Colorado Springs is putting the Henry in the Henry Awards this year.

Two actors from Theatreworks’ “Henry IV and V” have been nominated as outstanding leading actors in a play by the Colorado Theatre Guild’s Henry Awards, which celebrate achievements in the statewide theater community.

Colton Pratt played Prince Hal, the sodden prince who cleans up and grows up before our eyes in Max Shulman’s fast-paced consolidation of Shakespeare’s Henry history plays. And his competition will include castmate Logan Ernstthal, the sodden clown Falstaff, who neither grows up nor cleans up before our eyes.

The Colorado Theatre Guild released its 19th annual Henry Award nominations this week, and they reflect a major, perhaps even history-making, change. The Guild has morphed all 16 of its previous individual actor categories into eight groups of gender-free “outstanding performer” nominees.

That means there are no “Outstanding Actor” or “Actress” categories. In Pratt and Ernstthal’s case, simply one expanded pool of 13 performers of varying genders.

The top two point-getters in each of the new “outstanding performer” categories from ballots scored by Guild adjudicators win. If both happen to identify as men, or women, or something in between, Colorado Theatre Guild president Betty Hart said, so be it. The top two win.

“We’re serious about listening to the community and acting on behalf of positive change,” Hart said.

Pratt and Ernstthal are among eight 2025 nominees from Colorado Springs or Cripple Creek. Pratt accounts for two of the nominations. He was also nominated as outstanding featured actor for his portrayal of the romantic John Willoughby in Theatreworks’ “Sense & Sensibility.”

Pratt, Arvada-born and a graduate of Colorado Mesa University, has been emerging as Colorado Springs’ leading man these past few years. He was named a 2024 True West Award winner by The Denver Gazette for his work as Prince Hal and elsewhere last year, including playing Cassio in Theatreworks’ “Othello.”

Ernstthal is a venerated actor who was a longtime performer at the Creede Repertory Theatre before expanding into the Denver and Colorado Springs areas.

In all, Theatreworks garnered four Henry Award nominations; the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, two; the Springs Ensemble Theatre, one; and the Thin Air Theatre Company of Cripple Creek one.

Elise Santora, who has won two Henry Awards for outstanding leading actress, is nominated this year for directing the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College’s “Dial M for Murder.”

Three years ago, the Colorado Theatre Guild took the extraordinary step of splitting most categories into two tiers based on the budget size of its member companies. (The dividing line between Tier 1 and 2 is an annual budget of $500,000.)

Last year, Colorado Springs artists won two Henry Awards: Steve Emily was named outstanding leading actor in a small-budget play for Springs Ensemble Theatre’s “Annapurna.” Christopher L. Sheley, now the artistic director of the Fine Arts Center’s theater company, won best large-budget scenic design for “Misery.”

This year’s winners will be announced July 28 at the Lone Tree Arts Center. Tickets will be available this month at 720-509-1000 or lonetreeartscenter.org/events.