5th Avenue Theatre Production of CABARET Wins Ivey Award
SEATTLE - The 5th Avenue Theatre's recent revival of the musical CABARET, produced and presented in collaboration with the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in Minneapolis, and the American Musical Theatre of San Jose, was awarded a 2008 Ivey Award at a ceremony held in Minneapolis on September 24.
CABARET was one of only five productions honored at the awards presentation and the musical was singled out for its outstanding costume design, scenic design and choreography. The Ordway Center's Artistic Director James Rocco accepted the award on behalf of the three co-producing theatres. The evaluator who presented him with the award commented that this production's "sets and costumes transported the audience back to a different time."
The production was directed by The 5th Avenue Theatre's Associate Producing Artistic Director Bill Berry whose bold new take on the classic musical was inspired by extensive research into the look, feel and performance style of actual Berlin cabarets during the Weimar period in which CABARET is set. The production was choreographed by Bob Richard, with musical direction by Ian Eisendrath. The set and lighting design was by Tom Sturge, costume design was by Thomas G. Marquez, and hair and make-up design was by Sharon Ridge and Mary Pyanowski. CABARET starred Tari Kelly as Sally Bowles, Nick Garrison as the Emcee, Louis Hobson as Cliff Bradshaw, Suzy Hunt as Fraulein Schneider, and Allen Fitzpatrick as Herr Schultz.
Minneapolis-St. Paul is home to 68 professional theater organizations, producing a full range of intriguing and award-winning performances. The Ivey Awards were established in 2004, and serve to recognize and reward the best in Twin Cities theater. Unlike other similar ceremonies, The Ivey Awards feature no nominees, predetermined award categories or set numbers of awards - instead, honorees are selected, based solely on merit, by evaluators who've seen nearly 200 theatrical productions in the Twin Cities during the past year. The 100 volunteer evaluators are comprised of theater professionals and fans ranging in age from 12 to 81, who use a 20-point scale to rate specific aspects of the productions. More information can be found at their website www.iveyawards.com
The 5th Avenue Theatre is Seattle's premier musical theater. In 1980, the non-profit 5th Avenue Theatre began producing and presenting top-quality live musical theater for the cultural enrichment of the Northwest community. The 5th Avenue Theatre maintains a subscription audience of more than 24,000 and an annual attendance of more than 287,000. It ranks among the nation's largest and most respected musical theater companies. The Theatre is committed to encouraging the next generation of theatergoers through its Educational Outreach Program which includes: The Adventure Musical Theatre Touring Company, The 5th Avenue High School Musical Theatre Awards, the Student Matinee Program and Spotlight Nights. Unique in its Chinese-inspired design, the exquisite theater opened in 1926 as a venue for vaudeville and film. Today, under the leadership of Managing Director Marilynn Sheldon and Producing Artistic Director David Armstrong, The 5th Avenue Theatre continues to achieve the highest standards in all aspects of artistic endeavors and facility operations, while preserving its artistic, architectural and historic legacy. Visit www.5thavenue.org.