5 Lesbian Brothers, TDF and Astoria Performing Arts Center Awarded 2012 New York Innovative Theatre Awards

The New York Innovative Theatre Awards, the organization dedicated to celebrating Off-Off-Broadway, has announced the 2012 recipients of the Honorary Awards.

The Honorary Awards will be presented at the Eighth Annual IT Awards ceremony held on Monday, September 24, 2012 at 7 pm (Location TBA). Hosted by Harrison Greenbaum, tickets are $25 and are available at www.nyitawards.com/shop. If you are unable to attend, you can join the OOB theatre community's biggest night of the year online at www.nyitawards.com/live.

• The 2012 Artistic Achievement Award, presented to an individual who has made a significant artistic contribution to the Off-Off-Broadway community.

5 Lesbian Brothers: For the past 23 years the Five Lesbian Brothers have created provocative lesbian theater for the masses using the fine feminist art of collaboration. They are Maureen Angelos, Babs Davy, Dominique Dibbell, Peg Healey, and Lisa Kron. They came together as a theater company in 1989 at the Obie-Award-winning WOW Café Theater.

Their repertoire includes five full-length plays, Voyage to Lesbos, Brave Smiles, The Secretaries, Brides of the Moon, and Oedipus at Palm Springs, as well as numerous event-specific show-stopping acts. The Brothers’ plays have been produced off Broadway and off-off Broadway and beyond by theaters such as New York Theatre Workshop, The Public Theatre, the WOW Cafe Theatre, Downtown Art Company, Performance Space 122, Dixon Place, La Mama, the Kitchen and the Whitney Museum of American Art at Phillip Morris. The Brothers have toured their work to London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Houston, Columbus, Seattle, Philadelphia, Boston and the deep woods of Michigan. Their plays, published by TCG and licensed by Samuel French, have been produced by other companies throughout the United States and, believe it or not, in Zagreb, Croatia. The Brothers have received Obie, Bessie, and Lambda Literary Awards, and their plays are taught in theater and queer/feminist studies courses in colleges and universities throughout the country.

“Nothing excites the spirit like a 99-seat house filled with 105 adventurous strangers, ever so slightly woozy from the scent of paint still drying on the set, but filled with anticipation as the hum of coffee-can lights controlled by a homemade dimmer board alerts them that the play you haven't quite finished writing is about to begin,” says the Brothers. “The Brothers are proud to be a part of the Off-Off-Broadway tradition, humbled to be included in the distinguished company of the former recipients and deeply honored to be receiving this Artistic Achievement Award.”

• The 2012 Ellen Stewart Award, presented to an individual or organization demonstrating a significant contribution to the Off-Off-Broadway community through service, support and leadership.

Theatre Development Fund (TDF): Theatre Development Fund was created in the conviction that the live theatrical arts afford a unique expression of the human condition that must be sustained and nurtured. It is dedicated to developing diverse audiences for live theatre and dance and strengthening the performing arts community in New York City. Since being founded in 1968, it has become the largest nonprofit performing arts service organization in the United States, returning over $130 million to hundreds of productions annually through a variety of programs. TDF’s programs have provided over 80 million people with access to performances at affordable prices. Best known for its TKTS Discount Booths, TDF’s membership, outreach, access and education programs — as well as its Costume Collection — help to make the unique experience of theatre available to everyone. TDF recently received a 2011 Mayor’s Award for Arts and Culture and a 2012 Tony Honor for Excellence for its Open Doors Program. For more information about TDF, go to: www.tdf.org.

"We are very honored to be recognized with this prestigious award," said Michael Naumann, TDF's Managing Director. "We have been thrilled by the response to our Off-Off@$9 program for our members and are looking forward to opening the program up to the general public in the next few weeks, allowing adventurous theatre goers to discover the riches of Off-Off Broadway."

• The 2012 Caffé Cino Fellowship Award, presented to an Off-Off-Broadway theatre company that consistently produces outstanding work. This award also includes a grant to be used toward an Off-Off-Broadway production.

Astoria Performing Arts Center: The Astoria Performing Arts Center, Inc. (APAC), a not-for-profit organization, was founded in 2001with a mission to bring high quality theater to Astoria, Queens and to support local youth and senior citizens.

APAC has grown steadily over the past 12 years. Support from local businesses and community leaders has enabled the company to achieve production values that exceed audience expectations. To date, APAC has received 21 New York Innovative Theatre Award nominations and 4 wins (Children of Eden & Ragtime), as well as an Off-Off Broadway Theatre Review Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical (Is There Life After High School?).

APAC also offers free annual community programs, including a summer performance camp for children ages 8-13, after school playwriting classes for middle school students, and a performance program for Queens residents over the age of 60. These programs deepen ties with the community, and develop new audiences for theater.

APAC’s diverse programming and consistent quality of work has attracted a loyal and growing audience that reflects the diversity of Western Queens, but also draws people from the other boroughs and beyond. For more information, go to www.apacny.org.

"We're thrilled to be recognized by our peers in the indie theater community. We've been proud to bring Off Off Broadway to Astoria for the past 12 years. A lot of our friends in the Queens community will take some hometown pride in APAC getting this award," said Taryn Sacramone, Executive Director.

The Eighth Annual IT Awards Ceremony will be held on Monday, September 24, 2012 at 7:00 pm. Location TBA.

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 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.

Visit The New York Innovative Theatre Awards online at www.nyitawards.com.