Area Theaters Nominated for Wilde Awards—Michigan's Tonys

In a testament to their creative prowess, local professional theaters have been nominated for a Wilde Award—Michigan’s version of the Tony Award—sponsored by Encore Michigan.

Ann Arbor's Performance Network led the pack with 15 nominations, and its production of the musical The Drowsy Chaperone garnered six nominations, more than any other individual show.

The in Dexter earned four nominations: Best Musical Direction and Best Actress Performance for Club Morocco, Best Lighting Design for Nevermore and Best Actor in a Musical for Damn Yankees.

"Personally, I am very proud to be nominated for a 2011 Wilde Award for a second consecutive season of theater. And, The Encore is excited to be recognized in four nominations through the very talented people who work on our productions: Jessica Grové, Tyler Driskill, Steven V. Rice and myself,” artistic director Steve DeBruyne said. “We hope to continue to represent Dexter and Washtenaw County in the Wilde Awards for many years to come.”

The Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea earned six nominations: Best Comedy for Boeing-Boeing, Best Production of a New Script for Best of Friends and Corktown, Best Performance of an Actor for Some Couples May, Best Teamwork for Corktown and Best New Script for Corktown.

“The awards are nice, but that’s not literally why we do it,” PRTC director Guy Sanville said. “We do, however, appreciate the nominations.”

Wilde Award winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Gem Theatre on Aug. 24.