And the Tony Award winner is ... Seattle
The Seattle performing-arts community had a lot to celebrate at the crack of dawn Tuesday, when nominations and other recognitions for the 2006 Tony Awards were announced in New York. And so, perhaps, did Seattle theatergoers.
The biggest news flash was that Intiman Theatre had won the coveted Tony Award as outstanding regional theater in the United States this year.
But the backslapping didn't stop with that honor.
Intiman Theatre artistic honcho Bartlett Sher proved once again he is one of the hottest stage directors in the country, by nabbing a Tony nomination for directing, the second year in a row. This year, he's been singled out for staging the Broadway revival of "Awake and Sing!" by Clifford Odets. (Last year he was nominated for directing the musical, "The Light in the Piazza.")
Donald Byrd, the inventive, sometimes provocative dance artist who heads up Seattle's Spectrum Dance Theater, won a Tony nomination for choreographing the hit Broadway musical, "The Color Purple."
And the 5th Avenue Theatre shared in the glow of the five Tony nominations bestowed on "The Wedding Singer," including one for best new musical of Broadway's 2005-2006 season.
The '80s-themed "Wedding Singer" had its pre-Broadway world premiere in Seattle at the 5th Avenue, last February. (The Tony winners will be announced June 11 in a Radio City Music Hall ceremony.)
Between fielding the congratulations of friends and colleagues, those in Seattle anointed by the Tonys expressed delight and some surprise.
"Stunned and unbelieving," said Intiman manager Laura Penn, whose theater is the second in Seattle to nab a regional Tony. (The other was Seattle Repertory Theatre, in 1990.)
"I saw my name, and thought maybe those are the possible nominees," said Byrd, whose "Color Purple" choreography marks his first Broadway assignment. "It took me a while to make sure it was correct. I was kind of in shock."
Observing the city's bounty of Tony nods, 5th Avenue Theatre artistic head David Armstrong said, "It just proves Seattle is one of the great theater towns in the country now."
"In my view there's New York, Chicago and Seattle, and nowhere else comes near those cities. We are that vital a theatrical community, and it's something I don't think Seattle realizes fully, or maybe just takes for granted."
Collectively, this year's Tony haul will likely add more luster to Seattle's reputation as a theatrical hub.
But the honors also mean different things to each recipient — including, some hope, more local attention and support. And the national recognition could affect what shows patrons see on Seattle stages in the future.
Sher's directing nod — one of eight nominations for the much-praised "Awake and Sing!" — furthers his reputation as one of the most dynamic and "bankable" younger directors toiling on Broadway.
But Tuesday Sher, 47, seemed more excited by the Intiman win, saying, "The regional Tony is a different kind of thing, a great acknowledgement by the national forces-that-be of the kind of work we're doing here, and taking across the nation."
The honor is outside affirmation of Sher's vision for the 34-year-old playhouse, which he has led since 2000. His programming has emphasized world-premiere works, Shakespeare dramas and American literary classics.
Of special note were shows Sher himself directed, and/or sent on to an extended life beyond Seattle. He hatched the musical "The Light in the Piazza" here in 2003. It later earned six 2005 Tonys, and is entering its second year on Broadway.
The epic drama "Singing Forest" by Craig Lucas debuted at Intiman, went on to New Haven, Conn., and earned the prestigious American Theatre Critics Association/Steinberg New Play Award in 2004.
And Joan Holden's "Nickel and Dimed," a play based on a best-selling book by Barbara Ehrenreich, was launched at Intiman before going on to many other U.S. productions.
Despite such coups, the Seattle Center company's finances have lagged behind its artistic reputation.
The Tony comes with a $25,000 prize. However, the Intiman today carries an accumulated debt of more than $1 million, according to Penn. Sher hopes the honor will leverage more funding, particularly from local sources.
"This is a critical time for the Intiman," he noted. "We really have to lift the theater to a completely different place, in terms of financial support. We have enormous artistic plans for the next several years, and building our resources is a key to realizing them."
Byrd, meanwhile, sees his Tony recognition as an artistic spur. He said his Broadway experience "is feeding into my work in general, including the two new pieces Spectrum is doing at the [Moore Theatre] this fall, 'Petrushka' and 'The Miraculous Mandarin.' We're also collaborating with the 5th Avenue Theatre next year, when our dancers appear in their production of 'West Side Story.' "
For the 5th Avenue, the current Tony buzz gives the downtown theater more cachet as a prime tryout house for Broadway-aimed musicals — even if "Wedding Singer" is not the instant smash the Broadway hit "Hairspray" was after its 5th Avenue tryout in 2002.
Armstrong is already anticipating the next Broadway-bound musical at the 5th Avenue ("Cry-Baby," slated to premiere here in 2007).
"What we have here is a great Seattle audience for Broadway artists and producers to collaborate with," Armstrong said. "There's a warm, encouraging, inviting atmosphere that our audience brings in with them."
Misha Berson: mberson@seattletimes.com
About Intiman Theatre
Intiman history: The company was created in 1972, by founding artistic director Margaret Booker. Later artistic directors: Elizabeth Huddle, Warner Shook and Bartlett Sher (current).
Current location: The 450-seat Intiman Playhouse, in the Seattle Center
2006 annual budget: About $5 million
Selected Intiman achievements:
• World premiere of the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1991 drama, "The Kentucky Cycle," by Seattle dramatist Robert Schenkkan
• World premiere of "Singing Forest" by Craig Lucas, winner of the 2004 American Theatre Critics Association/Steinberg New Play Award
• World premiere of "The Light in the Piazza," Broadway musical by Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas, which won six 2005 Tony Awards.
Next up at Intiman Theatre: "Richard III" by William Shakespeare, staged by artistic director Bartlett Sher. Runs June 9-July 15 at Intiman Theatre, Seattle Center. Information: www.intiman.org or 206-269-1900.
— Misha Berson
The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards are presented each year by Tony Award Productions, a joint venture of The League of American Theatres and Producers and the nonprofit American Theatre Wing. The 2006 Tonys, for Broadway excellence during the 2005-2006 season, will be bestowed in a June 11 ceremony at Radio City Music Hall, televised nationally by CBS.
The selection for the Regional Theatre Tony Award begins with the 220-member American Theatre Critics Association, which polls its members for recommendations. Seattle Times theater critic Misha Berson is among the critics who recommended Intiman Theatre this year. The recommendation is given to the Tony Administration Committee, which then makes its final decision on the award winner.