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Averitt Center to celebrate best local performers
Voting under way for Peoples Choice Award
Averitt Center logo

    The Averitt Center is rolling out the red carpet for local celebrities. Its second annual Emma Awards Ceremony will be held on Saturday, June 8, at 6 p.m.
    Inspired by the Tony and Emmy Awards shows, the Emma Awards Ceremony is an Averitt Center for the Arts fundraiser event designed to recognize the best artists in our community.
    “Last year, our nominees and their fans got a kick out of walking down the red carpet and being interviewed and photographed by the 'paparazzi',” said Tim Chapman, the center’s executive director. “And as their names were called, the looks on the winners' faces were priceless!”
    Nominees were selected from the casts and crews of the Averitt STARS Community Theater's 2012-13season productions: “The Wizard of Oz,” “9 to 5,” “Not On This Night,” “The Gift of the Magi,” “Twelve Angry Jurors” and “I Remember Mama.” Awards will be given in the following categories: Best Director, Best Actor/Actress, Best Supporting Actor/Actress, Best Choreographer, Best Set Design, Best Costumes, and Best Show.
    A Critic's Choice Award, chosen by a select, anonymous committee, and a People's Choice Award, chosen by popular vote, will be given in each category. Votes are $1 and can be cast online at www.averittcenterforthearts.org. Voting opened Friday and will stay open through midnight June 6. You can also vote in person by stopping by the Averitt Center to pick up a ballot. 
    “The Emma Awards are a great way to acknowledge our local performers' outstanding talent and raise money for the Averitt Center,” Chapman said. “We are thrilled to be bringing it back this year! The competition is going to be fierce, so be sure to vote for your favorites!”
    Tickets for the semiformal gala include a reception and can be purchased for $25 per person or $40 per couple at the Emma Kelly Theater Box Office Tuesday-Friday from noon to 6 p.m., or by calling (912) 212-2787. The evening will also feature entertainment by local performers, including some of the evening's award nominees.
    This season's productions were as different as possible — ranging from the comedic antics in “9 to 5” to the emotionally touching “Not on this Night” and “I Remember Mama,” to the sweet nostalgia of “Gift of the Magi” and “The Wizard of Oz,” and the tension-filled drama of “Twelve Angry Jurors.”
    “It will be tough to choose a winner,” said Sharon Altany, the 2012-13 Averitt STARS president. “Each and every one of the nominees is incredibly talented, and we hope family and friends will really come out vote! It is a great way to support the people they know, as well as the place where they get the chance to perform!”
   
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2013 EMMA AWARDS NOMINEES
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