2016 Recipients Announced for New York Innovative Theatre Awards

On Monday, September 26, 2016, The New York Innovative Theatre Foundation, the organization who for the past 12 years has been dedicated to celebrating Off-Off-Broadway, announced the 2016 recipients at its annual awards ceremony, The IT Awards. Hosted by a crowd favorite, Jason Kravits and directed by award winning director and Sound Designer, DeLisa White the ceremony took place from 7pm to 10pm at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College.

The beautiful event included presenters from the vast theater community, including Jenny Lyn Bader & Ari Laura Kreith (Theatre 167), Ken Billington (lighting designer),KLea Blackhurst (Everything the Traffic Will Allow), Andrew Block (TDF), Anne Bogart (director), Mallory Catlett (Obie award winning director), Rebecca Cunningham (costume designer), Sol Crespo (Missteps of a Salsa Dancer), Alec Duffy (Hoi Polloi, JACK), Richard Frankel (producer), John Gromada (Next Fall, A Bronx Tale), John Benjamin Hickey (The Normal Heart), Elena K. Holy (FringeNYC), Cady Huffman (La Cage aux Folles, Big Deal), Andrew Long (Curious Incident of the Dog in The Nighttime), Neil A. Mazzella (Of Mice and Men, After Midnight...), Terrence McNally (Love! Valour! Compassion!), Crystal Skillman (playwright), Peggy Shaw (Split Britches Theater Company, WOW Cafe Theatre), Alisha Spielmann (Producing Juliet), Carmelita Tropicana (performance artist), Lois Weaver (independent performance artist),Robert Witherow (Violet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth), andEli Zoller (Violet, First Date: The Musical)

The 2016 New York Innovative Theatre Award Nominees represent 145 individual nominees, 50 productions and 44 theatre companies. In the past 12 years, the IT Awards have honored nearly 2,200 artists, 600 productions and 550 companies.

Press photos, video, and information about the event are available at www.nyitawards.com and from our press agent Katie Rosin at 917-438-9223 and pr@nyitawards.com.

2016 Recipients marked with **:

OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE
** The Golfer, Gemini CollisionWorks
Fred Backus, Broderick Ballantyne, Rebecca Gray Davis, Lex Friedman, Ian W. Hill, Bob Laine, Matthew Napoli, Timothy McCown Reynolds, Alyssa Simon, Anna Stefanic

Connected, Project Y Theatre Company
Gus Birney, Joachim Boyle, Robby Clater, Ella Dershowitz, Midori Francis, Dana Jacks, Thomas Muccioli, Aria Shahghasemi

Gorey: The Secret Lives of Edward Gorey, Life Jacket Theatre Company
Andrew Dawson, Phil Gillen, Aidan Sank

Street Theater, TOSOS
Tim Abrams, Chris Andersson, Christopher Borg, Éilis Cahill, Jonathan Cedano, Desmond Dutcher, Russell Jordan, Josh Kenney, Jeremy Lawrence, Michael Lynch, Joe MacDougall, Rebecca Nyahay, PatRick Porter, & Ben Strothmann

The Further Adventures Of..., TOSOS
Tim Burke, Mark Finley, & Jamie Heinlein

Unity (1918), Project: Theater
Wendy Bagger, Alicia Dawn Bullen, Jessi Blue Gormezano, Doug Harris, Beth Ann Hopkins, Joshua Everett Johnson, Joe Jung, Alexandra Perlwitz, Melanie Rey

OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE
**Siobhan O'Loughlin
Broken Bone Bathtub, Elephant Run District

David Carl
David Carl's Celebrity One Man Hamlet,
Project Y Theatre, PM2 Entertainment and Richard Jordan Productions in associate with Underbelly

Laura Hooper
Crumble, MORA Theater

Peter Michael Marino
Late With Lance!, PM2 Entertainment

Colin Summers
Steve: A Docu-Musical, New York Neo-Futurists

Yolanda K. Wilkinson
Bible Study for Heathens, New York Neo-Futurists

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE
**Timothy McCown Reynolds
The Golfer, Gemini CollisionWorks

Deven Anderson
The Pillowman, Variations Theatre Group

Joseph D. Giardina
Natural Life, T. Schreiber Studio

Alex Grubbs
Utility, The Amoralists

Ryan Johnston
Harper Regan, T. Schreiber Studio

Mike Phillips Gomez
Harper Regan, T. Schreiber Studio

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE
**Midori Francis
Connected, Project Y Theatre Company

Kelly Barbarito
A Chorus Line, The Secret Theatre

Adrian Grace Bumpas
A Chorus Line, The Secret Theatre

Anwen Darcy
Romeo And Juliet, The Drilling Company

Noelle McGrath
Natural Life, T. Schreiber Studio

Lauren Nordvig
Rush, Team Awesome Robot

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE
**Fred Backus
The Golfer, Gemini CollisionWorks

Adam Belvo
Butcher Holler Here We Come, Aztec Economy

Dave Klasko
Gordy Crashes, Ricochet Collective

Lee Slobotkin
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Astoria Performing Arts Center

Charles Socarides
How to Live on Earth, Colt Coeur

Jonny Stein
A Chorus Line, The Secret Theatre

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A LEAD ROLE
**Maeve Yore
Harper Regan, T. Schreiber Studio

Becca Andrews
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Astoria Performing Arts Center

Holly Heiser
Natural Life, T. Schreiber Studio

Christina Elise Perry
Wait Until Dark, Variations Theatre Group

Geena Quintos
A Chorus Line, The Secret Theatre

Vanessa Vaché
Utility, The Amoralists

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY/MOVEMENT
**Becky Baumwoll
Above Below, Broken Box Mime Theater

Corrie Blissit
In the Soundless Awe, New Light Theater Project

Nikita Chaudhry& Ian Fields Stewart
Untameable, The Unsoft War and Highly Impractical Theatre

Patrice Miller
City of Glass, Untitled Theater Co. #61

Katie Proulx
Gorey: The Secret Lives of Edward Gorey, Life Jacket Theatre Company

Geena Quintos
A Chorus Line, The Secret Theatre

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR
**Fritz Brekeller
Composure, WorkShop Theater Company

Michael Bello
In the Heights, The Gallery Players

KIRK GOSTKOWSKI& John Arthur Long
Wait Until Dark, Variations Theatre Group

Ian Harkins
She Stoops To Conquer, Hudson Warehouse

Travis Russ
Gorey: The Secret Lives of Edward Gorey, Life Jacket Theatre Company

Terry Schreiber
Harper Regan, T. Schreiber Studio

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN
**Aaron Gonzalez
Wait Until Dark, Variations Theatre Group

Chelsie McPhilimy
Rush, Team Awesome Robot

John Narun
Gorey: The Secret Lives of Edward Gorey, Life Jacket Theatre Company

Kia Rogers
Rizing, Flux Theatre Ensemble

Govin Ruben
Exposure, Next In Line Productions LLC

Serena Wong
Gordy Crashes, Ricochet Collective

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN
**Kaitlyn Elizabeth Day
The Golfer, Gemini CollisionWorks

Mary Cann
Hot L Baltimore, T. Schreiber Studio

Viviane Galloway
A Little Night Music, Theater 2020

Jennifer A. Jacob
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Astoria Performing Arts Center

Emily Rose Parman
She Stoops To Conquer, Hudson Warehouse

Ashley Soliman
Fatty Fatty No Friends, Mind The Art Entertainment

OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN
**George Allison
Hot L Baltimore, T. Schreiber Studio

Aaron Gonzalez
Wait Until Dark, Variations Theatre Group

Jennifer Neads
Rush, Team Awesome Robot

Kate Noll
Gordy Crashes, Ricochet Collective

Travis Russ & Carl Vorwerk
Gorey: The Secret Lives of Edward Gorey, Life Jacket Theatre Company

Sandy Yaklin
Office Politics, One Wild Jew Productions

OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN
**Joe Jung& KJ Sanchez
Unity (1918), Project: Theater

Andy Evan Cohen
In the Soundless Awe, New Light Theater Project

M.L. Dogg
How to Live on Earth, Colt Coeur

Ian W. Hill
The Golfer, Gemini CollisionWorks

Matt Sherwin
Gluten!, Adjusted Realists

Mark Van Hare
Gordy Crashes