The Council of Experts of the National Theater Award and the Golden Mask Festival nominated performances of the Alexandrinsky Theater “The Marriage” by N. Gogol and “The Seagull” by A. Chekhov for the 2009 Awards in the nomination of “The Best Drama Performance / the Big Form.”  Valery Fokin and Krystian Lupa were named in the nomination of “The Best Director’s Work.”  Among nominees were also named Alexander Borovsky for “The Best Artist’s Work” for his scenography of “The Marriage.”   Marina Ignatova was nominated for the role of Arkadina in “The Seagull” (“The Best Female Role”); Igor Volkov and Dmitry Lysenkov, who played the roles of Podkolesin and Kochkarev in “The Marriage,” were also nominated. The Golden Mask Festival is scheduled for March 27 – 17, 2009 in Moscow.  The Award Ceremony will take place on April 18 on the stage of the K. Stanislavsky and V. Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theater.