Icky nominations announced

Every year, the Iowa Cultural Corridor Alliance (ICCA) celebrates innovation in arts programming with an evening of awards and entertainment. Called the "Ickys", one of the categories is related to this blog: Theatre Programming. The nominations for innovative theatre programming for 2010 are:

Dreamwell Theatre – A Taboo Bijou
Mount Vernon-Lisbon Community Theatre – Another Serving of Slices of Life
SPT Theatre Company – The Writer’s Room Series
Theatre Cedar Rapids – Rent
University of Iowa Department of Theatre Arts (in partnership with Hancher) – Eye Piece

The programming is varied. TCR's production of Rent was hailed as amazing all over the corridor and even impressed Anthony Rapp, the actor who originated the role of Mark on Broadway. While this blog does not cover University Theatre productions and therefore did not review Eye Piece, an original work by Rinde Eckert, word on the street was that it was an powerful show. Two theatres were honored for original work. Another Serving of Slices of Life was a series of original short plays by local writers. The Writer's Room is a series of original skits around a common theme set to music. We've applauded their efforts for a while now on this blog and are thrilled that they received this recognition. A common theme was key to Dreamwell's nomination as well. For 2010, they presented five plays that created a year long community conversation by asking "What does it mean to be 'taboo' and how do we recognize and confront taboo subjects and situations?"

Theaters also represented in a couple of other awards as well. City Circle Acting Company of Coralville (in partnership with The Iowa Children’s Museum) was nominated in the Children's Programming category for Once on This Island.For Educational Programming, there's a showdown in Amana as Iowa Theatre Artists was nominated for Remain True and The Old Creamery Theatre Company was nominated for Camp Creamery: Little Red Riding Hood. For the Collaborative Award between ICCA members, Theatre Cedar Rapids with the Cedar Rapids Community School District was nominated for Spotlight on Schools. The nominees for the other collaborative award - between an ICCA member and a non-member - includes two theaters: Old Creamery Theatre Company with the Clear Creek Amana Community School District for the 2010 Old Creamery Studio Series and Theatre Cedar Rapids with Ryan Companies and OPN Architects for the Iowa Theater Grand Reopening.

ICCA, a group of over 150 arts and cultural organizations in the Eastern Iowa Corridor of Linn, Johnson and the nine adjacent counties, will present its 5th Annual Meeting and Excellence in Innovation Honors on Monday, January 31, 2011 from 6:30-9:00 p.m. at The Englert Theatre in Iowa City. The Emmy-like event, well known in the Corridor as The Ickys, will feature live performances by artists and organizations celebrating special milestone anniversaries as well as the announcement of the recipients of the 2011 Icky Honors. All ICCA partners, associates, and community members are invited to attend.

For a complete list of all nominations, go here.