Recognizing talent in Denver, The Henry Awards

July 13, 11:37 AMDenver Theater ExaminerDeb Flomberg

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The Henry Award

The Henry Awards are to Denver as the Tony awards are to New York. (side note: The Tony's are named for Antoinette Perry, a graduate of Denver's East High School.) The Henrys are handed out by the Colorado Theatre Guild and honor the exceptional talent in this town.  However, there has been a lot of talk about the awards themselves, and the fact that only 4 theatre companies, out of the many eligible, took home most of the awards that night.  There are many wonderful shows put up every week that are not seen by the voting panel that determine the nominees and winners of the Henry Awards. This makes a lot of the talent in this town feel disconnected and not appreciated by the Colorado Theatre Guild, an organization who's goal is to "encourage growth and excellence in live theatre in Colorado through collaborative efforts in education, advocacy and promotion."  

The problem seems to lie in the voting system itself. John Moore, of the Denver Post, said it best, "Until the Guild does something to make its membership feel like everyone has an equal chance, its major annual fundraising party could start to become a major downer." In his column this week, Moore clearly identified the problem and gave a very reasonable and realistic solution. I encourage you all to read it.  I think that there can be a fair way to make all of us in the theatre community feel like we all have an equal chance at being recognized.

What are your thoughts?