Plans unveiled for First Night Nashville Theatre Honors

Some 14 years since the last presentation of First Night Awards in Nashville, plans are under way to revive Music City's tribute to the best and brightest in local theatre. The First Night Nashville Theatre Honors will be presented on Sunday, September 19, in a gala evening that will feature tributes to some of the best-known names in local theatre, complete with musical and dramatic performances, and parties both before and after the honors are bestowed.

The Troutt Theatre at Belmont University will play host to the First Night Nashville Theatre Honors this fall, following the announcement of honorees in August during a party now being planned. Jeffrey Ellis, who covers Nashville theatre for BroadwayWorld.com and was founder and executive producer of The First Night Awards, will return in his original role and will oversee the event. Jane Kelley Watt, longtime musical director of the awards ceremony, will also return in that capacity. John Northrup is stage manager for the event.

During its previous incarnation - from 1988 to 1996 - First Night Awards honored outstanding individual achievements and productions throughout the Volunteer State during the annual awards presentations which traditionally were held on Labor Day Weekend. The initial home of the First Night Awards was the Z. Alexander Looby Theatre, with the Nashville Children's Theatre playing host to the gala in subsequent years.

The "new and improved" First Night Nashville Theatre Honors will be modeled after the Kennedy Center Honors, which annually honor arts/cultural/music/entertainment legends in the Washington, D.C. Performing arts center that gives the awards their name.

Recipients of the First Night Nashville Theatre Honors will be presented with medals and photographic portraits to commemorate their contributions to the local theatre scene and to recognize their lasting achievements in their field.

The First Night Awards were always described as Music City's answer to the Tony Awards, but Ellis said that changes were needed to ensure that the new incarnation would continue to be relevant: "In conversations with members of the theatre community - many of whom were actively involved in First Night during its initial run - it became apparent that everyone loved the festive, party atmosphere and the opportunity to bring everyone in the theatre community together for an event. But some people didn't like the idea of competivite categories."

Under the newly created First Night Nashville Theatre Honors, individuals will be recognized for the body of their work, its impact on the local theatre scene and their lasting involvement in their art form.

"We'll pay tribute to the history of Nashville theatre, while embracing the many new names and faces that are making headlines today," Ellis says. "It gives us the unique opportunity to give everyone their time in the spotlight."

Sponsors of the event will be announced in the coming months, with details released in a timely fashion about the social whirl of events that will accompany the presentation of the First Night Nashville Theatre Honors. On Sunday, September 19, a 6 p.m. party will be held prior to the awards show, which will have a 7:30 p.m. curtain. An after-party will follow, with a dazzling array of items offered at a silent auction, to complete the gala evening. The names of the honorees will be made public during a Preview Party to be held in August.

Proceeds from The First Night Nashville Theatre Honors will benefit two charities, both of which will be named later in the year, Ellis said.

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