some wine, and so there'll be good reason to celebrate."

Lin-Manuel Miranda
Best Actor in a Musical and Best Score Nominee for In the Heights
"It feels amazing, just incredible! I haven't had too much time to process it, but it was kind of a trip! We were doing Good Morning, America [when the nominations were announced] and Diane Sawyer told me, then we performed a number from the show live. It's a great year for exciting work and just to be nominated among them is exciting. I wish there were more words for 'exciting' but that's what I've got! For me, performing and writing has always gone hand in hand. But [the nomination] makes me take more stock in what [director] Tommy Kail has to say, because it was Tom's idea for me to play the role of Usnavi. That was not originally my intention, and I didn't do that in my original production. But he said, 'Let's do this for now. You're pretty good at it. And we'll find a real actor somewhere down the line.' And then that never happened!"

Dan Knechtges
Best Choreography Nominee for Xanadu
"I'm supposed to be working on another show right now and I'm not getting any work done today! It's insane, but the most lovely sort of insane I've ever experienced. I was at the gym early this morning, then got back and was making breakfast when I signed online and started getting all these congratulations e-mails before 8:30am, because the results were apparently posted online. And I screamed! I couldn't believe it! It's much better than caffeine or coffee. And it really means everything to me—it's an affirmation that I'm doing the right thing with my life, especially with this show. I tend to think things that are obstacles can be made an asset. Like how the [cast members] who don't have any formal dance training can be used for humor successfully. And I think we all pulled off a big heist regarding what people think about the show. When [Xanadu] was announced, people all said 'oh, this will be the biggest flop in history.' And now the show is nominated for best musical? It's amazing! I almost want to go 'nyah nyah nyah, we did it!'"

Mark O'Donnell
Best Book of a Musical Nominee for Cry-Baby
"We've had our ups and downs with this show, but we believe it's a very funny and very ship-shape show, so it's nice to get this little pat on the head. It's been great fun working on this. John Waters is wonderful, Tom Meehan and I have a great rapport. We just wanted to make a beautiful piece of Americana and we worked very hard. We were knocked on our horse with this show a few times, so it's very pleasant to get some positive reinforcement. Someone asked me before we opened, 'Do you think the show will be a hit?' And I said, 'Well, would you ask a pregnant woman if her child will be famous?' The proper answer should be 'I hope my child will be happy,' and I can say that with this show, whatever happens, we have a happy and healthy child."

Peter McKintosh
Best Scenic Design of a Play and Best Costume Design of a Play Nominee for The 39 Steps
"It's slightly mad today, really. It's a very nice surprise. I'm obviously completely thrilled. I actually found out on your website! To be honest, I didn't even read the second nomination at first. I saw the first one and was slightly dizzy and very happy, and then I saw the second and my jaw dropped. It's a real honor. To work in New York and be recognized is a thrill. And to be there on [Tony] night will be lovely. I've been on this project for years, and we started in such a very small place. Just finding the way to do the play itself, with its playful script and four actors, required that it be meticulously done and made us use every trick in the book. And that's what I love about the show, that it's full of invention and wit in a way you wouldn't always expect. People coming to see the show at the beginning have no idea about the journey they're going to go on, and that's lovely."

Jenna Russell
Best Actress in a Musical Nominee for Sunday in the Park with George
"I honestly can't believe it! I told myself that it was going to be almost impossible, and prepared myself not to worry or get too upset if it didn't happen, so I was honestly surprised and totally thrilled. I mean—WOW. I still can't believe it. It was actually [Roundabout Artistic Director] Todd Haimes who rang me. I was making a cup of tea in the front room and the phone rang, and I thought, 'Oh! That's early." He was the best person to hear it from, considering he's the man who made it happen for [co-star] Daniel and I to come over. So I jumped around a bit, called my mum, and here we are! I'm thrilled, but also have that little trepidation, because everyone talks about how stressful it can be for the next month. I don't want to get emotional about it, but I am! To think that the show's come from a tiny theater in London to Broadway and then received nominations…and just to be there the night that Sondheim gets his lifetime achievement award! That's glorious. What an incredible thing to be a part of. I'll just have to lose weight fast! I don't even know how to do that!"

Glenn Slater
Best Original Score Lyrics Nominee for The Little Mermaid
"I wasn't really expecting it. We're in workshops for Leap of Faith, and I've been working late every night. So I didn't wake up this morning until about 10, and I opened my e-mail to see about 50 messages. Very shocking and very exciting, as you can imagine. I've been floating on a cloud all day. This is my Broadway debut, and it's been sort of a fairy-tale ride to be asked to contribute to the score that Alan [Menken] and Howard Ashman created 20 years ago; one that's so much a part of the canon of what it is to grow up in America. The reality that something happens beyond today hasn't quite sunk in yet. Alan has been through this so many times with the Tonys and the Oscars and the Grammys. I think I'm just going to grab onto his arm and let him lead the way."

Amy Morton
Best Actress in a Play Nominee for August: Osage County
"I turned my phone off because I didn't want to know! If I wasn't nominated and my phone didn't ring, that was going to be weird. So I just turned it off. Then of course my body was like, 'No, you're waking up at quarter after eight,' which I never do. So clearly I was a bit of a mess about the whole damn thing. I ended up watching it on NY1 and going back to bed. Now it's all a blur. I did turn my phone back on at 10 and that's when everything started. At one point, I had both phones ringing and somebody trying to iChat me, and I thought my head was going to explode [laughs]. You can't ask for more than this. I'm one lucky girl. It's an overwhelming feeling of gratitude, coupled with 'I don't deserve it.' And you know what? I'm not even Catholic! I'm also really happy for the rest of our cast and the other Steppenwolf members in other shows, like Laurie [Metcalf in November] and Martha Plimpton [in Top Girls]. I just wish my parents were alive. They would've been beside themselves. For now, I've got a chiropractor appointment, then physical therapy, and then I've gotta do my damn show, don't I? But I might have to get some damn ice cream, at least."

Mark Rylance
Best Actor in a Play Nominee for Boeing-Boeing
"I feel delighted for the show that it's been nominated so many times. I don't know much about [the Tonys], to be honest. I've worked in England most of my life. I've never been to the Tony Awards show. It's nice that this is a celebration of the work, but it's always a bit uncomfortable for me. It uses terms like 'the best,'and I just don't believe those things really exist. But it's nice to be part of a celebration of what seems to me a fantastic, thriving theatrical scene here on Broadway. These people [the other Boeing-Boeing nominees] are my friends. I feel more pleased for them than I do for myself. This show is such a collaborative effort. For the director and the designer and all those people—those are individual tasks. But when you're acting, it's like a sports team giving an award to the person who makes the catch. That's only one part; someone has to throw the ball. So it's always embarrassing to be singled out. But it's lovely to be celebrated."

Adam Schlesinger
Best Score of a Musical Nominee for Cry-Baby
"It's a very nice day, very surprising and very thrilling. I actually woke up this morning to a bunch of congratulatory e-mails, and wasn't quite sure what I was being congratulated for because I wasn't even awake at that point. I'm really proud of the show we created and I really enjoyed working with all these people. I'm a novice at this, so having something like a nomination at the end of the line is incredibly thrilling and surprising. I didn't know if I would enjoy working in the theater and ultimately I did, and I hope to keep working! I've just been continually blown away by the amount of talented people working in New York. Getting to be exposed to this world where everyone is so funny and smart has been ideal. I mean, even during the auditions I was blown away by the amount of talent. Every single person who walked in the room I thought, ‘Oh! That's our person! They're great!' On the one hand, I don't believe that nominations and awards are what people get into the business for—it's about having a good job and doing good work—but I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel good."

Deanna Dunagan
Best Actress in a Play Nominee for August: Osage County
"I was asleep [when the nominations were announced]! In order to do this show, I have to have a certain amount of sleep and I knew if I got up, I would never go back to sleep. So I turned my phones off, and when I got up at 10, I went online and had a jillion messages on both my home phone and my cell phone. You know, I thought, 'I've gotten the other [awards] nominations and the Jeff Award in Chicago, and it's OK if I don't get the Tony nomination.' Then last night I had a bad dream that I didn't get it, so I guess I cared! [The Tony] is the ultimate; there's nothing bigger. It's interesting—in Chicago, the Jeffs are a big deal, but you'll get a couple of phone calls. This morning, I've gotten calls from all over the country. I have friends on the West Coast, who got up and e-mailed me at 5:30 in the morning. Of course, they didn't have to do eight shows this week! Theater is so important here, and the Tonys are such a big thing. It's like a fairy tale!"