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The buzz is building for The Wilde Awards

By BTL Staff

It's hard to believe, but The Ninth Annual Wilde Awards are less than a week away. Yes, the best productions and performances of Southeast and Mid-Michigan's 2008-09 professional theater season will be honored Wednesday, Aug.26 at a delightfully prestigious ceremony at Detroit's historic Gem Theatre.
"It's always a much-anticipated night," said Susan Horowitz, CEO of Pride Source Media Group, the primary sponsor of The Wilde Awards.
"It's the one time each year when the theater community, the LGBT community and the theatergoing public can come together and celebrate the achievements of the previous season, but in an atmosphere that's truly unique – and fun! We don't call it 'One Wilde Night' for nothing!"
Plus, Horowitz added, "We're one of the last remaining media-sponsored theater awards in the state, and I think the theater community appreciates that we too haven't abandoned them. So as a result, they're happy to party especially 'hardy' with us once a year!"
The event begins with a cocktails and hors d'oeuvre reception at 6:30 p.m., with musical entertainment provided by The Tony Lannen Trio. The awards ceremony begins promptly at 8 p.m., followed by a sinfully delicious dessert afterglow. And, Horowitz predicts, there will be plenty of surprises throughout the night. "That's what people seem to like best about The Wilde Awards: Its unpredictability. We like to shake things up each year, and next week's show will be no different."
That's especially true of the awards themselves, said Donald V. Calamia, theater and arts editor of Between The Lines, editorial director of EncoreMichigan.com and host of The Wilde Awards. "We changed some of the categories this year, but surprisingly, no one seemed to notice that we're one shy of the 19 categories we generally announce ahead of time. I wonder what that could mean," he mused.
In all, 22 awards will be presented throughout the ceremony. "And then there's 'The WILDE-r Awards," Calamia teased. "There were plenty of 'noteworthy moments' that happened this past year, and I can assure everyone that we WILL be talking about them!"
Co-hosting with Calamia again this year are Suzan Jacokes and Jaime Moyer. "The rest of the details we're keeping secret – for now," Calamia said.
Tickets to The 2009 Wilde Awards are $18 each, inclusive of all fees. To order tickets, log on to http://tinyurl.com/ns8em6. For additional information, call 734-293-7200, ext. 22.
Recommended for adults only.

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