And the [Gregory] Nominees Are…

Justin Huertas and Sara Porkalob presenting at the 2017 Gregorys

Courtesy of Theatre Puget Sound

With less than one week until the much awaited Gregory Awards, there is much yet to do. Fashion choices must be decided, scenes rehearsed, and speeches prepared. While all that is happening, let’s take a look at who’s going to be there and how their stars rose. 

The nomination process begins with show submissions. To enter a show for consideration, a few criteria must be met. First, the organization presenting the show must be a Theatre Puget Sound Star Organization Member. Second, as the membership implies, the show must be performed predominantly in the Puget Sound region. Lastly, the show must have some sort of prolonged run, be it a limited one weekend only or an extended three weekends or more.

Once the production is submitted, nominators are gathered and assigned. Each year, roughly 60 to 100 nominators are chosen. They are Individual Members of Theatre Puget Sound who have applied and either have experience within the industry or are avid, knowledgeable consumers of the performing arts. 

These nominators are then assigned to view an average of fifteen to twenty shows throughout the season. Each full-length show receives ten guaranteed nominator viewings while limited runs receive five. Immediately after viewing, nominators rate each performance between 1 and 100 within each award category. 

The overarching award—the Gregory A. Falls Sustained Achievement Award—is granted (via a separate nomination process) to those who have made a widespread and lasting impact on the community with their work. 

In addition to this, 33 other categories cover a wide assortment of performing arts elements and mediums, including technical design, plays, musicals, operas, and dance. There are several broad awards like the Outstanding Performing Arts Organization of the Year, Outstanding Community Engagement, and five region-specific People’s Choice awards, which are voted upon by all members of TPS including the nominators. 

Following these are the more specified awards per production and performance medium: Outstanding Production, Outstanding Ensemble, Outstanding Performance, Outstanding Original Script, Outstanding Music Composition, Outstanding Direction, Outstanding Choreography, Outstanding Music Direction, and Outstanding Tech Design for lighting, scenery, costume, sound, properties/special effects, and projection. 

Pilar O'Connell, Keiko Green, Libby Bernard at the 2017 Gregory Awards

Courtesy of Theatre Puget Sound

Over 20 companies are in the running for these awards. Here’s a quick peek into each of them: 

Intiman Theatre, located within Seattle Central College, seeks to use “the power of story and education to activate dialogue, confront inequity, and build collective joy.” They are representing CRAVE, Tennessee Rising, The Mammy Project, and Hotel Gatsby.

Seattle Public Theater in Green Lake aims to embrace historically excluded identities and emerging artists. They endeavor to produce “compelling work that sparks conversation and ignites empathy.” They are representing House of Joy with Pratidhwani, Where is Here? with the Seda Iranian Ensemble, and SQUEEZE with the UMO Ensemble.

Thalia’s Umbrella of Wedgewood seeks “to produce plays that dance on the line between comedy and tragedy, taking the light of life seriously and the serious lightly.” They are representing Time Stands Still.

Theatre Battery, located in Kent, works to “nurture [the] audience’s understanding of the connection between theatre and relevant social issues through the presentation of contemporary works in nontraditional settings.” They are representing The Threepenny Opera. 

Village Theatre, located in Issaquah and Everett, aims to be a “regionally recognized and nationally influential center of excellence in family theatre.” They are representing Legally Blonde the Musical, Dial M for Murder, and Camelot.

ACT Contemporary Theatre in Downtown Seattle works to “unite artistic ambition and civic engagement.” They are representing Golden, Twelfth Night with the Seattle Shakespeare Company, A Christmas Carol, and The Wave (and what came after). 

Taproot Theatre Company up in Greenwood seeks to tell stories of hope and serve the PNW through live theatre and educational programs. They are representing Always…Patsy Cline, Murder on the Links, A Raisin in the Sun, My Lord, What a Night, and A Charlie Brown Christmas.  

Marxiano Productions, performing throughout Seattle, is a multidisciplinary production company focusing on “musical theatre, aerial arts, cabaret, sketch comedy, opera, dance, immersive theater, vaudeville, and social satire.” They are representing Bohemia.

Annex Theatre on Capitol Hill seeks to “create bold new work in an environment of improbability, resourcefulness, and risk.” They are representing Jettison to Europa and Blue to Blue. 

Dacha Theatre, performing throughout Seattle, “specializes in devised, immersive, and playful work.” They are representing Emma. 

Ballyhoo Theatre, located at Edmonds College, seeks to “enrich, educate, and entertain the community by providing a superior theatre experience.” They are representing A Year with Frog and Toad.

Sound Theatre Company in Seattle seeks to empower artists “to give voice to the dignity and diversity of the human experience—moving audiences toward a more just and compassionate world.” They will be representing Hungry.

Strawberry Theatre Workshop, located at 12th Ave Arts and the Cornish Playhouse, aims to ensure “theatre is the people’s place of aspiration, and that any voice from the stage is translated exponentially into conversations.” They are representing Circle Mirror Transformation.

Bainbridge Performing Arts on Bainbridge Island seeks “to promote appreciation and participation in the performing arts to build, educate, and inspire a vibrant, creative community.” They are representing Anastasia: The Musical, The Spongebob Musical, and Eurydice. 

Reboot Theatre Company of Seattle works “to test interpretations of established works through nontraditional casting, design, and methods yet to be discovered.”  They are representing Damn Yankees and Lionel Bart’s OLIVER!

Harlequin Productions, located in Olympia, seeks “to invigorate, educate, and empower the community and all people to feel more, think more, play more, and judge less through the mirror of real live theatre.” They are representing RENT and Romeo and Juliet.

Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (on Whidbey Island, of course) seeks to “[enrich] lives by creating powerful shared experiences in the arts.” They are representing Flemming: An American Thriller. 

Jazzie Rae Productions is representing Here & Their.

Woodland Park Players, located in Green Lake, seeks “to create an opportunity for the Woodland Park community to get involved in the many aspects of theater while creating lasting friendships that build stronger community.” They are representing CATS. 

Noveltease Theatre, performing at Theatre off Jackson, aims to “create community through storytelling by reviving the historical artform of literary burlesque.” They are representing The Great Gatsby. 

Swim Pony, located in Seattle, seeks to “mine the potential of performance and play to ask urgent questions of our moment and invite audiences to become curious, critical thinkers in the world.” 

Dare to Dance Seattle (Seattle) seeks to “provide professional-quality opportunities for dance enthusiasts of all ages and experience levels to create, perform, connect, and grow.” They will be representing Dance With Me. 

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With such a diverse roster of artists and productions, the night at Town Hall Seattle is certain to foster and celebrate creative excellence within our expansive local performing arts community.