Sterlings love the thrust-and-parry of Cyrano

Citadel Theatre productions earned 45 nominations across 26 categories at the Sterling Awards, Edmonton's annual celebration of excellence on the stage. The list includes 11 nominations for Cyrano de Bergerac, with nods for best new play, Amanda Goldberg's direction, Scott Shpeley's leading performance, and outstanding production. Three other nominations for outstanding production of a play are also for the Citadel — Casey and Diana, Death of a Salesman, and Life of Pi. Fringe Theatre's Countries Shaped Like Stars rounds out that category, and also earned nominations for Murray Utas's direction and the ensemble's performance.

Fringe's Tough Guy, a new play by Hayley Moorhouse, earned seven nominations — for best new play, director Brett Dahl's choreography, Autumn Strom's leading performance, lighting design, multimedia design, and the ensemble cast's performance. The Sterlings also recognize shows from the annual Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival. The nominees for outstanding Fringe production are Assassins from Uniform Theatre, The Last Perfect Game from High Fives at Zero Theatre, The Queen's Last Night / La Dernière Nuit de la Reine from Gilbert Drapeau, Rat Academy 2: Gnaw and Order from Batrabbit Collective, and "SPEED" A 1940's Radio Drama from Cousins-In-Law Productions. The Fringe's executive director, Megan Dart, will receive the Margaret Mooney Award for Outstanding Achievement in Administration.

Among the nominations for outstanding production of a musical are Cry-Baby from Uniform Theatre and Edmonton Opera's Die Walküre. The Citadel's Legally Blonde, Vinyl Cafe: The Musical, and The Wizard of Oz round out that category. See Liz Nicholls's post for even more about the nominees. Tickets are on sale now for the Sterling Awards ceremony at the Westbury Theatre on July 20.