(New York, NY) May 4, 2009 -- The winners of the 2009 Touring Broadway Awards® were revealed today at a special Awards Ceremony during The Broadway League’s annual Spring Road Conference at the Hilton New York in Manhattan. Playbill and Sirius XM Radio’s Seth Rudetsky announced the awards. Three officers from the League’s Kids Advisory Board presented the Audience Choice Award.

Producer David Stone accepted the award for “Best Long-Running Touring Musical” for Wicked.For the third year in a row, Wicked also received the “Touring Broadway Audience Choice Award.” Legally Blonde the Musical won for “Best New Touring Musical” and Frost/Nixon was awarded “Best Touring Play.” On hand to accept the award for “Best Choreography of a Touring Production” was Jerry Mitchell for Legally Blonde the Musical.

"According to the League's newest Touring Broadway report, 15.3 million tickets were sold to Broadway Series across North America last season," commented Broadway League Executive Director, Charlotte St. Martin. "27% of those people also attended a Broadway show in New York City, which illustrates that theatregoers nationwide appreciate the best that Broadway has to offer. The Touring Broadway Awards recognize the extraordinary work and talent of all those involved who produce magic on stages across the country."

Established in 2000, The Touring Broadway Awards® presented by The Broadway League are the first national awards to recognize Touring Broadway. League presenters representing over 240 markets select award recipients from their Broadway Series. The 2009 Touring Broadway Awards ceremony is sponsored by Chase and kicks off the League’s 2009 Spring Road Conference.

The 2009 Touring Broadway Awards winners:

Best New Touring Musical
Legally Blonde the Musical
Producers: Hal Luftig, Fox Theatricals, Dori Berinstein, James L. Nederlander, Independent Presenters Network, Roy Furman, Broadway Asia, Barbara Whitman, Wolkenberg/Freitag, Hendel/Nocciolino, Stern/Meyer, Asnes/Zotovich, Bartner/Jenkins, and Warren Trepp

Best Touring Play
Frost/Nixon
Author: Peter Morgan
Producer Arielle Tepper Madover and Executive Producer/General Manager, Jeffrey M. Wilson

Best Design of a Touring Production
Legally Blonde the Musical
Scenic Design: David Rockwell
Costume Design: Gregg Barnes
Lighting Design: Kenneth Posner

Best Musical Score of a Touring Production
Spring Awakening
Music: Duncan Sheik
Lyrics: Steven Sater

Best Direction of a Touring Production
Michael Mayer
Spring Awakening

Best Choreography of a Touring Production
Jerry Mitchell
Legally Blonde the Musical

Best Long-Running Touring Musical
Wicked
Producers: Marc Platt, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone

Touring Broadway Achievement Award
Bill Miller

Touring Broadway Audience Choice Award
Wicked

THE BROADWAY LEAGUE’S 2009 OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN PRESENTER MANAGEMENT
Colleen Jennings-Roggensack

THE BROADWAY LEAGUE’S 2009 OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN ROAD MARKETING
Michael Kilgore

THE BROADWAY LEAGUE'S 2009 DISTINGUISHED LIFETIME SERVICE
Alecia Parker

Additional information about the awards is available at www.touringbroadwayawards.com.

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About The Broadway League

The Broadway League, founded in 1930 as the League of New York Theatres, is the national trade association for the Broadway industry. The League’s 600-plus members include theatre owners and operators, producers, presenters, and general managers in 240 North American cities, as well as suppliers of goods and services to the theatre industry. Each year, League members bring Broadway to nearly 30 million people in New York and across the U.S. and Canada.

Visit our website at www.broadwayleague.com

Press Contacts:
Elisa Shevitz
(212) 703-0225, (917) 533-9050
eshevitz@broadway.org

Erica Ryan,
(212) 703-0221, (917) 771-3896
eryan@broadway.org