The One About the Judge Etiquette

Contributed by Guest Blogger of the Week, Hillary Cohen.

One of the best things, in my opinion, about volunteer work for an organization that serves Off-Off-Broadway is that the community is so vocal. (No, that is NOT non-profit management gallows humor. Why do people always think I'm being sarcastic?)

Sincerely: We get year-round feedback. We solicit ideas for making the IT Awards better. The questions and comments that relate most to Judge Coordinating prompted this Full of IT entry. 

In the January Update box announcing this Guest Blogger spot, Shay promised, "Next week our Judge Coordinators take over the blog reminding us all of some good judge etiquette, sharing advise and answering questions." (If you don't get the monthly e-newsletter goodness we call the "Update," you can sign up at the lower left of this page. Display on mobile devises may vary.)

When it comes to etiquette, I'm not going to be an unpleasant scold or a hypocritical bore. In the quest for a more perfect system and in the spirit of fairness, I ask anyone logging into our site:

Please try to treat the productions registered there as you'd like your own treated.

We deeply appreciate everyone's participation in the IT Awards community. This organization wouldn't represent Off-Off-Broadway without you. We want the artists who registered to feel their company and production were judged fairly by their peers and we want judges to feel their opinions and time were respected. To that end:

• Contact the Judge Wrangler! I really can't stress this enough. If you have ANY questions, concerns, changes of plan, or proposed assignments you cannot accept, let us know as soon as you can.
  
  
• See the whole show!
  If you arrive late or leave early or cannot give a performance your full attention for any reason -- whether because of illness, the frequently benighted MTA, an urgent message, or a scheduling conflict -- contact the judgewrangler account as soon as you can. We'll apologize to the producer on your behalf anonymously and schedule a replacement judge.
  
  
• Attend with an open mind!
  Part of what makes OOB so innovative is its diversity. Expect the unexpected or something not necessarily your artistic style. Try not to let published reviews influence your scores, and honestly determine where between 0 and Flawless each element of this work stands.

Bottom line: I really am here to help. By "here" I mean we are checking Judge Wrangler emails every. single. day. If you need answers to your registration questions, if you need confirmation of judge ticket reservation requests, if you need to take a hiatus for out of town work, or if you need to recruit a different company member to serve as delegate -- "Help me, help you." Whatever it is, shoot the judgewrangler account an email about it. I promise you'll get service...sometimes with a smile.