NY IT AWARDS NEWS.

INNOVATIVE THEATRE HONORARY AWARDS ANNOUNCE NEW COMMITTEE CO-CHAIRS, AWARD APPLICATIONS NOW BEING ACCEPTED.

New York, NY-March 3, 2010: The New York Innovative Theatre Foundation, the organization dedicated to celebrating Off-Off-Broadway, is pleased to announce that Ben Hodges (editor, Theater World) and Abby Marcus (managing director, Vampire Cowboys) are the new co-chairs of the Honorary Award committee, filling the vacancy left by Leonard Jacobs (Clyde Fitch Report). The Innovative Theatre Foundation recognizes and appreciates the five years of service and dedication by Mr. Jacobs.

The applications for the 2010 Honorary Awards are available online and are due by 6pm on May 1, 2010.

The Honorary Awards Committee is comprised of people deeply grounded in the Off-Off-Broadway community. This year, the committee welcomes two new members; performance artist, Desiree Burch and publicist, Katie Rosin. A complete list of committee members is available on the IT Awards website at: www.nyitawards.com/aboutus/hac.asp.

“I am thrilled to be Co-Chairing the Honorary Awards Committee this season,” said Abby Marcus. “As a past honorary award recipient - my company, Vampire Cowboys, was awarded the Caffe Cino Fellowship in 2006 - I know firsthand how meaningful and special these awards are to the OOB community. I look forward to helping the New York Innovative Theatre Awards continue their good work in providing recognition and honor to companies and artists working in Off-Off-Broadway.”

Over the past six years, the IT Awards have honored over 600 of the brightest and most influential artists from the Off-Off-Broadway community.
The Honorary Awards are:* The Artistic Achievement Award, presented to an individual who has made a significant artistic contribution to the Off-Off-Broadway community;

The Stewardship Award, presented to an individual or organization demonstrating a significant contribution to the Off-Off-Broadway community through service, support and leadership; * The Caffe Cino Fellowship Award, presented to an Off-Off-Broadway theatre company that consistently produces outstanding work. This award also includes a grant ($1,000-$5,000) to be used toward an Off-Off-Broadway production.

Previous recipients include:

2005Artistic Achievement - Basil TwistStewardship Award - Ellen Stewart, LaMaMa, ETC.Caffe Cino Fellowship – Inverse Theater Company
2006Artistic Achievement - Tom O’HorganStewardship Award - The FieldCaffe Cino Fellowship - Vampire Cowboys

2007Artistic Achievement - Doric WilsonStewardship Award - Alliance of Resident Theatres/NY Caffe Cino Fellowship - Rising Phoenix Repertory
2008Artistic Achievement - Judith MalinaStewardship Award - Martin & Rochelle Denton, New York Theatre ExperienceCaffe Cino Fellowship - Boomerang Theatre Company
2009Artistic Achievement – Maria Irene FornesStewardship Award – Materials for the ArtsCaffe Cino Fellowship – The Brick Theater, Inc.

“It is a great honor to be thought of in the same breath as Caffe Cino, the birthplace of Off-Off-Broadway. Much in the same way that Joe Cino’s legendary coffeehouse became an accidental theater hub, The Brick quickly became something more than we planned. Now we’ve grown into a busy theater community, with year-round plays, festivals, late-night events and we’ve hosted hundreds of theater artists in the seven years since our founding. We’re very excited that the IT Awards recognized and supports our commitment to keep at it.” -- Michael Gardner, The Brick Theater, Inc.