MINNEAPOLIS: The Ivey Awards announced the recipients of the 2016 prizes, as well as the recipients of the lifetime achievement and emerging artist honors, at a ceremony on Sept. 19 at the Historic State Theatre. The lifetime achievement award went to theatre critic Graydon Royce, and the emerging artist award was given to costume designer Trevor Bowen.
Royce recently retired from his position at the StarTribune, where he covered theatre, classical music, and fine arts. Prior to serving on the arts team, he was an editor in various capacities at the publication for 19 years. He was a fellow at the 2003 O’Neill Theater National Critics Institute and a fellow at the National Endowment for the Arts Institute on classical music and opera in 2009. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire with a degree in journalism.
Bowen served as a design assistant in the Guthrie Theater’s costume shop for the 2012-13 season. He has designed costumes for many of the region’s theatres, including Mixed Blood Theatre, Theatre Latté Da, Park Square Theatre, Ten Thousand Things Theater, History Theatre, and Jungle Theater. Nationally, he has designed costumes for the Contemporary American Theater Festival and Gateway Playhouse. He has assistant designer credits with the Public Theater in New York City, Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater, and Connecticut’s Long Wharf Theatre. He holds an MFA in costume design from West Virginia University.
In addition to the two special categories, three productions and seven ensembles and individuals were lauded at the ceremony. The recipients were selected based on evaluations completed by more than 150 volunteers. No nominations or categories were set for the evaluation process. In total, more than 1,200 performances at 84 professional theatres from Sept. 2015-August 2016 were considered.
A full list of winners is below.
Productions
- The Wizard of Oz at Children’s Theatre Company
- Glensheen at History Theatre
- Le Switch at Jungle Theater
Individuals/Ensembles
- Victor Zupanc, sound design and music for Pinocchio at Children’s Theatre Company
- Kevin Fanshaw and Charles Numrich, acting in Equus at Theatre Coup d’Etat
- Warren C. Bowles, direction for The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife at Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company
- Kate Sutton-Johnson, set design for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at Theater Latté Da
- Jasmine Hughes, acting in Sunset Baby at Penumbra Theatre
- Ensemble, acting in Trouble in Mind at Guthrie Theater
- Ensemble, acting in Now or Later at New Epic Theater
