Winners of the 2006 Theatre World Awards Announced

Twelve performers have won Theatre World Awards for Outstanding Broadway and Off-Broadway Debut Performances for their work in the 2005-2006 theatrical season. The awards honor those who are making a "reviewable" New York stage debut. In other words, even if a performer has appeared previously in the ensemble of a musical or had a bit part in a play, they can receive a Theatre World Award for a breakthrough role.

And the winners are:

Harry Connick, Jr., The Pajama Game
Felicia P. Fields, The Color Purple
Maria Friedman, The Woman in White
Richard Griffiths, The History Boys
Mamie Gummer, Mr. Marmalade
Jayne Houdyshell, Well
Bob Martin, The Drowsy Chaperone
Ian McDiarmid, Faith Healer
Nellie McKay, The Threepenny Opera
David Wilmot, The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Elisabeth Withers-Mendes, The Color Purple
John Lloyd Young, Jersey Boys

The Theatre World Award winners have been chosen by the Theatre World Awards committee, which is composed of Peter Filichia The Star Ledger, Harry Haun Playbill, Matthew Murray TalkinBroadway.com, Frank Scheck The New York Post, Michael Sommers The Star Ledger, Newhouse Papers, Doug Watt Critic Emeritus, The New York Daily News and Linda Winer Newsday.

The Theatre World Awards will be presented on June 6, 2006 at 2pm in a ceremony, written and hosted by Filichia, at Studio 54. The twelve awards will be presented by former award winners, including Lucie Arnaz They're Playing Our Song, 1979, Maxwell Caulfield Class Enemy, 1980, Harry Groener Oklahoma!, 1977, Ken Page Guys and Dolls, 1977, Patricia Neal Another Part of the Forest, 1947, John Rubinstein Pippin, 1973, and Jonathan Pryce Comedians, 1977. Several presenters will perform songs they introduced from the shows for which they received their award, including John Rubinstein "Corner of the Sky" from Pippin and Ken Page "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat" from Guys & Dolls.