For the sixth year, Seattle's TeenTix, an arts access and engagement program for teenagers, has announced the nominees for its annual Teeny Awards. Like a Teen Choice Awards for local arts events and organizations, the Teeny Awards aim to empower teen arts audiences and to recognize those organizations that have done an especially good job of welcoming young people over the past year.
The Teeny Awards are awarded by The New Guard, TeenTix's arts leadership society, based on TeenTix member voting.
TeenTix director Holly Arsenault says, "This year, The New Guard wanted to shake up the categories a bit, and they came up with what I think is a brilliant plan -- they scrapped the traditional event categories (such as Best Play, Best Exhibit) altogether, and instead chose to give awards based on what matters to them when they decide to go experience art. The new categories reward work across genres and art forms that, for example, sparked civic dialogue, engaged topics related to young people, or offered a chance to experience a timeless work from the canon. I think the categories are surprising and illuminating and a perfect expression of what the Teeny Awards are supposed to do."
The Teeny Awards will be presented in a gala ceremony on Saturday, September 20th at EMP Museum (last year's winner for Favorite Organization). The ceremony will be hosted by Lindy West, and preceded by TeenTix's annual fundraising dinner. Tickets and information are available at www.teentix.org/TeenyAwards2014.
TEENY AWARDS 2014 NOMINEES
ORGANIZATION AWARDS
Celebrating the region's most teen-friendly arts organizations
1. FAVORITE ORGANIZATION
Voted on in real-time at the Teeny Awards ceremony
All TeenTix partner organizations nominated except reigning favorite organization, EMP Museum.
2. BEST FRONT-OF-HOUSE EXPERIENCE
For the partner organization with the most welcoming and helpful box office staff, greeters, ushers, etc.
All TeenTix partner organizations nominated
3. BEST THEATRE
ACT Theatre
ArtsWest
Balagan Theatre
Book-It Repertory Theatre
Cornish College of the Arts
Driftwood Players
Intiman Theatre Festival
Jet City Improv
New Century Theatre Company
On the Boards
Pork Filled Players
Renton Civic Theatre
Seattle Children's Theatre
Seattle Musical Theatre
Seattle Public Theater
Seattle Shakespeare Company
SiS Productions
Taproot Theatre
The 14/48 Projects
Unexpected Productions
UW UTS
UW School of Drama
Washington Ensemble Theatre
Young Americans' Theatre Company
4. BEST MUSEUM or GALLERY
ArtsWest
Bellevue Arts Museum
Burke Museum
Cornish College of the Arts
EMP Museum
Henry Art Gallery
MOHAI
Seattle Art Museum & Seattle Asian Art Museum
The Wing Luke Museum
5. BEST DANCE ORGANIZATION
Cornish College of the Arts
On the Boards
Pacific Northwest Ballet
Spectrum Dance Theater
6. BEST FILM ORGANIZATION
Grand Illusion Cinema
NFFTY: The National Film Festival for Talented Youth
Northwest Film Forum
Pacific Science Center's IMAX & Laser Dome
Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF)
Three Dollar Bill Cinema
7. BEST CIVIC, CULTURAL, or LITERARY ORGANIZATION
Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas
Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute
Seattle Arts & Lectures
Seattle Center
Town Hall
8. BEST MULTI-DISCIPLINARY ORGANIZATION
ArtsWest
Cornish College of the Arts
Edmonds Center for the Arts
EMP Museum
Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute
On the Boards
EVENT AWARDS
Works must have been produced at a TeenTix partner organization between July 2013 and June 2014
9. THE EVOLUTION AWARD
For the work that best showcased the work of young artists or engaged topics related to youth
#ICONIC: Power and Pop Culture at Wing Luke Museum
Bo-Nita at Seattle Repertory Theatre
NFFTY: The National Film Festival for Talented Youth
Ping Pong Summer, Northwest Film Forum
She's Come Undone, Book-It Repertory Theatre
Sound Off! 2014 at EMP Museum
The Wrestling Season, Young Americans' Theatre Company
10. THE KINDLING AWARD
For the work that most artfully illuminated a social issue or sparked civic dialogue
Ignite Seattle! series, Town Hall
Impenetrable, SiS Productions
The Minstrel Show Revisited, Spectrum Dance Theater
Rapture, Blister, Burn, ACT Theatre
Sanctum, Henry Art Gallery
Translations Film Festival, Three Dollar Bill Cinema
The Whipping Man, Taproot Theatre Company
11. THE EVERYTHING OLD IS COOL AGAIN AWARD
For a great work first created 50 or more years ago
Canzonetta, Cornish College of the ArtsDresden Concertos with Rachel Barton Pine, Seattle Baroque Orchestra/Early Music Guild
Lysistrata, Intiman Theatre Festival
Richard II, Seattle Shakespeare Company
The Sleeping Beauty, Pacific Northwest Ballet
Untuxed: Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Seattle Symphony
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Seattle Repertory Theatre
12. THE BLEEDING EDGE AWARD
For an unexpected contemporary work
Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Washington Ensemble Theatre
Black Angels, Seattle Symphony
The Creation Project 2014, Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas
Echo, SAM Olympic Sculpture Park
Kylian + Pite, Pacific Northwest Ballet
The Suit, Seattle Repertory Theatre
The Walworth Farce, New Century Theatre Company
13. THE KALEIDOSCOPE AWARD
For the most transporting work
#chicagoGirl, SIFFThe Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Book-It Repertory Theatre
Fantasy: Worlds of Myth and Magic, EMP Museum
Light Reign, James Turrell Skyspace, Henry Art Gallery
Miro: The Experience of Seeing, Seattle Art Museum
Les Miserables, Balagan Theatre
A World of Paper, A World of Fashion, Bellevue Arts Museum
14. THE SCHOOL IS HARD AWARD
For the funnest way to not think about finals
14/48: The World's Quickest Theatre Festival, The 14/48 Projects
Laser Ring, Seattle Laser Dome + Seattle Opera
Legend of Zelda, Seattle Symphony
Monty Python and the Holy Grail - Teens Special!, SIFF
Sing-Along Sound of Music, Edmonds Center for the Arts
Totally Wicked, Seattle Men's Chorus
Upside Downton, Jet City Improv
15. THE DESIGN AWARD
For great design
The Boy at the Edge of Everything, Seattle Children's TheatreCelluloid Seattle: A City at at the Movies, MOHAI
Fifth of July, UW School of Drama
Hound of the Baskervilles, Seattle Repertory Theatre
Kylian + Pite, Pacific Northwest Ballet
Little Shop of Horrors, ACT Theatre + 5th Avenue Theatre
Zoe | Juniper: BeginAgain, On the Boards
16. BEST LOCAL ARTIST
TeenTix members are invited to write in their vote for their favorite local artist. Nominee must be an artist who presented or performed a work at a TeenTix partner organization within the eligible time period. Top five vote-getters will be announced, and winner will be selected by The New Guard.
ABOUT TEENTIX - Founded by Seattle Center in 2004, TeenTix is an arts access and engagement program for teenagers. TeenTix is best known for making it possible for any teenager to buy a five-dollar, day-of-event ticket at 54 arts organizations throughout the Puget Sound region. TeenTix believes that arts participation is a crucial form of civic engagement, and therefore aims to empower young people to take an active role in shaping their arts community as audience members, influencers, patrons, leaders, and critics. Since 2004, TeenTix has served nearly 50,000 area youth. In 2013, TeenTix began a three-year transition from Seattle Center public program to independent organization.
TeenTix is the recipient of the 2014 Seattle Mayor's Arts Award in the Future Focus category. To learn more about TeenTix, visit www.teentix.org.
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