Atlanta has its own Tony Awards-style gala to celebrate its top theater artists and designers, the Suzi Bass Awards. Named after the late Atlanta film, TV and theater actress, the awards celebrate the best Atlanta’s professional theater scene has to offer. The first honors were bestowed in 2005, and Encore Atlanta is proud to be a media sponsor of this event.
How do people and organizations get nominated? Theaters submit productions to Suzi Bass Award judges to review. The judges then attend the shows and make their recommendations for which actors, actresses, productions and design elements should be nominated to win a “best of” award. The nominees were announced in September, and the award-winners will take home their trophies at the 2011 Suzi Bass Awards on Nov. 7.
The Suzi Bass Awards is a membership-based nonprofit organization and every member gets a vote. Member votes are tabulated to equal one judge’s vote. In tight races, that is sometimes enough to tip the balance. It’s only $25 to join, so go ahead and make your vote count! Tickets for the event are $40 and may be purchased from the Suzi Bass Awards website. (You can also donate $1 and vote for the Audience Choice Awards there too.)
At the nomination party, we had the chance to speak with Executive Director Deadra Moore. In this short video, she explains why the events were founded, who Suzi Bass was and how people can get involved in celebrating Atlanta’s best theater artists.
