Galway's Druid Theatre Company has secured prestigious Tony Award nominations in New York for the second year in a row. The company's Broadway production of Martin McDonagh's play The Lonesome West has been given four nominations this time around.
The production, which opened in the Lyceum Theatre a week ago, is one of four in the Tony Awards list for best play of 1999.
Brian O'Byrne, who plays Valene, has been nominated for best actor, while Dawn Bradfield's interpretation of Girleen has been nominated in the best featured actress category.
The Druid artistic director, Garry Hynes, has been nominated in the best director section.
Only 12 months ago, the Druid Theatre Company/Royal Court production of another Martin McDonagh play, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, was nominated in five Tony categories and went on to win four awards.
This year's selection is particularly sweet for actor Brian O'Byrne, who secured one of the five nominations in 1998 but failed to make it on the night.
The Tony Award nominations in 21 competitive categories were announced in New York early yesterday, after a selection by an independent committee of 28 theatre professionals.
Playwright Arthur Miller is to receive a special award for lifetime achievement; he received one of his previous Tonys in 1947, the year the awards were founded. The award ceremony will take place in the Gershwin Theatre, Broadway, on June 6th.
