Jason, your favorite executive director.

I am a bloging virgin…funny the word bloging shows up as misspelled in Word. Let's see what alternate words it gives me: blowing (a favorite word, I can't help it), bogging (a word that makes me laugh, reminds me of Edward Gorey) bolting (what I wanted to do from the top of Act II of Legally Blonde, the jump rope #), bluing (turning blue?), and belonging (well isn't that appropriate, and leads me into…)

So yesterday we had a big IT Awards staff meeting. Everyone got together to catch up on activities, make some introductions of new staff members (shout out to Nancy and Morgan, so glad to have you ladies) and plan for our big upcoming events. I sat there amazed by the devotion this group of people had. Everyone volunteers and has for a number of years now, this was a Sunday at 10AM meeting (in the real world this may not seem like much but to these artists this is an abomination) and the passion for their tasks was easy to see.

This is one of the things that really has impressed me over the last 5 years, the devotion and passion people have towards what we work to do and the community we spotlight. Personally I love what we do and feel that I can see a change in air. I have an awareness of so many companies I never knew existed, I have many new and incredible artistic relationships as well as friendships and I have had the enjoyment of hearing about the IT Awards well outside of New York.

This past year I spent the majority of my time in Utah helping my family. One evening I went out to Pioneer Theatre Company to see "Othello". As I was looking through the program I noticed the actor playing Roderigo (and doing a great job by the way) was Dan Domingues, and I thought I recognized the name. As I read through his bio I came upon a show called "Masquerade" and behind that was a mention that he was an IT Awards Nominee for Outstanding Actor in a Featured Role. I sat there not really knowing Dan that well but feeling totally connected to him and completely happy to see him working a good money gig. Hope you are working like crazy Dan, hell I hope everyone is working like crazy. I hope that Off-Off-Broadway becomes a place where the incredible work I see can be financially recognized as well as being artistically recognized. I know that everyone at the IT Awards feels the same and we will keep getting up at 10AM on a Sunday and working the work and fighting the fight and drinking the alcohol (all we can get our greedy hands on) until it is better! Can you hear the people sing….

Jason Bowcutt
Executive Director
New York Innovative Theatre Awards