Chosen from some 2,000 Off-Off Broadway (aka independent) productions, the New York Innovative Theatre Awards nominated 134 individual artists, 60 different productions and 60 Off-Off-Broadway theatre companies.
Here is a video I put together interviewer presenters (such as Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz and Broadway actress Jane Houdyshell) and winners asking: Why Off-Off Broadway?
Below are a list of the winners, announced in a ceremony, September 30, 2013.
Special Awards
Richard Foreman, Artistic Achievement Award
The Dramatists Guild Fund, Elen Stewart Award
terraNOVA Collective, Cafe Cino Fellowship Awad
Abbey Bay, outstanding Stage Manager Award
Mariah MacCarthy, 2013 Doric Wilson Independent playwright Award
Competitive categories — winners marked with an asterisk.
Outstanding Ensemble
*The Window:4 ALICE, PopUp Theatrics in association with the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York
Inés Garcia, Robin Johnson, Nick Smerkanich
Clown Bar, Pipeline Theatre Company
Willy Appelman, Ian Axness,Andrew Farmer, Jessica Frey, Daniel Johnsen, Kelley Rae O’Donnell, Claire Rothrock, Dan Tracy, Amir Wachterman, Noah Zachary, Shane Zeigler
Fool for Love, The Rising Sun Performance Company
Ryan Dusek, Larry Gutman, Christina G. Mulikin, Jonathan
That Lady from Maxim‘s, Isle of Shoals Productions, Inc.
Amanda Baumler, Michael R. Buscemi, Amara Haaksman, Arthur Lundquist, Alex Mace,John Mervini, Tom Morin, Anna Price, Marissa Rosano, Stephen Ryan, Cecilia Vaicels
Macbeth, The Crook Theater Company
Teddy Alvaro, Jacob Cribbs, Daniel K. Isaac, Ben Kahre, Dan Morrison, Lloyd Mulvey,Richard Prioleau, Ed Renninger, Max Rosenak, Amanda Sykes
The Rise And Fall Of A Teenage Cyberqueen, LabRats Theatre Company
Casey Greig, Jinn S. Kim, Perry Lewis, Daniela Mastropietro, Jacob Perkins, Kathryn Wilson
Outstanding Solo Performance
*Erin Treadway
Spaceman, Loading Dock Theatre Company
David Calvitto
The Event, terraNOVA Collective
Nat Cassidy
Generic Magic Realism, Temerity Theatre Company
Jonathan Draxton
Soldier, The Plowmen
Mark Sam Rosenthal
I Light Up My Life: The Mark Sam Celebrity Autobiography, terraNOVA Collective
Harmony Stempel
Human Fruit Bowl, terraNOVA Collective
Outstanding Actor in a Featured Role
*Justin Danforth
The Thirteenth Commandment, Libra Theater Company
Andrew Farmer
Clown Bar, Pipeline Theatre Company
Joe Fellman
The Thirteenth Commandment, Libra Theater Company
Michael Shattner
Island; Or, To Be or Not to Be, NY Shakespeare Exchange
Caliaf St. Aubyn
Dreamgirls, The Gallery Players
Montgomery Sutton
King Lear, American Bard Theater Company
Outstanding Actress in a Featured Role
*Lauren Pennline
The Thirteenth Commandment, Libra Theater Company
Julie Asriyan-Piotrowski
Israel Horovitz One-Acts, Ethikos Productions
Aimee Cucchiaro
The House of Von Macrame, The Management
Kelley Rae O’Donnell
Clown Bar, Pipeline Theatre Company
Marissa Rosano
That Lady from Maxim’s, Isle of Shoals Productions, Inc.
Amanda Sykes
Macbeth, The Crook Theater Company
Outstanding Actor in a Lead Role
*Nick Smerkanich
The Window:4 ALICE, PopUp Theatrics in association with the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York
J. Stephen Brantley
That’s Her Way, En Avant Playwrights
David L. Carson
King Lear, American Bard Theater Company
Robbie Collier Sublett
American River, Lesser America
Ryan Dusek
Fool for Love, The Rising Sun Performance Company
Sean Meehan
Realists, jil productions
Brandon Walker
Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, Seeing Place Theater
Outstanding Actress in a Lead Role
*Amara Haaksman
That Lady from Maxim’s, Isle of Shoals Productions, Inc.
Becky Byers
Hearts Like Fists, Flux Theatre Ensemble
Michelle Eugene
The Detour, Metropolitan Playhouse
Inés Garcia
The Window:4 ALICE, PopUp Theatrics in association with the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York
Carmit Levité
The Chekhov Dreams, WorkShop Theater Company
Kathryn Wilson
The Rise And Fall Of A Teenage Cyberqueen, LabRats Theatre Company
Outstanding Choreography/Movement
*Jessica Burr and Sonia Vilani
Eurydice’s Dream, Blessed Unrest in association with The Interart Theatre
Melanie S. Armer
The Window:4 ALICE, PopUp Theatrics in association with the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York
Joe Barros
Hard Times, The Cell Theatre Company
Alexis Black
Happily After Tonight, A Five Dollar Bill
David Fuller and Judith Jarosz
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Theater 2020
Rocio Mendez and Adam Swiderski
Hearts Like Fists, Flux Theatre Ensemble
Outstanding Director
*Padraic Lillis
The Rise And Fall Of A Teenage Cyberqueen, LabRats Theatre Company
Lance Hewett
That Lady from Maxim’s, Isle of Shoals Productions, Inc.
Judith Jarosz
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Theater 2020
Kelly O’Donnell
Hearts Like Fists, Flux Theatre Ensemble
Jordan Reeves
The Tragedy of King Arthur by W. Shakespeare, a play by Arthur Phillips, Guerrilla Shakespeare Project
Tom Wojtunik
Blood Brothers, Astoria Performing Arts Center
Outstanding Lighting Design
*Maruti Evans
Will Elliott’s The Pilo Family Circus, Godlight Theatre Company
Nicholas Houfek
The Future Is Not What IT Was, Kindling Theater Company
Dan Jobbins
Blood Brothers, Astoria Performing Arts Center
Emma M. Schimminger
Antigone, Perchance To Dream Theatre
Carl Wiemann
The Thirteenth Commandment, Libra Theater Company
Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew
So Go the Ghosts of Mexico – part one, LaMaMa Experimental Theater Club
Outstanding Costume Design
*Daniela Codarcea Kamiliotis
The Window:4 ALICE, PopUp Theatrics in association with the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York
Travis Alexandra Boatright
The Thirteenth Commandment, Libra Theater Company
Meghan Gaber
Clown Bar, Pipeline Theatre Company
Viviane Galloway
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Theater 2020
Kristina Makowski and Jessica Wegener Shay
Geek!, Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company
Egle Paulauskaite
Garden of Delights, The New Stage Theatre Company in association with Theatre for the New City
Tristan Raines
The House of Von Macrame, The Management
Outstanding Set Design
*Daniela Codarcea Kamiliotis
The Window:4 ALICE, PopUp Theatrics in association with the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York
Stephen K. Dobay
Blood Brothers, Astoria Performing Arts Center
George Hoffmann & Greg Kozatek
The Future Is Not What IT Was, Kindling Theater Company
James Ortiz
On the Head of a Pin, Strangemen and Company
Lynne Porter
The Tragedy of King Arthur by W. Shakespeare, a play by Arthur Phillips, Guerrilla Shakespeare Project
Andy Yanni
The Thirteenth Commandment, Libra Theater Company
Outstanding Sound Design
*Leegrid Stevens
Spaceman, Loading Dock Theatre Company
Ien Denio
Will Elliott’s The Pilo Family Circus, Godlight Theatre Company
Nick Moore
The Drawer Boy, Oberon Theatre Ensemble
Phil Pickens
Macbeth, The Crook Theater Company
Elizabeth Rhodes
So Go the Ghosts of Mexico – part one, LaMaMa Experimental Theater Club
Jane Shaw and Emma Wilk
P.S. Jones and The Frozen City, terraNOVA Collective
Outstanding Innovative Design
*Lynda White
Mask Design & Construction
Oedipus Rex XX/XY, The Faux-Real Theatre Company
Laia Cabrera, Isabelle Duverger and Ildiko Nemeth
Projection Design, Video-Art and Animations
Garden of Delights, The New Stage Theatre Company in association with Theatre for the New City
Imaginary Media and Puppet Kitchen
Puppet & Video Design
P.S. Jones and The Frozen City, terraNOVA Collective
Jeremy Mather
Video Design and Production
Space Captain: Captain of Space!, No Tea Productions
Roxanne Palmer
Puppet Design
Demonology, AntiMatter Collective
Justin Wagner
Original Illustrations
Telemachus, Darling, Hole In The Sky
Outstanding Original Music
*Bryan Williams
That Lady from Maxim’s, Isle of Shoals Productions, Inc.
Deepali Gupta and Zach Segel
Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights, Production Workshop in association with Kickstarter Backers
Shruti Kumar
Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights, NEW FORMS Theater Makers
Paul Leschen
Bedbugs!!! The Comedy Sci-Fi Thriller Rock Musical, Bedbugs The Musical LLC
Ned Massey
Four Messages, No Accidents Productions
Michael Sgouros
Hollow – the musical, Literally Alive
Outstanding Original Short Script
*Jonathan Draxton
Soldier, The Plowmen
John Clancy
The Event, terraNOVA Collective
Jonathan Draxton
Soldier, The Plowmen
Angela C. Hall
Greenlight from Room 128, The Rising Sun Performance Company
Andrea Kuchlewska
Human Fruit Bowl, terraNOVA Collective
Bob Manus
A Man Walks into a Bar from You Are Here, WorkShop Theater Company
Kathleen Warnock
That’s Her Way, En Avant Playwrights
Outstanding Original Full-length Script
*Bryan Williams
That Lady from Maxim’s, Isle of Shoals Productions, Inc.
Johnna Adams
Sans Merci, Flux Theatre Ensemble
Dennis Flanagan
How I Learned to Become a Superhero, Apothecary Theatre Company
Lindsay Joy
The Rise And Fall Of A Teenage Cyberqueen, LabRats Theatre Company
John McKinney
The Chekhov Dreams, WorkShop Theater Company
Leegrid Stevens
Spaceman, Loading Dock Theatre Company
Outstanding Performance Art Production
*Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights
Production Workshop in association with Kickstarter Backers
Eterniday
LaMaMa Experimental Theater Club in association with Witness Relocation
Eurydice’s Dream
Blessed Unrest in association with The Interart Theatre
Tar Baby
Platt Productions LLC in association with Neighborhood Productions
Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind
New York Neo-Futurists
Where There Was Fire
Tabula RaSa NYC Theater and Performance Lab in association with Theater For The New City
Outstanding Production of a Musical
*That Lady from Maxim’s
Isle of Shoals Productions, Inc
Bedbugs!!! The Comedy Sci-Fi Thriller Rock Musical
Bedbugs The Musical LLC
Blood Brothers
Astoria Performing Arts Center
Bumbug
Laughistan, LLC
Four Messages
No Accidents Productions
Hard Times
The Cell Theatre Company
.
Outstanding Premiere Production of A Play
*The Rise And Fall Of A Teenage Cyberqueen LabRats Theatre Company
Coney
Blue Coyote Theater Group
Garden of Delights
The New Stage Theatre Company in association with Theatre for the New City
Spaceman
Loading Dock Theatre Company
The Thirteenth Commandment
Libra Theater Company
The Window:4 ALICE
PopUp Theatrics in association with the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York
Outstanding Revival of A Play
*Macbeth
The Crook Theater Company
Cowboy Mouth
One Old Crow Productions
The Detour
Metropolitan Playhouse
The Drawer Boy
Oberon Theatre Ensemble
The Drowning Girls
Strange Sun Theater
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Theater 2020
2,000 shows, 60 nominated productions, but still half-a-dozen shows win multiple awards — either 99% of OOB sux, or there’s a voting problem here.
Or maybe a few are very good, no?
If so few shows are very good, then OOB has a much bigger problem than its awards. And we wonder why general audiences don’t want to take a chance on OOB. With awards handed out like this, aren’t we essentially telling them that the odds are not worth the risk?
What’s the risk exactly? Most New York independent theater shows have cheaper admission than a movie. Most have short running times, and have short runs. Those that turn out to be amazing tend to be extended or transfer. If you’re not an adventurous sort, you can watch for the buzz and good reviews that attend the best shows — or look to past experience or such awards as the NYITAwards to attend the new shows by theater companies with good track records.
I have no stake in these particular awards, by the way. I think it’s too bad that a theater has to apply in order to be considered. For some reason, one of the best of the Off-Off Broadway houses, The Flea, doesn’t do so, and so isn’t recognized. So there are no definitive awards for Off-Off Broadway — but, I would argue, the Tonys are hardly definitive for Broadway either. Perhaps there are inherent flaws in any award. The best it can do is offer a little guidance.
I know that this is a bit late, but I did want to let you know why productions need to register with the awards in order to be in consideration. There are 2 basic reasons 1) We do not assume that everyone wants to be considered for an award. We know that there are many artists would prefer not be in consideration and we respect that. 2) These awards are based on a peer evaluation process that requires participation from the community — the entire point of these awards is to get artists to see each others’ work, build connections, awareness and a stronger community and help to promote work that is happening on these stages. Because it requires participation in the peer evaluation process from every production, we have to know that productions want to participate.
The Flea has registered a handful of times. And it is an amazing company that is producing some beautiful work. With nearly 2,000 productions running Off-Off-Broadway each year, it would be nearly impossible to be definitive. We do our best to support the community and celebrate some of the outstanding work happening on our stages.
Also we are not the only awards for OOB. There are some other important groups that are also recognizing OOB artists such as The Frigid Festival, the Fringe Festival and Planet Connections.