The 14th annual Cincinnati Entertainment Awards for local theater will be held Sunday, Aug. 29 at Know Theatre of Cincinnati in Over-the-Rhine. Admission is free. Doors open at 6 p.m. for a social hour, followed by awards in 27 categories at 7:00.  

  

Local Actress In A Leading RoleBeth Harris As Violet in Violet, Ensemble Theatre of CincinnatiMary Chichetti As Mrs. Johnstone in Blood Brothers, UC College-Conservatory of MusicEydie Cohen as Roy Coh  

Actress In A Leading RoleDeb Girdler As Mac in Three Viewings, Ensemble Theatre of CincinnatiMarni Penning As Hamlet in Hamlet, Cincinnati Shakespeare FestivalPamela Myers As Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney To  

Actress In A Leading RoleBrienin Bryant As Veronika Jonkers in Valley Song, Playhouse in the ParkRaye Lankford As Sylvia in Sylvia, Playhouse in the ParkAnnie Fitzpatrick As Iana in Copperheads, Ensem  

Local Actress In A Leading RoleChristine Dye as Shirley Valentine in Shirley Valentine, Mariemont PlayersTaylore Mahogany Scott as Alexis in The Gimmick, Cincinnati Shakespeare FestivalCorinne Mohlenh  

Local Actress In A Leading RoleDeborah Brock-Blanks as Miss K in Praying for Rain, Ensemble Theatre of CincinnatiSherman Fracher as Irene Delford in Chagrin Falls (Cincinnati Shakespeare FestivalA. Be  

Local Actress In A Leading RoleSue Breving as Mabel Tidings in Pride’s Crossing, The Drama WorkshopAnnie Fitzpatrick as Karen in Dinner with Friends, Ensemble Theatre of CincinnatiDiane Danzi as  

Local Actress In A Leading RoleSherman Fracher as Lisa in Private Eyes, Ensemble Theatre of CincinnatiDale Hodges as Vivian Bearing Ph.D. in Wit, Cincinnati PlayhouseBoo Friedman as a young Jewish wom  

A dozen years after Ed Stern's arrival in Cincinnati to take over the creative reins at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, the theater company finally was recognized by the Tony Awards for fostering new plays, building a subscriber base envied by theaters in larger cities and reaching out to several hundred thousand young people annually, the audiences of the future. Stern is quick to deflect praise from himself to those he works with and to the community the Playhouse serves. But he's played a leading role in tandem with Playhouse Executive Director Buzz Ward.   

Local Actress In A Leading Role (Play)Amy Warner as Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Cincinnati Shakespeare FestivalSue Breving as Kimberly in Kimberly Akimbo, New Stage CollectiveSher  

Local Actress In A Leading RoleBurgess Byrd as Charlayne in Neat, Know Theatre TribeCorinne Mohlenhoff as Julia in Fallen Angels, Ovation Theatre CompanyAnne Valauri as Isabel in My Children! My Afric  

You could stand in a check-out line at a grocery story in northwestern Cincinnati behind Joe McDonough and never detect that the guy unloading his cart before you is a playwright whose scripts have been enjoyed by audiences at theaters all over town and beyond. In fact, the self-effacing man who is disinclined to talk about himself at length has been writing plays since 1988. This season he's accomplished something no other local writer has ever managed to do: Two of his scripts will be given their world premieres almost simultaneously by the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati.  

For creating and sustaining Cincinnati Young People's Theatre Festival for nearly 30 years, for keeping the Showboat Majestic afloat (literally and artistically) and for turning a deteriorating West Side movie theater into a popular performing arts venue, the Covedale Center for the Performing Arts, Jennifer and Tim Perrino and Denny Reed were honored by the League of Cincinnati Theatres with the 2009 "Continuing Achievement Award." They were inducted into the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards Hall of Fame at the Below Zero Lounge event on Aug. 30.  

Bill Hartnett and Ellie Shepherd, partners in life and frequently onstage, first acted in a play together 30 years ago with Mariemont Players, and they've enjoyed doing theater in one another's company ever since. They were married in 1982. For their body of work on local stages, Hartnett and Shepherd were honored with the League of Cincinnati Theatres' 2008 "Continuing Achievement Award." They were inducted into the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards Hall of Fame at the 2008 CEA event at Below Zero Lounge.