A scene from The Color Purple, which has been nominated for an Outer Circle award. Photo by Paul Kolnik.

May 1, 2006- The nominations are in for the 55th annual Outer Circle awards, to be held on May 25 at Sardi's, and numerous Great White Way productions are in the running. The Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting applauds the outstanding nominees:

OUTSTANDING BROADWAY PLAY
Festen
The History Boys
The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Primo

OUTSTANDING BROADWAY MUSICAL
The Color Purple
The Drowsy Chaperone
Jersey Boys
The Woman in White

OUTSTANDING OFF-BROADWAY PLAY
Beauty of the Father
In The Continuum
Stuff Happens
Tryst

OUTSTANDING OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL
Bernada Alba
Grey Gardens
See What I Wanna See
Thrill Me - The Leopold & Loeb Story

OUTSTANDING NEW SCORE
The Color Purple
The Drowsy Chaperone
Grey Gardens
See What I Wanna See

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY
Awake and Sing!
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
The Constant Wife
The Trip to Bountiful

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris
The Pajama Game
Sweeney Todd
Two Gentlemen of Verona

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A PLAY
Gabriel Byrne, A Touch of the Poet
Zeljko Ivanek, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
Ian McDiarmid, Faith Healer
David Wilmot, The Lieutenant of Inishmore

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Cynthia Nixon, Rabbit Hole
Lois Smith, The Trip to Bountiful
Zoë Wanamaker, Awake and Sing!
Julie White, The Little Dog Laughed

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Michael Cerveris, Sweeney Todd
Harry Connick, Jr., The Pajama Game
Hugh Panaro, Lestat
John Lloyd Young, Jersey Boys

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Christine Ebersole, Grey Gardens
LaChanze, The Color Purple
Patti LuPone, Sweeney Todd
Kelli O'Hara, The Pajama Game

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Richard Easton, Entertaining Mr. Sloane
Peter Gerety, The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Richard Griffiths, The History Boys
Mark Ruffalo, Awake and Sing!

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Frances de la Tour, The History Boys
Hallie Foote, The Trip to Bountiful
Jan Maxwell, Entertaining Mr. Sloane
Lynn Redgrave, The Constant Wife

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Michael Ball, The Woman in White
Peter Benson, The Pajama Game
Jim Dale, The Threepenny Opera
Christian Hoff, Jersey Boys

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Megan Lawrence, The Pajama Game
Beth Leavel, The Drowsy Chaperone
Mary Louise Wilson, Grey Gardens
Elisabeth Withers-Mendes, The Color Purple

OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE
Steven Fales, Confessions of a Mormon Boy
Margo Gomez, Los Big Names
Jack Holmes, RFK
Anthony Sher, Primo

OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A PLAY
Nicholas Hytner, The History Boys
Wilson Milam, The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Bartlett Sher, Awake and Sing!
Jerry Zaks, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial

OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
John Doyle, Sweeney Todd
Michael Greif, Grey Gardens
Kathleen Marshall, The Pajama Game
Des McAnuff, Jersey Boys

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY
Graciela Daniele, Bernarda Alba
Kathleen Marshall, The Pajama Game
Casey Nicholaw, The Drowsy Chaperone
Sergio Trujillo, Jersey Boys

OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN
John Lee Beatty, The Color Purple
William Dudley, The Woman in White
David Gallo, The Drowsy Chaperone
Allen Moyer, Grey Gardens

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN
Gregg Barnes, The Drowsy Chaperone
William Dudley, The Woman in White
William Ivey Long, Grey Gardens
Martin Pakledinaz, The Pajama Game

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN
Howell Binkley, Jersey Boys
Richard G. Jones, Sweeney Todd
Jeff Nellis, Tryst
Paul Pyant, The Woman in White

JOHN GASSNER AWARD
Rolin Jones, The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow
Danai Gurira & Nikkole Salter, In the Continuum
Adam Rapp, Red Light Winter
Rinne Groff, The Ruby Sunrise