Applications Available For INNOVATIVE THEATRE HONORARY AWARD

The New York Innovative Theatre Foundation, the organization dedicated to celebrating Off-Off-Broadway is pleased to announce that applications for the 2009 Honorary Awards are available online now and are due by 6pm on May 1, 2009. Now in their 5th year, the IT Awards have honored over 500 of the brightest and most influential artists from the Off-Off-Broadway community.

The Honorary Awards are:
* The Artistic Achievement Award, presented to an individual who has made a significant artistic contribution to the Off-Off-Broadway community;

* The Stewardship Award, presented to an individual or organization demonstrating a significant contribution to the Off-Off-Broadway community through service, support and leadership;

* The Caffe Cino Fellowship Award, presented to an Off-Off-Broadway theatre company that consistently produces outstanding work. This award also includes a grant ($1,000-$5,000) to be used toward an Off-Off-Broadway production.

The Honorary Awards Committee is comprised of people deeply grounded in the Off-Off-Broadway community. A complete list of committee members is available on the IT Awards website at:
www.nyitawards.com/aboutus/hac.asp.

Previous recipients include:

2005
Artistic Achievement - Basil Twist
Stewardship Award - Ellen Stewart, LaMaMa, ETC.
Caffe Cino Fellowship – Inverse Theater Company

2006
Artistic Achievement - Tom O’Horgan
Stewardship Award - The Field
Caffe Cino Fellowship - Vampire Cowboys

2007
Artistic Achievement - Doric Wilson
Stewardship Award - Alliance of Resident Theatres/NY
Caffe Cino Fellowship - Rising Phoenix Repertory

2008
Artistic Achievement - Judith Malina
Stewardship Award - Martin & Rochelle Denton, New York Theatre Experience
Caffe Cino Fellowship - Boomerang Theatre Company

“Receiving the Stewardship Award from NYITA was particularly meaningful to us because it signifies that our peers and colleagues in the indie theater community really value what The New York Theatre Experience has been doing for the past ten years” said 2008 recipient, Martin Denton. “It inspires us want to keep doing a better and better job in the future.”

The New York Innovative Theatre Foundation is a not-for-profit organization recognizing the great work of New York City's Off-Off-Broadway, honoring its artistic heritage, and providing a meeting ground for this extensive and richly varied community. The organization advocates for Off-Off-Broadway and recognizes the unique and essential role it plays in contributing to American and global culture. They believe that publicly recognizing excellence in Off-Off-Broadway will expand audience awareness and foster greater appreciation of the New York theatre experience.

Website: www.nyitawards.com

Sponsors: Kampfire Films PR, United Stages, Yeungling Beer, Tekserve