Theatre World Award. Photo by Craig Watters (2011)

Theatre World Award

At an annual ceremony and an afternoon party attended by former winners and invited members of the theatre community, six actresses and six actors are presented with a Theatre World Award in recognition of their debut performance in a Broadway or Off-Broadway production.

The Theatre World Award remains the oldest award given for a debut theatre performance On or Off-Broadway.  The contribution this Award has made to the theatre is incalculable. It is not a competition and is it only given once. Because it is given for a debut performance, it encourages and inspires newcomers to the stage to continue to pursue their dream. It is freely given at a time when encouragement is so necessary in an industry known more for rejection than reception.

The Theatre World Award winners are chosen by the Theatre World Awards committee, which is comprised of David Cote (Time Out New York, NY1), Joe Dziemianowicz (New York Daily News), Peter Filichia (Newark Star-Ledger), Harry Haun (Playbill), Matthew Murray (Talkin' Broadway), Frank Scheck (The Hollywood Reporter), and Linda Winer (Newsday).

Peter Filichia, Host

__PETER FILICHIA is the theater critic for the Star-Ledger in Newark, New Jersey, and a columnist for www.masterworksbroadway.com and www.kritzerland.com.
 
He wrote Peter Filichia's Diary for www.theatermania.com for 10 years; Theatergoer’s Diary for www.theater.com for two years; Stagestruck for Theater Week magazine for its entire nine-year run, and for three years on Playbill-on-Line. He was the theater critic for television station News 12 New Jersey from 1995-2010.
 
Filichia is the author of Let's Put on a Musical, now in its third printing (Back Stage, 2007); Broadway Musicals: The Biggest Hit of the Season / The Biggest Flop of the Season: The Last 50 Years (Applause, 2010), Broadway Musical MVPs 1960-2010: The Most Valuable Players of the Last 50 Seasons (Applause, 2011). His new book, The Best Musical Tony Runners-Up will be published in 2012 by St. Martin’s Press.
 
Before joining the Theatre World Awards in 1996 as host and head of the selection committee, Filichia served four terms as president of the Drama Desk, where he wrote and hosted its annual awards ceremony.
 
In addition, Filichia has served on an assessment panel for the National Endowment for the Arts; has written liner notes for many Broadway cast albums; is the critic-in-residence for the University of Cincinnati-Conservatory of Music; annually serves on the ASCAP Awards program; and is a Theatre Hall of Fame voter.
 
He can be reached at the Star-Ledger at pfilichia@starledger.com.

PETER FILICHIA. Photo by: Jim Baldassare