Feature: Broadway World Cabaret Awards Nominee Round-Up And Voting Guide

On November 19th Broadway World Cabaret started a series of articles called AND THE NOMINEES ARE... This group of stories was created to shine a light on artists who have been nominated for a BROADWAY WORLD AWARD in the region of Cabaret. The Broadway World Awards are an audience-based award that the website has been hosting since the site launched in 2003; in the beginning, the awards were for the Broadway Season but they subsequently branched out to include theater around the world. Now covering over one hundred markets, the Today Tix-sponsored celebration of live arts begins with nominations that are digitally submitted by audience members, be they fan, family, friend, or follower - and let's be honest, artists are encouraged to nominate themselves because (as the saying goes) if you can't love yourself... The online nomination process lasts a few weeks, then the nominations are compiled electronically and then finessed by human hands, after which the nominees are announced online so that Broadway World readers can cast votes for their favorites through an online voting link.

But that's all so technical! It's all so digital! We're looking at artists and humans and we need some kind of representation of their human talents! That is why we at Broadway World Cabaret created the AND THE NOMINEES ARE... series - to give our readers and the voters a chance to see just who and what they are voting for.

In this terribly confusing year, the top tier of Broadway World, starting at founder and CEO Robert Diamond, thought that the 2020 BWW Awards should be a look back at the last decade - a "Best Of" kind of thing. Following that lead, we at Broadway World Cabaret decided to expand the number of categories in our market from 21 to 52, in an effort to include the contributions of more artists in a wider spectrum of talents, as well as the newly-discovered art form of virtual entertainment. (Editor's note: Feedback via email has indicated that some found 52 to be a high volume of categories in which to cast votes - Broadway World Cabaret and I understand; we also stand by any act that acknowledges the contributions of more artists.) Because of the extraordinary circumstances of the year, and with virtual programming being a newly developing art form, a little confusion led to some of the nominees being placed in the wrong categories (Editor's note: Baking With Marc and James felt like a cooking segment of a chat show to me, that's how the program ended up in the Best Chat Show category - I admit it: I was wrong) but the response to the new look of the BWW Cabaret Awards from the public and the nightclub industry has been overwhelmingly positive.

After twenty-nine days of AND THE NOMINEES ARE... articles, it is abundantly clear that the cabaret and club industry is comprised of some of the most varied, interesting, unique, and beautiful talents to be found in Manhattan. We would like to offer our congratulations to them because their work was so significant that somebody wanted to nominate them for an award, and that's a fine acknowledgment of their craft. We at BWW Cabaret would also like to encourage everyone who hasn't had a chance to vote in the Broadway World Awards to take out six minutes to do so (Editor's note: I' have personally tested the system five times and it takes about six minutes). To that end, below please find a link to each of the AND THE NOMINEES ARE... stories for every category - that way readers and fans interested in having a look at the nominees can go right to the articles without searching. Also, please note that the best way to vote is on your computer or tablet: feedback from the public indicates that voting by phone can be complicated and frustrating. There are three weeks left before voting ends on December 31st - and in 2019 the surge of last-minute voting was amazing! These artists have been either broadcasting from home or not performing at all for two hundred eighty-three days - let's all show them how much we love them, shall we? Let us make someone else smile, let us make them feel they have been seen: attention must be paid to such people.

And, on a personal note: it's Christmas - a time of year for generosity - and it's not about gifts, cookies, god, or Santa. It's a seasonal thing about humanity. Whatever religious or spiritual affiliations we have, whatever we do or do not believe in, whether we celebrate a holiday or just a day off, we can all agree that it's been a rough year, and we can all appreciate a moment of human kindness. It's almost over - soon there will be a new year, a new administration, and hopefully a change for the better, with regards to the global health crisis. Let us all show kindness and understanding to the people we encounter in real life or online. Let us all do something to brighten the days for ourselves, our loved ones, and the strangers on the street.

Let's make these last days of 2020 as happy as we can and come out on January first with the optimism guns blazing.

AND THE NOMINEES ARE... story links - just click on each category below to go to an article where you can see video and photographic representation of the nominees.

Best Alternative Cabaret Show

Best Arrangement

Best Club House Manager or Concierge

Best Burlesque Show Or Act

Best Comedy Act

Best Debut Show - One Night Only

Best Debut Show - Run of Shows

Best Director

Best Documentarian of Cabaret, Photography or Film/video

Best Drag Artist or Impersonator

Best Duo Show

Best Ensemble Soloist

Best Filmed Show, Created in Quarantine

Best Filmed Show, Presented From Archival Video

Best Group Show

Best Host or Emcee

Best Jazz Combo, With Or Without Vocals

Best Jazz Vocalist

Best Junior Performer (Under Age 18)

Best Lighting Design

Best Live Streamed Concert

Best Live Streamed Regularly Scheduled Music Show

Best Music Video Created in Quarantine

Best Musical Comedy Cabaret Show

Best Musical Director

Best Open-Mic Show

Best Original Song

Best Piano Bar Entertainer, Musician

Best Piano Bar Entertainer, Vocalist

Best Producer of a Virtual Program

Best Record Producer

Best Recording, Commercial

Best Recording, Independent

Best Recurring Series

Best Regularly Scheduled Chat Program

Best Regularly Scheduled Virtual Lounge/Piano Bar

Best Regularly Scheduled Open Mic Program

Best Revue

Best Show

Best Show Art

Best Show Musician, Non-Musical Director

Best Show, Celebrity

Best Sound Design

Best Special Event, Multiple

Best Special Event, Solo

Best Spoken Word Cabaret Show (May feature up to four songs but no more)

Best Swing Act

Best Tribute Show

Best Variety Show

Best Vocal Group

Best Vocalist

Best Zoom Show, Performed in Real-Time

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