Fall Forward

Returning from your first vacation in awhile can be jarring sometimes. I returned a few days ago from a week in Vermont – my first trip up there – and have needed a few days to readjust. There is always a re-citification of sorts; the air, the train, the pace, the search for the same sort of relaxed state you were able to achieve not a week ago. At some point you give in and hopefully find solace and redemption in the reason you were drawn here in the first place, beginning the new search for that delicate balance…until your next vacation. After all, "if life were only moments, then you'd never know you had one…"

It made me look forward to fall...keeping my fingers crossed that we missed the last of the summer's stifling humidity and can settle in the crisp breath of autumn (Although I somehow doubt it). Either way, there's an exciting season of work to look forward to…My first season as a full time Artistic producer, going away again on my first work trip to The San Francisco Fringe Festival in a short week; I'll be seeing shows, house managing, and getting tips on festival running, then coming back to be involved in my first big Innovative Theatre Awards Ceremony (and Julie Halston's hosting! amazing....)

Just as in continuing to find that balance between the relaxation and that city pace, there is always more we strive for. Even as I look forward to a busy and rewarding season, I still have a wish list:

I wish for the artists I admire to enjoy a season full of successes, even if that be learning from the not-so-successes.

I hope the number of Productions registered for New York Innovative Theatre Awards continues to climb.

I hope that the community sees more of each other's work to see where our common grounds lie, our differences, to be inspired by each other, and ultimately to continue to support itself by supporting each other.

I hope that the community continues to spread the word and support each other in reforming the Equity Showcase Code. There is no better time to do it than a time when we're all out there showing our innovation the New York Theatre community.

I truly, truly look forward to seeing more innovative theatre.

What are you hoping for?

Morgan Lindsey Tachco

Community Relations Manager

New York Innovative Theatre Awards

Sinning in NYC for 10 years

I had a very interesting experience recently that brought my beginnings in New York and 10 years later my current New York life smack together.

If you bare with my little story I promise there is a point…eventually.

Ten years ago I was an actor living in the DC area. I had spent two seasons with the Shakespeare Theatre and then started working around the tri state area. I was lucky to start working with the wonderful Signature Theatre in Virginia and after some time was approached by the Artistic Director Eric Shcaefer about acting in a production called Never the Sinner which was about Leopold and Loeb and the 1920's crime of the century. I ended up playing Leopold and a great actor Michael Solomon played Loeb and we were directed by a friend of ours from Shakespeare Theatre days Ethan McSweeny who is incredibly talented and is now successfully directing across the country. The mix of us and the rest of the wonderful cast created one of those rare and remarkable situations where everything goes right. We worked our asses off getting into the head of the boys and were then rewarded with extraordinary reviews, attention and eventually numerous Helen Hayes Award nominations.

The show and the work everyone had done on it caught the attention of New York and we started getting angels surrounding us, like the wonderful Stuart Howard, that wanted this show produced in the city. We kept true to our work and what we were doing and went for an amazing ride that took us to the now defunct Off-Off-Broadway American Jewish Theatre where we received glowing reviews from every New York paper. We started getting nominated for all kinds of Theatre Awards (eventually receiving the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Play) and more producers started getting interested. Finally a group of producers came in and decided to produce a commercial run of this play and production. We then were transferred to the Off-Broadway John Houseman Theatre, which has since been demolished (too sad), and had a wonderful run. Needless to say this experience dramatically changed my life.

After this show I continued acting professionally in New York and regionally and then eventually started directing, thanks entirely to opportunities that arose from the Off-Off-Broadway world. Eventually of course I became one of the Executive Directors of the IT Awards (your favorite Executive Director as we've discussed before).

OK I am finally getting around to the real point.

So 10 years later I see that Never the Sinner is being produced in New York again and it is with the great Off-Off-Broadway company Woodshed Collective. By the way I found out the show was being done, when they registered the production with the IT Awards. Out of the blue I am called by one of the major producers of the production I did years ago, who has since gone on to be a huge Tony Award winning producer by the way, saying that we should go and see it. I thought it was a great idea. We went and saw the show which was fantastic and also rather odd for me as I sat there remembering all that we went through in getting into those damaged boys minds. I was lucky to say "hi" to the director and cast afterward and gave them my thanks for their great work before leaving.

So this producer and I go and have dinner afterwards to catch up and to remember the ride we took with the show. This producer was talking about how great the show was and how well the script worked and then let me know that if the production that I was a part of ten years ago had gone through exactly what it went through then, but now, he would never have become on as a producer. This really surprised me and so I asked him why. His first and honest response was that Off-Broadway was dead and that a cast of 8 was impossible. He said that no producer now could ever financially survive in the Off-Broadway world. Basically the only way he would have been on board for the production is if it had gone to Broadway and that if that had happened there would have been major cast changes in securing a star.

This really hit me and made me see the New York producing world through new eyes. I began thinking of the inspiring and challenging theatre I have seen in New York over the last number of years and see clearly that it has been in the Off-Off-Broadway world. It makes me truly proud to be a part of this community and also incredibly frustrated to know that these great shows I have seen can only live for such short time frames due to union restrictions. I ultimately worked on Never the Sinner for over a year and it launched a great trajectory for me that has led to producing and the IT Awards. I would like to see a New York where great Off-Off-Broadway theatre can keep playing and riding success when it comes and not have to live under the false idea that a jump to an Off-Broadway contract is feasible. When I hear that major independent New York producers avoid Off-Broadway because it is a financial pitfall I wonder how it is that financially strapped Off-Off-Broadway companies are expected to take a step up contractually if they have success. It simply does not make sense any more. Producers see the change in New York, we see the change in New York why is it that others turn a blind eye to these changes?

Jason Bowcutt

Executive Director

New York IT Awards

Highlights of the 2007 Season

This past Monday, the IT Awards held our 2007 Nominee Announcement. It was a very successful event. There were over 500 people; we had the incredibly hot DJ Rob and best of all the air conditioner worked.

Each year Nick, Jason and I get so excited to receive the list of nominees from our accountant. Honestly until that moment we really have no idea who will be nominated. It is always a mixture of surprise and joy and sometimes a little disappointment that some of our personal favorites aren't in the mix. This year there are a few folks that are friends of ours that are nominated including Spencer Aste, Judith Hawking, Mac Rogers and the lovely Denice Kondik. Of course we are always excited when we get to recognize the work of people we love.

I had the chance to see quite a bit of Off-Off-Broadway this past season and wanted to take this opportunity to mention some of the fantastic work that graced the more modest stages of NYC.

Let's start with the Havel Festival. WOW! Edward Einhorn and his crew pulled off the impossible. Presenting all of Vaclav Havel's works is no small feat and the inspiration to do so when President Havel was in town was nothing less than genius. When I look back on my years working in theatre, I will always remember the night we crowded into the 40 seat Brick Theatre in Brooklyn and sat across the isle from Vaclav Havel and his date Madeline Albright. I love OOB.

In the interest of full disclosure, my boyfriend works with Nosedive Productions and I actually understudied a part (and went on twice) in The Adventures of Nervous Boy (a penny dreadful). All that aside, I thought it was a great show. I have seen all of Nosedive's productions over the past 5 and a half years and I am probably their harshest critic. Honestly boys, this was your best work to date. The script was right on point. It was lean and had that wonderfully bitter mixture of hopped-up reality, twisted fantasy and sarcastic humor that kept you engaged throughout. And Vagina Dentata and Blinded from Nosedive's Evening of Grand Guignol Horror was some of the most exciting and grossest theatre I've seen all year.

Among other productions, each year Boomerang Theatre Company puts up 3 full shows in repertory. The sheer logistics of that is hard enough to fathom, but to have each of these productions be fully realized, quality works is a feat unto itself. This year they produced Anna Christie, Love in the Insecurity Zone and The Ugly Man. Each production was well conceived, designed and acted, but for me the real standout was Anna Christie. It is such a beautifully sad tale and the work of Jennifer Larkin (the actress playing the title character) was so subtle and honest it really touched me.

It was not surprising to me that Some Historic/Some Hysteric was nominated for Outstanding Performance Art Piece and Outstanding Ensemble. Director Ildiko Nemeth created many incredibly striking stage pictures that will continue stay with me. The piece included 15 actors (although it seemed like there were 30 actors) working together in some very intricate physical and vocal work. It was one of the most demanding theatrical pieces that I had seen in a long time, but the ensemble pulled it off beautifully.

The New York Neo-Futurists are truly doing something innovative with Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind. I first saw the Neo-Futurists (I think it was 1998) when they came down from Chicago to perform here in the city for a month. I was crammed into Todo Con Nada in the lower East Village (it was so packed that I had to sit on the floor). I had no idea what was happening but I was thrilled by it and so excited by what I experienced that I've been a fan ever since. When I heard that the Neo's were setting up a permanent troupe here in NYC I was so happy that we would have this visceral, ground-breaking kind of work as a part of our community.

I suspect that Charles Battersby wrote Kryptonite Hearts so that he and his wife, Lizzie Pepper, could dress up like super heroes and do some stage combat (not that they needed any special occasion to do that). While I'm not sure that the entire production worked, it was certainly fun to see the pure joy that the two of them had while on stage with one another. It is that joy that I aspire to.

When I first came to the city, me and a group of my fellow students from the Actors Training Program (the ATP) at the University of Utah (the U) formed a company called Esperance Theatre Company. I think we did good work for two and a half years. But then, due to lack of funds and no lack of egos, we simply imploded. That is one of the reasons why I am so impressed with the work of CollaborationTown. It is such a tricky business to work with friends. This very talented troupe is so dedicated to one another and so skilled in the art of collaboration and ensemble that their work reflects their very close bonds. 6969 was an intriguing piece of theatre, based on a true story, which had one of those great twists at the end that left you wanting to watch the play all over from the beginning. CollaborationTown was also very smart because they also included program inserts that provided links to additional information about the true events. I admit I spent several hours reading through the news articles and personal accounts.

The Vampire Cowboys were the Caffe Cino Fellowship recipients for this past season. I was very excited to see their work and Men of Steel did not let me down. I actually saw the production twice and was very proud that the IT Awards could help (in our small way) bring this wonderful play to the stage. The script for Men of Steel is so rich and dark and the production captured that with such style. I was reminded of The Watch Men and was very impressed with the entire cast… really the entire production team because each of the elements worked so perfectly together. Congratulations guys.

Finally I want to mention A Mouthful of Birds. This was a "sound painting," a theatrical art form that was first developed in 1986. I have never seen anything like it before in my life. I applaud breedingground productions for embracing this experimental art form. I certainly hope you will be doing more of it in the future.

There were many other wonderful productions this past season, but these are a few that made an impression on me. Tell me about other innovative works that you have seen this last year.

Shay Gines

Executive Director

New York Innovative Theatre Awards

Nominee Announcement: a brief history

At the moment we're in the middle of working on the prep for the Nominee Announcement Party. We often say it's our favorite event of the year because we get everyone in a room and celebrate the the entire Off-Off-Broadway community at large. Plus it's a straight-up party. Free drinks (thanks Yuengling and GUS), great music, and lots of fun people.

We have had some great parties. Our Launch was on Summer Solstice, June 21st, 2004, at the (original) Tank. At the time our offices were in the same building, at 432 w. 42nd st. We had a fantastic time, and met many, many new and lasting friends.

The next year, at the end of our very first season, we wanted to make a splash for the Nominees, but we also wanted to make the Announcement more than just a press conference. So we invited the media, but we also opened the doors to the public afterwards for our very first Nominee Announcement Party. This was at the Castillo Theatre (the old Raw Space). We filled the room to capacity, and had even more people at the door waiting to get in.

Last year, we were at a great party space - the Ukrainian National Home 2nd Avenue and 8th, and it was the hottest day of the year. We're used to working up a sweat on big production days, but this was ridiculous. Just before the party started, the air conditioner broke. So as 300 nominees, press, and friends filed in, it got hotter and hotter. I'm still amazed, though, that in some of the photos from the photo op area, the Nominees looked incredible. I'm not sure how they did it, but they took to heart the saying: "Never let 'em see ya sweat". At least until after their photo ops. From then on, we were dancing, drinking, and sweating together as long as we could, until we gave in and headed to the afterparty at the Telephone Bar, which still had A/C and offered drink specials for IT Awards partygoers.

This year, we'll be in the Village, just steps away from storied places like the Fat Black Pussycat, and 1 block from the birthplace of Off-Off-Broadway, the Caffe Cino. We'll have plenty of room (finally), so bring all your friends. We'll have free drinks and great music, and lots of brilliant, talented people will be there to celebrate Off-Off-Broadway.

I hope you and your friends can make it.

Nick Micozzi

Executive Director

Happy 4th of July!

Hello Everyone! Happy 4^th of July!

As much as I promised myself that I would stay offline today, it seems I am unable to resist the clickety clack of the keys of my computer. I've been lounging about the house relaxing today, which was much needed. I'm heading down to the Spiegel world tents to see "Absinthe" tonight at the Fulton Fish Market; I'm quite intrigued by the whole idea of the project. I'm personally in love with the cabaret and art world that was born out of Weimar Germany in the day. We'll also see if I can stick out the crowds afterwards to get a peek at the Macy's fireworks after the show. Somehow being in NYC for 10 years I have yet to catch the full show.

It seems that this year has dashed by in a blur, and it's amazing to think that we are moving headlong into our 3^rd year of celebrations! Shay, Nick, Jason and I got together last night to trade ideas, plans and questions for our Nomination announcement Event happening on Monday July 16^th! Being in a new location will be lots of fun. I am looking forward to seeing the space tomorrow to do more planning.

I'm also looking forward to being reunited with some of our faithful and amazing volunteers. We've been really blessed with a group of people who have been helping us at the events for 3 years straight! The community of artists that have come forth to share their time and talents blows me away every year. We always welcome more people to be involved at the events, so if you or someone you know would like to be involved, please don't hesitate to write me! This year I am especially looking for Photographers, Stage Managers, Front of house staff and General event support. I'm eager to hear from people who love NYC theatre and would like to support other artists by volunteering at our events. You can contact me at akia@nyitawards.com.

Anyway, I hope that everyone out there has an amazing and safe night of celebrations, food, fireworks, and fun.

Cheers

Akia

Company Manager

New York Innovative Theatre Awards

Hearing Voices

Soomi Kim's "Lee/gendary" had a short run of performances recently at the Beckett Theatre as part of the first National Asian American Theatre Festival in NYC. Soomi Kim created and co-wrote a show for which she was the centerpiece playing Bruce Lee. That's right, SHE was playing Bruce Lee and was absolutely stunning. The piece examined the life of Bruce Lee by trying to get behind and humanize the icon we know today. The show had it all: martial arts choreography, multimedia, live drumming, original music, etc.

In particular, though, what hit home for me about Bruce Lee was his steadfast vision and his drive to bring martial arts to the forefront of mainstream culture; to strive for excellence as a martial artist; to carry himself like a superstar even when Hollywood used his Asian-ness as an excuse and explanation to exclude him.

To illuminate Bruce Lee's Ambition and vision, Soomi Kim quoted from the work of American writer Jim Harrison: "Some people hear their inner voices with such clearness and they live by what they hear. Such people became crazy, or they become legend."

As a new staff member to the New York Innovative Theatre Awards, this quote helps me to understand the dedication of my new colleagues. I like to imagine that the founding directors—Shay, Jason, and Nick—were first guided by such inner voices that said: "Create a platform to recognize Off-Off Broadway Theatre to celebrate the art and the artists. Foster community and solidarity in the indie theatre scene in New York City." And I like to imagine that these inner voices were persistent but rang clear and true. And they acted on it by creating the New York Innovative Theatre Awards, and when the vision was expanded, created the New York Innovative Theatre Foundation.

These folks live by what they heard because what started out as an idea has now reached its 3rd year. To get to this point, just imagine how many dedicated hours, resources, skills, sweat and tears have been donated for the good of the Off-Off Broadway community. Let's be honest and say that most of us would normally consider this crazy behavior to execute for three years now something that has no material gain or personal advancement.

It would be a tad facetious of me to start throwing around the word "legend" to describe the IT Awards in a blog entry found on the IT Awards Myspace page. However, I have been thinking about this quote… and about Bruce Lee… and about making theatre… and about the New York Innovative There Awards. And look around us: the wondrous possibilities from listening and living for what we hear clearly in our heads and hearts, and ultimately, the powerful impact that it has to those around us.

Nancy Kim
Member Services Manager