It’s Gregory Awards Season Again!
The Gregory Awards — the big annual ceremony and recognition for outstanding local theatre — are in swing, with nominations revealed over the course of this week. Here’s what you need to know.
Nominee Drop
Nominations will be released this week. NWT will post all nominations at the end of the week, and announce when People’s Choice Award voting is open.
The fastest place to follow nominations as they’re announced is the album on Theatre Puget Sound’s Facebook page, located here.
Here is the nomination release schedule:
Monday (8/26)
Theatre of the Year; Sound/Music Design; Costume Design; Supporting Performance (Musical)
Tuesday (8/27)
Lighting Design; Scenic Design; Choreography; Supporting Performance (Play)
Wednesday (8/28)
Performance (Play); Performance (Musical); Ensemble
Thursday (8/29)
New Play; Director; Play; Musical
News This Year
The 2019 Awards Ceremony
The ceremony — which doubles as a big celebratory who’s who of local theatre — is held on Monday, October 28 at McCaw Hall at Seattle Center. Tickets will be available later this year. Photos from last year’s ceremony can be found here.
Alexandria J. Henderson and Jimmy Shields will co-host this year’s Awards.
Shows eligible for this year must have run between August 1, 2018 and July 31, 2019.
Gender-Neutral Debut
This marks the first season in which the Awards are using gender-neutral performer categories — meaning actors will be recognized in one overall category (still divided between lead and supporting roles), rather than categories divided by gender. Per Gregory Awards maestro Shane Regan, each of the combined categories will have two recipients — so the number of performers awarded won’t decrease with the merged categories.
About the Gregory Awards
Nominations for each year’s Gregory Awards are compiled from scores across some 60-80 nominators, of which 8-10 are assigned to see (and score) each eligible show. Shows from Theatre Puget Sound (TPS) member organizations, with a run of at least two weeks, are eligible to submit for consideration. See more on the process here.
After nominations are up, TPS members get to vote; the award goes to the highest number of votes. TPS is made up mostly of actors and other theatre artists, but any member of the public may join. Members get discounted admission to shows at most theatres and to the Gregory Awards, and the ability to vote for the Awards.
The Awards are named after Gregory A. Falls, who had a significant impact on Seattle theatre. Read more about him here. His widow, Jean Burch Falls, still supports and attends local productions regularly.