Musical Moses from Father Ho Lung and Friends leads the pack of nominees for this year’s Actor Boy Awards with 10 nominations.

The nominees for awards, which recognises excellence in local theatre, was announced last night during a ceremony at the Phoenix Theatre in New Kingston.

Moses has copped nominations for Best Costume Design, Best Lighting Design, Best Set Design, Best Special Effects, Best Musical, Best Choreographer (Paula Shaw), Best Actor in a Lead Role (Stephen Rhae Johnson), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Hugh Douse), Best Director (Greg Thames), and Best Production

The drama Catherine Mulgrave from the University Players runs a close second with nine Actor Boy nods. It has garnered recognition for lighting design, set design, ensemble cast, new Jamaican script, choreography, actor in a lead role (Jean Paul Menou), actress in a supporting role (Nadean Rawlins), directing (Brian Heap), and for Best Production.

Mary Banks’ gospel work Amazing Grace is another of the big nominees this year with eight. Costume design, lighting design, special effects, Best Drama, Best Musical, Best New Jamaican Script, Best Choreographer (Angie Marr and Charmaine Mullings), and Best Original Song.

The ensemble work Woman Tongue, the final production produced by Scarlette Behare who died October last year, has seven nominations including Best Ensemble Cast, Best Drama, Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Barbara McCalla and Carol Lawes).

Pan and Not My Child snagged six nominations a piece . Pan has earned nods for Costume Design, set design, Best Children’s Production, Best Musical and Best Production. There are no other nominees in the Best Original Score category and therefore Pan has already won one trophy. Not My Child’s nominations include special effects, Best Drama, Best Tragedy, Best New Jamaican Script, actress in a lead role (Leonie Forbes) and actress in a supporting role (Rosemary Murray).

Other productions with multiple nominations are Garvey, Dog, and The Mountain Top, all with five nods. The Trial of Governor Eyre has four nominations. It’s three nominations for Tek Yuh Han Off A Mi, Bad Breed and Frank The Freak, while Ilawa, Of Plastic Things and Butterfly Wings and Di Miggle Room have a pair each.

The productions with a single Actor Boy nomination are Seven Shades of Woman, Same Difference, Barrel Pickney, The blind Spot, #Hashtag, The Bacchae, Marriage Bizniz and Undercover Craziness. The revue Jamaica Sweet was the only nominee that category and will walk away with the trophy at the awards show on March 27.

–- Richard Johnson