Besides the Oscars, Golden Globes, and a host of others this month, January is the month for local awards.
Seattle Theater Writers, an organization consisting of local reviewers, gave the 2012 Gypsy Rose Lee Awards this month in thirty-two categories as well as a Special Award of Recognition for Ms. Kathy Hsieh for Excellence in Playwriting. Hsieh is the creator of the long-running serial play, Sex In Seattle, that dealt with the dating trials and tribulations of Asian-Americans. SIS Episode 20 premiered in 2012.
“The winners represent coming to a consensus, which can be quite a challenge,” said Miryam Gordon, who started the awards and bills herself as “head writer-wrangler” when it comes to colleting the ballots.
“It’s not easy to get people with very different opinions to agree. I think if we all agree, that must mean more than any one of our opinions on our own. And we all take these selections quite seriously,” Gordon added.
The awards are given to Equity and non-Equity theater organizations in an effort to raise public awareness of the variety of shows, talent, and theater companies available in Seattle.
The award is named in honor of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famed burlesque performer born in Seattle, who enjoyed a career on stage and screen, as well as a mystery writer. Her life inspired the musical Gypsy.
A full listing of all the 2012 awards can be found at Seattle Theater Writers’ Facebook page.
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