When the winners of the 2009 Tony Awards are announced Sunday night, Atlantans may have two reasons to cheer.

Jane Fonda’s turn as an ailing musicologist in the drama “33 Variations” earned a nomination for best actress in a play, and former College Park resident Hunter Bell was nominated for writing the book of the quirky musical “[title of show].”

Carol Rosegg

Hunter Bell (front) and Jeff Bowen found Tony success with “[title of show].”

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The nomination has not only boosted Bell’s reputation, but has also gotten him invited to exclusive events for this year’s nominees. For weeks now, he’s been hobnobbing with superstars such as Fonda, Elton John, Dolly Parton and Will Ferrell.

“It’s all surreal,” Bell said. “It’s like something I’ve seen on E! Entertainment Television, only now I get to crawl inside my TV set.”

But the Tony nomination is just the latest chapter in Bell’s strange trip to Broadway. Back in 2004, when “[title of show]” debuted at a musical theater festival in New York City, it was hardly a guaranteed hit.

The show — whose score is by Jeff Bowen — follows two friends named Hunter and Jeff as they try to write a musical. Bell and Bowen have played themselves in every New York production, singing self-referential songs such as “Untitled Opening Number” and making loads of in jokes about the New York theater scene.

Those head-scratching conceits might have scared audiences away, but “[title of show]” was a major festival hit. It followed that success with a lengthy off-Broadway run in 2006 and a four-month stint on Broadway last year.

Part of the show’s appeal is its blend of high-concept cleverness and relatable emotion. Even as they crack jokes and sing show tunes about show tunes, the characters confront larger issues of self-worth and personal identity.

“We’re exploring how hard it is to create,” Bell said, “and we’re exploring what happens when you take friendships and put them in extreme situations of potential success and failure.”

Though he finds it “bittersweet” that he was nominated and Bowen was not, Bell says he’s honored to be on this year’s Tony roster.

“I feel like we deserve to be part of the conversation,” he said. “Not just for my own ego or the show’s reputation, but because I want young writers to think, ‘I can write an original story, and it can be on Broadway.’ It’s important for original stuff to make it to Broadway, and not just shows adapted from movies.”

Bell credits Atlanta for launching his life in the theater. He moved here from North Carolina in seventh grade, and he attended Woodward Academy, where Linda Wise oversaw his work in the performing arts department. Soon after high school, he was cast in several productions at Alliance Theatre.

“I grew up going to the Alliance and seeing all the shows, so I felt like a rock star getting to work there,” he said.

He adds that it’s his “secret fantasy” to see “[title of show]” produced in Atlanta someday.

“It would mean a lot because Atlanta was a hot theater scene when I was there, and it still is,” he said. “I’m really proud to have roots there.”