The Independent Theater Blogger Awards

Yeah, I know. Just what the theater world needs, another set of awards. But at least on this one, I actually got a chance to vote.

Ladies and gentlemen, it's the first annual Independent Theater Blogger Awards. [insert crowd noise.]

Recently, one of my fellow bloggers, Ken Davenport of The Producer's Perspective, proposed that we theater bloggers get together and form our own group, the Independent Theater Bloggers Association. The idea was that, as newspapers face an uncertain future, and theater critics continue to receive pink slips, bloggers would become an increasingly important voice in the theatrical community.

Ken has a number of different ideas about what we can do together as a group, but our first official act was to vote on the best plays and musicals of the season. Everyone loves awards, specious though they may be, and it would help our fledging group to garner attention. To simplify the process, Ken chose to use the nominees from the Tonys and the Lucille Lortel Awards, but in the future I'm hoping that we'll also provide our own nominees.

So here are the winners of this year's ITBA Awards. Look for more news about the ITBA and its activities in the months to come.

• BEST BROADWAY PLAY: Reasons To Be Pretty

• BEST BROADWAY MUSICAL: Billy Elliot

• BEST BROADWAY REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL: Hair

• BEST BROADWAY REVIVAL OF A PLAY: The Norman Conquests

• BEST OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL: Fela!

• BEST OFF-BROADWAY PLAY: Ruined

• BEST OFF-BROADWAY REVIVAL (PLAY OR MUSICAL): Our Town

• BEST OFF-OFF BROADWAY PLAY: Universal Robots

• BEST OFF-OFF BROADWAY UNIQUE THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE: Suspicious Package

• CITATION FOR EXCELLENCE IN OFF-OFF BROADWAY THEATER: Flux Theatre Ensemble

And here is the ITBA membership, thus far. Bloggers interested in joining the ITBA should contact Ken Davenport at the ITBA Web site.

• Bill Brown - Creating Theater (creatingtheater.com)
• Linda Buchwald - Pataphysical Science (pataphysicalscience.blogspot.com)
• Donald Butchko - Me2ism (me2ism.blogspot.com)
• Chris Caggiano - Everything I Know I Learned from Musicals (ccaggiano.typepad.com)
• Zack Calhoon - Visible Soul (zackcalhoon.blogspot.com)
• Jodi Schoenbrun Carter - Off Stage Right (off-stage-right.com)
• Corine Cohen - Corine's Corner (corinescorner.com)
• Kevin Daly - Theatre Aficionado at Large (theatreaficionado.blogspot.com)
• Ken Davenport - The Producer's Perspective (theproducersperspective.com)
• Ryan J. Davis - Ryan J. Davis Blogs (ryanjdavis.blogspot.com)
• Jeremy Dobrish - Jeremy’s Green Room (JeremysGreenRoom.com)
• Donell James Foreman - The DJF (thedjf.blogspot.com)
• Michael Gilboe - Broadway Bullet (broadwaybullet.com)
• Dan Gilloon - One NYC StageHand (onenycstagehand.blogspot.com)
• Diana Glazer - Lezbehonest (lezbehonest.tumblr.com)
• Byrne Harrison - Stage Buzz (stagebuzz.com)
• Leonard Jacobs - The Clyde Fitch Report (clydefitch.com)
• Patrick Lee - Just Shows to Go You (justshowstogoyou.com)
• James Marino - Broadway Stars (broadwaystars.com)
• Tulis McCall - Usher Nonsense (ushernonsense.com)
• Jesse North - Stage Rush (stagerush.blogspot.com)
• Aaron Riccio - That Sounds Cool (thatsoundscool.blogspot.com)
• Sarah Roberts - Adventures in the Endless Pursuit of Entertainment (sarahbsadventures.blogspot.com)
• Michael Roderick - One Producer in the City (oneproducerinthecity.typepad.com)
• Adam Rothenberg - Adaumbelle’s Quest (adaumbellesquest.com)
• David Spencer - Aisle Say (aislesay.com)
• Ethan Stanislawski - Tynan's Anger (tynansanger.com)
• Gil Varod - Broadway Abridged (BroadwayAbridged.com)
• Kim Weild - kimweild.com