Below is the list of nominations for the 13th annual New York Innovative Theater Awards, which celebrates the best of the city’s independent theater — aka Off-Off Broadway. The winners will be announced at a ceremony on September 25th, 2017.
In The Room
Minor Character: Six Translations of Uncle Vanya at the Same Time
Men of Tortuga
The Red Room
The Underpants Godot
The Woman Who Was Me
Whales
Raisin
OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE
Matt Harrington, Suzy Jane Hunt, Chelsea Melone, Susan Neuffer, Jacob Perkins, Rob Karma Robinson
In the Room, Kelli Giddish with Slant Theatre Project, in association with Wheelhouse Theater Company
Michael Broadhurst, Curzon Dobell, Ken Forman, Benim Foster, Allen McCullough
Men of Tortuga, Living Room theatre
Brittany Allen, Vinie Burrows, Ugo Chukwu, Constance Cooper, Milo Cramer, Fernando Gonzalez, Jonathan Gordon, David Greenspan, Tommy Heleringer, Chris Henry, Veronica Hunsinger-Loe, Hannah Mitchell, Caitlin Morris, Craig Mungavin, Jeanna Phillips, Madeline Wis
Minor Character: Six Translations of Uncle Vanya at the Same Time, New Saloon Theater Co. in association with Emily Kaplan & Immediate Medium
Maia Bedford, Aaron Casey, Shabazz Green, Chris Gwynn, Marcie Henderson, Greg Horton, Brandi Knox, Billy Lowrimore, Ebony Marshall-Oliver, Sarita Amani Nash, Warren Nolan, Jr., Chinua B. Payne, Tony Perry, Joi Danielle Price, Vanessa Robinson, Alicia Thomas, Cartreze Tucker
Raisin, Astoria Performing Arts Center
Adam Baritot, Jefferson Behan, Amber Dewey, Samuel Floyd, David Fuller, John Jeffords, Zack Krajnyak, Samantha Kronenfeld, Lorinne Lampert, Tom McDonough, James Neufeld, Chrysten Peddie, Catherine Purcell, Mary Thorne, Tyler Whitaker
Sweeney Todd, Theater 2020
Raquel Chavez, Shannon Condon, Kate Eastman, Shaun Bennet Fauntleroy, John Hardin, Patrick Harvey, Brian Demar Jones, Joe Jung, Peter Molesworth, Catherine Mullins, Andrew L. Ricci, Sam Richardson, Nora Rickey, Kate Ross, Will Sarratt, Caroline Smith, JT Stocks, Corey Whelihan
The Tempest, Smith Street Stage
OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE
Dandy Darkly
Dandy Darkly’s Myth Mouth!, Dandy Darkly
William DeMeritt
Origin Story, Old Sound Room
Mariah MacCarthy
Baby Mama: One Woman’s Quest to Give Her Child to Gay People, Caps Lock Theatre
Christine Renee Miller
Such Nice Shoes, FrokieCo.
Andrew W. Smith
The Gun Show (part of the Women in Theatre Festival), Project Y Theatre Company
Liz Stanton
The Woman Who Was Me, Convergences Theatre Collective
OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE
Jack Horton Gilbert
Marian, Or The True Tale of Robin Hood, Flux Theatre Ensemble
Nico Grelli
The Jamb, Hard Sparks
Michael Kingsbaker
The Red Room, The Shelter
Warren Nolan Jr.
Raisin, Astoria Performing Arts Center
Jeremy Tardy
Dark Night Bright Stars, Yara Arts Group in association with La MaMa ETC
R. Scott Williams
Boys of a Certain Age, Willow Theatricals
OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A LEAD ROLE
Carla Briscoe
Wine and Spirits, Red Shark Productions
Arlene Chico-Lugo
Evensong, Astoria Performing Arts Center
Ashley Griffin
Hamlet, A.N.O.N. Productions
Meghan E. Jones
The Red Room, The Shelter
Sarah K. Lippmann
Three Sisters, Obvious Volcano in association with Maggie Cino
Moira Stone
Three Sisters, Obvious Volcano in association with Maggie Cino
OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE
Christopher Borg
And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little, Retro Productions
Zachary Clark
King Lear, The Secret Theatre
Griffin Hennelly
Koalas are Dicks, Randomly Specific
Zack Krajnyak
Sweeney Todd, Theater 2020
Jacob Perkins
In the Room, Kelli Giddish with Slant Theatre Project, in association with Wheelhouse Theater Company
Jason Pintar
The Underpants Godot, The Secret Theatre
Matthew Trumbull
Marian, Or The True Tale of Robin Hood, Flux Theatre Ensemble
OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE
Ivanna Cullinan
Three Sisters, Obvious Volcano in association with Maggie Cino
Sharvari Deshpande
The Queen, Aman Soni in association with Juggernaut Theatre Co. and Theater for the New City
MarieLouise Guinier
Evensong, Astoria Performing Arts Center
Hannah Mitchell
Minor Character: Six Translations of Uncle Vanya at the Same Time, New Saloon Theater Co. in association with Emily Kaplan & Immediate Medium
Samantha Schiffman
You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, The Gallery Players
Kara Young
In the Event of My Death, Stable Cable Lab Co. in association with IRT Theater
OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY / MOVEMENT
Hettie Barnhill
The Cabaret At The End Of The World, Hard Sparks
Tamrin Goldberg
Raisin, Astoria Performing Arts Center
Lucia Knell
For Annie, The Hearth
Rocio Mendez
Marian, Or The True Tale of Robin Hood, Flux Theatre Ensemble
Sarah Sutliff
Old Turtle and the Broken Truth, Rebel Playhouse
Jeremy Williams
The Woman Who Was Me, Convergences Theatre Collective
OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR
Dev Bondarin
Raisin, Astoria Performing Arts Center
David Drake
The Jamb, Hard Sparks
Morgan Green
Minor Character: Six Translations of Uncle Vanya at the Same Time, New Saloon Theater Co. in association with Emily Kaplan & Immediate Medium
Ashley Griffin
Hamlet, A.N.O.N. Productions
Adam Knight
In the Room, Kelli Giddish with Slant Theatre Project, in association with Wheelhouse Theater Company
Emma Miller
For Annie, The Hearth
Jeremy Williams
The Woman Who Was Me, Convergences Theatre Collective
OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN
Russ Bockemhuel & Luther Frank
Titus, New York Deaf Theatre
Joe Cantalupo
The Red Room, The Shelter
Catherine Clark
Koalas are Dicks, Randomly Specific
Scot Gianelli
#liberated, The Living Room
Kate Jaworski
The Woman Who Was Me, Convergences Theatre Collective
Marika Kent
Now is the Time, Little Lord in association with Abrons Arts Center
OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN
Joseph Blaha
The Queen, Aman Soni in association with Juggernaut Theatre Co. and Theater for the New City
Karen Boyer
Now is the Time, Little Lord in association with Abrons Arts Center
Izzy Fields
Anais Nin Goes to Hell, Manhattan Theatre Works (MTWorks) in association with Goode Productions
Jason E Frey
Hedda (Gabler), Wandering Bark Theatre Co.
Emily Oliveira
Minor Character: Six Translations of Uncle Vanya at the Same Time,
New Saloon Theater Co. in association with Emily Kaplan & Immediate Medium
Jeannipher Pacheco
Raisin, Astoria Performing Arts Center
Emily Rose Parman
Much Ado About Nothing, Hudson Warehouse
OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN
Christopher Bowser
The Red Room, The Shelter
Jack and Rebecca Cunningham
And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little, Retro Productions
Meg McGuigan
Koalas are Dicks, Randomly Specific
Lawrence E. Moten III
Raisin, Astoria Performing Arts Center
Frank Oliva
#liberated, The Living Room
Reid Thompson
Empathitrax, Colt Coeur
OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN
Aidan Meyer
The Red Room, The Shelter
Matt Otto
Empathitrax, Colt Coeur
John Salutz
The Cabaret At The End Of The World, Hard Sparks
Daniel Steffey
Titus, New York Deaf Theatre
Jeanne Travis
The City that Cried Wolf, State of Play Productions Inc
Emma Wilk
Raisin, Astoria Performing Arts Center
OUTSTANDING INNOVATIVE DESIGN
Lianne Arnold
for Projection Design
Such Nice Shoes, FrokieCo.
David Bengali, John Erickson, Reid Farrington, Jorge Garcia-Spitz, David Mauro, Dan Monceaux, Leegrid Stevens
for Video Design & Animation
The Dudleys!, Loading Dock Theatre Company
Samantha Blain, Kristopher Dean, Claron Hayden, Casey Scott Leach, Carli Rhoades, Mikayla Stanley
for Puppets
Whales, Hit The Lights! Theatre Co.
Russ Bockemhuel & Luther Frank
for Video Design
Titus, New York Deaf Theatre
Karen Boyer
for Puppets
Now is the Time, Little Lord in association with Abrons Arts Center
Sara Slagle
for properties
And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little, Retro Productions
OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL MUSIC
Melody Bates & Rebecca Hart
The Cabaret At The End Of The World, Hard Sparks
Samantha Blain, Kristopher Dean, Claron Hayden, Casey Scott Leach, Carli Rhoades, Mikayla Stanley
Whales, Hit The Lights! Theatre Co.
Rachel Blumberg, Dandy Darkly, Bryce Edwards & Adam Tendler
Dandy Darkly’s Myth Mouth!, Dandy Darkly
Deepali Gupta
Minor Character: Six Translations of Uncle Vanya at the Same Time, New Saloon Theater Co. in association with Emily Kaplan & Immediate Medium
Julian Kytasty
Dark Night Bright Stars, Yara Arts Group in association with La MaMa ETC
Daniel Steffey
Titus, New York Deaf Theatre
Clara Strauch
The Tempest, Smith Street Stage
OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SHORT SCRIPT
Ryan King
Antares Returning a part of The Spring Fling: Rebound, F*It Club
Dan Moyer
All Is Bright a part of The Spring Fling: Rebound, F*It Club
Charlie O’Leary
Precious Body a part of Landmarks & TRANSformations, Project Y Theatre Company
Junshin Soga
One Fine Day, Junshin Soga
Christopher G. Ulloth
Bi-Cycle a part of Landmarks & TRANSformations, Project Y Theatre Company
Kathleen Warnock
How to Get Married in 5 Steps Over 17 Years a part of
Landmarks & TRANSformations, Project Y Theatre Company
OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL FULL-LENGTH SCRIPT
Melody Bates
The Cabaret At The End Of The World, Hard Sparks
William DeMeritt & Elia Monte-Brown
Origin Story, Old Sound Room
Lawrence Dial
In the Room, Kelli Giddish with Slant Theatre Project, in association with Wheelhouse Theater Company
Mariah MacCarthy
Baby Mama: One Woman’s Quest to Give Her Child to Gay People, Caps Lock Theatre
Morgan McGuire
The Red Room, The Shelter
Aditya Rawal
The Queen, Aman Soni in association with Juggernaut Theatre Co. and Theater for the New City
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE ART PRODUCTION
Dandy Darkly’s Myth Mouth!
Dandy Darkly
The Infinite Wrench
New York Neo-Futurists
Kevin!!!!
Recent Cutbacks
Landmarks & TRANSformations
Project Y Theatre Company
Now is the Time
Little Lord in association with Abrons Arts Center
Rules
The New Stage Theatre Company
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
The Secret Theatre
The Astonishing Times of Timothy Cratchit
The Workshop Theater
Old Turtle and the Broken Truth
Rebel Playhouse
Ragtime
The Gallery Players
Raisin
Astoria Performing Arts Center
You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown
The Gallery Players
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY
Hamlet
A.N.O.N. Productions
King Lear
The Secret Theatre
And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little
Retro Productions
Much Ado About Nothing
Hudson Warehouse
The Tempest
Smith Street Stage
Three Sisters
Obvious Volcano in association with Maggie Cino
OUTSTANDING PREMIERE PRODUCTION OF A PLAY
In the Room
Kelli Giddish with Slant Theatre Project, in association with Wheelhouse Theater Company
Minor Character: Six Translations of Uncle Vanya at the Same Time
New Saloon Theater Co. in association with Emily Kaplan & Immediate Medium
The Red Room
The Shelter
The Underpants Godot
The Secret Theatre
The Woman Who Was Me
Convergences Theatre Collective
Whales
Hit The Lights! Theatre Co.
Stephen Colbert as a presenter injected the most bluntly political remarks.
How To Watch
The host will be Kevin Spacey, the Oscar-winning movie actor, currently the star of House of Cards on Netflix portraying a devious homicidal president of the United States (expect at least one Trump joke based on that.) Spacey is also an eight-time Broadway veteran who won the Tony for best featured actor in 1991 for Lost in Yonkers and was nominated for best actor in 1999 for The Iceman Cometh. Few realize he is also a song-and-dance man, glimpses of which are available in his portrayal of Bobby Darin in the 2004 film Beyond The Sea.
Below are my preferences — not my predictions. See 
Outstanding Actor in a Play
Cate Blanchett, The Present
Nick Cordero, A Bronx Tale
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
♥Andy Blankenbuehler, Bandstand
Terrence McNally, Anastasia
Daniel Ocanto, Graham Ulicny, and Sean Smith, Alligator, New Georges in collaboration with the Sol Project
Hello Dillie!, 59E59
Lez Brotherston, 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips, St. Ann’s Warehouse
Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical
Jeff Croiter, Bandstand
Outstanding Projection Design
Mikhail Fiksel, A Life, Playwrights Horizons
Simon Baker, 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips, St. Ann’s Warehouse
Nancy Anderson, The Pen (Inner Voices), Premieres
*Basil Twist, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
The Wolves,
Special Award to 
works The Antipodes, Everybody, Miles For Mary, and The Wolves, and resurrect the works of esteemed playwrights Edward Albee, Maria Irene Fornes, and Adrienne Kennedy in Signature Plays, director Lila Neugebauer has shown that her dauntless insight into the human condition knows no bounds.
