The Overcoat, the musical extravaganza from Theatre Calgary, Toronto's Canadian Stage and Edmonton's Citadel Theatre, and a production of The Pillowman by Ground Zero Theatre/Hit & Myth have been nominated for Betty Mitchell Awards for outstanding production.

The Overcoat, the musical extravaganza from Theatre Calgary, Toronto's Canadian Stage and Edmonton's Citadel Theatre, had six nominations.

The Betty Mitchell Awards are the annual honours for outstanding performances in Calgary theatre.

Tempting Providence, a co-production of Alberta Theatre Projects and Theatre Newfoundland Labrador, Thy Neighbour's Wife by Urban Curvz Theatre, and The Theatre Calgary/Canadian Stage co-production Of Mice and Men also got nods for best play.

New York hit The Pillowman, a dark drama about a writer in a police state who is jailed and questioned about his gruesome stories, earned seven Betty nominations, including outstanding direction for Kevin McKendrick.

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It also nabbed many of the acting nominations, with Andy Curtis, Trevor Leigh and David Trimble all nominated for best supporting actor and Ryan Luhning named in the best actor category.

The Overcoat had six nominations, for lighting, set, costume and directing honours for Morris Panych and Wendy Gorling.

Betty Mitchell Awards selected nominees
Best play	Thy Neighbour's Wife Of Mice and Men The Ovecoat The Pillowman Tempting Providence
Best musical	Why Freud Fainted Bless Carmen This is Cancer! Urinetown: The Musical
Best direction	Ron Jenkins, Confessions of a Paperboy Jillian Keiley, Tempting Providence Kevin McKendrick, The Pillowman Morris Panych, Wendy Gorling, The Overcoat Kelly Reay, Trainspotting
Best actor (drama)	Peter Anderson, The Overcoat Brian Dooley, The December Man Geoffrey Ewert, Trainspotting Ryan Luhning, The Pillowman Frank Zotter, The Dazzle
Best actress (drama)	Tara Beagan, Thy Neighbour's Wife Jennie Esdale, Confession of a Paperboy Martha Henry, The Retreat from Moscow Jennifer Moorhouse, The Goat or, Who is Sylvia? Valerie Planche, Music for Contortionist
Best actor (musical)	Mark Bellamy, Shear Madness Bruce Horak, This is Cancer! Christopher Hunt, Sitting on Paradise Dave Kelly, The SantaLand Diaries Carson Nattrass, Urinetown
Best actress (musical)	Naomi Costain, Victor/Victoria Nicola Cavendish, Glorious! Elinor Holt, Urinetown Victoria Lamond, Urinetown Petra Massey, Bless

In the musical category, Urinetown, co-produced by Ground Zero Theatre and Hit & Myth, is vying for six Bettys, including best musical.

It also got nods for set design, costume design, choreography, musical direction and best performer in a musical for Carson Nattrass.

Other contenders for best musical are Bless by One Yellow Rabbit and Spymonky, Carmen by Calgary Opera, This is Cancer! by Alberta Theatre projects, and Why Freud Fainted by Alberta Theatre Projects.

Best new play nominees are Ken Cameron for My Morocco, Doug Curtis for Confessions of a Paperboy, Norm Foster for My Narrator, Linda Griffiths for Age of Arousal, and Colleen Murphy for The December Man.

Veteran Canadian actress Martha Henry, who also is in charge of the Stratford theatre school, was nominated for best actress in a drama for her role in The Retreat from Moscow.

She will be competing with Tara Beagan in Thy Neighbour's Wife, Jennie Esdale in Confessions of a Paperboy, Jennifer Moorhouse in The Goat, or Who is Sylvia and Valerie Planche in Music for Contortionist.

In addition to Luhning, the best actor nominees are Peter Anderson in The Overcoat, Brian Dooley in The December Man, Geoffrey Ewert in Trainspotting and Frank Zotter in The Dazzle.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony Aug. 27 in Calgary.