NYC Culture/Style: "THE AB*IES" AT THE ABINGDON THEATRE COMPANY

On June 24th the Abingdon Theatre Company had their 2012-2013 Annual AB*IES awards at their multiplex theater venue in Hell's Kitchen featuring one of the most beautiful trophy designs I've ever seen.

In 2006, the Artistic Staff at Abingdon Theatre Company initiated an awards program to acknowledge the contributions of their artists AND the essential role their audiences serve in the development of new American plays, and the AB*IE Awards were born.

For 20 years, Abingdon has been a home where audiences and theatre artists interact – in discussions after every reading, at selected performances of their mainstage and studio productions, through audience questionnaires, and via FaceBook and Twitter.

Artistic Director and playwright Jan Buttram

Since the AB*IE Awards were implemented, Abingdon subscribers vote for their favorite artists – actors, designers, directors, and playwrights. Here’s how:

Subscribers receive a list of all artists participating in the season’s productions. Votes are tabulated and winners announced at a festive party to honor the past season and to kick-off the new one.

Jan and and MC for the event Craig Horsley

For 20 seasons, Abingdon has been a home for creative writers and loyal audiences. Abingdon fosters positive collaboration by emerging, mid-term, and established artists, perpetuate dialogues between audiences and artists, engages an ever-growing and diversfying audience and explores the fabric of the American story.

ATC believes theatre entertains and informs a society, creating a dialogue between disparate groups to reveal the individual drama. Continuous feedback from the creative staff and audiences offers the artist valuable insight into their creative journey. We are passionate about building and maintaining a theatrical home.

Managing director Heather Henderson and Jan

The AB*IE Awards include: Outstanding Actor, Outstanding Actress, Outstanding Director, Outstanding Play, Outstanding Scenic Design, Outstanding Lighting Design, Outstanding Costume Design, and Outstanding Sound Design.

Jim Clide presented Acting award to Susan Louise O’Connor for her grand portrayal of the mousey Louise in Bodega

Vincent Scott was the presenter to Laura Crow, who won Outstanding Costume Design for Robert Brustein’s The Last Will

Presenter Barra White

Sarah Brown accepted several awards for absent winners

Presenter Laurie Gardner

Elisabeth Karlin’s homage to Alfred Hitchcock also won the
Outstanding Lighting Design award
for the work by Matthew McCarthy.

Presenter Jules Ochoa

Donald Brenner received the Outstanding Director award for his direction
of Mike Vogel’s March Madness

Outstanding Set Design award was presented to Andrew Lu for his design of Bodega Bay.

Andrew recounts how the Abingdon group while in China,
had to take the hotel laundry bags as souvenirs, simply
because they were stamped "Not Souvenirs",and therefore
begging to be taken as such!