The Stage

Haydn Gwynne continues Billy Elliot US awards success

Published Thursday 14 May 2009 at 16:47 by Judd Hollander

UK actress Haydn Gwynne, currently appearing on Broadway in the musical Billy Elliot, repeating a role she originated in London, is among the winners of the 65th Annual Theatre World Awards, given out for Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut Performances.

Also being honored is David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish, the three actors who rotate in the title role of Billy Elliot. Receiving a special award is the six-member cast of the acclaimed revival of The Norman Conquests, which started life at London’s Old Vic Theatre. Among the other winners is actor Geoffrey Rush, for his performances in Ionesco’s Exit The King.

One of the oldest and most prestigious theatrical acting honors, the Theatre World Awards are unique in that they can only be awarded once in a person’s career.

Each year, 12 honorees, six men and six women, are chosen by the Theatre World Award Committee, composed of drama critics and writers covering New York theatre. The awards will be presented at an invitation-only ceremony on June 2 at Broadway’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. The Theatre World Awards were first presented in 1945.

A complete list of Theatre World Award winners for the 2008/09 theatrical season follows:

David Alvarez / Trent Kowalik / Kiril Kulish - Billy Elliot, The Musical

Chad L. Coleman - Joe Turner’s Come and Gone

Jennifer Grace - Our Town

Josh Grisetti - Enter Laughing, The Musical

Haydn Gwynne - Billy Elliot, The Musical

Colin Hanks - 33 Variations

Marin Ireland - reasons to be pretty

Susan Louise O’Connor - Blithe Spirit

Condola Rashad - Ruined

Geoffrey Rush - Exit the King

Josefina Scaglione - West Side Story

Wesley Taylor - Rock of Ages

Special Award: To the Entire Cast of The Norman Conquests

Amelia Bullmore, Jessica Hynes, Stephen Mangan, Ben Miles, Paul Ritter, and Amanda Root