Awards Season

Tis the time of the year for Grammys, Golden Globes, the inevitable Oscars and the whole slate that either follows behind or precedes. For those not familiar with our local scene in the Twin Cities; we have our Ivey Awards. The premise here is a bit different. Instead of being a performance competition - it is marketed as a celebration of the year in theater, noting what rose to the top and a giant party where for one night a year, we can hang out with friends at a decadent bash! Our event is months away in September - when most theaters start their subscription season.

They get their name from a turn of the century restaurant called the Ivey, where the touring musicians and vaudeville would congregate while on the circuit waiting for reviews to come in.

But, I am excited that I am now one of the evaluators for what will become recipients next year. I had been approached and wanting to participate for a while now, but never had the time to invest in the training until now. Also, previously being more active as an actor, there would have been many instances of conflicts of interest. What this means is that over the next 12 months I will be lucky enough to take in a number of outstanding shows around town and voice my thoughts on what made them stellar (hopefully.) Or what made them fail miserably. The idea is not to become God's voice on theater, but to give an honest response. I am looking very forward to it.