Back Stage West Garland Award
| Back Stage Garland Awards | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Excellence in Southern California theatre. |
| Location | Los Angeles, California |
| Country |
 United States
|
| Presented by | Backstage |
| First awarded | 1998 |
| Last awarded | 2009 |
| Website | http://www.backstage.com/bso/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003717668 |
The Back Stage Garland Awards — also referred to simply as the Garland Awards, and known as the Back Stage West Garland Awards from 1998 to 2008 — were bestowed by the entertainment-industry newspaper Backstage, honoring excellence in Southern California theatre. The awards recognize many different types of contributors to theatre, including actors, directors, producers, prop makers, set designers, costume designers, and choreographers.
Award winners are selected through a process voted on by theatre critics in the industry. Each Garland winner has appeared on at least three critics' "Best of" lists for the previous year. Critics are each allowed to name "up to five nominees for each category except performance, up to 10 nominees for performance in a musical production and up to 10 in straight productions." Each winner is presented with a "Garland statuette" in the year following their recognized production.
The first awards were presented on January 12, 1998, with eighty individuals recognized, and the next year's ceremony recognized one hundred and fifty people. The first ceremony was held at the Coronet Theatre in Los Angeles, California, and awards in the following two years were presented in a ceremony at the Geffen Playhouse in Westwood, Los Angeles, California. Two hundred and seventy stage artists and theatre supporters attended the first annual awards. Awards categories in the first year included production, performance, ensemble cast, sound design, costume, lighting design, set design, musical score, and choreography.Pacific Resident Theatre in Venice, California was recognized with a special award for "continued excellence." Presenters at the first annual awards included Daniel Henning, artistic director for the Blank Theatre Company, and actor Noah Wyle, who had just joined Blank Theatre Company as artistic producer.David Schwimmer spoke on behalf of the Chicago, Illinois-based company he co-founded, Lookingglass Theatre Company, and accepted awards for their production of Arabian Nights.Ian McKellen was also honored at the ceremony for his one-man show, A Knight Out in Los Angeles. The first annual Garland Awards were dedicated to actor Charles Hallahan, a member of the Matrix Theatre Company who died in 1997.
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