The IVEY awards are an annual award show, celebrating Twin Cities (Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota) professional theater. Established in 2004, the non-nomination based awards serve to recognize outstanding achievements within the past theater season in direction, performance, design, etc. The awards were founded by Scott Mayer and are administered by a panel of local theater professionals and theater patrons.

The IVEYs

Badfinger

Badfinger were a British rock band consisting originally of Pete Ham, Ron Griffiths, Mike Gibbins and Tom Evans, active from 1968 to 1983, and evolving from The Iveys, formed by Ham, Griffiths and David "Dai" Jenkins in Swansea, Wales, in the early 1960s. Joey Molland joined the group in 1969,...

 are held each year in September at the historic State Theater, in the theater-district of Minneapolis, MN.

About the Award Ceremony

The IVEY awards were created in 2004 in an effort to acknowledge the ever-growing Twin Cities theater community, while providing theater professionals and theater-goers an "annual celebration and recognition ceremony," honoring the previous year's theater season and theatrical accomplishments. The evening of entertainment and awards consists of performances from the past year of theater (ranging from musical theater, dance, scenes), award presentation, and lifetime achievement recognition. Typically, the award presenters, entertainment and hosts are local theater professionals and celebrities. However, the occasional nationally-known celebrity, having recent local theatrical experience, has hosted the event and/or presented an award.

Details of the IVEY Awards

Because of the celebratory nature of the IVEY awards, there is not a pre-determined number of awards nor pre-existing categories. Furthermore, the awards are not meant to be a competition, thus there are no nominees.

However, there are three general categories included in the recognition ceremony:

• Awards for established works and for emerging works by both theater organizations and individuals (determined by representatives of all theater organizations participating in the project)
• An award for theater highlights (determined by the theater-going public)
• Recognition for work in the areas of production, design, direction, performance, and special citations (determined by a group of 100 volunteer evaluators)

Eligibility

Note: all information taken from IVEY Theater Eligibility Requirements, http://www.iveyawards.com/about_eligible.asp

Organizations that elect to participate in the project and be considered for Ivey Awards recognition must represent themselves as a professional theater organization. Award eligibility is not extended to touring theater, community theater

Community theatre

Community theatre refers to theatrical performance made in relation to particular communities—its usage includes theatre made by, with, and for a community...

, or college and university theater productions.

Professional theater organizations that wish to participate or be considered for an award must:

• Be registered in the State of Minnesota as a 501(c)(3) organization or a for-profit business.
• Have been producing work and in existence for at least one year.
• Compensate their artists and staff on a regular basis.
• Be based in and produce in the Twin Cities’ seven county metropolitan area.
• Provide between six and ten complimentary tickets for each production to be evaluated that are valid for performance dates selected by the assigned evaluators.

All work eligible for an award must:

• Be produced by an eligible theater organization.
• Be scripted.
• Have a run of at least ten days or over two weekends.

Recognition Evaluation Process

The process of evaluation was developed to include many theater perspectives. The opinions of a group of 100 evaluators, who represent many aspects of the theater audience (theater professionals [actors, directors, designers], general theater-goers, donors, etc.), attend performances and evaluate certain aspects of each performance. These opinions are collected and further evaluated by the IVEY Award panel, and awards are then decided upon.

Furthermore, all opinions from any audience member can contribute to the evaluation process by submittal to the IVEY Award panel, via the official website.

Productions

• The Miser -- Theatre de la Jeune Lune
  Theatre de la Jeune Lune
  The Theatre de la Jeune Lune was a celebrated theater company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The company, in operation from 1978 to 2008, was known for its visually rich, highly physical style of theatre, derived from clown, mime, dance and opera.-History:...
  
  
• Death of a Salesman -- Guthrie Theater
  Guthrie Theater
  The Guthrie Theater is a center for theater performance, production, education, and professional training in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the result of the desire of Sir Tyrone Guthrie, Oliver Rea, and Peter Zeisler to create a resident acting company that would produce and perform the classics in...
  
  
• La Bohème -- Theater Latte Da
• A Year with Frog and Toad -- Children's Theatre Company
  Children's Theatre Company
  The Children's Theatre Company is a regional theatre established in 1961 in Minneapolis, Minnesota specializing in plays for families and young audiences and the recipient of a 2003 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre...
  
  
• PSST! -- Off-Leash Area

Artists

• Joe Chvala
• Marcus Dilliard
• Steve Hendrickson
• Helen Huang
• Kimberly Joy Morgan
• Stacia Rice

Productions

• Sez She, emotional impact—Illusion Theater
• The Talk: An Intercourse of Coming of Age, unique concept -- Youth Performance Company
• I Am Anne Frank, direction (Ben Krywoscz) and musical direction (Mindy Eschedor) -- Nautilus Music Theater

Individuals

• Gerry Giouard, choreography -- Crimes and Whispers, Off Leash Area
• Barry Kornhauser, playwriting -- Reeling, Children's Theatre Company
• Jim Lichtsheidl, creation -- Knock, Theatre Latte Da
• Joel Sass, set design -- Last of the Boys, Jungle Theater

Actor Honorees

• Bradley Greenwald -- I Am My Own Wife, Jungle Theater
• Dean Holt -- Reeling, Children's Theatre Company

Productions

• Don Giovanni, musical direction and performances—Theatre de la Jeune Lune
• Love, Janis, musical direction and performances -- Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
  Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
  Ordway Center for the Performing Arts is located in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota and hosts a variety of performing arts, such as touring Broadway musicals, orchestra, opera, and cultural performers. It serves as a home to several local arts organizations, including the Minnesota Opera, The Saint...
  
  
• Messy Utopia, innovative concept and idea -- Mixed Blood Theatre

Individual Honorees

• John Arnone, scenic design -- Private Lives, Guthrie Theater
• Michael Matthew Ferrell, choreography—Disney's High School Musical, Children's Theatre Company
• Mike Hallenbeck, sound design -- Kid-Simple and Hunger, Emigrant Theater

Actor Honorees

• Thomas W. Jones, II -- Yellowman, Mixed Blood Theatre
• Kris Nelson -- Wellstone!, History Theatre
• Edward Williams, Jr. -- Kiss of the Spider Woman, Minneapolis Musical Theater
• Sally Wingert -- Woman Before a Glass, Minnesota Jewish Theatre

Productions

• Broken Brain Summit, innovative concept and idea—Interact Center
• 'Night Mother, overall excellence -- Workhouse Theatre Company
  Workhouse Theatre Company
  Workhouse Theatre Company is the only independent theatre company residing and producing in north Minneapolis. Based in the Camden neighborhoods of Minneapolis, WTC was established by Artistic Director Jeff Redman in 2004, under the name Camden Civic Theatre...
  
  
• Cabaret, costume design, scenic design & choreography—Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
• The Pillowman, emotional impact—Frank Theatre
• A Prelude to Faust, overall excellence—Open Eye Figure Theatre

Individual Honorees

• Tamara Kangas, choreography -- 42nd Street, Chanhassen Dinner Theatres

Actor Honorees

• Kate Eifrig -- 9 Parts of Desire, Guthrie Theater
• Jairus Abts -- Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Jungle Theater
• James A. Williams -- Fences, Penumbra Theatre Company
  Penumbra Theatre Company
  The Penumbra Theatre Company, an African-American theatre in Saint Paul, Minnesota, was founded by Lou Bellamy in 1976. The theater has been recognized for its artistic quality and its role in launching the careers of playwrights including two-time Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson...
  
  
• Gary Geiken, Katie Guentzel, John Middleton, Carolyn Pool, Matt Rein, Alan Sorenson -- Orson's Shadow, Gremlin Theatre
  Gremlin Theatre
  Gremlin Theatre is a small, non-profit, professional theatre company based in St. Paul, Minnesota. Gremlin primarily performs actor-centered plays in the classic American style of realism, seeking, as their mission statement reads, "to provide artistically brilliant, accessible, and enjoyable...