The 29th Annual L.A. Weekly Theater Awards: The Rock Opera

Dust off those leather pants, pull your '80s duds out of mothballs and get ready to rock. The 29th Annual L.A. Weekly Theater Awards: The Rock Opera (Backers' Audition Edition) is coming Monday night, April 7, to the Avalon, 1735 Vine Street, Hollywood. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; show starts at 7:30. We've invited Mick Jagger, Sting, David Bowie, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Bette Midler, Bonnie Raitt (yes, possibly all under one roof just to celebrate small theater in L.A.!) and many other celebrity backers to check out Troubadour Theater Company's new rock opera, which is loosely based on — and will be the main entertainment at — L.A. Weekly's awards show honoring excellence in Los Angeles theaters of 99 seats or fewer, in productions that opened between January 1 and December 31, 2007.

Ed Krieger

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Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings

Robert W. Arbogast

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Bush Is Bad

You are a nominee if your name appears in the list below or if, in the categories of Production of the Year, Revival Production of the Year, Musical of the Year, or Two-Person Show, you are named in the program of the nominated show as an actor, designer, producer, director, writer, choreographer or stage manager. You are a nominee if, in the category of Production Design, you are listed in the program of the nominated show as a producer, director or designer. Finally, you are a nominee if, in any of the Ensemble categories, you were listed in the program of the nominated show as an actor.

Tickets for nominees are free. Nominees: R.S.V.P. to (323) 993-3693 beginning Wednesday, February 13 at noon, and somebody will confirm your reservation within a week. Tickets for all nominees' guests and for the general public are available for $17.50 plus handling fees, through www.laweekly.com/theaterawards.

(Note: Both the nominee R.S.V.P. line and the online box office for guests and the public open on Wednesday, February 13 at noon.)

T-shirts will be ripped at the door.

PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR

The Glory of Living, Victory Theatre Center

An Impending Rupture of the Belly, Furious Theatre Company

Loyal Women, Theatre Banshee

Sliding Into Hades, Koan Ensemble at the Odyssey Theatre

REVIVAL PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR (of a 20th- or 21st-century work)

Bad Seed, Buzzworks Theatre Company at the Lounge Theatre

The Chicago Conspiracy Trial, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble

The Swine Show, Sacred Fools Theatre Company

Travesties, Open Fist Theatre Company

Why Marry?, Theater Neo at the Secret Rose Theater

 MUSICAL OF THE YEAR

Bush Is Bad, Open at the Top Productions at the NoHo Arts Center

Evel Knievel: The Rock Opera, Bootleg Theater

Hair, MET Theatre

DIRECTION

Bo Crowell, Hair, MET Theatre

Elina DeSantos, A Doll's House, Ark Theatre Company

James Mellon, Feed, Open at the Top Productions at the NoHo Arts Center

Matthew Miller, Girl, 20, Serendipity Theatre Collective at the Hudson Mainstage

Penny L. Moore, A Lesson Before Dying, Actors Group Theatre

Damaso Rodriguez, An Impending Rupture of the Belly, Furious

Theatre Company

Ron Sossi, Sliding Into Hades, Koan Ensemble at the Odyssey Theatre

COMEDY DIRECTION

David Cheaney, Why Marry?, Theater Neo at the Secret Rose Theater

Michael Connors, Limonade Tous les Jours, I'm a Parade Productions at 2100 Square Feet

Frédérique Michel, The Bald Soprano, City Garage

Charles Otte, Travesties, Open Fist Theatre Company

Paul Plunkett, The Swine Show, Sacred Fools Theatre Company

Howard Teichman, Modern Orthodox, Theatre 40

 ONE-ACT DIRECTION

Frédérique Michel, Quartet, City Garage

 MUSICAL DIRECTION

Michael Levine, Bush Is Bad, Open at the Top Productions at the NoHo Arts Center

Christian Nesmith, Hair, MET Theatre

Billy Thompson, Invasion! The Musical, Flying Pig Productions at the Hudson Backstage Theatre

ENSEMBLE

Bleed Rail, Theatre @ Boston Court

Bug, Lost Angels Theater Company at the Coast Playhouse

Gilgamesh, Theatre @ Boston Court

Girl, 20, Serendipity Theatre Collective at the Hudson Mainstage

An Impending Rupture of the Belly, Furious Theatre Company

Loyal Women, Theatre Banshee

Sliding Into Hades, Koan Ensemble at the Odyssey Theatre

Wreck of the Unfathomable, Theatre of NOTE

 MUSICAL ENSEMBLE

Bush Is Bad, Open at the Top Productions at the NoHo Arts Center

Hair, MET Theatre

COMEDY ENSEMBLE

Bad Seed, Buzzworks Theatre Company at the Lounge Theatre

The Bald Soprano, City Garage

It's Just Sex, Zephyr Theatre

Limonade Tous les Jours, I'm a Parade Productions at 2100 Square Feet

Modern Orthodox, Theatre 40

The Swine Show, Sacred Fools Theatre Company

Travesties, Open Fist Theatre Company

Why Marry?, Theater Neo at the Secret Rose Theater

ONE-ACT ENSEMBLE

Edgar Allan Poe's Masque of the Red Death, Zombie Joe's Underground Theatre Group

Quartet, City Garage

LEADING FEMALE PERFORMANCE

Deidre Henry, Small Tragedy, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble

Karen Kondazian, The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore, Fountain Theatre

Andrea Lockhart, Feed, Open at the Top Productions at the NoHo Arts Center

Anna Quirino Miranda, A Doll's House, Ark Theatre Company

Deborah Puette, Tryst, Black Dahlia Theater

Samantha Sloyan, The Misanthrope, New Place Theatre

Rachel Style, The Glory of Living, Victory Theatre Center 

LEADING MALE PERFORMANCE

Robert W. Arbogast, Feed, Open at the Top Productions at the NoHo Arts Center

Stewart W. Calhoun, Dark Play or Stories for Boys, Theatre @ Boston Court