The Theatre's Choice Awards 2018
“I think that the need for self celebration comes from the fact that so many of us are doing this work for less than peanuts.”
~ Damon Runnals, just now.
Most of us are making art because somewhere deep down in our soul we are filling some kind of void. Certainly none of us are doing this for financial gain, job security, the benefits package, or even because we have copious amounts of free time to explore the meanings of humanity through artistic expression. We do it because we are - as some say - called to do it.
There is no lack of comedy around performers' desire to be recognized, or the copious amount of awards ceremonies that exist to recognize and congratulate performers on their accomplishments and hard work. And yet, for every superstar performer who receives an Academy Award, Emmy, or a Tony, there are countless numbers of unseen, unknown, and unrecognized individuals doing the grunt work of creating art. And in the case of theatre, art that lives for only a brief moment and then evaporates into the void.
And so it is with a sense of obligation that Playlist cash in on the award business and ensure our longevity through that tried and true monetary printing press: sponsorships. Or at least that’s what some business insider told me to do*.
Instead of that racket, our 2018 Winter Bash is proud to build on Alan and Leah’s idea of the Unsung Hero awards and present: The Theatre’s Choice Awards.
In all seriousness, I mean it when I say that in light of an industry that loves to congratulate itself, there are so few moments of recognizing the unseen contributors to our art form. In thinking about this, and building off of the unsung hero awards that were given out in 2015 and 2016, I knew that Playlist would be a great platform to provide some recognition to people and moments that would normally be overlooked by a larger more prestigious awards honorary event.
So with the help of the writing team at Minnesota Playlist we have come up with some fun (and slightly flippant) CATEGORIES that can be VOTED ON by the THEATRE COMMUNITY and then presented as AWARDS at our 2018 Winter Bash (emphasis mine and completely arbitrary).
Below you’ll find a google form with categories for you, our faithful readers and makers of art, to write-in potential winners. I hope you’ll take the time to vote on these. Think back to any show in 2017 (calendar year please, but we aren’t going to fact check this stuff so use your judgement) and give us some great entries to choose from.
Winners will be chosen using the tried and true method of random selection.
And a small request: we want to try and make sure winners are present at the Bash. Please provide contact info if you have it, or at least give us enough info to track down who the winner is and get in touch with them.
So that’s it. We want to recognize some fun, often overlooked, moments of the 2017 Minnesota Performance season and celebrate the crazy art that we all work to make. So vote. Then get your ticket to the Winter Bash to see who wins these things. You might just be surprised at how much fun it is to celebrate a low-stakes award event.
You have until FRIDAY JAN 12th at MIDNIGHT to get your vote in - after that we'll close the polls, select the winners, and reach out to them so they are at the party!
*For the record no one is sponsoring this party or these awards. The ticket prices are going to pay for the bands, the sound person, and the designer who created the awards (and the awards themselves). So please buy a ticket and support this silly party!
PS. If the google form doesn't show up refresh your browser.
