ITA Finley Award Winners
Mon, 18 Dec 2000, 11:58 amWalter Plinge27 posts in thread
ITA Finley Award Winners
Mon, 18 Dec 2000, 11:58 amCongratulations to all the ITA Finley Award winners, and thank you to everyone who came along and had such a good time on such an enjoyable evening. For those of you who couldnÂ’t make it, the Award Recipients were:
Plays Category:
1st Place - "Too Far to Walk", directed by Geoff Leeder, Kwinana Theatre Workshop;
2nd Place - "Twelve Angry Men", directed by Norma Standing, Garrick Theatre;
3rd Place - "Butterflies Are Free", directed by Geoff Leeder, Melville Theatre.
Musicals Category:
1st Place - "Cabaret", directed by David Gardette, Playlovers;
2nd Place - "Assassins", directed by Alex McLennan, Playlovers.
Sheila Buchanan AdjudicatorsÂ’ Encouragement Award: Melville Theatre.
Congratulations to Playlovers for sweeping the Musicals Category - I canÂ’t remember such a thing happening before (anyone else?). Well done also to Geoff Leeder for scooping first and third place in the Plays Category (still room for improvement though, GeoffÂ…). And how embarrassing for Rockingham Theatre to win an AdjudicatorsÂ’ Award, and have no one there to receive it.
My apologies for a couple of things:
The evening did go on a little longer than expected - a couple of naughty groups exceeded the ten-minute limit on their excerpts, but the standard was so high I donÂ’t think people minded too much.
Because the evening was running long, I tried to wrap things up quickly, and in so doing, neglected to properly thank a few people. Huge thanks of course must go to David Crewes who produced the show, coordinated with the venue, wrote the script, supervised the rehearsals, and - basically - ensured we had a show. Speaking of the venue, many thanks to David Yardley, owner and manager of the Bridge Theatre. David did absolutely everything he could to make us welcome and provide technical support. Technical support also came from the lovely Marie Corrigan, and the not-quite-so-lovely, but equally invaluable, Stan Brannick, both of whom ran things backstage with grace and efficiency. Attributes also credited to a not-in-the-best-of-health Kim Shaw, who nevertheless took bookings and managed FOH despite a few unfortunate mishaps. "Not in the best of health" also, was Mandy Crewes, who was originally slated to co-host with Conrad Crisafulli, but missed the evening. Thanks to Conrad who soldiered on regardless, and get well soon, Mandy. And on a selfish note, thanks to Helen McFarlane for reprising the wonderful Sally Bowles. (Sorry, Helen, I know that last year I stated, "Gaffa tape holds the universe together," but for holding up stockings, suspenders are generally preferable.)
JB
Plays Category:
1st Place - "Too Far to Walk", directed by Geoff Leeder, Kwinana Theatre Workshop;
2nd Place - "Twelve Angry Men", directed by Norma Standing, Garrick Theatre;
3rd Place - "Butterflies Are Free", directed by Geoff Leeder, Melville Theatre.
Musicals Category:
1st Place - "Cabaret", directed by David Gardette, Playlovers;
2nd Place - "Assassins", directed by Alex McLennan, Playlovers.
Sheila Buchanan AdjudicatorsÂ’ Encouragement Award: Melville Theatre.
Congratulations to Playlovers for sweeping the Musicals Category - I canÂ’t remember such a thing happening before (anyone else?). Well done also to Geoff Leeder for scooping first and third place in the Plays Category (still room for improvement though, GeoffÂ…). And how embarrassing for Rockingham Theatre to win an AdjudicatorsÂ’ Award, and have no one there to receive it.
My apologies for a couple of things:
The evening did go on a little longer than expected - a couple of naughty groups exceeded the ten-minute limit on their excerpts, but the standard was so high I donÂ’t think people minded too much.
Because the evening was running long, I tried to wrap things up quickly, and in so doing, neglected to properly thank a few people. Huge thanks of course must go to David Crewes who produced the show, coordinated with the venue, wrote the script, supervised the rehearsals, and - basically - ensured we had a show. Speaking of the venue, many thanks to David Yardley, owner and manager of the Bridge Theatre. David did absolutely everything he could to make us welcome and provide technical support. Technical support also came from the lovely Marie Corrigan, and the not-quite-so-lovely, but equally invaluable, Stan Brannick, both of whom ran things backstage with grace and efficiency. Attributes also credited to a not-in-the-best-of-health Kim Shaw, who nevertheless took bookings and managed FOH despite a few unfortunate mishaps. "Not in the best of health" also, was Mandy Crewes, who was originally slated to co-host with Conrad Crisafulli, but missed the evening. Thanks to Conrad who soldiered on regardless, and get well soon, Mandy. And on a selfish note, thanks to Helen McFarlane for reprising the wonderful Sally Bowles. (Sorry, Helen, I know that last year I stated, "Gaffa tape holds the universe together," but for holding up stockings, suspenders are generally preferable.)
JB
RE: ITA Finley Award Winners
Mon, 8 Jan 2001, 09:38 amWalter Plinge
Hi Tara,
Thanks for the kind words. Thanks also for the feedback - I certainly appreciate intelligent commentary on ITA productions, so thanks again to you, Stuart, Craig, Lisa, and all who have taken the time to comment.
Don't think that the ITA Committee has been oblivious to this debate - the telephone conversations have been going back and forth.
A few people have mentioned the idea of the Awards being spread out over the night. I think this is an interesting idea and might well be worth trying. However, I don't agree that the Awards are the sole reason for attending. I view the ITA Finley Award Presentation as a showcase of some of the highlights of the yearÂ’s theatre (as chosen by the adjudicators, not the committee) with the Awards Presentation as the "icing on the cake". We must charge at least $12 per ticket to cover the hire cost of the venue, but I doubt people would pay that to see twenty minutes of Awards with no accompanying show.
The ticket cost provides a nice segue into the next topic: Several people have suggested a cabaret-style presentation. This sounds GREAT! However, I must stress the logistics: In order to comfortably seat 500 or 600 (hopefully more) people at cabaret-style tablesettings, weÂ’d need a venue something along the lines of the Burswood. In which case, weÂ’d probably have to charge something along the lines of $50 per ticket. And whoÂ’s going to organise such a function? Time and cost are the major factors here. Someone did mention the possibility of sponsorships, which is a possible, but danger-fraught, road. I will rot in my cold, cold grave before I see this become the McDonalds Finley Awards, for example.
An alternative would be a Garden Party. Although the weather is generally good in December, many people will remember that it rained most of the day (and night) on the date of the 1999 Finley AwardsÂ…
Someone (Craig?) mentioned the possibility of an Award for Best Director, aÂ’la the Oscars. Well everyone knows that, 9 times out of 10, the Best Director Oscar goes to the Best Film. In theatre, where the Director is often also the Producer, a Best Director Award seems superfluous. (The Director already comes up to collect the Finley Award, anyway.)
Best Actor and Actress? Hmmm, tricky one. I think it was Norma who pointed out that the Robert Finley Award, as set up in the original Trust, was an award to a CLUB (please correct me if IÂ’m wrong, Norma). This is why there are only two Awards (Best Play and Best Musical). The AdjudicatorsÂ’ Certificates are a recent invention, partly to recognise other areas of theatrical achievement.
Best Drama plus Best Comedy? This is actually a suggestion I have made in the past. The perceived difficulty is that some plays are very difficult to categorise. I can see where this would lead to even more recriminations that there already areÂ…
Thanks again to everyone. Please keep up the discussion.
JB
Thanks for the kind words. Thanks also for the feedback - I certainly appreciate intelligent commentary on ITA productions, so thanks again to you, Stuart, Craig, Lisa, and all who have taken the time to comment.
Don't think that the ITA Committee has been oblivious to this debate - the telephone conversations have been going back and forth.
A few people have mentioned the idea of the Awards being spread out over the night. I think this is an interesting idea and might well be worth trying. However, I don't agree that the Awards are the sole reason for attending. I view the ITA Finley Award Presentation as a showcase of some of the highlights of the yearÂ’s theatre (as chosen by the adjudicators, not the committee) with the Awards Presentation as the "icing on the cake". We must charge at least $12 per ticket to cover the hire cost of the venue, but I doubt people would pay that to see twenty minutes of Awards with no accompanying show.
The ticket cost provides a nice segue into the next topic: Several people have suggested a cabaret-style presentation. This sounds GREAT! However, I must stress the logistics: In order to comfortably seat 500 or 600 (hopefully more) people at cabaret-style tablesettings, weÂ’d need a venue something along the lines of the Burswood. In which case, weÂ’d probably have to charge something along the lines of $50 per ticket. And whoÂ’s going to organise such a function? Time and cost are the major factors here. Someone did mention the possibility of sponsorships, which is a possible, but danger-fraught, road. I will rot in my cold, cold grave before I see this become the McDonalds Finley Awards, for example.
An alternative would be a Garden Party. Although the weather is generally good in December, many people will remember that it rained most of the day (and night) on the date of the 1999 Finley AwardsÂ…
Someone (Craig?) mentioned the possibility of an Award for Best Director, aÂ’la the Oscars. Well everyone knows that, 9 times out of 10, the Best Director Oscar goes to the Best Film. In theatre, where the Director is often also the Producer, a Best Director Award seems superfluous. (The Director already comes up to collect the Finley Award, anyway.)
Best Actor and Actress? Hmmm, tricky one. I think it was Norma who pointed out that the Robert Finley Award, as set up in the original Trust, was an award to a CLUB (please correct me if IÂ’m wrong, Norma). This is why there are only two Awards (Best Play and Best Musical). The AdjudicatorsÂ’ Certificates are a recent invention, partly to recognise other areas of theatrical achievement.
Best Drama plus Best Comedy? This is actually a suggestion I have made in the past. The perceived difficulty is that some plays are very difficult to categorise. I can see where this would lead to even more recriminations that there already areÂ…
Thanks again to everyone. Please keep up the discussion.
JB
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