B. Iden Payne awards are here again

acrouch · Post by **acrouch** » August 17th, 2007, 8:46 pm

Latifah wrote:As to the Improv award. Once again it will be ONE Award.

Last year you gave it to the best improv company

Do you want to create a different category?

If you could give awards ideally, what would they be?

Awards will take place Sept 21 at Jones Theatre in Ragsdale Center at St. Eds.

What do you guys think? We could do Hardest Working Troupe or Most Community-Building Troupe. Or Troupe Most Likely to Serve Time.

Post by **bradisntclever** » August 17th, 2007, 10:47 pm

I vote for any of the following:

1) Troupe with the longest name
2) Troupe with the trashiest name
3) Troupe with the chilliest name
4) Troupe most likely to use improv for evil purposes
5) Best Troupe with a person's name

etc.

ChrisTrew.Com · Post by **ChrisTrew.Com** » August 18th, 2007, 12:37 am

Do something crazy!

Wesley · Post by **Wesley** » August 18th, 2007, 12:47 am

How about Outstanding Improv Troupe?
(Other category names seem pretty straight forward.)

We're being invited into a show celebrating (and attended by) some of Austin's best and brightest theatrical artists. This is a real chance to shine a little and make in-roads with the rest of Austin's performing arts community. Do we really want to go in there with the Wackiest name award or an award about who builds our insular community instead of who best represents all that improv can be artistically to the greater Austin culture?

Maybe you take hardest working and community-building into account when voting, but why dedicate a category to them in this context? Best foot forward and all that.

We have our own community awards to be wacky with.

andrea · Post by **andrea** » August 18th, 2007, 1:46 am

are we again determining the winner internally, or is the b iden payne committee determining the winner?

mcnichol · Post by **mcnichol** » August 18th, 2007, 8:58 am

andrea wrote:are we again determining the winner internally, or is the b iden payne committee determining the winner?

If I remember correctly, last year was supposed to be us picking a group internally. Then this year and going forward it was going to be chosen the way all of the other categories are.

But... I haven't particularly noticed anyone from the theater community/acot at our shows, so who knows. If not this year, I'd like to find out if it's always going to be us picking someone internally, because I'd rather it be chosen like all of the other categories.

Does anyone else remember the details about this? I might be off in my rememberation...

EDIT: Here's the old thread about this fom last year: http://forum.austinimprov.com/viewtopic.php?t=1664
Nothing in there about a different selection process this year -- maybe I just heard it from someone or maybe it was just stuck in my head as a good idea -- does anyone honestly remember this? Anyway, in the thread Shannon makes a good case for why it should be called "Outstanding Improv Ensemble" and, reading again just now, I agree. I think we should retain that category name this year and going forward.

Rachel · Post by **Rachel** » August 18th, 2007, 9:43 am

good morning : )

here's what i remember - we had talked about creating an even more fair way to vote in the future - but also talked about doing whatever it takes to become included their awards in the same way the rest of the theater categories are voted on.

my personal feeling from talking with Latifah last year - was that she couldn't really see including Improv the same way. ..as if those same people wouldn't go out and see enough of it - or any of it? She didn't say that - thats just the impression I got. She's obviously a huge supporter and friend to us - I think she just couldn't see it happening. BUT I also remember thinking - perhaps some appropriate person or a couple people could just talk to her, listen to her thoughts & concerns and ask about what it would take to include improv via all the other awards and committee voting or whatever they do.

i also agree with ....Bob about agreeing with Shannon from last year...
regarding..."Outstanding Improv Ensemble" and, reading again just now, I agree. I think we should retain that category name this year and going forward.

at the very least, the more times we present ourselves and our award as legit the closer we are to being treated as such.

...not to be totally gross, but I think a lot of the people there last year got educated & elevated regarding their understanding of improv...some of them hearing for the first time that Improv was an art and could actually have scenes and not only look like "who's line".

bla bla tra la la

sara farr · Post by **sara farr** » August 18th, 2007, 11:18 am

My vote: "Outstanding Improv Ensemble"

erikamay · Post by **erikamay** » August 18th, 2007, 11:28 am

well then, my vote would be for coldtowne.

it's hard to deny their accomplishments in the areas of hardest working and community building, (not to mention pure bad-assery) this year.

just my plinkplink. if that's the general consensus, we could bypass the administrative headache of voting rounds.

Wesley · Post by **Wesley** » August 18th, 2007, 11:45 am

Here, here. ColdTowne has opened a theater, added performance spaces and times, done more outreach to other communities, and gone to more out of town festivals to spread the word of Austin than anyone. They've got my vote.

Jastroch · Post by **Jastroch** » August 18th, 2007, 12:39 pm

Sorry guys. We're throwing our support behind the Nutty Funsters.

Wesley · Post by **Wesley** » September 26th, 2007, 10:59 am

So, did we just not follow up on this because the nominations were just announced and I don't see improv on the list anywhere.

kbadr · Post by **kbadr** » September 26th, 2007, 11:05 am

We weren't on the list last year either. It wasn't open to public voting, but maybe that was because it was a last-minute addition last year. Either way, we need to work towards being an official category if we want our art form to be taken seriously. I joined ACoT recently. Maybe there's a way for me to bring that up.

Wesley · Post by **Wesley** » September 26th, 2007, 11:07 am

Agreed. I thought the whole point of our doing this was to gain legitimacy--especially with other performing arts groups in town. It seems like a big ball for the AIC to drop or let slip through the cracks.

kbadr · Post by **kbadr** » September 26th, 2007, 1:23 pm

I'll see if I can bring this to someone's attention, as a dues-paying ACoT member. I claim ownership of this so we can at least get it fixed for next year.