The Winners! 2014 New York Innovative Theatre Awards Honor The Best of Off-Off Broadway
By: Robert Diamond Sep. 23, 2014
On Monday, September 22, 2014, The Innovative Theatre Foundation, the organization who for the past 10 years has been dedicated to celebrating Off-Off-Broadway, announced the 2014 recipients at its annual event. Celebrating ten years and thousands of nominees, the New York Innovative Theatre awards took place at Mason Hall at Baruch Performing Arts Center, 17 Lexington Avenue.
Over the past ten years, the IT Awards has honored over 1,800 individual artists, over 500 productions, and 420 theatre companies; having collected over 50,000 ballots and disseminated more than 7,000 judges. The 2014 Nominees include 133 individual artists, 59 different productions and 56 Off-Off-Broadway theatre companies.
Special awards were presented in the following categories:
Artistic Achievement Award Recipient: Dan Bianchi (RadioTheatre)
Ellen Stewart Award: Woodie King, Jr. (New Federal Theatre)
Caffé Cino Fellowship Award: Blessed Unrest
Doric Wilson Independent Playwright Award: Kevin R. Free (The Fantasticks)
Outstanding Stage Manager: Haejin Han (Don Juan in Hell, Phoenix Theatre Ensemble)
2014 RECIPIENTS (includes Nominees in each category; winners italicized and **):
Outstanding Ensemble** At First Sight (and Other Stories), Broken Box Mime Theater
Becky Baumwoll, Dinah Berkeley, Seikai Ishizuka, David Jenkins, Meera Kumbhani, Tasha Milkman, Marissa Molnar, Dan Reckart, Joe Tuttle, Leah Wagner **
Ellen Adair, Nat Cassidy, Eric Gilde, Patrick Mulryan, Anna O'Donoghue, Christopher Seiler, Alexander Sovronsky
Cecil Baldwin, Christopher Borg, Roberta Colindrez, Cara Francis, Dylan Marron, Martina Potratz
Magic Bullets, Buran Theatre Company
Caitlin Bebb, Abigail Blueher, Donna Jewell, Jud Knudsen, Catrin Lloyd-Bollard, Erin Mallon, Michael McKim Karp, Kate Schroeder, Mari Yamamoto
Tandy Cronyn, Marianne Miller, James Patrick Nelson, Sam Tsoutsouvas Pirira, Theatre 167
Adrian Baidoo, J.Stephen Brantley, Todd Flaherty, Flor De Liz Perez
Outstanding Solo Performance
** Sandy Moore
The Simple Stories, WorkShop Theater Company **
Fatelessness, SceneHouse Productions and Gia Forakis & CompanyJ. Stephen Brantley
Chicken-Fried Ciccone: A Twangy True Tale Of Transformation, Hard Sparks Aizzah Fatima
Dirty Paki Lingerie, Aizzah Fatima Kim Katzberg
Darkling, Eat a Radish Productions in association with IRT Theater Nora Woolley
Hip, Nora WoolleyOutstanding Actor in a Featured Role
** Noel Joseph Allain
Luft Gangster, Nylon Fusion Collective **
Wild, Sanguine Theatre Company Brendan McDonough
Beckett in Benghazi, Less Than Rent Theatre in association with Horse Trade Theater GroupTony Naumovski
Sawbones & the Diamond Eater, Days of the Giants LLCLyonel Reneau
Wild, Sanguine Theatre CompanyDwayne Washington
Rent, The Gallery PlayersOutstanding Actress in a Featured Role
** Jenny Seastone
The Gin Baby, Kid Brooklyn Productions and Mermaid Sands Productions **
My Father's Ashes, Original Binding ProductionsManna Nichols
Allegro, Astoria Performing Arts CenterDiana Oh
Frankenstein Upstairs, Gideon ProductionsAlyssa Simon
Within Arm's Reach, Going to Tahiti Productions Jenne Vath
Sawbones & the Diamond Eater, Days of the Giants LLCOutstanding Actor in a Lead Role
** Jason O'Connell
Don Juan In Hell, Phoenix Theatre Ensemble **
The Lonesome West, Mark Forlenza ProductionsJames Patrick Nelson
Old Familiar Faces, Tin Drum Productions Tom Pavey
The Lonesome West, Mark Forlenza Productions Brian Silliman
Dark Water, Manhattan Theatre Works (MTWorks)J. Stephen Brantley
Pirira, Theatre 167Outstanding Actress in a Lead Role
** Heather E. Cunningham
An Appeal to the Woman of the House, Retro Productions **
The Importance of Being Earnest, Take Wing And Soar Productions, Inc.Tandy Cronyn
Old Familiar Faces, Tin Drum ProductionsChristina Pumariega
Sousepaw: 'A Baseball Story', Shelby CompanyLesley Shires
The Gin Baby, Kid Brooklyn ProductionsHannah Sloat
The Glory of Living, Revolve ProductionsOutstanding Choreography/Movement
** Carlos Neto
Gymnos: A Geek's Tragedy, Ticket 2 Eternity Productions **
Nothing But Trash, Theater For The New City Thiago Felix
Infinite While it Lasts, Group .BR Grasshopper Mitch
David's RedHaired Death, One Old Crow Productions David Norwood & Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj
Salome: Da Voodoo Princess of Nawlins, Rebel Theater Christine O'Grady
Allegro, Astoria Performing Arts Center Outstanding Director
** DeLisa M. White
Lights Narrow, Teatro Oscuro **
The God Projekt, La MaMa in association with Lone Wolf Tribe Karen Case Cook
Don Juan In Hell, Phoenix Theatre Ensemble Tyrus Holden
The Pregnancy of Angela Freak, AqUa MeRcUrY Creations Kelly O'Donnell
Jane the Plain, Flux Theatre EnsembleTazewell Thompson
Sawbones & the Diamond Eater, Days of the Giants LLCOutstanding Lighting Design
** Kia Rogers
Jane the Plain, Flux Theatre Ensemble **
Pirira, Theatre 167Joan Racho-Jansen
The Lonesome West, Mark Forlenza ProductionsEvan Roby
The Cottage, Astoria Performing Arts CenterKia Rogers
The Gin Baby, Kid Brooklyn Productions and Mermaid Sands Productions Alexandra Mannix
Within Arm's Reach, Going to Tahiti ProductionsOutstanding Costume Design
** Gail Cooper-Hecht
The Importance of Being Earnest, Take Wing And Soar Productions, Inc. **
A Man's World, Metropolitan Playhouse Amanda Jenks
Rubber Ducks and Sunsets, Ground Up Productions Thomas Kleinert
The Pregnancy of Angela Freak, AqUa MeRcUrY CreationsRyan Moller
The Cottage, Astoria Performing Arts CenterCarrie Robbins
Sawbones & the Diamond Eater, Days of the Giants LLCOutstanding Set Design
** Travis McHale
Rubber Ducks and Sunsets, Ground Up Productions ** Stephen Karoly Dobay
The Cottage, Astoria Performing Arts CenterDonald Eastman
The Chairs, La MaMa in association with Skysaver Productions Brandon McNeel
Sawbones & the Diamond Eater, Days of the Giants LLCJacques Roy
And to the Republic, The Guerrilla Shakespeare Project Tsubasa Kamaei & Jennifer Stimple Kamei
Don Juan In Hell, Phoenix Theatre EnsembleOutstanding Sound Design
** Christian Frederickson
The Awake, kef theatrical productions **Janie Bullard
The Gin Baby, Kid Brooklyn Productions and Mermaid Sands ProductionsJanie Bullard
Jane the Plain, Flux Theatre EnsembleJanie Bullard
Pirira, Theatre 167Christopher Loar
Mute, New York Neo-Futurists Tim Schellenbaum & Alice Tolan-Mee
The Chairs, La MaMa in association with Skysaver ProductionsOutstanding Innovative Design
** Nicole Hill
For Puppet Design
Mute, New York Neo-Futurists **
For Phone & Text Design
FutureMate, Brick TheaterLaia Cabrera, Isabelle Duverger, and Ildiko Nemeth
For Video Design
Cosmicomics, The New Stage Theatre CompanyKaitlyn Pietras
For Projection Design
The Gin Baby, Kid Brooklyn Productions and Mermaid Sands Productions Matt Reeves
For Projection Design
And to the Republic, The Guerrilla Shakespeare ProjectJane Catherine Shaw & Theodora Skipitares
For Puppet Design
The Chairs, La MaMa in association with Skysaver ProductionsOutstanding Original Music
** Scott Munson
Sawbones & the Diamond Eater, Days of the Giants LLC **
Rubber Ducks and Sunsets, Ground Up Productions Jennifer Makholm & Ian Wehrle
Relent, an Indie Musical, WorkShop Theater Company Ellen Mandel
Don Juan In Hell, Phoenix Theatre EnsembleAlexander Sovronsky
As You Like It, Happy Few Theatre Company Alla Zagaykevych
Fire Water Night, Yara Arts Group in Association with LaMaMaOutstanding Original Short Script
** Lenore Wolf
April March, Fragments from an Unintegrated Life from East Side Stories: Movers, Metropolitan Playhouse **
Chicken-Fried Ciccone: A Twangy True Tale Of Transformation, Hard SparksKate Gersten
First Love from The Spring Fling, F*It Club Kate Kertez
Dumbo from Brooklyn Labyrinth, Oracle Theatre Inc Mark Loewenstern
One is the Road fromSuper Shorts 2013, WorkShop Theater Company Nora Woolley
Hip, Nora WoolleyOutstanding Original Full-length Script
** David Stallings
Dark Water, Manhattan Theatre Works (MTWorks) **
Old Familiar Faces, Tin Drum Productions Vincent Marano
Lights Narrow, Teatro Oscuro Christie Perfetti Williams
An Appeal to the Woman of the House, Retro ProductionsSarah Shaefer
The Gin Baby, Kid Brooklyn Productions and Mermaid Sands Productions J.Stephen Brantley
Pirira, Theatre 167Outstanding Performance Art Production
** The God Projekt, La MaMa in association with Lone Wolf Tribe **
At First Sight (and Other Stories), Broken Box Mime Theater FutureMate, Brick Theater Magic Bullets, Buran Theatre Company The Chairs, La MaMa in association with Skysaver Productions The Maiden, The Nerve TankOutstanding Production of a Musical** Allegro, Astoria Performing Arts Center **
A Little Night Music, The Gallery Players Candide - The Musical, Theater 2020 Fire Water Night, Yara Arts Group in Association with LaMaMa Life on the Mississippi: A New Musical Play, WorkShop Theater Company The Pregnancy of Angela Freak, AqUa MeRcUrY CreationsOutstanding Premiere Production of A Play** Pirira, Theatre 167 **
An Appeal to the Woman of the House, Retro Productions Dark Water, Manhattan Theatre Works (MTWorks) Frankenstein Upstairs, Gideon Productions Lights Narrow, Teatro Oscuro The Complete and Condensed Stage Directions of Eugene O'Neill Vol 2, New York Neo-Futurists Outstanding Revival of A Play** Don Juan In Hell, Phoenix Theatre Ensemble **
A Man's World, Metropolitan Playhouse As You Like It, Happy Few Theatre Company Julius Caesar, Smith Street Stage R+J: Star-Cross'd Death Match, Three Day Hangover Wild, Sanguine Theatre CompanyThe Innovative Theatre Foundation is a not-for-profit organization recognizing the great work of New York City's Off-Off-Broadway, honoring its artistic heritage, and providing a meeting ground for this extensive and richly varied community. The organization advocates for Off-Off-Broadway and recognizes the unique and essential role it plays in contributing to American and global culture. They believe that publicly recognizing excellence in Off-Off-Broadway will expand audience awareness and foster greater appreciation of the New York theatre experience. www.nyitawards.com.
Each New York Innovative Theatre Award weighs 4.5lbs and is made of black anodized aluminum. They are custom made each year by Kyden Machine Inc.
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