Elly Awards

Just returned from SARTA's 2004 Elly Awards ceremony at Sacramento's Crest Theater, the only time all year when representatives from the various Sacramento-area theaters assemble in one place. Even though DMTC was up for only one award (Mike Jones, nominated for best male supporting actor), I wanted to go to observe and get any intelligence regarding why so many of our shows this year were apparently overlooked. A big comedown from just two years ago. What's not to like? That's what I wanted to find out.

Even though DMTC had no contingent there, the ceremony was technically sold out when I arrived. Despite the packed house, I was still able to get in. It's easy to forget just how many small theater groups there are in the area, particularly in the various high schools and small towns, and how new some of them are. In the past, SARTA has shown a fondness for new, small, innovative theater groups, and there is every sign those groups are proliferating. I sat behind a large and enthusiastic group from El Dorado Musical Theater. Shows my ignorance: I didn't even know they had such a group there! Plus El Dorado High School too! There are dangers of missing the bigger picture when one focuses too hard on just one theater company.

Much of the theatrical growth is in the eastern and southern suburbs of Sacramento (Sheldon High School, RCTC, Magic Circle, Folsom High School. Davis and Woodland, on Sacramento's north and west side, are growing too, so DMTC should be able to tap that energy too. Indeed, in the larger picture, the new theater can be seen as a natural response to economic and population growth. Artistic energy faithfully follows economic energy, as it ever has. Torpid backwaters rarely produce cutting-edge anything.

So, as far as I can tell, DMTC got short shrift this year because the number of awards and nominations is being outstripped by the number of people and groups involved in amateur theater. Competition is stiffening, and stiffening fast. There are entire cohorts of new, unfamiliar young people entering local theater. It was sobering just how few people I recognized at the ceremony (I said hello to Kathy Davi, Lora Kennedy, Amber & Laurent Lazard, Jason McDowell, and Erik Daniells, and saw a few more familiar faces, but it was still just a tiny minority of the 650+ people at the Crest Theater).

To compete, once the new theater is built, DMTC will have to focus harder on quality, perhaps specializing on some particular aspect (these days, Runaway Stage is focusing on light design, Woodland is focusing on set design, etc.) Also, I think we should get more involved in the SARTA process, perhaps by becoming award presenters (like Bob and Roe from Magic Circle did this year), or by becoming Elly judges, in order to improve DMTC brand recognition amongst all the new acting pool. Perhaps if Steve Isaacson looked as good as Bob Baxter in drag, that would help our name recognition too.

Here is Sacramento Bee's coverage, with a link to the list of winners.