Five Points or Less

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The 2010 New York IT Award Winners

by Dan Dinero on 9.22.10

On Monday September 20, the New York IT (Innovative Theatre) Awards were announced at the Sixth Annual IT Awards Ceremony. The ceremony took place at Cooper Union, and was hosted by Lisa Kron. If you were not able to attend the ceremony, you can watch it here: www.nyitawards.com/live. And for Molly's Q & A with some of the nominees, click here.

Most of these shows run for only a few weeks, and in that time they play to fewer people (in their entire run) than see a single performance of a Broadway show. So figuring out how to cover all of the hundreds of New York's off-off-Broadway theatrical events is a difficult task.  Shows become eligible for the IT Awards by registering (a show needs to play at least eight performances), and then the show is evaluated by a combination of judges and audience vote. So yes- you can vote for these awards! To be clear- the IT Awards are not simply about which show has the most people voting for it; the audience vote is done as an average, and is simply one factor. But the next time you see something off-off-Broadway, check to see if it is registered with the IT Awards - there will likely be a notice in your program. Who knows? That little tiny show you are seeing with 25 other people might well win an award next September!

For more information, and to register to vote for next year's awards, visit www.nyitawards.com.

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OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE

Recipients: Marc Bovino, Joe Curnutte, Michael Dalto, Stephanie Wright Thompson, Samuel and Alasdair: A Personal History of the Robot War, The Mad Ones

Nominees:

• Christine Rebecca Herzog, Itsuko Higashi, Jubil Khan, Fêtes de la Nuit, WeildWorks
• Kaela Crawford, Julia Giolzetti, Caitlin Mehner, Alison Scaramella, Stephanie Strohm, Pink!, Down Payment Productions
• Jenny Bennett, Melissa D. Brown, John Graham, John J. Isgro, Courtney Kochuba, Kyle Minshew, Amanda Nichols, Katherine Nolan Brown, Jed Peterson, Sean Reidy, Miranda Shields, Douglas Taurel, Nate Washburn, The Disorder Plays, Milk Can Theatre Company
• Joie Bauer, David Bishins, Gina Nagy Burns, James Patterson, Chris Skeries, Harris Yulin, Janet Zarish, The Glass House, Resonance Ensemble
• Daniel Abeles, Craig Jorczak, Jacob Murphy, Anna O'Donoghue, Laura Ramadei, Claire Siebers, Too Little Too Late, Red Elevator Productions
  

OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE

Recipient: Jesse Zaritt, Binding, Theatre C and terraNOVA Collective's soloNOVA Arts Festival

Nominees:

• Dan Berkey, Remission, terraNOVA Collective's soloNOVA Arts Festival
• Michael Graves, The Report of My Death, One Armed Man, Inc. in association with Oracle Theatre, Inc. and Faux-Real Theatre Company 
• David Harrell, A Little Potato and Hard to Peel, ADH Enterprises
• Erin Markey, Puppy Love: A Stripper's Tail, terraNOVA Collective's soloNOVA Arts Festival
• Brian McManamon, It or Her, terraNOVA Collective's soloNOVA Arts Festival
• Avery Pearson, Monster, Really Sketchy and terraNOVA Collective's soloNOVA Arts Festival
  

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE

Recipient: Amir Darvish, Psych, Cake Productions

Nominees:

• Michael Cyril Creighton, MilkMilkLemonade, The Management & Horse Trade Theater Group
• Kyle Haggerty, The Hypochondriac, the cell theatre company 
• Douglas Scott Sorenson, The Hypochondriac, the cell theatre company 
• Evan Thompson, Loyalties, Unity Stage Company 
• Paco Tolson, The Brokenhearteds, I Mean! Productions
  

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE

Recipient: Jennifer Harder, MilkMilkLemonade, The Management & Horse Trade Theater Group

Nominees:

• Jess Barbagallo, MilkMilkLemonade, The Management & Horse Trade Theater Group
• Nikole Beckwith, MilkMilkLemonade, The Management & Horse Trade Theater Group
• Jessica Crandall, Agamemnon, LaMaMa Experimental Theater Club 
• Elaine O'Brien, Granada, Polybe + Seats 
• Anna O'Donoghue, Too Little Too Late, Red Elevator Productions
  

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE

Recipient: Frank Anderson, The Return of Peter Grimm, Metropolitan Playhouse

Nominees:

• Marc Bovino, Samuel and Alasdair: A Personal History of the Robot War, The Mad Ones
• Joe Curnutte, Samuel and Alasdair: A Personal History of the Robot War, The Mad Ones
• Christopher Domig, A Mysterious Way, Firebone Theatre 
• John Halbach, Children At Play, CollaborationTown 
• Harris Yulin, The Glass House, Resonance Ensemble
  

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A LEAD ROLE

Recipient: Elizabeth A. Davis, Emily, An Amethyst Remembrance, Firebone Theatre

Nominees:

• Elyse Mirto, Next Year in Jerusalem, WorkShop Theater Company
• Susan Louise O'Connor, Children At Play, CollaborationTown 
• Tanya O'Debra, Radio Star, Horse Trade Theater Group and Tanya O'Debra 
• Kristen Vaughan, The Desk Set, Retro Productions 
• Stephanie Wright Thompson, Samuel and Alasdair: A Personal History of the Robot War, The Mad Ones
  

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY/MOVEMENT

Recipient: Jesse Zaritt, Binding, terraNOVA Collective's soloNOVA Arts Festival

Nominees:

• Nina Ashe, Manhattanpotamia IV, The Hyperion Theatre Project
• Jonothon Lyons, The Tenement, The Associated Mask Ensemble
• Austin McCormick, Le Serpent Rouge, Company XIV 
• Christine O'Grady, Children of Eden, Astoria Performing Arts Center
• Kim Weild, Fêtes de la Nuit, WeildWorks
  

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR

Recipient: Brian Smith, Pink!, Down Payment Productions

Nominees:

• Daniel Brodie and Jonothon Lyons, The Tenement, The Associated Mask Ensemble
• Heather Cohn, The Lesser Seductions of History, Flux Theatre Ensemble
• Lila Neugebauer, Samuel and Alasdair: A Personal History of the Robot War, The Mad Ones
• Alex Roe, The Return of Peter Grimm, Metropolitan Playhouse
• Kim Weild, Fêtes de la Nuit, WeildWorks
  

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN

Recipient: Charles Foster, Fêtes de la Nuit, WeildWorks

Nominees:

• Tim Cryan, Welcome to the Woods, The International Theatre Laboratory Workshop
• Gina Scherr, Le Serpent Rouge, Company XIV 
• Joel Silver, Pink!, Down Payment Productions 
• John Tees III, Down Range, Delano Celli Productions 
• Christopher Weston, The Return of Peter Grimm, Metropolitan Playhouse
  

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN

Recipient: Olivera Gajic, Le Serpent Rouge, Company XIV

Nominees:

• Stephanie Alexander, Pink!, Down Payment Productions
• Brooke Berry and Mark Mears, Psych, Cake Productions 
• Viviane Galloway, The Desk Set, Retro Productions 
• Julianne Kroboth, Craven Monkey and The Mountain of Fury, Piper McKenzie 
• Lisa Zinni, Killing Women, kef theatrical productions
  

OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN

Recipient: Michael P. Kramer, Children of Eden, Astoria Performing Arts Center

Nominees:

• Daniel Brodie, The Tenement, The Associated Mask Ensemble
• Rebecca Cunningham, The Desk Set, Retro Productions 
• Zane Pihlstrom, Snow White, Company XIV 
• Brian Scott, Fêtes de la Nuit, WeildWorks 
• Amanda Stephens, Pink!, Down Payment Productions
  

OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN

Recipient: Stowe Nelson, Samuel and Alasdair: A Personal History of the Robot War, The Mad Ones

Nominees:

• The Broken Chord Collective, Thunder Above, Deeps Below, Second Generation Productions, Inc.
• Shane Rettig, Alice in Slasherland, Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company 
• Philip Rothman, Proof, Tongue in Cheek Theater Productions
• Jeanne Travis, The Desk Set, Retro Productions 
• Mark Valadez, Caucasian Chalk Circle, Performance Lab 115
  

OUTSTANDING INNOVATIVE DESIGN

Recipient: C. Andrew Bauer, Fêtes de la Nuit, WeildWorks

Nominees:

• Daniel Brodie, The Tenement, The Associated Mask Ensemble
• Heather E. Cunningham and Casandera M.J. Lollar, The Desk Set, Retro Productions 
• Daniel Heffernan, The Glass House, Resonance Ensemble
• Jonothon Lyons, The Tenement, The Associated Mask Ensemble
• Zane Pihlstrom, Snow White, Company XIV 
• Matt Tennie, Alice in Slasherland, Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company
• David Valentine, Alice in Slasherland, Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company
  

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL MUSIC

Recipient: Mark Valadez, Caucasian Chalk Circle, Performance Lab 115

Nominees:

• Michael Kosch, The Return of Peter Grimm, Metropolitan Playhouse
• Jonothon Lyons, The Tenement, The Associated Mask Ensemble
• Andrew Mauriello, Radio Star, Horse Trade Theater Group and Tanya O'Debra 
• Carl Riehl, Laika Dog in Space, New York Neo-Futurists 
• Colonna Sonora, 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, Toy Box Theatre Company
  

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SHORT SCRIPT

Recipient: Jonothon Lyons, The Tenement, The Associated Mask Ensemble

Nominees:

• Lorraine Cink, Emilia's Wish in The Disorder Plays, Milk Can Theatre Company
• Cheryl L. Davis, BMW in The Disorder Plays, Milk Can Theatre Company
• Amy Herzog, Christmas Present in Too Little Too Late, Red Elevator Productions
• ML Kinney, What If... in The Disorder Plays, Milk Can Theatre Company
• Bethany Larsen, The Third Date in The Disorder Plays, Milk Can Theatre Company
  

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL FULL-LENGTH SCRIPT

Recipient: Crystal Skillman, The Vigil or The Guided Cradle, Impetuous Theater Group & The Brick Theater

Nominees:

• James Comtois, Infectious Opportunity, Nosedive Productions
• Stacy Davidowitz, Pink!, Down Payment Productions
• Ashlin Halfnight, Balaton, Electric Pear Productions 
• Adam Kraar, Empire of the Trees, Wizard Oil Productions
• Tanya O'Debra, Radio Star, Horse Trade Theater Group and Tanya O'Debra
  

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE ART PRODUCTION

Recipient: Binding, terraNOVA Collective's soloNOVA Arts Festival

Nominees:

• Craven Monkey and The Mountain of Fury, Piper McKenzie
• Diagnosis of a Faun, LaMaMa Experimental Theater Club
• Haunted House, Vortex Theater Company 
• Manhattanpotamia IV, The Hyperion Theatre Project
• Remission, terraNOVA Collective's soloNOVA Arts Festival
• The Soup Show, New York Neo-Futurists
  

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL

Recipient: Children of Eden, Astoria Performing Arts Center

Nominees:

• Caroline, or Change, The Gallery Players
• Romance, Romance, The Active Theater
• Rootless: La No-Nostalgia, terraNOVA Collective's soloNOVA Arts Featival
• The Cradle Will Rock, Theater Ten Ten
• Top of the Heap, The Gallery Players
  

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A PLAY

Recipient: Samuel and Alasdair: A Personal History of the Robot War, The Mad Ones

Nominees:

• Fêtes de la Nuit, WeildWorks
• Pink!, Down Payment Productios
• The Desk Set, Retro Productions
• The Return of Peter Grimm, Metropolitan Playhouse
• The Tenement, The Associated Mask Ensemble
  

OUTSTANDING STAGE MANAGER
Jaimie Van Dyke


HONORARY AWARDS
These awards were previously announced:

The Artistic Achievement Award - Lanford Wilson
The Stewardship Award - Dixon Place
The Caffe Cino Fellowship - New York Neo-Futurists

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The New York Innovative Theatre Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, which recognizes the great work of New York's Off-Off-Broadway—honoring its artistic heritage and providing an alliance for this extensive and richly varied community. As advocates for Off-Off-Broadway, they recognize its unique and essential role contributing to global culture. Each season, The New York Innovative Theatre Foundation publicly recognizes excellence in Off-Off-Broadway, with a high-profile awards ceremony. The New York Innovative Theatre Awards celebrate the community and honor some of the previous year's greatest achievements. The IT Awards heighten audience awareness and foster greater appreciation of the New York theatre experience.